Hiroyuki Sawano – the best OST composer of animes

Do you know Hiroyuki Sawano? He is a Japanese composer, lyricist, musician and producer, well known for his work on anime, series, films and video games. Sawano was born in 1980 and started playing piano in elementary school. By the age of 17, he was already studying piano, composition, arrangement and orchestration with Nobuchika Tsuboi. His soundtracks are so compelling that I decided to write an article just about him.

You have almost certainly heard Hiroyuki Sawano's compositions in some anime or game. He is best known for his science-fiction-flavoured soundtracks (OSTs), like those for Aldnoah.Zero and Guilty Crown, and for games such as Xenoblade X. He has also composed the scores of major anime such as Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) and Nanatsu no Taizai (The Seven Deadly Sins). Sometimes he is placed on the same level as Yuki Kajiura and Taku Iwasaki – or even higher. Some even call him the «Hans Zimmer of the East».

If you have never really stopped to listen to the background music of an anime, or never looked it up on its own, this article may bring back a touch of nostalgia.

The works of Hiroyuki Sawano

Hiroyuki Sawano uses the tag [nZk] in his music to indicate authorship. His pieces are often energetic and shape the scenes they accompany, helping to keep the focus. Sometimes a single melody strikes right in the heart and brings a deep feeling of sadness – as is the case with the different versions of Vers in Aldnoah.Zero.

One frequent criticism of Hiroyuki Sawano is that he often recycles multiple versions of the same piece, and that his rhythms can feel repetitive. It is not unusual to recognise different versions of the same song in the same anime. Still, Sawano keeps surprising with bombastic, heavily vocalised music during action scenes, and with stunning instrumental versions of openings and endings.

Selected works featuring Hiroyuki Sawano:

• Aldnoah.Zero – OST and endings;
• Ao no Exorcist (Blue Exorcist);
• Guilty Crown;
• Kill la Kill;
• Kōtetsujō no Kabaneri – OST and endings;
• Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn;
• Nanatsu no Taizai (The Seven Deadly Sins);
• Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End);
• Re:Creators;
• Sengoku Basara;
• Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan);
• Xenoblade (series).

The songs that have moved me the most come from Aldnoah.Zero – especially &Z, AlieZ, Vers and their East Asian versions. And, of course, you cannot forget Don't worry and Uncontrollable from Xenoblade X. Those are personal favourites, of course – beyond them there is a much larger catalogue of great tracks.

Vocal tracks – a perfect combination

Many of Hiroyuki Sawano's compositions are vocal pieces. One of the standout singers in his catalogue is Mika Kobayashi. She was born in 1978 in Hiroshima and mostly sings in English. Several tracks from Shingeki no Kyojin and Aldnoah.Zero are sung by her and composed by Sawano. In Xenoblade X she sings several songs, including Uncontrollable.

Another distinctive voice is Mizuki, a mysterious singer who appears as the lead vocalist of the band Itsue. She performed the endings of Aldnoah.Zero, including AlieZ. There is also a parallel version sung by Mika Kobayashi, known as MKAlieZ. We should also mention Aimer and cyua, whose expressive voices are featured prominently in many Sawano compositions.

There are many other notable composers working in Japanese media. Covering them all in detail would be a huge task, so this article focuses on my personal favourite. Composers are like the weapons in an arsenal – their effectiveness comes down to talent. Do you like Hiroyuki Sawano? What do you think of his work? Who is your favourite composer?