April 2009 Opening and Ending Picks
Just a random list. I’ll try to Youtube the links when possible/easy. It’s so weird that I can’t do this post 1 week into the new season…not that I’m complaining.
I think there’s something strangely magical about Hatsukoi Limited’s set. The 4-seiyuu unit Sphere picked an interesting song for their TV debut, which totally reminds me of Kita E. I suppose the narrative concept to the story could play out the same way.
But the ending is just your usual Marble magic. They’re hit or miss for most people so I’m just basically saying “I like Marble” with this pick. The song stays with Marble’s usual formula, although its catchy vocal for the first couple lines seems new.
Saki, the mahjong rivalry sports manga->anime, has a really cute ending animation with a fairly cute song to go with. You can also watch that on Crunchyroll…
Valkyria Chronicle’s ED is quite cute, too. And catchy. Here’s a non-taken-down-but-at-2x version. Normal version of the song can be found here.
Natsu no Arashi’s opening is pure class, in a “Kimi ni Mune Kyun” way. The anime carries itself in a similar fashion, but that’s probably hit or miss for some people. This image might help you get what the hell is going on in the OP. It’s totally Shaft x Shinbo, again, even if you can’t tell from a quick glance. And on CR as well.
Boom Boom Satellite explodes in the new Xam’d OP. Xam’d “aired” as an online download over the Playstation Network the past year, but now it’s getting a TV run. The TV run has a brand new opening song and sequence that…means different things to different people. It is good, nonetheless.
We probably can’t complete this list without mentioning K-ON? The “GIRLS BAND: THE ANIMU” show from KyoAni has to have music chops, right? And as usual they stacked the odds on the ending. It’s a music video, pretty much, with a nice alternative rock feel. (The OP deserves mention if only they were able to make it sound passable considering the vocal talents behind it. Which reminds me–avoid Queen’s Blade OP/ED at all cost D: and give me back the ED from ep1!)
But just as remarkable, the other omo-fave ED this season is the stop-motion paper-cutout animation from Eden of the East. I like Oasis as much as anyone who lived through the 90s, but its GITS active-type-overload thing seems already too gimmicky to me. The ending, on the other hand, is definitely fresh.
I like Shangri-la’s opening. May’n sounds great here and I really want a high bitrate/well-encoded copy of the OP. All the ones out there look pretty craptastic. (Did you know there’s an actual English language version for the Japanese site? Quite the rarity.) Yes, also on CR.
Guin Saga has an eerie ending song that will ride up some people’s ally, but I wish I could say more about the animation. Certainly the fact that Uematsu is behind the score could be reason enough to watch it. KOKIA strikes a similar tune via the Phantom OP.
Basquash’s ending is notable because of the nice rhythm that it has going for it. The show looks pretty nice overall, for what it’s worth. Yu Yamada is the voice.
And Angela’s Atsuko voices the OP/ED to Asura Cryin’. The OP is notable for the rather dance-ish beats, which is rare for them as far as I know. It is kind of like Nanoha OP but with Angela instead of Nana Mizuki? This might just be another “omo likes the artist” pick.
To wrap things up, you all have seen the new Hagaren ED right? I think it’s almost a homerun as far as a good mix of creative cuteness and style, but too srsbzns IMO. Then again I guess it reflects on the audience.
I like most of your picks, but I contrarily thought May’n on Shanri La was super annoying, but maybe it’s how she always sounds? And OHSHIT new Xamd op!
I dunno, I think May’n’s voice works well with that kind of vocal, at that pitch. Maybe the song is annoying to begin with? :iiam:
And here I was wondering what I was missing from Natsu no Arashi’s OP.
While Shangri-la’s OP works, I like the ED better myself because I like the composer (at least I think she’s the composer) in Hitomi Kuroishi.
Can’t wait for the Queen’s Blade OST to come out myself. I think the OP is alright, but the ED would be so much better if someone else sang it other than the seiyuu, preferably someone who could actually sing. :v
I tend to favor music over visuals in OPs and EDs, so I prefer the K-ON OP over the ED in that sense.
I know you don’t watch the show, but Hayate the Combat Butler!!’s ED is one that people apparently really like.
And I enjoyed the Ristorante Paradiso OP.
That being said, other than the new Xam’d OP or the Maria Holic OP, there hasn’t really been any OPs or EDs that make me go whoa either visually or musically. My taste sucks, sure, but I feel like I was spoiled last year. :P
That’s a long list :)
Yes, many ED this season have a cute feel :) Overall, I liked Eden of the East ED the most.
I also compiled a brief list of my favorite OP and ED this season :)
Thanks for the link Kitsune. I actually was in the process of writing mine when yours went live, lol.
N: Well, this post is written with the OP or ED as an entire package. If it’s some crappy visuals to some good songs, that song better be pretty damn good. But then there are stuff like Basquash’s ending which both the song and the video are average, but they work well together. K-ON ED is awesome because they work well together and it’s all moe and gosurori and not-so-anison sounding and what not.
I meant to check out Hayate, because it’s like “lol hay I has dis krunchylol subsekrishun” and I did, just forgot to watch the episode to the end so I missed the ED.
I … didn’t like Ristorante Paradiso OP so much. What can I say. It’s unique I guess, in the sense that old man moe is unique. And…which part of K-ON OP musically is better than the ED? They are more or less the same besides the quality of the vocals, and they have different musical themes. You really think Aki Toyosaki sings better than Yoko Hikasa? Or do you just mean “I like happy animu rock music over less-happy animu rock music?”
New Xam’d OP has a different feel to the old one; that said, I liked Shut Up and Explode more.
I didn’t really like Angela when she did the Shikabane Hime OP and stuff (I think?) so I’m not digging Asura’s OP or ED too much either.
K-ON! OP and ED are catchy and don’t come off too strong, and the bass in Cagayake Girls is awesome.
Definitely have to agree that the Eden ED stands out in visuals - paper stop-motion animation is never really dull.
I wouldn’t say that the Fullmetal ED is too SRSBZNZ. It’s just full of delicious chibi goodness.
Anytime I think of Asura Cryin’ music I think of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xhaJuKpxxk
Oh yes, Xam’d OP is the most ULTIMATE WIIIIIIIIIIIIN.
SRSBZNS = not enough luls. is what i mean.
I’m a touch outraged about the new Xam’D OP, I have to admit. Shut up and Explode is a certified OP classic (and I usually hate anime OPs); this new one lacks any sort of vim or spark. I doubt I’ll develop a suspiciously choreographed dance routine over the duration of the series if they use it for the DVD, as I did with the original. The recognition of the other supporting cast is cool but still, seriously lacking in epicwins.
I think it had just the right balance of luls and chibi action. Bu then again I love anything chibitfied so…
Oh, that’s nice - it means we operate on the same brainwave frequency :P
I was wondering, isn’t コキア != カノン ?
“Or do you just mean “I like happy animu rock music over less-happy animu rock music?””
It’s actually the opposite, as I usually prefer less-happy anime rock over happy anime rock. It felt to me like the OP song was better “built” if that makes sense. This is why I can say that hearing the OP on Rock Band sorta makes lol sense to me, while the ED doesn’t. :V
The ED has more instruments than the OP, is that what you mean? I think that’s why I can’t hear the ED on Rock Band…
>> I was wondering, isn’t コキア != カノン ?
Hmm, probably !=.
Your post indicates otherwise :P
“The ED has more instruments than the OP, is that what you mean?”
I thought they have the same number of instruments. I can hear the different instruments clearer in the OP, and how they fit together, where I can’t really do that in the ED. But regardless, I like the OP music better than the ED music; I’ll be listening to the OP instrumental often, while I can’t say that for the ED, if that makes some more sense.
Kitsune: thanks for picking it out, had a brain fart or two I think.
N: :iiam: I don’t know, I can hear how the different instruments fit together in both OP and ED. It’s partly why I think the two songs are similar. I think at any rate, without the full cut version of the songs to go with I don’t know how much more I can say about it.
[…] may say that there’ something strangely magical about the tune, though I know that, for me, it’s how many of the girls sing it in ensemble. […]
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