Songs from the screen

A slew of soundtrack concerts will take place here in 2025, with tunes from beloved franchises such as Disney and Studio Ghibli

- Benson Ang

On May 8, Singaporean Isaac Chin was among 1,500 attendees at Japanese rock band Flow's concert at The Star Theatre, as part of their Anime Shibari 2024-2025 world tour.

The 24-year-old university undergraduate watched Naruto (2002 to 2007) as a child, and danced along to many of the popular Japanese anime series' opening theme songs such as Go!!! (2004) and Re:member (2006). Flow have contributed several songs to the Naruto franchise.

The set list included many other anime theme songs, such as Kaze No Uta (2016), the opening theme of Tales Of Zestiria The X (2016 to 2017); Bravelue (2012) from Eureka Seven: AO (2012); and Alright!!!, which was released on May 28, and is the ending theme for From Old Country Bumpkin To Master Swordsman (2025).

Mr Chin said his favourite part was when Flow sang Sign (2010), one of the more popular openings of Naruto: Shippuden (2007 to 2017), the sequel to the original Naruto series.

"That was one song I never skipped. Watching Flow sing this live brought back many memories. I have watched Naruto, and listened to their music, for about 10 years."

Flow's use of original voice clips from the featured anime series was also a nice touch, he added. "It was good to hear the voices I have not heard in such a long time."

Mr Chin also frequents the annual Anime Festival Asia convention, with the 2025 edition taking place at Suntec City Convention & Exhibition Centre from Nov 28 to 30. He hopes a dedicated Naruto soundtrack concert will be held in the Lion City one day.

He is among the local anime fans cheering the bonanza of concerts featuring soundtracks, several of which are slated for the coming months.