Top 17 Musical Band Anime to watch

A musical ensemble also known as a music group or music band is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music, typically known by a distinct name.

1. Macross 7

35 years have passed since Lynn Minmay had brought peace between the Zentradi and the humans in the events of Macross. Nekki Basara is a guitarist and a singer of the band Fire Bomber. Living in a less-developed part of the flying colony City 7 which is looking for a habitable planet, he composes and sings songs in the belief that music holds a greater power.

During its flight, an unknown alien race appeared and started laying siege upon City 7. However, its attacks are not conventional -- instead of trying to destroy them, they steal what is known as "spiritia", rendering victims unresponsive and zombie-like. During these battles, Basara always goes out into the middle of the warzone, singing his songs and expecting friend and foe to listen and be moved by his music.

Macross 7 is finished and has 49 Episodes. It is also Known as: マクロス7, M7

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2. Nana

Nana Komatsu is a helpless, naïve 20-year-old who easily falls in love and becomes dependent and clingy to those around her. Even though she nurses ambitious dreams of removing herself from her provincial roots and finding her true calling, she ends up traveling to Tokyo with the humble reason of chasing her current boyfriend Shouji Endo.

Nana Osaki, on the other hand, is a proud, enigmatic punk rock vocalist from a similarly rural background, who nurtures the desire to become a professional singer. Putting her career with a fairly popular band firmly behind her, she boards the same train to Tokyo as Nana Komatsu.

Through a fateful encounter in their journey toward the metropolis, the young women with the same given name are brought together, sparking a chain of events which eventually result in them sharing an apartment. As their friendship deepens, the two attempt to support each other through thick and thin, their deeply intertwined lives filled with romance, music, challenges, and heartbreaks that will ultimately test their seemingly unbreakable bond.

Nana is finished and has 47 Episodes. It is also Known as: NANA [ナナ], Nana

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3. Bocchi the Rock!

Hitori Gotoh, “Bocchi-chan,” is a girl who’s so introverted and shy around people that she’d always start her conversations with “Ah...”

During her middle school years, she started playing the guitar, wanting to join a band because she thought it could be an opportunity for even someone shy like her to also shine. But because she had no friends, she ended up practicing guitar for six hours every day all by herself.

After becoming a skilled guitar player, she uploaded videos of herself playing the guitar to the internet under the name “Guitar Hero” and fantasized about performing at her school’s cultural festival concert. But not only could she not find any bandmates, before she knew it, she was in high school and still wasn’t able to make a single friend!

She was really close to becoming a shut-in, but one day, Nijika Ijichi, the drummer in Kessoku Band, reached out to her. And because of that, her everyday life started to change little by little...

BOCCHI THE ROCK! is finished and has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: ぼっち・ざ・ろっく!, Bocchi the Rock!

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4. K-On!

Hirasawa Yui, a young, carefree girl entering high school, has her imagination instantly captured when she sees a poster advertising the "Light Music Club." Being the carefree girl that she is, she quickly signs up; however, Yui has a problem, she is unable to play an instrument.

When Yui goes to the clubroom to explain, she's greeted by the other members: Ritsu, Mio, and Tsumugi. Although disheartened at Yui's lack of musical know-how, they still try to convince her to stay to prevent the club's disbandment. After playing Yui a short piece which re-ignites her imagination, they succeed in keeping their new member and guitarist.

Along with the tasks of school and homework, Yui begins to learn the guitar with the help of the other band members, experiencing many mishaps along the way. However, with the school festival drawing near and Yui getting stuck with her practice, will the Light Music Club be ready in time for their debut?

K-ON! is finished and has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: けいおん!, Keion, K-ON! Season 1

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5. Rock wa Lady no Tashinami Deshite

At an elite all-girls' academy where refined young ladies gather, Lilisa Suzunomiya, now the daughter of a real estate tycoon after her mother remarried, is forced to abandon her guitar and rock music to fit in. However, her passion is reignited by sounds from the old school building, where she meets a skilled drummer who shares her love for rock. Together, they embrace their inner rockstars, elegantly clashing and shouting their way through the academy in this captivating tale of grace and rebellion.

Rock is a Lady’s Modesty is currently airing and it will have 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: ロックは淑女の嗜みでして, Rock wa Shukujo no Tashinami de shite

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6. Girls Band Cry

The main character drops out of high school in her second year, and aims at entering a university while working alone in Tokyo. A girl is betrayed by her friends and doesn't know what to do. Another girl is abandoned by her parents, and tries to survive in the city by doing part-time jobs.

This world lets us down all the time. Nothing goes as planned. But we want something that we can continue to like. We believe there's a place where we belong. That's why we sing

Girls Band Cry is finished and has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: ガールズバンドクライ, Girls Band Cry

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7. Given

Somehow, the guitar that he used to love to play and the basketball games that he found so fun just lost their appeal... That was until Ritsuka Uenoyama randomly met Mafuyu Sato. Ritsuka had started losing his passion for music in his everyday life, but then he hears Mafuyu sing for the first time. The song resonates with his heart and the distance between them starts to change.

given is finished and has 11 Episodes. It is also Known as: ギヴン, Given

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8. Hibike! Euphonium

After swearing off music due to an incident at the middle school regional brass band competition, euphonist Kumiko Oumae enters high school hoping for a fresh start. As fate would have it, she ends up being surrounded by people with an interest in the high school brass band. Kumiko finds the motivation she needs to make music once more with the help of her bandmates, some of whom are new like novice tubist Hazuki Katou; veteran contrabassist Sapphire Kawashima; and band vice president and fellow euphonist Asuka Tanaka. Others are old friends, like Kumiko's childhood friend and hornist-turned-trombonist Shuuichi Tsukamoto, and trumpeter and bandmate from middle school, Reina Kousaka.

However, in the band itself, chaos reigns supreme. Despite their intention to qualify for the national band competition, as they currently are, just competing in the local festival will be a challenge—unless the new band advisor Noboru Taki does something about it.

From the studio that animated Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu, Kyoto Animation's Hibike! Euphonium is a fresh and musical take on the slice-of-life staple that is the high school student's struggle to deal with their past, find romance, and realize their dreams and aspirations.

Sound! Euphonium is finished and has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: 響け!ユーフォニアム, Hibike! Euphonium

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9. K-On!!

For two full years, Yui, Mio, Ritsu and Tsumugi have worked together to keep the struggling Light Music Club alive. With a new school year there are new and scary challenges ahead!

K-ON! Season 2 is finished and has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: けいおん!!, Keion 2, K-On!! 2nd Season

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10. Beck

Tanaka Yukio, better known by his nickname Koyuki, is a 14-year-old who feels disconnected from life in general. Through the act of saving a mismatched dog, he meets guitarist Minami Ryuusuke, and becomes involved in Ryuusuke's new band BECK. Koyuki's life starts to change as the band struggles toward fame.

Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad is finished and has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: ベック, BECK, Mongolian Chop Squad

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11. Hibike! Euphonium: Kumiko 3 Nensei-hen

The third season of Hibike! Euphonium.

Kumiko's third year finally begins! With the concert band at Kitauji High School over 90 members, Kumiko is now the president and does her best with her final high school club activities to try to win her long-desired gold at nationals.

Sound! Euphonium 3 is finished and has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: 響け!ユーフォニアム3, Hibike! Euphonium Third Season, Hibike! Euphonium 3

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12. Kono Oto Tomare!

Down to its last member, the koto club will accept anyone who is interested in the traditional Japanese instrument. But when a delinquent and a prodigy player sign up, finding harmony isn’t going to be easy—especially not with ensemble competitions looming around the corner. With enough time and some incredible skill at the strings, perhaps this motley crew can strike a chord with the judges.

Kono Oto Tomare!: Sounds of Life is finished and has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: この音とまれ!, Stop This Sound!

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13. Kimi no Iro

Totsuko is a high school student with the ability to see the 'colors' of others. Colors of bliss, excitement, and serenity, plus a color she treasures as her favorite. Kimi, a classmate at her school, gives off the most beautiful color of all. Although she doesn’t play an instrument, Totsuko forms a band with Kimi and Rui, a quiet music enthusiast they meet at a used bookstore in a far corner of town. As they practice at an old church on a remote island, music brings them together, forming friendships and stirring affections. Will they discover their true 'colors'?

The Colors Within is a Movie. It is also Known as: きみの色, Your Colors

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14. BanG Dream! Ave Mujica

"Will you give me the rest of your life?"

After losing everything in a single night, Sakiko Togawa reaches out toward an even deeper abyss, one that will drag everyone around her down as well. Gathering the lives of girls burdened with their own troubles and desires, Sakiko raises the curtain on a perfect masquerade.

"Welcome to the world of Ave Mujica."

On a stage where sorrow, death, fear, love—even the solace of forgetting—are stripped away, will their masks be torn off and shatter into oblivion, or will they….

BanG Dream! Ave Mujica is finished and has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: バンドリ!アヴェムジカ, BanG Dream! Ave Mujica

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15. K-On! Movie

With graduation right around the corner, the girls of the Light Music Club are headed to London for one last hurrah! Their overseas journey will lead them on a trip of discovery and friendship as they prepare for one last amazing encore.

K-ON! The Movie is a Movie. It is also Known as: 映画 けいおん!, Eiga K-On!, Keion Movie

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16. Detroit Metal City

Souichi Negishi is a timid young man who aspires to use his musical talents for a career as a pop star in the entertainment industry. But aspirations don't pay the rent, so in order to get by, he has joined the death metal band known as Detroit Metal City. On stage, Souichi becomes lead singer and guitarist Johannes Krauser II, publicized as a demon from hell that murdered his own parents and committed numerous other atrocities. Souichi’s band mates find themselves in similar predicaments; drummer Terumichi Nishida, stage name Camus, is actually an avid otaku who particularly enjoys ecchi anime, while bassist Masayuki Wada takes on the persona of Alexander Jagi, even though he would rather perform in a visual kei band.

Despite loathing the music he plays, Souichi just cannot seem to get away from Detroit Metal City. He feels compelled not to abandon his fellow band members and knows his success with pop music is nowhere near what he can do as Johannes Krauser II. Negishi will have to decide what is more important—who he is now or who he wants to be.

Detroit Metal City: The Animated Series is finished and has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: デトロイト・メタル・シティ, DMC

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17. Macross 7 Encore

Three unbroadcasted episodes of the Macross 7 series. In "Fleet of the Strongest Women," the Macross 7 fleet encounters a rogue Meltrandi fleet led by an old rival of Millia. "On Stage" focuses on Ray's past as a fighter pilot, how he first met Basara, and how they formed Fire Bomber. In "Which One Do You Love," when Millia falls ill, she feels her life expectancy is running short and attempts to have Mylene engaged to Basara.

Macross 7 Encore is finished and has 3 Episodes. It is also Known as: マクロス7アンコール, Macross 7 Encore

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