Lovely anime song

The song from Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea. Theme song and insert song.

Deputy Editor of RAG MUSICSasashina
Deputy Editor of the web media RAG MUSIC. I’m Sasashina, a mom currently raising an elementary schooler and a preschooler. In my student days, I studied broadly at Kyoto College of Science and Technology, covering sound, lighting, and video technology, and acquired skills from comprehensive stage production to the fundamentals of creative expression. After graduation, I joined a music production company, where I still work, and have consistently built my career on the production side, taking on diverse tasks centered around music. Currently, I mainly handle articles for children, drawing on what I’ve learned about parenting in my own way, as well as insights and discoveries from interacting with my kids every day. I hope I can be of help to you, even just a little!

Just seeing or hearing the title makes you want to hum the theme song, doesn’t it?

This time, we’ll be introducing the theme song and insert songs from Hayao Miyazaki’s film Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea.

A world that feels real, yet somehow fantastical.

Many of you probably still remember the vividly colorful visuals and the characters, drawn with soft, delicate lines, dashing energetically across the screen.

It’s a collection of music that will surely make you want to watch Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea all over again!

Song(s) of Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea. Theme song and insert songs (11–20)

To the Sea of DipnolynxJoe Hisaishi

In a major climactic scene, a storm causes the sea level to rise and the town to be submerged—at which point, astonishingly, aquatic creatures long extinct make an appearance.

The title of this piece, “Diphnolinx,” is also the name of an ancient organism known from fossils.

Despite the tension of the scene, the music’s relaxed tempo creates a distinctive atmosphere.

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Ponyo and SosukeJoe Hisaishi

Ponyo ran away from home, sneaking past her father Fujimoto’s watchful eyes.

Unfortunately, she got stuck in a jar, but Sosuke rescued her.

That was Ponyo and Sosuke’s first meeting.

This piece depicts how the story begins from that encounter.

The melody of the film’s theme song, “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea,” is also included in a charming, lightly accented way.

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Ponyo and Sosuke IIJoe Hisaishi

Ponyo flies back from the world of the sea to the world on land.

In the pouring rain, she chases after Sosuke, who is riding in Lisa’s car, and reunites with him.

Unlike the last time they met, Ponyo now appears in human form, which leaves Sosuke momentarily puzzled—but he quickly realizes it’s Ponyo! The scene conveys the comfort of their reunion and hints that their story is about to begin anew.

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Ponyo’s FlightJoe Hisaishi

After Ponyo is taken back by her father, Fujimoto, she bathes in the “Water of Life” in the well inside the Coral Tower to return once more to the human world.

Enveloped in a shower of lights and gradually taking on human form, Ponyo makes her escape as if flying away from the sea world.

This piece was inspired by that image of Ponyo soaring from the ocean realm.

It’s filled with the heart-pounding excitement of taking off from the sea world toward the world above.

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Ponyo is coming.Joe Hisaishi

This piece is included on the “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea Image Album.” It begins with a simple piano melody, and as more instruments gradually join in, the number of notes increases, creating a track that feels both light and spirited yet also weighty.

It conjures up that famous scene where Ponyo, transformed into a human by magic, runs atop the giant waves to go meet Sosuke.

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Pop-pop boatJoe Hisaishi

A “ponpon boat” is an old-fashioned toy boat that moves using the heat of a candle flame, taking advantage of the expansion that occurs when water turns into steam.

Riding a ponpon boat enlarged by Ponyo’s magic, Ponyo and Sosuke set out on a voyage.

This piece is an arrangement of the main theme “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea,” and the timbre of the wind instruments even sounds like the ponpon boat itself.

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Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea songs. Theme song and insert songs (21–30)

Lisa's houseJoe Hisaishi

Lisa’s house is also Sosuke’s house.

Their home is a single-family house perched on a gentle hill.

It isn’t particularly large or luxuriously designed like a vacation home; rather, it’s an ordinary, familiar kind of place you might find anywhere.

This piece captures that everyday scenery and the unadorned atmosphere inside the home with a simple, charming melody.

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