Piano Performance
This section will look at the possible piano performance practices and considerations for Anime Piano Music and Animenz's arrangements. Some may be Animenz specific but others could be applied to other Anime Piano Arrangements.
Classical pianists often aim to tell a story through their playing but this can be a challenge when most pieces lack a predefined narrative. However, with anime piano music, there is the potential for effective and in-depth storytelling since most of the arrangements are associated with an anime. Your playing should align with the anime’s main themes. For example, if the anime is about a love story, your playing should be more passionate and romantic to reflect this.
Some of Animenz's arrangements specifically evoke the original anime through various means. For example, Animenz’s arrangement of Hikaru Nara featured several transitions to symbolize the main character's monotone world becoming more colourful thanks to the help of his friends in the anime (Animenz 2022).
If the arrangement is from an anime opening or ending, one may need to consider the animation sequence since the visuals and music are heavily tied together. If there is a fight scene, this could be reflected in your playing by making that section in the arrangement more intense or loud.
Anime opening also serves several roles such as introducing characters, setting the tone of the series and hyping up the audience. This will likely influence a pianist's playing as not only you are giving the audience a first impression of the anime.
Pianists should also consider the song's lyrics: if it conveys loss, your playing should be more tender and sensitive. In addition to this, vocalists emphasizing certain words in the original song may influence a pianist’s articulation, touch, sound, and tone production. Pianists may also need to consider whether the passage they are playing corresponds to a vocal or instrumental section from the original song, as this will likely influence their playing.
Customizable Piano Sonata, Suite, or Song Cycle
Performance Practice
A possible performance practice is a customizable Sonata, Suite or Song Cycle where pianists can choose the movements from a list of pieces. This practice was inspired by something Animenz mentioned in a Facebook post (Animenz 2013). He created an “Anime Sonata” and called it "Sonata in C-major Guilty Crown" with the following standalone arrangements as movements: 1st movement: Guilty Crown, 2nd movement: Euterpe, 3rd movement: Bios (Animenz 2013).
These arrangements are coincidentally in the same key and it follows the fast-slow-fast movement convention of a sonata. It should be noted that when Animenz uses the term “Anime Sonata”, it is in reference to the fast-slow-fast movements of a sonata. These arrangements do not follow sonata form. Thus, it may be more appropriate to describe this as an Anime Suite, Anime Cycle, or Anime Song Cycle. It is possible that a customizable suite or song cycle could become a standard performance practice in the future.
If this practice becomes mainstream, many anime pianists will discuss which arrangements should go with which movements. They may consult with the original music, consider the story of the anime or focus on the arrangements themselves. This may result in a much deeper engagement of the music.