DivideByZer0’s Top 35 Anime Openings (Part 5), Version 1.0: Thematic Anime-Related Discussions (T.A.R.DIS)
5.) “Guren no Yumiya” by Linked Horizon
Attack on Titan OP 1
If I hadn’t had anyone raging at me over an opening placement thus far, THIS is probably were I will get it. “Guren no Yumiya” is, by no extent of the imagination, your average opening. It is bombastic and over-the-top, regal and action-packed to the brim, and makes for a very complimentary opening for a show of such, ahem, “titanic”, hype such as Attack on Titan. Also, this opening has one of the most heart-pumping initial lyrics of any anime opening theme: “SEID IHR DAS ESSEN NEIN WIR SIND DER JAEGER”! Don’t you wish more shows had opening themes as epic as this one?
4.) “Again” by Yui
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood OP 1
One of the anime opening themes that I loved WAAAAY before I watched the show itself, “Again” is one of the few opening themes I know that utilizes differentiating speeds, being slow and acoustic-y during the first half part, fast-paced during the climax before the chorus, and then back to normal speed throughout the chorus. This gives “Again” a unique sense of musical style that isn’t too prevalent on a lot of openings. Sure, all of the other opening themes that FMA: Brotherhood has are all awesome, but this one offers an excellent introduction to the world of Fullmetal.
3.) “Tank” by The Seatbelts
Cowboy Bebop OP 1
Now this, THIS, is a classic opening theme. Being an instrumental theme, something like “Tank” must rely heavily on its music so that it delivers the same effect and impact as something with lyrics would have. Needless to say, this opening took it up a notch and blasted it across interstellar space with is suave style and awesomeness. Being a fan of jazz music, and anything with saxophones in it in general, “Tank” is one of Cowboy Bebop’s more unforgettable soundtracks that match the show’s coolness better than Oreos with milk. Also, we can’t overlook the impact that this opening had not only in the East, but in the Western audience as well.
2.) “Out of Control” by Nothing’s Carved in Stone
Psycho-Pass OP 1
Take Cowboy Bebop’s opening theme, lock it inside a T.A.R.D.I.S, send it into the year 2013, with all its brilliant and improved animation and musical styles, plus our increased technological prowess, and you get “Out of Control”. Well, maybe not entirely, but it is sorta Bebop-inspired, although that’s not saying that this opening theme is unoriginal by any stretch of the imagination. The fact that it is sung in the english language may be unappealing for some people, but personally I found it to be a fantastic touch. Add in a superb animation style and bright color pallets, and you got the formula for an amazing opening for any show. Well, not ANY show, but definitely this one.
AND NOW, AFTER 34 FANTASTIC OPENING THEMES, 245.6793 HOURS OF DELIBERATION, AND 4 ICED CAPPUCCINOS, IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS…
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ARE YOU READY?
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HERE. WE. GO.
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YOU BETTER HANG ON TO SOMETHING.
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YES, THIS KIND OF SUSPENSE IS NECESSARY, SO SHUT UP.
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LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
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DIVIDEBYZERO’S NUMBER 1 ANIME OPENING THEME
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1.) “My Dearest” by supercell
Guilty Crown OP 1
Violins. Pianos. Drums. Beautiful and angelic vocals. Gorgeous visuals and animation. This opening theme is PERFECT. Well, not technically. No opening theme, like anything else in the anime world, is perfect. However, “My Dearest” comes VERY CLOSE to it. In my opinion, at least. It has this sort of grand, majestic feel to it and a climax that gradually builds, bigger and grander until it reaches said majestic feel. Words alone can’t explain the awe-inspiring, spine-tingling, eargasm-inducing marvel of an opening theme that is “My Dearest”. Kudos to supercell. I salute you guys for your “dearest” contribution to mankind yet.
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IT’S OVEEEEEEEER. Well, there you have it, ladies and gentlemen; the top 35 anime opening themes that made me feel happy, melancholy, pumped-up, inspired, and many other fancy human emotions that someone like me shouldn’t be feeling. Again, if I had missed something or if you feel differently about any of the songs on this list, make your own list. It’s always fun to know which opening theme you prefer over which.
And that’s it for me. Leave a comment down below pertaining to your thoughts on this list, the topic discussed, or if you would like me to discuss about anything. And, speaking of “liking”, give the T.A.R.DIS a like if you enjoyed it. With that, until next time, ladies and gentlemen, this has been DivideByZer0, thank you and I’ll see you guys in the future. ^__^
Your number one does nothing for me, but Again and Tank get a thumbs up from me.
*gasp* but hooow? Haha, kidding kidding ^^
I guess I should be pleased to know that I recognize the top 5, I have not failed the test of the ages! But indeed, all 5 of those are great for their own reasons.
Guren no Yumiya is, well, it’s epic. I enjoyed the Shingeki anime a pretty good amount (I mean it IS quite the solid adaptation of a very enjoyable manga) but it’s no exaggeration to say the first opening is my favorite thing about it. I still remember all the nights that I would get distracted by Youtube, looking for those videos in which the Shingeki song went with literally everything imaginable. Clannad, Monogatari, Chuunibyou, and that’s just anime, there was even stuff like Teletubbies and Thomas the Tank Engine. Those were, well, very strange days to say the least, but that goes to show how much love the SnK fanbase (and perhaps beyond) has for the song, it really is lively.
My favorite Brotherhood opening would probably be Rain (the final one) but Again is a great one too, and a lovely way to start off the anime. I too quite enjoyed the switches in pacing throughout, it made for an exciting and very interesting opening overall. Not to mention it was really nice seeing Bones show off the new visuals in comparison to the older Fullmetal Alchemist anime.
I remember first seeing Bebop on Adult Swim, though I didn’t care much for the opening. It’s only recently that I actually watched through the whole thing with a friend (over many weeks as there was little free time, but we got there!) and the opening really did grow on me. It’s catchy, upbeat, and really does fit the Bebop style. It’s rare to find a purely instrumental OP in anime, but this one is just right.
The second Psycho-Pass opening was great indeed. I think my favorite Psycho-Pass song would be the first ED (something about Namae no nai Kaibutsu, and pretty much any EGOIST song, is amazing), but Out of Control was an awesome track too. I actually quite enjoy the English songs I’ve seen as anime openings (Deadman and Rainbow also come to mind in this regard), and this one was no exception. The guitars were great and I really liked the style of the opening.
And Guilty Crown’s, well, Guilty Crown, so I suppose it makes sense that one of its OPs is at the top. I honestly can’t decide between My Dearest and The Everlasting Guilty Crown, both are brilliant songs with amazing openings. GC music in general is just awesome, I’m especially fond of Bios and how much more awesome and intense it makes the scenes it plays in (er, I think I already said that before on the GC review, and who isn’t fond of Bios?).
Anywho, awesome list! There’s no shortage of delightful anime songs out there. Any plans for a top ED or OST/Insert song list?
Glad you liked it, and yes I will in the future, but it i don’t know when exactly, but it will happen