After about a month of carefully curating my Yusuke and Akechi playlists, I thought I’d share with you my favorite songs for each (as well as a few Akekita songs). I give explanations for some, but others really speak for themselves. Feel free to share your suggestions with me, I’m always eager to add to my playlists! As an aside; I use all pronouns for Yusuke, because I headcanon them as transfem-genderfluid.
“The Moon Will Sing” — The Crane Wives
“Constellations” — The Oh Hellos
“My Frankenstein” — Dead End: Paranormal Park (sung by Kody Kavitha)
> I already made a post discussing this song in relation to Yusuke, but I will continue to reiterate it because it’s still 100% accurate. We need more fan media of Yusuke being angry!!! Confronting your corrupt mentor head-on with a song??? Someone with more time and patience than me please make an animatic STAT!!! And when the glass shatters around her, she awakens to her Persona. I HAVE A VISION!!!
I know those are all pretty depressing, so here are a couple more that are purely based on Vibes (aka I am a useless Yusuke kinnie and I like these songs a lot so I’m assigning them to her because I can):
> This can also work for pretty much any Yusuke ship. The flow-y way she moves in Dancing in Starlight reminded me of this song. Not kidding when I say that’s kind of how I dance when I’m alone, and I felt both seen and personally attacked by it lmao
“Blue Monday” — New Order
> OKAY HERE ME OUT ON THIS ONE!!! I can totally see Yusuke loving synth-pop!!! Circling back to Dancing in Starlight, their moves fit perfectly with this song.
“Cheri Cheri Lady” — Modern Talking
> My daughter the hopeless romantic <3
“Social Cues” — Cage the Elephant
“Madame Guillotine” — The Scarlet Pimpernel
“Digital Silence” — Peter McPoland
“Amsterdam” — Nothing But Thieves
Bonus, a song from Akechi’s mother’s perspective (that I still keep in my Akechi playlist): “The Other Side of Paradise” — Glass Animals
“Stray Italian Greyhound” — Vienna Teng
> From Akechi’s perspective. Yusuke is positive and persistent in all the ways that make Akechi painfully vulnerable and it’s terrifying. Bring up the anthology quote “I despise that honesty of yours” to any Akekita fan and they will respond with a ten-page essay on it.
“Rule #4 - Fish in a Birdcage” — Fish in a Birdcage
> From Yusuke’s perspective. My favorite thing about this song in relation to Akekita is that you can view it through two completely opposite lenses. It can be a wholesome dynamic where Akechi, with his deep understanding of Yusuke’s circumstances, comforts him from within his sheltered life and promises to help him escape. Alternatively, it can also be interpreted as an unhealthy dynamic where Yusuke relies on Akechi to save him and they form a more codependent relationship between a person who needs to need someone and a person who needs to be needed. I think both are equally interesting, because not every universe can see them meeting under ideal circumstances. Right person, wrong time etc. etc.
> From both perspectives. Not much to say about this one except that the healing finally begins!!! They are happy!!! They are free!!!
“Rinbu Revolution” — Revolutionary Girl Utena (sung by Masami Okui)
> From both perspectives. I was already a huge Revolutionary Girl Utena fan before getting into this ship, and then @akekitayuri hit me in the face with Akekita But Make It Utenanthy. I can honestly see them fitting both roles pretty well, but I prefer the idea of fem!Yusuke as Utena, a hopeful, aspiring prince, and fem!Akechi as Anthy, who lost hope in being anything but a weapon a long time ago.