Anime has been influencing Western art since its inception — and although anime music videos are swiftly disappearing, music videos inspired by anime are not. In between nostalgia, streaming, and accessibility, anime is making moves into music videos in a big way, especially as more and more people are reveling in their love of the art form. So, let’s move on to the music videos! This list isn’t ranked, but I can assure you that my favourite one is at the end of this slideshow. Enjoy some absolute bangers in the meantime.
“you should see me in a crown,” Billie Eilish
You might not recognise Takashi Murakami’s name, but many people would recognise his happy face flower or his super-flat aesthetic. Eilish is a renowned anime fan and this isn’t even the first animated music video she’s done.
“Boss Up,” Tyga
Tyga is dealing with an isekai assination situation here folks.
“Gomenasai,” t.A.T.u.
One of the earlier anime references in our slideshow, t.A.T.u. leaned into cyberpunk aesthetics for “Gomenasai.”
“Pink Youth,” Yuna with Little Simz
Yuna’s take on immersive narratives draws from super sentai stories, Akira, and 1984.
“Another Life,” Afrojack and David Guetta
Ever since Bjork changed the game with her incredible sexy robot music video for “All Is Full of Love,” people have been trying to replicate it. This video does a good job at homage, merging some epic space scenes.
“Breaking the Habit,” Linkin Park
Studio Gonzo animated this music video, and the director, Kazuto Nakazawa, created this film in the style of the O-Ren segment from Kill Bill, which he also worked on.
“Shelter,” Porter Robinson and Madeon
A real anime collaboration between the musicians and Crunchyroll, this short film is really great.
“Waking Up Down,” Yaeji
This style reminds me of Guadetama, and I really love the kind of laid back, almost Sanrio-meets-Jojo vibe here.
“Bad Habits,” Ed Sheeran
The Japanese version of Bad Habits got its own anime version, and it’s super charming, actually, mixing idol culture and supernatural horror.
“Levitating,” Dua Lipa
The Sailor Moon references are all over this one.
“Snowchild,” The Weeknd
The Weeknd’s anime-horror aesthetic is great, actually.
“Emotions,” Cashmere Cat
Cashmere Cat wants you to play JRPGs or die.
“One More Time,” Daft Punk
One of the original anime music videos, this banger from 2000 was directed by Kazuhisa Takenouchi who used these scenes as part of the feature film, Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem, which he also directed.
“Break the Ice,” Britney Spears
Say what you want about this animation, this song is a bop.
“Sing Along,” Sturgill Simpson
OK so I’m not going to wax poetic about Sturgill Simpson’s Sound & Fury, but the fact is that this country artist fell in love with anime and then went to Netflix and was like, “How about we produce a 40-minute episodic anime film that uses my newest album as a soundtrack.” What came out of the collaboration is a cypberpunk/country mashup that is a delight to watch and listen to, and I have not seen enough people talking about it. Japanese director Junpei Mizusaki took on the project, and everything about it is weird, wonderful, and works alongside Simpson’s outlaw country roots that have sprouted electronic flowers. So while this one single is available to stream, the whole thing is on Netflix, and it’s well worth your time. Also, if you do want to read me waxing poetic about this, I’ve got you covered.
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