Summary
Netflixand Studio Orange’s upcoming sci-fi mecha animeLeviathanwill feature music by none other than the famousGhibli movie composer Joe Hisaishi. Based on the YA trilogy by Scott Westerfeld,Leviathanis already shaping up to be a series to keep an eye and even an ear out for now that Joe Hisaishi has been confirmed as one of the contributors to the soundtrack.
According to a post on X byMangaMoguraRE,Joe Hisaishi has composed five original tracks for Netflix’s upcoming animeLeviathan. The series is expected to be released in 2025 exclusively on Netflix and has been produced by Qubic Pictures and animated by Studio Orange, the latter of which is best known for hit anime likeTrigun StampedeandBeastars.
Besides the five tracks contributed by Joe Hisaishi,Leviathanwill also feature music byNobuko Toda and Kazuma Jinnouchi,both of whom have most notablycomposed the soundtracks forGhost in the Shell SAC_2045and Makoto Shinkai’s latest hit movieSuzume.
Joe Hisashi to Compose Five Tracks for Netflix’s Upcoming Anime Leviathan
Hisaishi’s Music and Style Perfectly Fit Leviathan’s Setting and Premise
Leviathanis an alternate history story set in 1914 Europe just before the outbreak of World War I and is based on the 2009 novel trilogy by Scott Westerfeld. The plot centers around a commoner girl named Deryn who disguises herself as a boy and an Austro-Hungarian prince named Aleksander, or Alek for short.
These two unlikely individuals cross paths on the titular airship called the Leviathan when they join the Royal Naval Air Service from whence begins their adventure. The anime is full of diesel-powered machines and weapons that lend it its unique steampunk feel which together with the wartime setting, make for a dramatic coming-of-age story like no other.
As Joe Hisaishi’s music is best known and often associated with Ghibli’s fantastical films likeHowl’s Moving CastleandKiki’s Delivery Service, his involvement inLeviathanmay come as a surprise at first. However, the series isarguably right up Hisaishi’s alleyconsidering he has also previously scored sci-fi series likeMospeada, Robot Carnival, and two of theMobile Suit Gundammovies.
Leviathan’swartime setting is also one that Joe Hisaishi is very familiar with as seen withCastle in the Skyand the ever-so nostalgic Ghibli classic Bygone Days. Overall, even though it is only five tracks, Hisaishi’s contribution toLeviathanwill no doubt be instantly recognizable and makes it all the more worth looking forward to this upcoming Netflix anime.
