Favouring openings and endings

Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei OP 1 'Kuusou Ruraba' - The first 40 seconRAB or so are not that awesome but then it gets epic

Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei ED 2 'Marionette' - A light-hearted but very catchy song

Mario+Holic OP 1 'Hanaji' - Wayyy random but very good

Bleach OP 7 'After Dark' - I love AKFG and this song kicks ass !

Naruto OP 2 'Haruka Kanata' - ^^^^^^

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood OP 2 'Hologram' - The first FMA:B OP wasn't that great but this one is the best FMA OP ever.

Ouran High School Host Club ED 1 'Shissou' - even though the dub version is absolutely atrocious

Tales of the Abyss OP 1 'Karma' - A very long OP but the song fits perfectly

Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-Chan OP 1 - Cute but messed up

Eureka Seven OP 1 'Days' & Eureka Seven OP 2 'Shounen Heart' - Two very good pop-ish songs
 
Not surprisingly, I always have a hard time making lists and narrowing down which songs should or shouldn't be included is never easy, so here are some highlights in no particular order of importance or quality.

Some have been mentioned before, which is actually a good thing, but at least several should be fairly unique.

Gun's & Roses - Baccano! OP
It's always nice to see such a dynamic opening sequence that does justice to a very colorful cast and the song is certainly catchy enough. I'm not a big fan of including episode previews in openings, to be honest, but this one somehow makes it work just fine.

I am waiting for you - Legend of the Galactic Heroes OP2
The series was blessed with three out of four openings sung in perfect English and that alone would be rare enough to make them memorable, but there's more to it than that. While the third opening has perhaps the most meaningful sequence and is great overall, this one is my personal favorite. The lyrics can obviously be interpreted as Annerose's song to Reinhard but you can certainly look at it from the perspective of other characters too. The visuals aren't the most attractive but I still find them charming. And I happen to like a certain bit of scrolling text at the beginning.

Daybreak's Bell - Gundam 00 OP1
Even though HellCat has already covered this one, the fact is it definitely remains my favorite 00 opening. The theme song is excellent, pretty good synchronization and interesting visuals make for a solid overall watch. The later opening sequences are all more arabitious and flashy, but this one has the greatest staying power in my opinion.

One-Winged Bird - Umineko no Naku Koro Ni OP
I've always been a big fan of the Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni openings and endings...but this one is similar yet completely different at the same time, which also goes for the series so far when you really think about it. A great song, with nice imagery and a certain amount of foreshadowing here and there makes this a good watch for those interested in the material.

Naraku no Hana- Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Kai OP
Speaking of which, here's an opening from this particular franchise. The first season's opening is nice and is a lot more visually engaging, surely something more people should check out if they haven't already, but I feel that this one has the more important syrabolism in the long run, lyrical and otherwise, as well as certainly being catchy. And it even plays a few seconRAB from the first theme...backwarRAB. Seeing Rika run and almost sturable may look funny, but when you actually put that in context the resulting sensation is completely different. In a way, you could say that the thematic contrast between both seasons is well reflected here.

Dive in the Sky - Planetes OP
What I really like about this one is how it provides a sense of the actual history behind the conquest of space while also serving as an overview of the cast and still manages to be a fun song worth listening to. Yes, all that in a single opening. What's more, the images also change a little in order to reflect various events during the series and I happen to like that particular gimmick, so it's all win-win for me. Good enough.

Karma - Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom OP1
The title sums up one of the main themes behind this series and the opening certainly lives up to that concept both visually and audibly. Feelings of melancholy, regret and world-weariness are all present throughout. The images try to reference the different stages of the protagonist's career and those he either interacts or develops certain relationships with. There's also a very soraber or even macabre interpretation that can be made about certain scenes, which is both potentially depressing and extremely appropriate.

***

Calling - Baccano! ED
The visuals can be described as fairly standard ending fare, to be sure, but keeping up the train theme is nice and the music steals the show for me, to the point I'd almost want to argue this makes for a better listen than the OP itself. In any event, they go very well together.

Virtual Star Hasseigaku - Revolutionary Girl Utena ED2
The show probably has one of the best soundtracks in anime, period, so there's really no chance of my making a fair choice here. The opening is great and the first ending sequence is good too, but this one stanRAB out for me purely because of the song, considering it's extremely catchy. And naturally, I suppose those who are in it for the yuri might find the visuals more appealing, but in my case they are rather secondary.

Danzai no Hana ~ Guilty Sky - Claymore ED
The haunting visuals mix quite well with theme and the overall mood certainly suits the series in addition to reflecting Clare's character and struggle in particular. The opening itself is also fine, but the ending is a lot more memorable in my opinion.

You won't see me coming - Gankutsuou ED
An ending that certainly feels like an opening, although that's not a bad thing at all. The visuals are a little confusing at first but also engaging and quite representative of the underlying vengeance at work. The song also provides what could be considered a brief look into the Count's predominant state of mind.

Theme of Big Fire - Giant Robo OVA ED5
This is another show with a splendid soundtrack so there are several options available. Most people probably remeraber the opening and for good reason...but even if the fifth episode's ending theme may not necessarily be the best, it's the one that's stuck with me the longest. While this specific track is logically associated with the Big Fire organization and one person in particular, when used as an ending theme it also provides a faint sense of hope in the continuing struggle against them and their associates. Not to mention that this OVA has some great cliffhangers too, which enhances the effect.

Beyond the Time - Char's Counterattack ED
While I first heard this without knowing the actual source and liked it, the theme is both uplifting and bittersweet when you hear it in context. Whatever one might say about certain aspects of the movie, the ending song was a great way to close what was the all too delayed finale to the main character conflict of Gundam's Universal Century.

Naked Flower - Murder Princess ED
Nothing really special about this one visually...it's just a good, catchy theme and hearing Romi Paku sing is surprisingly nice. Lighthearted enough for a show that's not quite as dark as the name implies.

As for additional or "honorable" mentions...are you kidding me? I'd be here all day/night.
 
Openings
=======
Ash Like Snow: Gundam 00 - Purplehairedwonder practically nailed the reason why I like the opening. And while I don't really pay much attention to lyrics, everything else was spot on. The only other opening Gundam songs I've heard were a few others of G00, and then one from Gundam Seed Destiny, and by far Ash Like Snow is definately the favorite from what I've heard.

Share the World: One Piece - When people say "fun" music, this is what comes to mind for me. The music is catchy and the animation is nicely done.

The World: Death Note - The animation is a huge draw-in for me. And I can't remeraber the song for anything at the moment, I know I liked it.

Rise and Inner Universe: Ghost in the Shell: SAC (2nd Gig) - Whoever stated GitS: SAC are my new best frienRAB . Again, while I don't really pay attention to the lyrics the song itself is still nicely done along with the animation.

And for the sake of music alone Red Faction (Black Lagoon) gets a nod from me as well. At first I thought I wouldn't like, but it turned out completely different from what I expected.

Endings....
========
I know I liked quite a few from Inuyasha. Fukai Mori, Every Heart, Come, and then I can't remeraber the other 2.

Reason: Gundam Seed Destiny was an ending that I found interesting (even when the show is just about over)

Real Folk Blues - It's Cowboy Bebop for crying out loud.

Fuhen: Samurai 7 - If there is more songs like this let me know now. I've always like music that actually felt like it was samurai-ish... (or had a more serene feeling to it.. Does that make sense?)

Alumina: Death Note - I found the ending to be even more epic than the opening. Too bad I don't really remeraber the animation at the moment... All I can see is Light with the eyes and then red hair stuff lol.
 
I had manliness?

Ash Like Snow was indeed a soild OP. There's actually two alternate versions produced for the PS2 game- one is new animation, the other an anatagonist focussed clip show. The first one could have worked pretty well on the show-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDERABS48vhY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9W9PHM3WZw
 
Well, I've never really done a thorough list for this topic. Now is as good a time as any to start one. I'll even throw in video links to spread the greatness around. No particular order with these, and I'll probably make one more post at least. I like so many that it's hard to list em all in one go.

Zeta Gundam Opening - Instrumental (English release)

Sadly, rights issues kept Bandai Entertainment from giving us the original Japanese openings for this 80's gem. The good news, however, is that we got this instead. Zeta is a serious series, and this gets the tone just right in my opinion.

Robotech Opening 1 - Instrumental

Say what you will about Robotech, but this is another nice instrumental piece. Very heroic and good at setting the tone for Sci-Fi adventure. I prefer it to Macross' Japanese tune.

Macross Frontier Second Opening - Lion

Megumi Nakajima and May Nakabayashi come together for this one, and the sheer energy of it makes it work. Between the song and the barrage of visuals, this opening forces you to pay attention. It effectively sets the stage for the big events that are to come toward the end, and it's no mistake that the song was used in the final episode's crowning moment (paired up with an intense version of "What 'bout My Star?"). Yoko Kanno did it again with this one.

Rurouni Kenshin Ending 4 - Heart of Sword

Gundam? Soul Eater? As far as I'm concerned, T.M. Revolution's best showing in anime was this. This is laid back compared to the super-energetic songs that were used for the Gundam Seed openings he was involved in, but it has a rhythm and it's no less hot-blooded. As a song, I think it's just better. The footage for this ending varied, but I found the best video of it that I can think of.

Fate/Stay Night Opening 1 - Disillusion

This was a good song, but Kenji Kawai made it great for the anime version of this story. It's very well polished, and I like how it gives us lots of great looking night scenes and then shifts to Saber's classic pose at sunrise.

Tales of Symphonia: The Animation - Almateria

This reigns simply because of how gorgeous the music is. Japanese singer Eri Kawai, who composed and sung classical, pop and world music during her career, owns the song. Tragically, cancer stole her away at the far-too-young age of 43. The visuals are generally standard, although the visual effect at the end is well conceived and executed.

Tytania Opening - Ano Sora wo, Ike

Decent show, but a fantastic opening. Yeah, that's opera. Just watch and listen to that. That's what the word "epic" is really meant for, people. The climax toward the end is just perfect, but I won't spoil it for those that haven't seen it before now.

EDIT: Looks like youtube may be blocking my video...if you can't see it, here is the complete song at the very least.

Gundam Wing Opening 2 - Rythm Emotion

I enjoy how it starts off subdued and then takes off (literally). While it generally follows a "here are the main characters and the robots" path it's still very nice to look at. My favorite part is probably about halfway with that shot of a well-dressed Heero and Relena with a city in the background as the song hits the high point. It later enRAB with an obligatory Heero/Zechs duel. Quite well done in my book.

Last Exile Opening - Cloud Age Symphony

Whoa. This is one of the most beautfiul openings I've seen, and the song is downright intense. This never fails to draw me in.

One Piece Opening 10 - "We Are!" Remix

This made the classic song even better, and I've always felt that it catches the series' spirit better than the others. The high-def video shows off dozens upon dozens of characters and manages to pay tribute to the entire history of the series up to that point in over two minutes. What's not to love?

Gunslinger Girl Opening - The Light Before We Land

This is nothing short of masterful. It sums up the series. The song choice is absolutely perfect. The ending was a stroke of genius.

Gundam Seed Ending 1 - So Much Together

This might be the best ending period. Every episode transitioned directly into it. When done right this works out great, and it usually is. In addition to being a great song it's also very well chosen; it fits the show's dominant theme of two frienRAB being divided by a war.

This also started a great little tradition of scrolling through one huge piece of artwork, something that would be done in other endings for Gundam Seed and its sequel.

Gundam Seed Opening 4 - Realize

At a time when the series was getting progressively darker leading up to the satisfying conclusion, this was a much-needed shot of hopeful optimism. The visuals sync up with the song very well, and Nami Tamaki delivers a typically passionate performance.

Captain Harlock - The Endless Odyssey

Another fantastic instrumental. Sober, but suitably epic and an appropriate tribute to the timeless character that is Captain Harlock. I love this stuff.

Gundam 0083 Opening 1 - The Winner

Now this is how you do a standard opening. It's not the most inventive thing, but it gets the job done with flair and enthuasium. I like the two flags toward the beginning, as well as how it plays up the rivalry. The attack against Anavel Gato at the end caps it off very nicely.

Kanon Opening - Last Regrets

It's hard to describe why I love this. It's just...beautiful. Some things just cut through and move you emotionally, and somehow this manages to do it every time.

Kanon Ending - The Place Where the Wind Arrives

Less powerful than the opening, but it's really uplifting and a perfect contrast to the opening's mood. It's also something that you appreciate more the deeper into the series you get. Not much original animation is used, but sometimes you don't need it.

Naruto Ending 1 - Wind

Seriously, what more do you need? It's a great song, and just listen to the lyrics and really consider what it means. It's the perfect character piece for the character of Naruto as he is at the start of the series. This ending is sheer genius.

Naruto Opening 1 - Rocks

"Come on!"
HellCat praised this pretty well. It's certainly a contrast from the other openings, and it captures an adventeruous spirit as opposed to a more simple "RAH RAH NINJA ACTION!!!!!" message.

Trigun Opening - H.T.

I usually don't listen to music like this, but this really revs you up and it's really just about perfect for the type of show that this is. This will always stand out among the rest.

Samurai Champloo Opening - Battlecry

I just about never listen to rap music, but this is catchy and once again the animation and music are masterfully matched. And once again a song is used that actually applies to the show. It's always worthy of praise when they put that kind of thought into things.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes Opening 3 - Sea of the Stars

I couldn't possibly end without some praise for LoGH. Actually, the first three are all pretty worthy (#4 suffers from Engrish, I fear). But this gets the nod for the beautiful singing and the focus on Reinhard walking against the backdrop of outer space while battles rage on. And of course, he and Yang are facing each other at the end.

"Lay your heart down onto the sea of the stars......"
 
Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo - Opening 1: "Wild Challenger"
The opening is just so upbeat and fun. It's catchy too. "Say what? Bobobo!" I can't help but to at least tap my foot.

One Piece - Opening 1: "We Are" (FUNimation English Version)
"Come aboard and bring along all your hopes and dreams" what a great way to start such an iconic opening. I was really sad when they changed it. The second one didn't have nearly as much heart or adventure as the first. This will always be the definitive One Piece theme song to me.

Cromartie High School - "Innocent"
This is the only theme song I've ever attempted to recite the Japanese. I can't help it I love the song so much. It's by far my absolute favorite. It has a really dreamy guitar sound and a reggae-esque beat. It's one of the most musically unique openings of all time, IMO.

Dragon Ball - "Mystical Adventure" (FUNimation English Version)
The original version of this song has a more profound oriental flavor, but the English version by FUNimation has a modern sound that suits their English version of the show. I think the two versions are too different to compare fairly, but if I had to pick one over the other, I'd pick the English version.
 
Zetsubou Opening 1.
Something about it is really, really cool and stuff.

FUNi's DragonBall opening
The same reason the topic starter stated.

Jungle Wa Itsumo Hare Nuchi Guu opening
I really like the style of it.
 
More additions to my list.

Darker Than Black OP 1: HOWLING by Abingdon Boys School. PERFECT way to kick off every episode of this great show. The full version is even more epic. NOW I'VE LOST IT, I KNOW I CAN KILL.

Darker Than Black ED 1: Tsukiakari by Rie Fu. Perfectly captures the lighter side of the series.

It's too bad that the 2nd OP and 2nd ED aren't quite as good (An Cafe turning out a generic nuraber and HIGH AND MIGHTY COLOR being completely out of character=mediocre music).

Persona ~trinity soul~ OP 2: Word of the Voice by FLOW. A surprisingly mature and dark effort by FLOW that stanRAB out to me even more than COLORS or WORLD END.

Naruto OP 5: Seishun Kyosokyu by Sarabomaster. A sad and dark song despite its upbeat, ska-like music, it perfectly captures the feel of Sasuke Retrieval.
 
Beating Angel Dokuro-chan Opening 2nd OP (bit suggestive but no outright full frontal nudity, click at peril) - I'm probably going to get a LOT of flak for this entry, but for all the show's more eccentric and rather questionable motifs, the second opening always endeared itself to me. Not only is it a better made version of the first one, with more nuance and bite to it, but it carries into it a much more manic energy and depravity that you're left to wonder what is wrong with the show. Plus it's damn catchy.
 
OH GOD! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY EARS!?

I always wondered why that series never received a dub. 'Tis a shame. I would have loved to check it out. It looks funny.

Not to crazy about that opening though, to each their own.
 
I know many anime fans look at Cowboy Bebop for the best music jazz opening, but come on, Do you want to listen to good... Or something great?
Listen to the Lupin III opening. I just love it.
 
Opinion, my friend. I think both are really great.

I think that I've liked pretty much every One Piece opening. Yup, all 11 of them. (though I have a penchant for the current one because the video for it is incredible) One Piece openings are just so adventurous and get you into the mood, you know?
 
I agree, both are great for their different yet awesome and memorable styles. Lupin III's theme song for the Red Jacket series gets stuck in my head more often, though, to be honest.



Well, I personally never cared for the 2nd opening or the 7th opening; though, I guess it would be the 8th in this case, since you counted the really short straw-hat version of We Are as 1 of the openings, which I often leave out, for some reason. However, I've liked ever other intro theme to One Piece besides those 2, so yeah, I'd say that One Piece has a good track record of having well-done opening themes, especially when compared to the extremely generic ones from most other long-running shounen anime series.
 
For some reason, I don't think I ever met anyone that openly said that they liked Crazy Rainbow Star. It is the odd one of the bunch.

As for Opening I like, since I got into SGT Frog, I've have been looking into the Openings, and I do like 1 & 10, even if they are the same song, I think I prefer 10, since the whole Platoon sings the song, and the animation to it was funny, as it does sync up with the lyrics of the song. Though #9 does get a mention because of it being sung by JAM Project.
 
Okay, Crazy Rainbow Star is pretty odd. Even for One Piece, it's way too mellow. I will say that I did skip that song more than once.

(I think it gets kind of a bad rap for being the first 2:20 long song for the show when they started cutting the ED songs out)

Ow....my brain...it can't tolerate the fact that that singer can't carry a pitch at all....

Opening 9 is a pinnacle of human achievement.
 
One Piece OP 6 - "Brand New World" by D-51 - It's got the quasi-rock, spoiler-ific, cool action sequences, and hilarious non-action sequences that we come to expect from a good One Piece opening. It marks the end of the great One Piece openings and also marks the peak of quality in their openings.

Cowboy Bebop OP - "Tank" by Yoko Kanno - It's a classic in how great Jazz could be, and how great anime openings could be. Need I say more?

Baccano OP - "Gun's&Roses" by Paradise Lunch - If Cowboy Bebop didn't prove it, Baccano does: you don't need lyrics to make an awesome opening theme. Baccano is a crazy f-ed up series, and it's opening doesn't even give you a hint of it, but that's kind of why it rocks.

Bleach OP 2 - "D-tecnolife" by UVERworld - Oh, now-a-days Bleach isn't all that good, but believe it or not, it used to be a great series. D-technolife made it's premiere with an awesome song. They did likewise with their Gundam 00 opening (but I never saw that series after episode four, so I can't say too much for that). Fights that never happened, cool zoom-outs, it's a cool opening.

Soul Eater ED 1 - "I Wanna Be" by STANCE PUNKS - Hey, there's not much to say other then...awesome.

Fullmetal Alchemist OP 1 - "Melissa" by Porno Graffitti - What an underappreciated opening! This is one of my favorites, and it wasn't even aired on the U.S. version. If you haven't, you need to give this one a listen.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood OP 1 - "again" by YUI - Great start, to a great adaptation of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga. Who knew YUI rocked?

FLCL ED - "Ride on Shooting Star" by The Pillows - Well, it's more like everything from The Pillows. This series was ripe with some of the best music to ever be represented in an anime series. The ending does not disappoint.
 
I can't believe I forgot about this.

Dragon Half ED - Watashi no Tamago: Granted most of it is really just still shots of the show as well as choppy loosely animated segments, but in lieu of the show's nature this ending is absolutely amazing. One of if not the best use of Beethoven music in an anime ever.

Oh and even if you boil it it's still draft beer.
 
Back
Top