Kara Dennison
October 23, 2020 
Anime songs are an indispensable part of any fan’s playlist. Some remind us of our favorite shows and moments from them. Others are great to listen to on their own, or are performed by our favorite groups. Best of all, some tracks combine more than one anime we love!
There’s lots of original anime music out there, but covers of songs are creeping into other series. Whether it’s music-centric projects or a tribute to an older series, once in a while you’ll hear a familiar melody in a newer show. Here are three time our favorite songs showed up in later series.
“Equal Romance” (Ranma 1/2 and Di Gi Charat Nyo)
CoCo’s “Equal Romance” served as one of the many ending themes for Rumiko Takahashi’s Ranma 1/2. It’s one of the most nostalgic anime songs of its era, and you also get to hear the show’s seiyuu unit DoCo give it a try.
Fourteen years later, fans would hear the song again… this time as the ending for Di Gi Charat Nyo. Prière performed this version and, while it has its own style, it’s definitely recognizable. If you were a long-time Ranma fan watching the series, you probably thought you were hearing things for a hot second.
“THE GALAXY EXPRESS 999” (Galaxy Express 999 and D4DJ)
Japanese rock band Godiego has a heck of a history. In addition to performing the iconic Monkey Magic theme song, they also supplied music for bizarre 1977 horror flick Hausu. Anime fans will remember them for their upbeat Galaxy Express 999 film theme song, available with both Japanese and English lyrics.
New mixed media project D4DJ was swift to pick up a few anime songs for its list of new covers, among them this iconic tune. Photon Maiden, the project’s techno/space-themed quartet, put their own spin on the beloved classic (and, appropriately enough, “Party Night” from the aforementioned Di Gi Charat):
“Karakuri Pierrot” (Vocaloid and BanG Dream!)
For a song this good and a project this big, we had to fudge a little. Vocaloid songs may not technically count as anime songs (with the exception of a few that “made it”). But “Karakuri Pierrot” and others like it have such a following that we had to give it the spotlight… especially considering it’s one of BanG Dream!‘s better covers. Mixed media unit Pastel*Palettes put their own spin on the tune for their Vocaloid crossover project, even replicating the original video:
Of course, both BanG Dream! and D4DJ will feature more and more covers of anime songs as they go on. So be sure to keep an eye on them!
What are some of your favorite covers? Any anime songs you think deserve a new life in a new series?
