Saturday, August 7, 2010

My Memorable Anime Openings and Endings

Somehow, I just suddenly felt the urge to blog about my favorite anime openings (OP) and endings (ED). I noticed that really good OP/ED helps a lot in determining what I decide to watch and how long they stick in my consciousness. In a lot of cases, I decide to find and watch the anime simply because I saw their great OP/ED preview! It's usually the catchy song that appeals to me, but on some occasions, the animation blends so well with the song and my life that I find it unforgettable. These excellent (and personally relevant) OP/ED's make me pause and recollect when I suddenly hear them outside.

And among all I've watched (and I have seen many), here are my most memorable anime OP/EDs arranged in chronological order starting with the most recent. I included links to any information I can find. Enjoy!

1. My Soul, Your Beats (Lia) from Angel Beats OP  
Video Lyrics Full
This song just flows so beautifully. I loved this song so much (along with #2 below) that I was compelled to buy the album brand new. (Usually I'd wait for a second-hand one from Book-Off.)

2. Brave Song (Tada Aoi) from Angel Beats ED
Video Lyrics Full
Life can be so sad and yet so wonderful.

3. Friends (Aiko Nakano) from Dance in the Vampire Bund OP 
Video Lyrics Full
I like the song, animation, and artistic touches of this OP so much!

4. Paradise Lost (Chihara Minori) from Ga-Rei Zero OP
I never tire of this song. Something about it gets me going. It rocks, yet it's also sad, and at the same time hopeful. Did I mention I completed all the manga because I loved the characters and story so much? ;P

5. Vanilla Salt (Yui Horie) from ToraDora! ED
Video Lyrics Full
Favorite part: Tenori Tiger!

6. Diamond Crevasse (May'n) from Macross Frontier ED 
Video Lyrics Full
Brings back memories. T.T

7. Northern Cross (May'n) from Macross Frontier ED 
Video Lyrics Full
A really stylish blend of animation and real-life performance! ^_^

8. NEXT LEVEL (YU-KI) from Kamen Rider Kabuto OP
Video Lyrics Full
Now THIS is how Kamen Rider should be. Cool. The airing of Kabuto marked the 30th anniversary of the Kamen Rider franchise.

9. Unmei no Yoru (Fateful night) (Kawai Kenji) from Fate/Stay Night
Video Lyrics Full   
This is not really an OP/ED, but it was what made me look for Fate/Stay Night. The teaser for the series had this enigmatic and alluring song as BGM.

10. A Cruel Angel's Thesis (Yoko Takahashi) from Neon Genesis Evangelion OP
Video Lyrics Full
Classic. 'Nuff said.

11. Moonlight Densetsu (DALI / Moon Lips) from Sailor Moon OP
Video1 Video2 Lyrics Full
Is there any anime-lover who hasn't seen/heard this?! I was surprised to hear this song recently being played in a MiniStop store near my office. ^_^

12. Cha-la Head Cha-la (Kageyama Hironobu) from Dragonball Z OP
Video Lyrics Full
The first time I saw the OP was during an uneventful afternoon, while channel surfing for anything interesting. Then I stopped at channel 9, caught by the powerful music. I watched as Kuririn and Tenshinhan fire an impressive blast, and then I saw Goku charging, and boom! Sparking! I didn't know who they were back then, and what the show was, but right then and there, they got my attention. Next thing I know, I was following the series. Coincidentally, they were airing the first episode of Dragonball Z!

Btw, this does not mean I don't like other anime's OP/ED's. Mind you, I love a lot of others. However, these are so far the most sticky and memorable. (^_^

1 comment:

Darth said...

ハレ晴レユカイ (Hare Hare Yukai) not in the list?