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Anime OP/ED Recommendation Thread.


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Vracer111



Joined: 28 Jan 2010
Posts: 194
PostPosted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 11:27 pm Reply with quote
I have two more:

The Skull Man

Great supernatural mystery show that really doesn't give much away and is a great watch for a short series. While the US opening is nice, the Japanese one is even better and a little more intriguing.

The Skull Man-Japanese Opening


Psycho Pass

A good and fairly interesting series so far with an opening (Opening 2) that is one of my all time favorites right now, and it's a show that is not even done yet...

I have posted a link, but Sony is going after Psycho Pass Opening 2 videos on Youtube it seems...

Psycho Pass opening 2
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bonbonsrus



Joined: 15 Oct 2003
Posts: 1537
Location: Michigan, USA
PostPosted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 12:42 am Reply with quote
How sad to see some of my favorites missing so far...

Black Lagoon ED
Now, watching this without watching the anime doesn't give you the same effect, but it was well worth watching every episode to me, and I am usually one who will skip over them. This one always started before the episode quite ended to warn you it was wrapping up, and these episodes seemed to fly by, so it always seemed like a surprise to hear the strains of this starting.
Then the music itself...seems almost a little odd and a little perfect with the animation they are showing, the slow pace of the walk on the beach while dropping off ammo, guns, weapons, and finally the feet depart and you just see the waves for a moment before the scan of the camera starts again to show the boots stripped off...

Super Gals OP
I love this peppy song in general (had it as my ringtone or awhile) and I think the animation with it is great as well, especially how it starts...black for just the first few guitar notes, then the colored silhouettes of the Gals moving slowly one at a time and then when the music picks up and changes, the animation goes right into showing the crazy characters and there is even some para para dancing in there. Fun one to watch.

Someday's Dreamers season 2, both the OP and ED

I couldn't find the actual animation to go with this, but this is the song...season one (which I don't remember as well, but probably had good music as well) is easier to find, but has little to do with season 2 in way of characters or story. Honestly, I am not one to pay very close attention to music in general in anime unless it knocks my socks off or is so glaringly wrong as to call undue attention to itself, but this anime made me go looking for a sound track, which I couldn't find Sad
Over-all best music in an anime ever maybe (with the possible exception of something like Princess Tutu, because how can you argue with classics?)
anyway, I just love these tunes...beautiful.
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nobahn
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Joined: 14 Dec 2006
Posts: 5120
PostPosted: Sat Jan 18, 2014 6:59 pm Reply with quote
Kyousogiga OP
How to make this more than just a one liner? It just sort of grew on me..... The last third in particular is quite punchy.


Last edited by nobahn on Sat May 09, 2015 3:57 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Spastic Minnow
Bargain Hunter
Exempt from Grammar Rules


Joined: 02 May 2006
Posts: 4595
Location: Gainesville, FL
PostPosted: Sat Jan 18, 2014 9:15 pm Reply with quote
Princess Jellyfish (Kuragehime)
ED (from a Spanish fansub- only one I found)
full song with English translation
music video
------------------
Really is one of the most perfectly matched songs I've ever seen for an anime. The song is great, got me into Sambomaster. The scenario for the credits is charming and fitting. But the great thing is when you discover how awesomely the lyrics of the powerfully sung song match to the theme of the show...
I really want you to realize the fact that you're beautiful
Why haven't you realized it up til now?
It's like you've lost your heart somewhere....
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Galap
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Joined: 07 Apr 2012
Posts: 2354
PostPosted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 8:35 pm Reply with quote
Ginga Sengoku Gunyuuden Rai

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXs_XXirFr0

I think this has now become my favorite OP (musically) of all time. It gets stuck in my head repeatedly. It's so incredibly epic and driven, like a bombastic fanfare, while still remaining incredibly melodic and 'pretty'. I also like how it prominently features french horn, which I used to play, and how the voice part is written like a brass instrument as well. It also sets the tone perfectly for the series: epic but also historical, managing to feel very 'asian' in flavor despite using many western musical conventions.
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Cam0



Joined: 13 Dec 2009
Posts: 4884
PostPosted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 3:15 am Reply with quote
Since Galap bumped this thread, I thought I should make another recommendation.

The opening of Hajime no Ippo Rising. The way it slows down and the colors turn black and white looks really cool and when Ippo does his signature move in the end looks really cool and intimidating. It like really catches how Hajime no Ippo progresses. Before a fight we get introduced to the opponent and then there's a bit goofing around and some training sequences and then the fight. I just thought this was one of the best openings I've seen for a while. I gladly watched the opening every episode when I marathoned this series, actually the opening was something I was always looking forward to.
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yuna49



Joined: 27 Aug 2008
Posts: 3804
PostPosted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 8:59 am Reply with quote
Wow, it looks like the YouTube videos for all my suggestions have been pulled for copyright infringement. As I said in my earlier post, I don't understand the reasoning behind this at all, especially as it applies to the 90 second OP and ED versions of a song. Does, e.g., Sony really believe that they won't sell copies of an anime CD if someone can watch a 90-second clip on YouTube? Do they have no concept of how advertising works? Even something as obscure as the EDs from Hanamaru Kindergarten are no longer available.

At least most of my suggestions are still running on Crunchyroll, so you can find the songs there.

The fact that so many of these videos are now gone suggests the Japanese music industry must have mounted a recent campaign to rid YouTube of any of their materials. Even as of a year ago, there were many more OPs and EDs available there.

I understand that much of this is automated with uploads searched for identifying bitstreams, but it still makes no sense. Suppose I watched the 90-second version of "Wareta Ringo" and thought it was incredibly beautiful, which it is. Wouldn't that encourage me to perhaps buy the CD or download the song from iTunes or maybe even buy Shin Sekai Yori itself? Given that SSY sold fewer than 600 Blu-ray discs per volume when it was released, I'd be trying to expand the market, not restrict it..

My favorite example of this type of idiocy is Sony's treatment of "Natsu no Hana" the closing song from 2007's unlicensed Mononoke. The YouTube clip has no sound because of Sony's copyright claim, and the uploaded fansubs all end just before the ED for the same reason. The notion that watching a short clip will keep people from buying a seven-year-old CD is laughable. I notice that Toei has no problem with letting you watch the entire anime for free.

But then I don't work for incredibly narrow-minded music licensing organizations like Sony and JASRAC.

bonbonsrus wrote:
Honestly, I am not one to pay very close attention to music in general in anime unless it knocks my socks off or is so glaringly wrong as to call undue attention to itself, but this anime made me go looking for a sound track, which I couldn't find

I can't find any OST release for Hyouge Mono either. It's a great score with a lovely, samba-flavored ED, "Kizuna." I'd certainly buy a copy if one existed. I thought pretty much every anime OST was released on CD, but it looks like that is not the case. I can't afford $1,000 for the three-volume JP Hyouge Mono release on Blu-ray, but I certainly can afford the $40 or so an OST album would cost.
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pws_37



Joined: 06 Sep 2013
Posts: 15
PostPosted: Sun May 04, 2014 2:27 am Reply with quote
Glad to see Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei OPs mentioned at the top. I would add that there are multiple versions of these openings worth watching. My understanding is that some were animated by Shinbo and it is interesting to see his style which contrasts with the clean images of the first versions. In one OP Shinbo has apple-headed schoolgirl head bangers. I came across these songs because I liked the work Marina Inoue and Yu Kobayashi had done on other shows and searched for them on your tube. That said, the voices of the rest of the Zetsubuo Shojotachi may actually be more important because they bring innocence that contrasts with Ootsuki Kenji's rawness.

Maria Holic "Hanaji" OP and "Kimi Ni Mune Kyun" ED.
I must be on the same wavelength as SHAFT and Shinbo. Each episode had a slightly different animation for the ED. The ED's are in Shinbo's lavish animation style like the reworked openings for Sayonara Zetsubuo Sensei. They are all on Hulu if you want to see them. The music is a strong point of this wacko series.

Maria Holic Alive OP
Yu Kobayashi gets to really show off. On the down side, the song epitomizes the mean spirited treatment of the main character for much of the show by Maria and others. Kobayashi's strong, versatile voice versus the negative vibes. Hmmmm. I enjoyed the show anyway though I know it is not for everyone. I think that despite the mean spirited characters that the show itself roots for the main character. Otherwise there would be no show.

Is This a Zombie? "Leave-It-To-Me Tonight" by Iori Nomizu OP
The drum part is great (one guy posted a cover on YouTube). The whole song rocks. The opening sets the tone for the action to follow. Megaloo's make great Mystletain fodder.

Arakawa Under the Bridge, "Venus to Jesus" by Etsuko Yakushimaru OP
Another quirky song for a quirky series, but quirky in a totally different way with Yakushimaru's folk-pop voice. Again the OP sets the tone perfectly for what follows.

Boku wa tomodachi ga sukunai, "My Feelings" ED
Marina Inoue, who plays Yozora, is the lead singer over animation with existential overtones and music in a minor key that ROCKS. The lyrics indicate that the song is Yozora's words (only Yozora refers to Sena as Meat), but the series is told from the male lead's point of view, so the implication is that these images of death reflect on Kodaka's outlook, too, which goes a long way to explaining his passivity. He is resigned to fate. Take it as a dream sequence, like the sexually themed dream of the opening.
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nobahn
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Joined: 14 Dec 2006
Posts: 5120
PostPosted: Sun May 04, 2014 7:36 am Reply with quote
yuna49--
Have you tried using the DuckDuckGo search engine?
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yuna49



Joined: 27 Aug 2008
Posts: 3804
PostPosted: Sun May 04, 2014 10:27 am Reply with quote
nbahn wrote:
yuna49--
Have you tried using the DuckDuckGo search engine?

I've used that, but I don't see its relevance here. If you're responding to my comment about Hyouge Mono, the problem isn't finding it on the Internet. It's that there doesn't seem to be an OST release at all. I've never had problems finding OSTs at CDJapan, amazon.co.jp, or similar distributors. I just don't think the OST was ever released for that show.

I'll going to add another suggestion to the list, the OP to Yakushiji Ryoko no Kaiki Jikenbo. It pays homage to the famous Maurice Binder openings for the James Bond films. It can only be viewed at a site of questionable legality, so I'll post the link in spoiler tags in case it needs to be deleted.
spoiler[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x647an_yakushiji-ryouko-no-kaiki-jikenbo-o_music]
Those legs!

The show itself lacks in the plot department but features good voice acting and a witty script.
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nobahn
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Joined: 14 Dec 2006
Posts: 5120
PostPosted: Sat Jan 03, 2015 10:36 pm Reply with quote
Attack on Titan (ED)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBlYYOsdG-U

Well, obviously I love the song or I wouldn't be mentioning it here; but its effectiveness is increased because of the way it contrasts with the opening. Also, the imagery and words do relate to the plot.
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Spastic Minnow
Bargain Hunter
Exempt from Grammar Rules


Joined: 02 May 2006
Posts: 4595
Location: Gainesville, FL
PostPosted: Sun Jan 04, 2015 1:27 am Reply with quote
Onme of my all-time favorite is still this one...

Excel Saga
final episode version with lyrics...and other additions.

It's not really a "good" song, but I don't know if any other OP has been so well synced to the character of a comedy. Absolutely absurd, funny, weird, yet still managing to provide you with proper introductions to the core of the very large cast.
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Cam0



Joined: 13 Dec 2009
Posts: 4884
PostPosted: Sun Jan 04, 2015 10:15 am Reply with quote
I'm not sure if dtm42 has forsaken this thread, but I'll make another recommendation anyway. If he hasn't he most certainly will once he sees my recommendation.

1st opening of Sword Art Online II.

It's a kickass song. There's this build up till Kirito goes down the elevator followed by a brief pause and then it just goes awesome as Kirito joins the battle. I actually like this opening more than the crossing field from 1st season.
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Yamstarch



Joined: 02 Mar 2015
Posts: 62
Location: Virginia USA
PostPosted: Wed Apr 15, 2015 7:02 am Reply with quote
Is it just me or does it almost always seem like anime openings and closings tend to be pretty epic these days?

Even with some of the less-liked and poorer composed shows and such the themes, opening animation and music seem to be top notch.

Now, I don't watch as much anime as others on here seem to do, but from what I have watched recently the opening themes each time already pique my interest and give me high hopes for various shows almost every time.

Can anyone think of an anime in the past few years where the opening and/or closing themes weren't good? Like they were just downright lame? Or how about shows that were just not that good, but have kick-butt themes?

A good example of great theme to a less popular series I can think of is The Testament of Sister New Devil I know not a lot of people like the series, but #1 I do and #2 the theme just gets me hyped every time I hear or watch it. I also REALLY liked the opening theme to Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero

https://youtu.be/3pOM-3vslLg

https://youtu.be/WzEotXJC20M
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Samuknight



Joined: 25 Mar 2015
Posts: 35
PostPosted: Mon Nov 16, 2015 9:45 pm Reply with quote
I notice in anime the openings for shows are just so goddamn awesome.As opposed to opening of TV Shows including big ones such as Psyche and Monk,anime songs ACTUALLY ARE LITERALLY SONGS THAT LAST AS LONG AS ACTUAL SINGLE ALBUMS!Not only that, when you watch even the worst of anime, even the openings are simply well done to the point they would literally be so damn good as though they would qualify for a song qualified to be broadcasted on radios.Damn even in the worst anime, you can clearly see that the everyone involved in creating the anime's opening song from the person singing to the music composers and even the lyric writers are really putting their heart and maximum effort into making the song as though it was an individual song that will actually be broadcasted on radio or released as individual albums!They actually include artistic(and wonderful) lyrics with orchestra music with top notch singers, SOMETHING YOU WILL NEVER SEE IN WESTERN TV SHOWS!YOU NEVER SEE THIS AMOUNT OF EFFORT IN WESTERN TV SHOW OPENINGS(not just cartoons, this includes hit shows such as X-Files and Psyche)!

Why are anime openings so well done that they are worthy of being an individually sold albums and actual great songs even if they were not the opening?Why do anime composers put so much heart and effort to make anime openings as awesome as they are even for the worst animes such as Dragon Ball GT and Genma Wars?

Why do anime producers*including those who are producing budget anime with very little money for the anime's production) go as far as hiring professional orchestra composers and actual singers just to make the opening of an anime and why do anime composers always have to make anime openings as long as actual songs(well in fact its just a cartoon opening)?

Why are anime openings so awesome?
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