Forum - View topicAnime OP/ED Recommendation Thread.
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varmintx
 Posts: 1235 Location: Covington, KY |
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Gunslinger Girl [OP]
Probably my favorite opening is "The Light Before We Land" by The Delgados. I find both the song and the album it's from, Hate, to be masterpieces and the visuals compliment the song wonderfully. Starting with Henrietta's shadow walking along while she's the reflection, and then shortly followed by her looking so alone with her violin case that's almost as big as she is only to discover its contents is violence instead. I love the way the girls' "shadows" separate from their bodies as they're firing their weapons and then the color on them fades back in as they gather together while the music crescendos ending with Henrietta leaping forward. Melancholic and discomforting, and yet, still quite beautiful...just like the series. |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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Thanks guys. Good to have the thread back in action.
Edit: index updated. |
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yuna49
 Posts: 3804 |
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I don't want to hog this thread, but I'd like to make one more recommendation, the ED to episode seven of Hanamaru Kindergarten.
GAINAX produced a different ED for each of the thirteen episodes of this show. All of them are sung by the cast members, either as soloists or in combinations, and they all sing with the voices of their characters. Since the EDs largely feature the three main five-year old girls, these numbers may not appeal to people expecting mature voices. In the case of episode seven, though, that criticism does not fully apply. This ED is an homage to À bout de souffle, or Breathless in its English translation, the first feature film by French "new wave" director Jean-Luc Godard. It stars Jean-Paul Belmondo as a two-bit French thief and Jeanne Seberg as an ex-patriate American girl living in Paris. In the ED, scenes adapted from the film are projected on a screen behind the main little girl, Anzu, who plays a piano like Schroeder in the Peanuts cartoons. (A rather strange juxtaposition to say the least.) None of the other endings look like this at all. Many of them portray scenes from childhood, usually with a high level of artistic flair. The songs vary, as you might expect since there are thirteen of them, but the one accompanying the episode seven ED is a smoky jazz number that sounds like it could have been heard in a basement somewhere in Paris around 1960. Shindou Kei turns Anzu's little-girl voice into a mature breathy performance entirely appropriate to the material and ambiance. There are two other Hanamaru EDs I especially like, though neither are as distinctive as the one for episode seven. The ED for episode 2 features Takagaki Ayahi performing as the highly intelligent, cosplay-loving Hiiragi. (She's the one with the creepy blank eyes; this ED may be one of the few times in the show where you can actually see Hiiragi's pupils.) in this ED she appears as a space alien bent on taking over the earth until she is tamed by the love of the Hanamaru cast. Last I'll mention the ED for episode nine. It's sung by Hino Satoshi, the seiyuu for the male kindergarten teacher Tsuchida-sensei, and portrays Anzu riding on a bike with her mother and having some troubling thoughts. I won't say more about it to avoid spoilage. I listed the last two just for your enjoyment, but I would like to see the episode seven ED make the index. Last edited by yuna49 on Tue Dec 04, 2012 9:26 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Observe
 Posts: 28 Location: Oakland CA |
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My favorite opening still to this day is Record of Lodoss War. Can't really remember what the anime was about but I remember the opening music. Good singing and composition.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2vxlZkfW-Y |
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lesterf1020
 Subscriber Posts: 295 Location: Trinidad and Tobago |
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I would like to make a bit of an unusual recommendation for a show that pretty much noone has seen . Project Arms is a well written dark shounen anime, Unfortunately the anime team had an ambitious director and no budget. The results were often unintentionally hilarious, however, sometimes they would get blood from a stone and produce something great with no budget. One example is the first OP (Free bird). They manage to show our 4 heroes and the main villain as well as hint at the issues, themes and tone of the show as well as throw in some symbolism. I think they did great with no budget and so I think it is a great view for anyone interested in a no budget OP. It doesn't hurt that the song is very appropriate either. It seems this was the limit of their creativity since the other OP's are glorified AMV's.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3PhuNEzUDA). |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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LOL, you don't have to worry about that. Hog away my friend.
Since you went through the trouble of saying why you liked all three and hunted down videos for each one of them, I included them all. The ED for episode two was the one that hooked me on Hanamaru Kindergarten. I initially thought the show was just toddler-con and didn't pay it much attention, and then someone showed me that ED and changed my mind. |
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504NOSON2
Subscriber Posts: 647 Location: Body:Santa Barbara, CA ~ Heart:New Orleans, LA |
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School Days [ED]
Japanese artist, CooRie, delivers her sweet vocals over this delicate track, to a drama-laden series. The song starts out softly, with CooRie singing about liking her lover, despite lying to her. Then the tempo ups, and she begins hitting higher notes. I just love the song. Noein [OP] This one is for an anime that I truly need to go back and watch, completely. Until then, I'll enjoy this mysterious, other worldly-sounding song, by Japanese band Eufonius. The song perfectly matches the anime in its enigmatic, alternate dimension setting and atmosphere. Plus, the way the opening begins very mellow and somewhat somber and then abruptly shifts to a much faster, happier melody, perfectly parallels with op animations transition from a winter setting to summer. Elfen Lied [OP] Don't really know what to say, other than, it's a powerful opera piece that references Ecclesiastical passages from Biblical scripture, accompanied by images that, as a whole, depict the beast of a series this is. It had a profound impact on me. |
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Saffire
 Posts: 1256 Location: Iowa, USA |
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It's really tempting to just make this a bunch of Maaya Sakamoto songs, but I think I'll branch out some: Star Driver OP - Gravity 0 The song itself is good, but what's really notable here is the animation. Beautiful use of color and contrast creates a gorgeously unique opening sequence. Unfortunately, I could only find the true opening on NicoNico which does require registration. Sacred Seven ED3 - Stone Cold FictionJunction is showing off their range here, with a major tonal shift about 2/3 through to a more flowing style that contrasts nicely with the sharp tones of the first part. Idolm@ster ED20 - Yakusoku SPOILER Although each episode has its own ending, most of them are songs that already existed within the franchise. This one was introduced with the show as a plot point. The way it was presented within the show is pretty rare, where it starts as an insert and bleeds over into the credits with the second verse. As such, the video does contain spoiler material. spoiler[The significance of the song is that it was written by her friends to help her through a difficult time. But after getting on stage, she can't bring herself to sing. That's why everyone getting on stage to sing it to her becomes so important. The lyrics themselves also reflect this: the first verse is someone offering support to a troubled friend, the second verse is the friend taking it.] The song itself is also one of the best pieces in a show about singing songs. It's a beautiful choral song that makes great use of the singer's range and ability. The Third: The Girl With The Blue Eye OP - Sajou no Yume This song sets the mood nicely for the show - slow and soothing, exactly how the show itself wants to proceed. |
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EricJ
 Posts: 876 |
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Okay, support group time: How many old-skoolers can listen to Beethoven's 7th without finding themselves singing along the Dragon Half ED lyrics?
Me, though, I just like the Sherlock Hound ED-- Has absolutely nothing to do with the tone or action of the series, just a dreamy, laid-back interlude that sounds like you'd get from early Miyazaki/Ghibli, around the Laputa/Kiki era of his wish for little European towns. (Also noticing the lack of Video Girl Ai on the list: Grown men have been known to sentimentally tear up at the "Ano Hi Ni" ED..  )
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Animegomaniac
Posts: 4158 |
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It's fuwafura time! From Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou: Quite Country Cafe [Ed]
Long way home, indeed. OVAs endings can go on for some time, can't they? Just to put the ending in proper context, think of Alpha doing this 100 years after these events happened. |
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Vracer111
 Posts: 194 |
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Some of my favorites have already been mentioned (Birdy the Mighty: Decode 02, Broken Blade, Ergo Proxy, Gunslinger Girl, and Romeo X Juliet specifically) so I will add a few that haven't:
Beck What can you say about the spectacular opening to a great show about music and how it affects people; it just exudes what the show is about and somehow captures the traits of each main character in just 90 seconds... you don't need to watch the show to know the personality of each character. But why would you not watch Beck?! Beck Opening Flag One of my favorite openings, hits home on what the show is about and really captures the seriousness of the show (though the opening is more of how I would have liked the series to have been...it's not quite like the opening suggests). The music is what really grounds this opening and the visual slideshow perfectly supplements it. The show is not commonly/widely known by everyone it seems, but it's not an obscure title either. Flag Opening Initial D 4th Stage is the best of Initial D from a racing perspective, but 5th Stage has just started airing and well, it probably has the best opening of the franchise, though the 4th stage openings are right there as well. Openings to Initial D are really to wet the appetite for the show and M.O.V.E. soundtrack fits extremely well - will be hard to think of Initial D without soundtrack by M.O.V.E. For endings though there is just something about the first stage ending that makes it so enduring, even with all the other stages, Stage 1 ending with "Rage Your Dreams" just seems to be the first one you think of when you think of Initial D....
Initial D 4th stage Opening 2 Initial D 5th Stage Opening Initial D 1st Stage Ending Rahxephon The music in Rahxephon is something else... I've only seen the show once completely through, but the opening and closing seem to capture some mystery of what all is going on and do a good job in showing it's nature. Raxhephon Opening Raxhephon Ending Sousei no Aquarion Won't recommend the show, but wow - what a beautiful ending! The way the made-up language and voice blend together with the music and the picture show really take you into a nice Fantasy world...unlike the mess the show is. If the show were like the ED it would have been something special... Aquarion Ending Yukikaze Synthetic Jazz/piano fusion in the opening really does something with the visuals to let you know that this futuristic and more realistic style man and machine air fighter OVA is not your typical anime fare... you get to see the beautifully done flight animation choreographed to the music and know that there is something more to Yukikaze than it being just an aircraft due to the visuals presented. Yukikaze Opening |
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Hitokiri Kenshin
Posts: 293 |
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Gundam Wing Toonami ED The music and scenes are recycled from the opening but back when I was in high school, I always liked hearing the music and the vusuals to this when the show ended. And like quite a few friends of mine, I enjoyed it more than the original ending which just had Relena doing random stuff.
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Ignatz
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Ghost Hound [OP]
This opening perfectly fits the paranormal show it is representing, also having very good animation and many interesting scenes. Also, jazz music is best music! Space Brothers [OP] The thing is, I haven't even seen a single episode of Space Brothers, and yet I just can't stop watching this opening. It's just so uplifting. A perfect opening to watch when you want to cheer up. Eden of the East [OP] Hands down the best opening I've ever seen. The song is in engrish, which is quite rare for anime openings, however the lyrics don't really match the show itself, since the song wasn't written for that. But that's the only downsite of it. The opening does an incredible job at combining both the visuals and the song, also creating this epic feeling that every time after watching the opening all I'm thinking is "Wow, this is going to be something amazing!" Last edited by Ignatz on Fri Sep 13, 2013 10:08 am; edited 20 times in total |
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Veers
 Posts: 1197 Location: Texas |
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The song is not engrish. Oasis is not a Japanese band. Also, I totally disagree that the lyrics are irrelevant to the show itself (though I do agree that it's it's a fantastic OP!). |
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Knoepfchen
 Posts: 698 |
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I'm surprised no one has mentioned the opening of Mononoke before. I find it to be extraordinary beautiful. The music and style fit the anime perfectly, and it is really different from most openings. Watching the opening, you get a feeling of what's in store for you, and the anime does not disappoint, of course.
Wolf's Rain's opening The song itself is nice, but the reason I love it is (don't read any further if you haven't seen the anime and plan on doing so) spoiler[because the anime actually comes full circle in the end, giving the opening much more meaning than one would have expected in the beginning.] And I think the opening of Samurai Champloo deserves mentioning, since it is just a perfect representation of the rule of cool the anime exhales from minute one to curtain call. Also, the music itself. 
Other favorite openings of mine include Monster, Elfen Lied, Cowboy Bebop, Fate Zero 2, Vision of Escaflowne and Neon Genesis Evangelion, which have all been mentioned before. Monster actually had great music through and through, the endings are also wonderful, see here and here (sorry, did not find better versions at the moment). Peaceful and creepy at the same time, really fits the theme and tone of the anime. |
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