History SoundtrackDissonance / Anime

* Used heavily in SamuraiChamploo. A good example of this is one scene towards the end of an episode where Mugen, having just escaped from an ambush, meets the mastermind on the road. As they stand on the road cowering in fear, Mugen slowly walks towards them as an intense drum-loop plays... and nothing happens. Mugen just walks past them without doing anything.

** The first ending theme. FULL. STOP.

** ''[[YesPrecure5 Yes! Precure 5]]'''s BittersweetEnding suffered in exactly the same way.

* In ''{{Toradora}}'', what song is playing after [[spoiler:Taiga cries as she realizes she loves Ryuji, who she just sent to be with her friend, said friend seeing this and deciding she couldn't have him either and then rejecting Ryuji while Ami is left unable to express herself, leaving all four miserable and alone on ''Christmas'']]? A happy Christmas song song about togetherness and not being lonely, of course.

*** The ending theme is sung by a different voice actress in different episodes. In one episode [[spoiler: when Kaworu gets killed]], the instrumental arrangement is exactly the same as all the obthers, but there's nobody singing. The silence is deafening.

* ''NeonGenesisEvangelion''. might as well be the king of this trope in the anime world. It has this down to an art form:

** Special mention goes to the scene where [[spoiler: Asuka gets [[MindRape mind raped]] by an angel]] with the Hallelujah chorus playing in the background. Whether they did it intentionally or just because it's OminousLatinChanting, is unknown.

* ''{{Anime/Monster}}'' has this in one scene where the series' BigBad and CompleteMonster, Johan Liebert, goes to the house of a "friend" who he got to start killing for him (maybe through [[ManipulativeBastard manipulation]]). The "friend" asks who Johan wants him to kill next and Johan points at himself insisting that he, "woke up from the dream." It's later made clear that this is part of his plan to [[spoiler:commit the perfect suicide]] and then, while incredibly peaceful music is playing, he casually shoots the other guy in the face.

* The ''StarshipTroopers'' OVA mixes peppy, cheesy 80's music with two separate bar brawls, amongst other things.

* ''{{Anime/Monster]]'' has this in one scene where the series' BigBad and CompleteMonster, Johan Liebert, goes to the house of a "friend" who he got to start killing for him (maybe through [[ManipulativeBastard manipulation]]). The "friend" asks who Johan wants him to kill next and Johan points at himself insisting that he, "woke up from the dream." It's later made clear that this is part of his plan to [[spoiler:commit the perfect suicide]] and then, while incredibly peaceful music is playing, he casually shoots the other guy in the face.

* Averted in {{Negima}}! The Episode where [[spoiler: Asuna dies]] has it's ending switched to show her funeral and ''cremation'' with a sad playing. And they also changed the OP of the next episode to avoid MoodWhiplash.

* ''[[Anime/{{Ptitlei015gc004kw4}} Pokémon]]'' of all things has this in its ending credits for the [[{{ptitle3v2ao3ps}} tenth movie]]. The Japanese ending, rather than the typical J-pop used in the series, is a ''love ballad'' in the style of "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic, over a cheery ending montage. This is extremely odd, especially given that EverybodyLives, and thus the only couple the song applies to are of [[InterspeciesRomance different species]], if the internet is to be believed.
** The English dub of [[{{ptitle2xkjpouw}} the first movie]] has the Blessed Union of Souls' "Brother My Brother" (a light, undramatic song) play wile the regular and clone Pokémon are fighting each other to the death.

*** The ending theme is sung by a different voice actress in different episodes. In one episode [[spoiler: when Kaworu gets killed]], the instrumental arrangement is exactly the same as all the others, but there's nobody singing. The silence is deafening.

** In ''Rebuild 2.0'', as the Dummy Plug controlled Eva 01 violently destroys the Angel possessed Eva 03, [[spoiler:piloted by Asuka in this version,]] a delightfully cheery [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-i-1EzKYAI song]] starts playing. It made this scene even more of a TearJerker than it already was.

* ''UminekoNoNakuKoroNi'' has some of the absolute most ''[[CrowningMusicOfAwesome beautiful]]'' music in all of anime. However, that means that you have songs like [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J5LF2Udf20 this]] playing during scenes with so much NightmareFuelUnleaded and {{Gorn}} that the Japanese TV networks had to ''censor'' them. How well this works within the show varies both between examples and between [[YourMileageMayVary viewers]].
** Umineko actually suffers from a lot of this unintentionally, due to the horrific {{Adaptation Decay}} that plagues every facet of the anime. Which leads to replacing some of the Crowning Music of Awesome tracks with something totally inappropriate. Some examples go from [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuRRe1moVhY epic]] to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raxEmANPTVc scary]], [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tICKoZ18zHk epic]] to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXxcPtTlYQQ ominous]], and both [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWV8pNKo86Q emotional, desperate action]] and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiHA7Aw2GiE tearjerking]] to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ9D05ll2Rw dark, haunting action]]. The scenes tend to completely lose their effect accordingly.

* As [[spoiler:Stella dies in Shinn's arms]] in ''GundamSEEDDestiny,'' the typical happy, semi-romantic country music end theme starts up, growing more upbeat as Shinn begins sobbing, and cutting to the credits just as Shinn lets loose a rather convincing scream of pure, inarticulate rage and grief. The credits, of course, are shown over a pleasant, pastoral scene apparently depicting an {{Elseworld}} where everyone in the cast is alive and together with loved ones...
** [[http://www.animelyrics.com/anime/gundamseedd/wannagotoaplace.htm The lyrics to the song]] themselves qualify as LyricalDissonance; the climax goes "Is it really okay?/It's never going to be".
** Also note that the climactic arc of the series was prefaced by the mind-boggling new opening song: The Earth, Wind & Fire-inspired "Wings of Words."
** Any time Shinn attacks in ''SuperRobotWars K''. His BGM is ''Zips'', a light, energetic mecha opening that plays away while he goes all angsty-berserker on whatever poor sap you've sicced him on.
** Another ''Destiny'' example is during episode 7, where the soothing "Fields of Hope" is played against footage of horrifying destruction, as [[ColonyDrop Junius Seven's fragments crash to Earth]], annihilating cities around the world. In an example of TropesAreNotBad, this actually proves to be one of the most powerful scenes in the series. It was purposefully done, Lacus Clyne singing it, a popular diva on the show, sings it to calm down the kids in her bombshelter.
* ''AngelBeats'' loves to abuse its [[MemeticMutation ending song]], always PlayedForLaughs. Someone gets pummeled by a giant hammer? Play the ED song. [[ExplosionPropulsion Slammed into the ceiling]], twice? Play the ED song.
* The Remastered [=DVDs=] of ''GundamWing'' manages to pull this off with the menus for discs 6, 7 and 8. The animation leading up to the menu itself features various episode clips of characters getting shot at, from Heero to Lady Une, whilst the rather upbeat ending theme, "It's Just Love", plays in the background!
** Speaking of ''Gundam Wing'', in episode 41, [[ThemeTuneCameo "Rhythm Emotion", the show's second opening theme]], is playing during the Gundam Team and White Fang's assault on Barge, ending with [[spoiler:Zechs singlehandedly destroying the space station with Epyon]]. It also happened at the end of episode 36, after Relena surrendered to Romefeller and dissolved the Sanc Kingdom, and during Heero's ZERO System-induced rampage as he destroys several mobile dolls with Epyon.
* ''NeonGenesisEvangelion'' has this down to an art form:

** The fourth movement to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony plays while Kaworu [[spoiler:begs Shinji to kill him]]. Whatever relevance the lyrics may have to Shinji's fighting on behalf of all mankind, they are anything but applicable to Shinji himself.

**** Moreover, it's [[NightmareFuel unclear]] as to whether [[spoiler:the entire human race]] is screaming in terror or the [[spoiler:ecstasy of being released from their separate forms and finally merging back into one complete being]]. Or maybe even both.

*** There's a second instance of SoundtrackDissonance in 2.0 as well; Shinji [[spoiler:accidentally setting off [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Third Impact]]]], set to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvxIEQ6lrNs Tsubasa wo Kudasai]].

** And of course, the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vPtAxmMWiU (in)famous DVD menu]] for ''End of Evangelion'' adds ''another'' example of this trope, this time using "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" (which is actually used in the film for * gasp* generally NON-ironic effect).

* And on a similar note, "Ave Maria" is played during the TearJerker scene where Chopper's father-figure Hiruluk commits suicide-by-self-explosion.

** The English dub of [[{{ptitle2xkjpouw}} the first movie]] has a light, undramatic vocal song play wile the regular and clone Pokémon are fighting each other to the death.