If you’ve spent any time in the corner of the internet where niche adult titles live, you know the music is usually an afterthought. Most of the time, it’s just generic synth loops that sound like they were pulled from a royalty-free library in 2004. But then there's the Kanojo x Kanojo x Kanojo OST. It’s weirdly good. Honestly, it shouldn't be as polished as it is, considering the source material is a three-episode OVA series from Studio ERECHUS.
The thing about this soundtrack is how it captures that very specific mid-2000s to early-2010s "visual novel" vibe. You know the one. It’s a mix of upbeat, slice-of-life melodies and those slow, melancholic piano tracks that play right before things get complicated.
The Sound of Kanojo x Kanojo x Kanojo OST
Music in adult animation often feels like a placeholder. You're there for the plot (or lack thereof), and the audio is just background noise to fill the silence. However, the Kanojo x Kanojo x Kanojo OST actually manages to establish a mood.
It’s bouncy.
A lot of the tracks lean into that bright, pop-infused sound that defined the "galge" (girl game) era. Since the anime is based on a visual novel by the developer CrystaliA, the music carries over that specific DNA. The themes are designed to make the player—or in this case, the viewer—feel at ease. It’s sunny-day music. Then, without warning, the tone shifts into something more atmospheric.
Usually, people hunting for this soundtrack are looking for the opening theme or the specific instrumental loops used during the dialogue-heavy scenes. It isn't just one vibe. It’s a spectrum of "I’m having a normal day at school" to "Oh, wait, the drama is starting."
Why Visual Novel Roots Matter
You can't talk about the Kanojo x Kanojo x Kanojo OST without mentioning CrystaliA. If you look at their other titles like 絆きらめく恋いろは (Kizuna Kirameku Koi Iroha), they have a history of putting effort into their soundscapes. They don't just throw midi files at the wall.
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In the world of Kanojo x Kanojo x Kanojo: Sanshimai to no DokiDoki Kyousei Seikatsu, the music has to do a lot of heavy lifting. Because the animation budget for these OVAs isn't exactly Hollywood-level, the soundtrack fills the emotional gaps. It tells you how to feel when the character art is static.
The piano tracks are particularly effective. They use simple, repetitive motifs that stick in your head long after the episode ends. It’s nostalgic. Even if you didn't watch this back when it first dropped, it sounds like something you should have heard on a late-night fansub stream a decade ago.
Tracking Down the Music
Finding a legitimate copy of the Kanojo x Kanojo x Kanojo OST is basically a quest at this point.
Because this is niche media, it wasn't exactly getting a wide release on Spotify or Apple Music. Usually, these soundtracks were bundled as "First Press Bonuses" for the physical DVD or Blu-ray releases in Japan. Or, more commonly, they were included in the special edition of the original PC game.
If you're looking for it today, you're mostly looking at:
- Second-hand markets like Mandarake or Yahoo! Auctions Japan.
- Niche archival sites that preserve visual novel music.
- YouTube uploads that are constantly being hit with copyright strikes.
It’s frustrating. You hear a track you like, you want to add it to a lo-fi study playlist, and then you realize the only way to get a high-quality FLAC is to track down a physical disc from a shop in Akihabara.
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The Composition Style
The tracks are short. Most of them don't even break the two-minute mark. This is a classic hallmark of visual novel scoring—the music is designed to loop seamlessly while you read text boxes.
There’s a specific "jingle" quality to the transition tracks. You’ll notice the use of soft percussion—think shakers and light tambourines—paired with synth-brass or electric piano. It’s light. It’s airy. It’s exactly what you want when the story is focusing on the "sanshimai" (three sisters) dynamic.
Comparison to Modern OSTs
Compare the Kanojo x Kanojo x Kanojo OST to modern "prestige" anime soundtracks, and it feels like a relic. But that’s the charm. Today, everything is cinematic and orchestral. Back then, it was all about the "Moe" aesthetic. The music was meant to be cute.
People often confuse this title with Kanojo mo Kanojo (Girlfriend, Girlfriend), which is a much more recent, mainstream rom-com. The soundtracks couldn't be more different. While the modern show has high-energy J-Pop openings by groups like Necry Talkie, the Kanojo x Kanojo x Kanojo OST is much more grounded in that classic, underground visual novel sound.
It’s the difference between a high-energy TV broadcast and a late-night OVA meant for a specific, dedicated audience.
How to Appreciate the Score Today
If you’re a collector of anime music, this OST represents a very specific era of the industry. It was a time when the lines between "adult game" and "mainstream aesthetic" were blurring. The production value was rising, and composers were starting to take these projects seriously.
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To really get the most out of it, you have to listen to the instrumental versions.
The vocal tracks are great for that "early 2010s" energy, but the instrumentals are where the actual composition shines. They’re great for background noise while working because they’re designed not to be distracting. They were literally composed to sit under dialogue.
Actionable Steps for Fans and Collectors
If you're trying to integrate this kind of sound into your life or just want to find more like it, here is what you should actually do.
First, stop searching for "Kanojo x Kanojo x Kanojo" on Western streaming platforms. You won't find it. Instead, search for the developer CrystaliA on Japanese music databases like VGMdb. This will give you the names of the specific composers and the catalog numbers for the discs.
Second, look into the "denpa" and "visual novel" music subgenres. If you like this OST, you’ll probably enjoy the works of composers who worked for brands like Navel or Key. The sound profile is almost identical—high-register synths, emotional piano bridges, and a lot of heart.
Finally, check out the original game's credits. Often, the staff who worked on the music for the OVA are the same ones who handled the PC game, which means the "Full OST" from the game will actually have more tracks than what you hear in the three-episode anime. It’s a much more complete experience.
The Kanojo x Kanojo x Kanojo OST isn't going to win a Grammy. It isn't going to be performed by a philharmonic orchestra in Tokyo. But for a certain type of fan, it’s a perfect time capsule. It’s a reminder of a specific era of internet culture and a specific style of Japanese music production that prioritized melody and mood over everything else.