Do you pay attention to sound effects in anime?

[Lego]

Often times while watching anime, the first thing I'll notice is the shows music, backgrounds, or how the plot and characters interact with each other. But something that I have recently started to "get into", and something that has interested me is sound direction in anime.

For example, a show like GITS SAC wouldn't be GITS SAC without authentic gun, tank, and helicopter sounds. GITS SAC has some of the most realistic sounding weapons that I've heard in anime. Not to mention some of the explosions and other little nuances. With these effects, it makes it easier to get into the show and to enjoy it.

It just isn't limited to action shows though. It can work for a harem show, or even a slice of life show like Honey and Clover. Honey and Clover had a episode where <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>Takemoto and Morita were playing twister</span>. The use of sound effects in that scene made it a hilarious one. The same can be said for other harem shows like Tenchi and Love Hina.

So the question is, what shows(to you) have great sound effects(or sound direction), and what are some of your favorite sound effect moments?

[Suwako Moriya]

I don't really pay much attention to them be honest. However sometimes I do take notice of them. Sometimes because they are quite effective and other times because they are extremely annoying. So that's more or less it. However in the end they certainly help. Especially when they effective, but not to the point of drowning everything else out.

[treatment]

missiles screaming overhead from the left-rear to the left-front to the center-front. a gunpod rattling from the right. a valkyrie blasting off full-throttle at center-back to center-front. multiple explosions booming the subwoofer.

etc, etc, etc.

oh, heck yeah!

us Mecha-fans lurvs sound-effects. /images/graemlins/cool.gif

Oh, Macross-Plus and Macross-Zero for the favorites.

For a non-mecha show, it has to be Air-movie. Excellent environmental sounds/effects.

[something]

Favorites? I dunno. As for if I even notice them? Usually only when they're particularly cartooney and kiddy sounding (annoying), or sound like they were listed straight from a videogame I've played in the past (there are some recurring effects I've heard).

[AmericanBeauty]

I notice them quite a bit and I agree, GITS:SAC has an impressive soundtrack.

[Isuzu Inugami]

I guess I don't pay that much attention, but I do remember thinking there was something wonderfully visceral about the Scopedog's gatling gun sound in Votoms. Fortunately, you get to hear it a lot, too. /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

[jaylee]

not sure if this is only me, but whenever there is a gun involved in a series, the first thing i listen for is if the gun sounds real or not.

Jet engine noice is the other biggie. If a jet engine starts up in a show and i dont here every "cycle" noise of it starting up, it bothers me. Same with shutting down the engines. if the engine just suddenly stops and goes quiet in a split second i just shake my head and wonder what the sound engineer was thinking.

yeah, i guess i'm just nit-picky

[Wasabi]

I really love those quirky sound effects that were used from some of the older anime. One example would be that Pokemon ball opening sound effect which was used in many other shows. The weird thing is some of the newer shows are starting to use sound effects from older american cartoons. While watching Rozen Maiden Traumend, I could've sworn the some of the sound effects used came straight from The Smurfs.

[Lego]

I agree with you on the guns and mecha. When you see something in a show, you want it to sound as real as it could be. A personal favorite for me was in Gundam Wing. It was when Heero had the twin beam rifles in Wing Zero. Just that sound effect of them powering up and fireing made you realize that it was a powerful weapon.

[kusanagi-sama]

I have a tendency to pay attention to sound effects, especially ones that are normal everyday ones, such as when clothes rustling (sp?) when people move around. A good example of this is Evangelion.

I do like it when I hear the sound of engines in anime when they are properly reproduced, especially the startup sounds of a jet engine. Macross is especially good in this respect.

[meganly_chan]

Sometimes. I've come to recognize certain sounds that anime uses.

[maxanime]

Not really. Though when I first watched Princess Nine, I noticed the sfx of Ryo's pitches sounded like the Enterprise(TOS movies)flying past in warp drive.

[O-chan]

Just wanted to bring up an interesting point, when first getting into anime and watching Ranma 1/2 I found it kinda funny that the sound effects sounded a lot like the pre-Nelvana Care Bears episodes I used to watch as a kid.

...

you heard me right....

O-chan

[Shsway]

[ QUOTE ]
O-chan said:
Just wanted to bring up an interesting point, when first getting into anime and watching Ranma 1/2 I found it kinda funny that the sound effects sounded a lot like the pre-Nelvana Care Bears episodes I used to watch as a kid.

...

you heard me right....

[/ QUOTE ]

In the same vein, I've found myself recognizing the "twinkle" sound effect (often used when an anime character gets punched out to the heavens, becoming a speck of light), from a number of 80's American shows that I own (like a few episodes of Rainbow Brite, for example).

I tend to mostly pick up on the humorous sound usage. Like those crows when someone does or says something that is received awkwardly. Or the Noh Theater stuff (gongs and "Yeoooooooo!") usually heard in AIC shows like Tenchi Muyo!. Azumanga Daioh and Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi have loads of hilarious sound effects.

The new sound mix on the Trigun LE rerelease truly makes me appreciate the beauty of its soundtrack the and bullet-ridden moments.

[Ty]

I'm pretty sharp about paying attention to details like that, so yes most of the time I do. If they're done poorly or standout for some reason or another I notice them to the point of their being distracting sometimes. Especially with headphones on. I've found that listening with phones is a great torture test of how well done sound effects are done and mixed.

There are also just some oddball shows that have soundeffects that really stand out for no real reason I can put my finger on. Nanoha A's is like this, with all the sound effects they have for the sound of clothes rubbing against themselves while people shift around or move. It always grabs my attention during quiet scences for some reason.

[SlavikCC]

It seems that one sound effects library is used very extensively on so many anime shows out there (ie. the machine gun sound fire in Gasaraki is also the EXACT SAME in RahXephon, Spriggan, etc). This is probably due to the sound studio's budget and couldn't bothered to buy any sort of different libraries.

[pianocello]

I love the whirring of the clunky mecha in Armored Trooper VOTOMS

[Vicserr]

or the crown Jewel of Sound Effects F*ck-ups, Robotech Remastered, I don't know what reason they did it but the sound library they used was pretty weak, robust machine gun sounds exchanged with wimpy lasers and explosion clusters sounding like fireworks!!!!! /images/graemlins/cry00000.gif /images/graemlins/shy10000.gif

[citicslmatts]

I always pay very close attention to sound effects in anime - some flicks seem to get reasonable sound designers in... In my opinion, a move that is well worth doing. Good effects can make anything better!

I noticed GIT:SAC is mentioned numerous times above - cool (and well thought out) sound effects. If the noises are right, it makes it much easier to believe that two huge mecha are pulling each other apart!

Another reason I pay attention to sound effects (this mainly applies to fellow music producers...) is that there are some REALLY cool noises to sample - some of which can be altered slightly to make them REALLY REALLY cool noises! I can firmly recommend you have a hunt around guys!

[kusanagi-sama]

[ QUOTE ]
Vicserr said:
or the crown Jewel of Sound Effects F*ck-ups, Robotech Remastered, I don't know what reason they did it but the sound library they used was pretty weak, robust machine gun sounds exchanged with wimpy lasers and and explosion clusters sounding like fireworks!!!!! /images/graemlins/cry00000.gif /images/graemlins/shy10000.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

They did that because they don't want to warp our little children's psychies, and I think they did that because apparently here in America, hearing the sounds of actual gunfire in something animated will make a kid want to actually go shoot a gun and kill somone. <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>See sarcasm here</span>

[fantasydewdrop]

Mmmm, I notice them, but I seldom think all that much about them. If they're good, then I probably don't notice (since I'll be entranced by the show), but if they're bad, I'm more likely to notice since it breaks the effect and takes me out of the show. Like the motorcycle sound effects in FAKE. Those were BAD.

I have noticed that there's a certain "ting" sound effect that's exceedingly popular in anime. Especially CCS. I think they had a quota to use it an average of once an episode throughout the series. I just wonder what they did to make that sound effect.

Oh, and there's a certain cat sound effect I HATE. It's that yowl that's sort of broken into three parts. It's annoying.

[jecca-neko]

For the most part, no. But shows like Sailor Moon where the sound effects really help make the show, yes, I do pay attention. I guess it helps that my Sailor Moon Memorial Music Box has sound effect tracks. I think it's pretty sad when I can tell the difference between Sailor Moon's various attacks just from their sound effects, no music or vocals added.