Forum - View topicOpening and Closing animations
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excel7769
 Posts: 38 Location: Golden, CO United States |
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Okay, let’s try this one. Now this topic has been discussed ad nauseum in the Music Forum, but I want to take that a little further, we all know that many animators will spend extra time and attention to their Opening and Closing Animations. I want to try and really get into the favorite Opening and Closing Animations that you all out there like. NOT just for the catchy tune, or the fact you try out your Kanji interpretations when reading the closing credit’s (We all do it especially at the last episode) but why the closing or opening animation really works for the anime series that it’s a part of. Or better yet why an opening or closing doesn’t work for a particular series… Here’s what I came up with.
Opening: Neon Genesis Evangelion I like this one due to the fact that the opening animation really captures the essence and mystery of the show, the flashes of the characters, and the words that are essential to the show’s plot and mystery really get you into the mood for watching this masterpiece. (I really like the pencil drawings near the end.) “Connoisseurs” of the show will often say that the mysteries of Eva can be solved by really paying attention to the opening animation. On the flip side, the closing animation (Yes even with the badly sung “Fly Me To the Moon”) While simple in it’s composition (A naked upside down Rei) it does do its job to take the viewer down from the psychological trip that Eva offers. Opening: Gunslinger Girl. This is another good one, kind of a “Natural Born Killers” feel to it (Aside from the song being entirely in English which is not that rare in anime these days) It does well to show the innocence of the young girls and their “Profession” also the bond that some of them have with their “handlers” (This is really true of Henrietta and Jose whose relationship I won’t go into detail about, those who’ve seen the show know what I’m talking about.) and Triella as the “mentor/older sister” and the ethereal nature of the animation also adds an extra visual punch. Ending: Although really simple another one that does the job it was meant to do. It quietly captures the sadness that all the girls quietly endure… (Again if you’ve seen it you know what I’m talking about.) Also having it in Italian helps with the foreign flavor of the anime. Opening: Yugo The Negotiator, this is one that I don’t like. Although very real in it’s presentation of the area (Pakistan) it really doesn’t prepare the viewer for what’s to come, you have the tendency to think that you’re going to watch some soap opera, and not a serious drama. In other words it keeps the subject matter to light. Same goes with the closing animation although the music selection is a little better it really just doesn’t capture the flavor of the anime like the above-mentioned titles. Again you get the feeling of something a lot more lighter in fare than what you get. Kind of like watching a commercial for a giant hamburger and they keep showing you pictures of lettuce and tomatoes (Making you think ‘Am I getting a salad or a hamburger’.) Could have been done better. An outstanding anime none-the-less. ... and I totally forgot this one, my vote for best ending animation ever.... Chrono Crusade I almost cried this one was sooo well done, the music itself is a good reflection of the mood of the show, but what really set's it off is the water droplet ripple turning into characters from the show, that is really well done. Last edited by excel7769 on Tue Nov 01, 2005 9:47 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Efan
 Posts: 340 |
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Cowboy bebop. Tank! - Seabelts. I don't think any song could capture the jazzy style of cowboy bebop better. As for the animation, the kind of jamesbondish thing gets you hyped for the anime. It fits perfectly with the mood of the series, mysterious, stylish, and flat out cool.
Dragonball Z american opening- I don't know the name of the song but come on "DRAGON DRAGON BALL! DRAGONBALL Z!!!!" what song could better fit this title other than a song portraying the name of the show at least 20 times in about 4 or 5 different ways, this is just like the plot develpoment of the show, the same thing over and over. I still think this has that kind of hard rockish tune to it and gets you amped for the show. |
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Jadress
 Posts: 807 Location: Seattle. It purdy and nerdy! |
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I love opening and closing animation because they're like music videos. My favorites are probably:
Escaflowne: The first time I saw this opening, I probably wet myself. For one thing, there is the beautiful "Yakusoku wa iranai," for most, the first time we heard Maya Sakamoto sing. But really, the animation was so smooth and beautiful, introduces all the main characters (and even some minor ones) very nicely, and really fits with the flowly, fantasy feel of the anime. Love! and Utena: Again, I love the song. But the visuals prepare you for the strangeness and the emotions of the series. You see flashes of duels, some of the shadow/silhouette/rose symbols, shots of the weird upside-down castle thing. Also the shojo-ai tones are made more obvious in the opening than in most of the series itself. The fast pace and the lyrics of the song also match the main plot of the show. |
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Keonyn
 Subscriber Posts: 5567 Location: Coon Rapids, MN |
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I'll have to agree with excel7769 on at least one of 'em
Gunslinger Girl - opening: The song is just perfect for the tone of the series and the opening sequence does a great job showing just what kind of series it is rather than showing scene after scene of action or eye candy that you don't generally see in the series. It doesn't try to portray the series as something it's not as many do and does a great job of showing the viewer what they can expect. Twelve Kingdoms - opening: I love the score and the artwork is really well done, showing the world more through images of a historical nature rather than alot of animation sequences and flashy character introductions. The anime has a great setting and history and story all built up and the opening sequence only adds to that. Fullmetal Alchemist - some openings and closings: I love FMA and think it's a great show, but I am not very fond of the opening and closing sequences I've seen so far. They just don't seem to really reflect the feel of the series, some of the animations are nice but overall they just don't portray the show properly or really seem to fit with the overall theme and feel of it. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18404 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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The openers for NGE, Escaflowne, and Cowboy Bebop are all among my all-time personal favorites, primarily for the reasons mentioned above. Others:
Scrapped Princess - One of the best openers of recent series, its blends a great song and beautiful original animation which, taken together, serve as the prologue for the series. That's a rarity in anime. Planetes - Great song perfectly complements graphics which both introduce the main characters and put the series in historical and practical perspectives. Wins bonus points for its uplifting tone. Hellsing - Neat song, but it's the graphics that really sell this one. A great representation of the series. Bubblegum Crisis 2040 - Hey, I'm a hard rock fan, but I also admired the way the music (albeit with nonsensical lyrics) synched up with the visuals. Brain-Powerd - Okay, maybe this isn't one of the best, but it definitely wins the all-time award for "Opener Which Least Represents Its Series." While the series has one very brief shot of fan service in 26 episodes (most of the series is PG), the opener is almost wall-to-wall nudity. Now for closers: Gasaraki - Though a somewhat dull series overall, its original closer is indisputably the best I've ever seen on an anime series. The song's haunting melody is gloriously complemented by wonderful, highly symbolic visuals. Now and Then, Here and There - The graphics are pretty basic, but this one deserves mention because its simplicity and the gentle, soothing tone of the music serves exceptionally well to help calm a viewer down after watching the intense content of the episodes - and this is needed at many points in the series. Probably the ultimate example of an anime closer being used for mood adjustment. And of course Excel Saga has to be mentioned both ways for its supremely quirky style. |
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afnj
Posts: 34 |
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I hear ya there! Most anime I watch the opening and closing on the first episode then skip it when I want to watch, say the 6th or so episode. Excel Saga was is the only anime that I watched the opening and closing on EVERY episode. it's just so entertaining and enjoyable to watch. 
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omnistry
 Posts: 1019 |
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Cowboy Bebop - Best Opening
Very James Bondish and Oceans 11-y (Rat Pack version). Can't decide yet on Ending; but I'm leaning towards one of the Fullmetal Alchemist ones (the one with the snowfall in it). |
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SnowfairyX
 Posts: 438 |
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The opening was really not what I expected and for some reason felt a bit awkward to me and didn't really help me to get into the series, not that my opinion of the series would change substantially, but a good opening would probably "trick" me into liking the series a bit more. The song itself was not that good but I suppose the imagery in the opening did fit. I thought the closing was just horrid and the song definitely didn't feel like it fit into the series at all. I don't know how to describe it, but the song just wasn't really "dark" like much of the series. This series has disappointed me on all levels and didn't even manage to have a decent opening or closing. |
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Bruce Lee
 Posts: 715 Location: Seattle, Washington |
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I'm a big fan of the opening title sequence for the show Monster. I really like the music. It's quite different from anything I've heard before, but for some reason, fits right in with the artwork. To me, the choir singing seems like Tenma's vindication and trying to clear his name. The acompanying music is sort of mysterious, and works well with the scenes of him hiding and trying to blend in, as well as putting together the clues and pieces of the puzzle. I think that overall, this opening sequence fits the style of the show very well, both musically and content wise.
FMA is a show that is hit or miss. I really like the first opening song, and the first 2 ending song. The only reason I can think that [AS] chose Ready Steady Go for their opening song was because it was the standard show all the characters to music style Anime intro. The song doesn't do anything for me. However, this is far from my least favorite. I DESPISE the third ending that just shows Winry and the tripod dog. I hate the song, and it shows nothing in the animation. Seeing this one versus the two previous is really underwhelming. The Naruto ending that just has a bunch of multi-colored Nartuos floating psychadelicaly is also high on the not-a-fan-of list. |
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son_michael
Posts: 27 Location: New York |
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My favorite oppening has to be inuyasha's first song"I want to change the world"
the music is incredible,it dosen't have anything to do with the anime or anything but the way certain scenes in the oppening are louder than others and you can just feel the drama, the way inuyasha jumps and holds onto kagomes hand while looking up and seeing his friends and then you see him smile, that right there symbolizes the immense change inuyasha goes through and brings a warm feeling to your heart. In fact the entire oppening shows inuyasha going through the pain of fighting naraku and losing kikyo, only to show him band together with his friends at the end, as to say inuyasha is not alone and wow the colors and the oppening sequences just look fantastic! favorite ending sequence: I have alot of these but 1 that comes to mind immediatley would be cowboy beebops ending it just works perfectly, spike is desperatley trying to find his love and just getting by day after day in the hopes that he will meet her again. "the real folk blues" shows spike not caring about life, being down in the dumps, just waiting till he meets her again, it perfectly captures his care free atitude and the song is just brilliant with its jazz/blues style of music, in short this ending sequence perfectly captures spikes character and the overall theme of the show hey efan, that dbz oppening is called"Rock the Dragon" it goes like this "Dragon , Dragon, rock the dragon, dragon ball, ahhhh!!!! dragon, dragon, rock the dragon, come, come get me!! ah!{guitar music plays insanely} dragon ball z ah! dragon ball z ahh!!! as you can see, its a complete rock song |
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SirWence
 Posts: 107 Location: North of Boston, MA |
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My favorite openings..
Full Metal Panic I loved Both of the Intros in the first series good video and good music 
FMP: The Second Raid They have a fantastic intro for this sequel I enjoy it very much and I also enjoyed the ending theme and animation it was very heart warming. Elfen Lied I rate this as the best sung Opening I have ever herd simple as that. And I loved the abstract animation that went along with it simply fantastic. DN Angel I really enjoyed the 2nd opening it could stand alone as a short music video easily |
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DarkTenshi90
 Posts: 440 Location: Nebraska |
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Naruto 1st season ending, Wind -- I really enjoy the emotion in this song. It thoroughly describes, without words (excluding the song) how Naruto feels and how his teammates make him feel. I can't get enough of it, and was fairly disappointed with the later on ending animations for the shows even though I fully enjoyed the songs to them.
Cowboy Bebop Opening (Tank!) --- These were just awesome. The opening animation was a great and pleasing eyecatcher. I think this intro really got me into the series. and ending (The Real Folk Blues) --- And this short really showed you the emotions Spike felt throughout the series, even if it was just a slide-show of pictures. X3 Samurai Champloo Opening BattleCry--- Very eyecatching as well. This basically tells you that the series is about Samurais with tons of style. I literally repeat the opening at times.  I don't really feel like adding the huge list of favorites that I have, but I did give a small portion of what I like. 
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areaseven
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 1486 Location: Makati, Philippines |
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IMO, the best opening animation is The Big O. The theme song by Rui Nagai really brings out the excitement level of the sequence. And I'm not just saying this because I'm a fan of Queen.
A close runner-up is Figure 17. The theme song "Boy" by The Alfee blends perfectly with the way Tsubasa, Hikaru and Figure 17 are depicted in the sequence. Oh yeah, and like "Big O!", "Boy" has a Queen style to it. 
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TranceLimit174
 Posts: 960 |
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Let's see a couple of favorite openings for me that currently come to mind would have be
Tenjho Tenge: First off I really like how it begins with all of the characters jumping out of the manga pages into full animated color glory. The opening overall has very slick animation, and the theme itself is extremely catchy. Even though I'm not quite sure what is meant by 'bomb a head' it has a very smooth and catchy beat. Kujibiki Unbalance: Once again another catchy tune. Not only that but the first time I saw it I previewed the next episode of Genshiken to make sure I was still watching the right show. The opening also made me laugh just because like the rest of Genshiken, it nails all of the quirks to a T. Ikki Tousen: I personally like the images presented in the opening and the song itself, which what I think the group's name would imply, makes you want to get up and move. Very infectious and I think the opening itself does a nice job showing off the ladies. G Gundam: I enjoyed both openings from this series simply because the openings themselves are nice and simple. Nothing too special or fancy but still well done. In a way it was kind of refreshing. Sorcerer Hunters/OVA: I think it does a very nice job showing off each character and each opening itself is just full of energy. Also even though the ending animation from the series was very simple I love the ending theme. Even though the show is mostly a comedy I think it closed out each episode nicely. Cowboy Bebop has been listed enough times and it kind of goes without saying. Now for some of the worst. Big O (specifically season 1): The opening song itself is good but the actual animation was pretty bad. Just sillhouettes against a fire backround doesn't cut it. The opening never really set me up to get into each episode. Naruto: Still have a bit of a ways to go but so far there hasn't been one opening or ending that I have liked. None of em have ever really grabbed me and for some reason I always expect more out of them then what I get. However I do like the one ending song they used for a while that has pictures of all of the girls at the beach in bathing suits. Dragonball/Z/GT (US): The name of the guy who composed the music for the US release of the Dragonball franchise escapes me and not to knock him or anything but I never liked any of his work (save for possibly his SS3 theme). All of his other music just seems all over the place with no direction and it never fit in the show. Plus I thought the clips FUNimation decided to use were poor as well. That's all I have for now. If I come up with any more interesting ones I might post them. |
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TcDohl
 Posts: 82 |
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Honey & Clover OP 1 & 2
Both of the intros for this series are some of the most unique, imaginative and fun montage of live action, claymation (the first intro), and live action. Though the first intro is of little consequence to the series itself, the second intro is full of the original art by Chika Umino, symbols of the different characters and different stages of their personal growth. The song, though gratingly irritating at first, really grows on you. The irritativeness is due to the fact that the singer YUKI sounds like (or tries to, maybe?) a cat. But the song is somewhat catchy and is really representative of the whole series. G Gundam OP 1 & 2 Oh holy crap. This is probably the most fun song and intro I've ever seen. Not only is the song very very catchy, the intro animation is, to sum up in one word, awesome. It doesn't try to wow us with super smooth animation, it just treats us to some awesome visuals that go excellent with the song. Man, even though I haven't seen the series in several years, I still remember the lyrics to the song... Flying in the Sky! Starship Operators Blows any other intro of the same genre totally out of the water. Only if Star Trek intros were like this... Basically, the techno beat of the song basically carries the whole animation sequence. From Star Trek-like ship fly-bys, to a barrage of images in the battle montage in the second half. It's the animation of the intro that truly makes this one shine. Jinki: Extend Great homage to the Mobile Suit Gundam original. Shot by shot, it reproduces all the actions and shots from the Mobile Suit Gundam intro. If you're a fan of the original MSG, then you'll be full of delight when you see the intro sequence, on a cheery girl-type pop-rock song. |
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