GETTIN' IN TOUCH WITH MAH INNER WEEABOO.
I dislike so much modern anime that sometimes I forget that I'm an anime fan.
You know what part of the problem with new anime is? Companies today just don't know how to put together a memorable opening!
In celebration of a lazy, humid Sunday afternoon I present to you, flist:
CEPHIED VARIABLE'S TOP FIFTEEN ANIME OPENING SEQUENCES
PASS IT ON!
Disclaimer: This list is purely opinion, ect. ect. My list is a little mainstream because I'm ONE OF THOSE FANS. My list is also a little Shoujo-ey because Seinen series have boring openings and Shounen have shit openings. Just sayin'.
15. Lum no Love Song - Urusei Yatsura
Urusei Yatsura was one of my first anime waaaaay waaaay back when I first got into this stuff when I was a wee eleven year old renting everything I could from the local Blockbuster's anime section. It was my first Rumiko Takahashi series and- since Inu Yasha ran itself so thoroughly into the ground (D: D: D:), it's probably my favourite (c'mon guys- just TRY to tell me that Beautiful Dreamer doesn't make you a little teary eyed?). This opening always makes me want to dance around my room stupidly.
14. Itooshi Hito no Tameni - Fushigi Yugi
IT'S KIND OF EMBARASSING TO ADMIT THAT I LIKE THIS SERIES BUT OK I... I REALLY REALLY LIKE IT. Seriously- I can't stand anything that Yu Watase wrote afterwards, but Fushigi Yugi will always have a special place in my heart because at its core, FY is a pretty lovely story about friendship. Fuck Tamahome- if you just ignore that asshole, Miaka is actually a pretty remarkable character for a Mary Sue and her torrid friendship with Yui is just as remarkable. I love the opening because, y'know, the music (I love 90's anime music. Love love love it) and also because at the very beginning it sort of presents a "best case scenario" for the series, with everyone alive and well and smiling and djfjfgfsdjkf SHUT UP OK. I USED TO BE A LITTLE GIRL TOO. Also, that music. Is pretty catchy.
13. Moonligh Densetsu - Sailormoon S
I was never a huge huge Sailormoon fan, but back when I was in fourth grade my two best friends and I used to waste a lot of time watching bootleg tapes of the middle seasons of the series. I'm not too familiar with all this "Queen Beryl" stuff everyone else is always on about, but the openings to S and Super S always make me fuzzy-nostalgic for that time when I first discovered that the Japanese took CARTOONS! as seriously as I did. While the Super S opening is COLOURFUL and WACKY and I *do* love it, the opening to S is actually... really lovely. Besides which, I tend to be of the opinion that this is the best season anyways.
12. The Pre Shippuden Naruto Openings. ALMOST ALL OF THEM
Oh, Naruto. You are the only Shounen Fighting I have ever had any patience for. And yet you betrayed me so. *tragic tragic* I've been following this stupid manga since I was sixteen but I have NEVER been fond of the anime save one thing: the openings.
Now, what makes the Naruto openings fabulous- what makes them stand out- is that they are not your average Shounen series openings full of STOCK FOOTAGE and COOL POSES. Each one of them is careful to fit the tone and the theme of the arc that it covers, and each of them tries to tell a story in-between those COOL POSES. Between the beginning of the series and the Valley of the End, there are six unique, memorable openings. Even the first filler opening was fantastic! (although they definitely went downhill after that). I couldn't find my favourite one on YouTube (the third one, with the long montage of everyone's shitty childhoods) so I'll link the REALLY GAY ONE instead (it's really gay).
11. LOVE TROPICANA - Jungle wa Itsumo Hale Nochi Guu
UM. YES.
But what's even better than this is the ending to DELUX.
10. Give a Reason - Slayers TRY
All the Slayers openings are fantastic in pretty much the same, very standard 90's anime way. BUT MAN. IT'S SLAYERS. LOOK AT EVERYONE BE AWESOME. AND LISTEN TO THAT SONG? DOESN'T IT PUMP YOU UP? IT SURE PUMPS ME UP. If you can hear this song and see this opening and not feel TOTALLY AWESOME ABOUT EVERYTHING then there's just no helping you.
9. Yakusoku wa Iranai - Escaflowne
Don't you just love those deep, pounding piano chords? Sends shivers down my spine. The world of Escaflowne is really a beautiful one and the fact that this song is both so light and so grounded perfectly captures the theme and feel of the entire series. Also- the images in this opening are beautiful. The feathers, the stars, the waving fields of grass and grain, the contemplative looks- all of it.
8. Duvet - Serial Experiments Lain
So, Duvet is an awesome song. And Lain is an awesome series. And the understated pain and bitterness in this song coupled with all the creepy images of isolation and disconnection just makes me...
... feel really bad about spending so much time at my computer. o_O
7. Just Communication/Rhythm Emotion - Gundam Wing
BLAH BLAH BLAH GUNDAM WING IS THE WORST GUNDAM SERIES OMG WHY DON'T YOU WATCH SEED GAAH TWO MIX MUSIC IS FAIL AND ALL THE SERIES IS ABOUT IZ PRETTI BOIS BAAAW BAAAW I've heard it all before and whatever, I still think Gundam Wing is one of the most beautiful political dramas I've ever seen. And these two openings are beautiful as well. The sort of borderline mournful trance-ey music with all those solemn images? HOW UH, FUTUREY? I mean- just check out those opening shots of Heero sitting in Wing Zero, illuminated by the controls at the opening of Rhythm Emotion... and Relena in the snow in the first opening... say what you will about the series, but those are some incredibly stirring images.
Also, in grade seven my friends and I totally invented this dance where you struck all those poses at the beginning of Just Communication in quick succession. Because we were so cool (it was actually a pretty awesome dance by 90's standards).
6. Rinbu Revolution - Revolutionary Girl Utena
Name me an anime with better art direction than Utena and I'll eat my hat.
... all of them.
I own a lot of hats.
5. H.T - Trigun
I hate air guitar. But this song has me doing it. There's not much to this opening besides AWESOME GUITAR RIFFS and VASH STANDING AROUND LOOKING COOL (I mean, Wolfwood's not even in it!), but it's very well put together and the colours are so, so rich and uhhh Trigun is tragic and beautiful. O_O_O_O_O_O
4. TANK! - Cowboy Bebop
... okay, Cowboy Bebop might have better art direction than Utena.
3. Obsession - .hack//SIGN
The thing about the .hack//SIGN openings and endings is that they look like Yuki Kajiura's music sounds and there's no way that CAN'T be awesome. I love that bit in the middle where everyone chops themselves in half.
2. Bullets - Gungrave
HEY EVERYONE GUNGRAVE IS REALLY AWESOME. LIKE, REALLY, REALLY AWESOME. AS IN: THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I'VE EVER SEEN EVER AWESOME. WHY HAS NO ONE HEARD OF IT? I know the games are kind of crap, but this anime is just as awesome and full of EPIC FRIENDSHIP and MORAL GRAYS and CLASSY MOB STUFF and, uh... ZOMBIES as the opening seems to suggest.
Check this shit out. It is so classy you're embarrassed you're not in a tuxedo while watching it.
1. Cruel Angel's Thesis - Neon Genesis Evangelion
A few years ago I went to this anime/comic book/horror/fantasy/ect. convention in Toronto and we went to see this JPop band. For their closing number, they did a cover of Cruel Angel's Thesis and EVERYONE IN THE FUCKING THEATER STARTED SINGING ALONG.
Yeah, yeah, I know- everyone and their uncle twice removed cites this as one of the best anime openers of all time. But y'know what, THAT'S BECAUSE IT IS. It's catchy, it's beautifully animated, it's well timed, well put together, it has nice imagrey, there's a lot going on in it (you definitely won't catch everything the first time through) and it's a little creepy. It's pretty much perfect.
So there.
*sings along*
You know what part of the problem with new anime is? Companies today just don't know how to put together a memorable opening!
In celebration of a lazy, humid Sunday afternoon I present to you, flist:
CEPHIED VARIABLE'S TOP FIFTEEN ANIME OPENING SEQUENCES
PASS IT ON!
Disclaimer: This list is purely opinion, ect. ect. My list is a little mainstream because I'm ONE OF THOSE FANS. My list is also a little Shoujo-ey because Seinen series have boring openings and Shounen have shit openings. Just sayin'.
15. Lum no Love Song - Urusei Yatsura
Click to viewUrusei Yatsura was one of my first anime waaaaay waaaay back when I first got into this stuff when I was a wee eleven year old renting everything I could from the local Blockbuster's anime section. It was my first Rumiko Takahashi series and- since Inu Yasha ran itself so thoroughly into the ground (D: D: D:), it's probably my favourite (c'mon guys- just TRY to tell me that Beautiful Dreamer doesn't make you a little teary eyed?). This opening always makes me want to dance around my room stupidly.
14. Itooshi Hito no Tameni - Fushigi Yugi
IT'S KIND OF EMBARASSING TO ADMIT THAT I LIKE THIS SERIES BUT OK I... I REALLY REALLY LIKE IT. Seriously- I can't stand anything that Yu Watase wrote afterwards, but Fushigi Yugi will always have a special place in my heart because at its core, FY is a pretty lovely story about friendship. Fuck Tamahome- if you just ignore that asshole, Miaka is actually a pretty remarkable character for a Mary Sue and her torrid friendship with Yui is just as remarkable. I love the opening because, y'know, the music (I love 90's anime music. Love love love it) and also because at the very beginning it sort of presents a "best case scenario" for the series, with everyone alive and well and smiling and djfjfgfsdjkf SHUT UP OK. I USED TO BE A LITTLE GIRL TOO. Also, that music. Is pretty catchy.
13. Moonligh Densetsu - Sailormoon S
I was never a huge huge Sailormoon fan, but back when I was in fourth grade my two best friends and I used to waste a lot of time watching bootleg tapes of the middle seasons of the series. I'm not too familiar with all this "Queen Beryl" stuff everyone else is always on about, but the openings to S and Super S always make me fuzzy-nostalgic for that time when I first discovered that the Japanese took CARTOONS! as seriously as I did. While the Super S opening is COLOURFUL and WACKY and I *do* love it, the opening to S is actually... really lovely. Besides which, I tend to be of the opinion that this is the best season anyways.
12. The Pre Shippuden Naruto Openings. ALMOST ALL OF THEM
Oh, Naruto. You are the only Shounen Fighting I have ever had any patience for. And yet you betrayed me so. *tragic tragic* I've been following this stupid manga since I was sixteen but I have NEVER been fond of the anime save one thing: the openings.
Now, what makes the Naruto openings fabulous- what makes them stand out- is that they are not your average Shounen series openings full of STOCK FOOTAGE and COOL POSES. Each one of them is careful to fit the tone and the theme of the arc that it covers, and each of them tries to tell a story in-between those COOL POSES. Between the beginning of the series and the Valley of the End, there are six unique, memorable openings. Even the first filler opening was fantastic! (although they definitely went downhill after that). I couldn't find my favourite one on YouTube (the third one, with the long montage of everyone's shitty childhoods) so I'll link the REALLY GAY ONE instead (it's really gay).
11. LOVE TROPICANA - Jungle wa Itsumo Hale Nochi Guu
UM. YES.
But what's even better than this is the ending to DELUX.
10. Give a Reason - Slayers TRY
All the Slayers openings are fantastic in pretty much the same, very standard 90's anime way. BUT MAN. IT'S SLAYERS. LOOK AT EVERYONE BE AWESOME. AND LISTEN TO THAT SONG? DOESN'T IT PUMP YOU UP? IT SURE PUMPS ME UP. If you can hear this song and see this opening and not feel TOTALLY AWESOME ABOUT EVERYTHING then there's just no helping you.
9. Yakusoku wa Iranai - Escaflowne
Don't you just love those deep, pounding piano chords? Sends shivers down my spine. The world of Escaflowne is really a beautiful one and the fact that this song is both so light and so grounded perfectly captures the theme and feel of the entire series. Also- the images in this opening are beautiful. The feathers, the stars, the waving fields of grass and grain, the contemplative looks- all of it.
8. Duvet - Serial Experiments Lain
So, Duvet is an awesome song. And Lain is an awesome series. And the understated pain and bitterness in this song coupled with all the creepy images of isolation and disconnection just makes me...
... feel really bad about spending so much time at my computer. o_O
7. Just Communication/Rhythm Emotion - Gundam Wing
BLAH BLAH BLAH GUNDAM WING IS THE WORST GUNDAM SERIES OMG WHY DON'T YOU WATCH SEED GAAH TWO MIX MUSIC IS FAIL AND ALL THE SERIES IS ABOUT IZ PRETTI BOIS BAAAW BAAAW I've heard it all before and whatever, I still think Gundam Wing is one of the most beautiful political dramas I've ever seen. And these two openings are beautiful as well. The sort of borderline mournful trance-ey music with all those solemn images? HOW UH, FUTUREY? I mean- just check out those opening shots of Heero sitting in Wing Zero, illuminated by the controls at the opening of Rhythm Emotion... and Relena in the snow in the first opening... say what you will about the series, but those are some incredibly stirring images.
Also, in grade seven my friends and I totally invented this dance where you struck all those poses at the beginning of Just Communication in quick succession. Because we were so cool (it was actually a pretty awesome dance by 90's standards).
6. Rinbu Revolution - Revolutionary Girl Utena
Name me an anime with better art direction than Utena and I'll eat my hat.
... all of them.
I own a lot of hats.
5. H.T - Trigun
I hate air guitar. But this song has me doing it. There's not much to this opening besides AWESOME GUITAR RIFFS and VASH STANDING AROUND LOOKING COOL (I mean, Wolfwood's not even in it!), but it's very well put together and the colours are so, so rich and uhhh Trigun is tragic and beautiful. O_O_O_O_O_O
4. TANK! - Cowboy Bebop
... okay, Cowboy Bebop might have better art direction than Utena.
3. Obsession - .hack//SIGN
The thing about the .hack//SIGN openings and endings is that they look like Yuki Kajiura's music sounds and there's no way that CAN'T be awesome. I love that bit in the middle where everyone chops themselves in half.
2. Bullets - Gungrave
HEY EVERYONE GUNGRAVE IS REALLY AWESOME. LIKE, REALLY, REALLY AWESOME. AS IN: THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I'VE EVER SEEN EVER AWESOME. WHY HAS NO ONE HEARD OF IT? I know the games are kind of crap, but this anime is just as awesome and full of EPIC FRIENDSHIP and MORAL GRAYS and CLASSY MOB STUFF and, uh... ZOMBIES as the opening seems to suggest.
Check this shit out. It is so classy you're embarrassed you're not in a tuxedo while watching it.
1. Cruel Angel's Thesis - Neon Genesis Evangelion
A few years ago I went to this anime/comic book/horror/fantasy/ect. convention in Toronto and we went to see this JPop band. For their closing number, they did a cover of Cruel Angel's Thesis and EVERYONE IN THE FUCKING THEATER STARTED SINGING ALONG.
Yeah, yeah, I know- everyone and their uncle twice removed cites this as one of the best anime openers of all time. But y'know what, THAT'S BECAUSE IT IS. It's catchy, it's beautifully animated, it's well timed, well put together, it has nice imagrey, there's a lot going on in it (you definitely won't catch everything the first time through) and it's a little creepy. It's pretty much perfect.
So there.
*sings along*