Ask John: What Are Image Albums?

Question:
I’ve been wondering what image albums are. Do they contain only music from the radio dramas? Are they any different from the soundtracks of the anime series?

Answer:
Anime music and soundtracks are big business in Japan, so much so that image soundtracks exist. Image albums are collections of instrumental and/or vocal music “inspired” by a particular anime series, intended to capture a tone similar to the actual soundtrack to an anime series, or provide a soundtrack for something that doesn’t have a soundtrack. Sometimes image albums contain music from Japanese radio plays and radio dramas, but most commonly music like this is actually compiled onto drama albums (essentially radio plays on CD), vocal collections or other radio play soundtracks. Anime series and games like Ghost in the Shell, Mononoke Hime, Secret of Mana and Fushigi Yuugi commonly get image albums, and even manga series like Angel Sanctuary, Silent Mobius, X and Five Star Stories have gotten image album soundtracks. Imagine that, soundtracks for black & white manga comics.