We’re sad to share that the composer and pianist of the duo ANANT-GARDE EYES, Kamachi Ai, passed away on May 30 at the age of 48. As reported by Crunchyroll, the announcement was made on June 8 through the managing company “1st PLACE” via an official statement. The funeral and farewell ceremony was limited to only relatives at the request of the family.
Kamachi Ai’s heartfelt music in ANANT-GARDE EYES was well-known to the anime community as it spread through emotional series such as Angel Beats!, Clannad: After Story, and Charlotte.
The duo’s work would often feature the soothing voice of Lia and fans will likely still remember Angel Beats!’s opening theme song “My Soul, Your Beats!”. An unofficial fan-upload of the song on YouTube boasts a 35-million view figure, that alone says a lot of the impact of this song. Oricon, who keeps tracks of music statistics in Japan, records the release to reach top 3 in its weekly chart back when it was just released.
Anime: Angel Beats!, Clannad: After Story, and Charlotte.
Kamachi Ai graduated songwriting at Kunitachi College of Music and further developed her skills through composing music for anime, commercials, and film soundtrack. In 2008, she formed the duo ANANT-GARDE EYES with sound engineer and arranger Tatsuo Nagami, also known as nagie.
Kamachi Ai