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  
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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
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Life can be so sad and yet so wonderful.

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

4. Paradise Lost (Chihara Minori) from Ga-Rei Zero OP

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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
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Favorite part: Tenori Tiger!

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

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

8. NEXT LEVEL (YU-KI) from Kamen Rider Kabuto OP
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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
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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
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Classic. 'Nuff said.

11. Moonlight Densetsu (DALI / Moon Lips) from Sailor Moon OP
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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. (^_^

Anime Favorites and Evangelion

Decided to put my list of favorite animes on the side bar. (^^,

I don't know why I didn't think of doing it in the first place though. Just thought of it when a friend asked me where he can find my top anime recommendations. After searching the web for online list web tools, I finally just decided to keep things simple and use Blogger's link list gadget*.

The list is arranged with my most favorite at the top. This is not to say those at the bottom are not favorites though! I love them all. The order mostly reflects the impact the anime had on me, and how relevant & memorable they were when I watched them. As an additional guide, the list reflects my answer to the question "If you were to watch only n number of animes in your life, which one(s) would it be?"

So, yes, if I could only watch 1 anime series in my entire life, it would be Evangelion - a mind-boggling series filled with symbolisms, reflecting on issues and questions on what it means to be human, I think it is simply the greatest and most relevant anime to date. Neon Genesis Evangelion lives up to its title and delivers exactly that message to people of all ages (but especially to those growing up): the good news of a new beginning.


* "Link List" was really a confusing name for me who is used to thinking of "Linked-list" as something else. :p I kept thinking "So what's the difference between a list gadget and a link list gadget?"

Evangelion 2.0 Madness

Holy. S**t. Just finished watching Evangelion: 2.0 You can(not) advance. No mincing of words; no spoilers. Man, was it great! This is probably the best remake, hell, the most awesome anime and movie I've ever watched. And to think Evangelion is already one of the most popular anime series ever. Reviews are probably flooding the net right now, and I don't know what they are saying, but for me the movie was Just. Damn. Beautiful. I totally loved it. And the ending... holy s**t (with a silly smile on my face)... still can't get over it.

The ticket was a gift for me from my officemates! Thank you oh so very much! ^.^

It was my first time to watch in the Warner MyCal theater in Shin-Yurigaoka. Shown above is the movie pamphlet I bought from the theater shop.

The 1,500Yen Evangelion popcorn combo set that came with an Asuka figurine:














A closer look at the figurine. The face admittedly needs a major rework, but I don't care, I still love the movie! ^.^














My ticket and a part of the popcorn tray/box: