Your Favorite Taylor Swift Album Will Tell You Your Favorite Anime
Taylor Swift is embracing a new era. October 3 marks a major day for the best-selling artist as she falls into her life as a showgirl. Nearly 20 years after her debut album, Swift ushered in the release of her 12th studio album courtesy of The Life of a Showgirl. And given the buzz online, Swift’s new music is sending a ripple across the world.
Throughout her career, Swift has taken her lyricism to uncharted places, a feat that has turned her into one of the industry’s most-awarded talents in history. With the release of The Life of a Showgirl, Swift’s musicality is stretched in a new direction, and it is one fans seem to enjoy. So if you like what the album has to offer, well — we know just the anime for you.
From grief to triumph and everything in between, Swift’s music explores what it means to be human. The same can be said for anime, and after extensive research, I have learned your favorite Swift album says a lot about your favorite anime. So if you haven’t put two and two together, you can find your match below:
Taylor Swift: Clannad
If there was ever an album penned by Swift about youthful naïveté, Taylor Swift is it. Released in 2006, the singer’s debut album is focused on the everyday life of adolescence. From romance to school and identity crises, Swift covers the gamut in this album, and the anime Clannad does much the same.
Clannad, often referred to as a classic in the anime fandom, tells the story of high schooler Nagisa Furukawa, a lonely girl whose teens were stunted by an illness. When she meets delinquent Tomoyoa Okazaki, their worldviews blossom as love and life complicate their emotional relationship.
Fearless: A Sign of Affection
As for Fearless, Swift’s second studio album explores the highs and lows of coming of age. The tracks speak of ambition and wonder just as often as they address the vulnerability that comes with growing up. This kind of conversation is often seen in anime, but no show addresses it better than A Sign of Affection.
The hit anime follows Yuki Itose, a typical college student struggling to define herself outside of her deafness. Her sheltered life is dismantled in school once she meets Itsuomi Nagi, an upperclassman who sees to the heart of Yuki. What follows is a captivating romance that every coming-of-age tale covets.
Speak Now: Fruits Basket
In 2010, Swift leaned further into pop musicality with Speak Now, an upbeat album that acts as a personal confessional. The tracks delve deep into complicated themes of heartbreak and self-preservation as seen in “Mean”. Still, the album continues Swift’s exploration of adulthood as she gets honest about her transition from adolescence. This emotional period is loaded, and the anime Fruits Basket knows all about that struggle.
The series, which has two shows under its belt, begins with an introduction to Tohru Honda. The high schooler finds herself isolated following the death of her mother, but an unexpected run-in leads her to live with the Soma clan. The family’s ties to the ancient zodiacs throw Tohru’s life upside down, but outside this supernatural element, Fruits Basket gives fans a close-up of the girl’s growth. And if “Speak Now” doesn’t make you think of Kyo, nothing will.
Red: Violet Evergarden
To put it bluntly, Swift’s album Red is nothing if not intense. Its songs explore the dizzying highs of adulthood and all the emotions they bring: nostalgia, regret, passion, and pain. Listening to Red is akin to a car crash as you’re left with emotional whiplash, and the same can be said for the anime Violet Evergarden.
Perhaps the most gorgeous anime on this list, Violet Evergarden is an intricate tale. Focused on healing and growth, the anime’s greatest lesson is teaching audiences the importance of expressing their emotions. Good or bad, the anime’s protagonist is driven to regain that humanity in a post-war world where emotions are running high. So if I had to pick, “State of Grace” could easily act as Violet Evergarden‘s opening if asked.
1989: Your Name
Often called Swift’s most commercial album, 1989 is a vibrant album that captures the turbulence of adulthood. Its tracks are frenetic, covering some of life’s most difficult and freeing challenges. Everything from anxiety to regret is poured over an upbeat synth beat. But when it comes to the album’s emotional core, the anime Your Name covers all the bases.
Directed by Makoto Shinkai in 2016, Your Name is regarded as a modern classic. The fantastical story follows two teens as they begin swapping bodies, leading them on an enlightening journey that is as exhilarating as it is devastating. Both characters are faced with impossible decisions as they’re forced to grow up sooner than expected, allowing them to experience the tidal wave of emotions 1989 encompasses.
