Top 25 Opening Themes for Fall 2012

Perhaps it's more due to the expectations I had assigned to the fall season after such a fruitful spring session, but I had high hopes that we'd get some creative approaches to the openers this season. Overall, while I think the music itself has gotten easier on the ear and catchier in the brain, I'm finding myself sighing more after the first ninety seconds of the episode.

I'm uncertain if it is due to the content of the shows. Long-distance hikes such as Space Brothers and Gintama' have resigned themselves to glancing out the window and appreciating the scenery, while shows granted a second season such as Sword Art Online and Medaka Box are sleepwalking, plenty satisfied with their content keeping the viewer's interest. Outside of the eternally-enjoyable Polar Bear Café and the Jojo's Bizarre Adventure remake, all of the shows in the Top 10 are first-time appearances.

The decent shows have managed to make ripples, but I can guarantee you this: the bad shows sank like shrapnel. You won't see To-Love-Ru Darkness and Girls und Panzer in these rankings, but you will see a show I wish we could scrub from the collective fanbase's memory, only for its incredible failure. I'm sure you've already guessed by now.

With that, I give you the hardest rankings I've ever had to sit through—the Top 25 opening themes of Fall 2012.

(Clicking the title of the song will bring you to the YouTube'd OP; clicking the artist will bring you to their PV for the song.)

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Ixion Saga DT: The Trollingest OP Ever?

Kid plays video game. Kid entranced by a virtual heroine coming onto him. Kid "falls" into the video game to become a true warrior, eventually thwarting his clever enemy by punting him in the junk with a spiked boot.

Before you laugh at this premise behind Ixion Saga DT and call it immature, perhaps you should follow the lyrics to the actual song. Go ahead and access Crunchyroll to follow the opening theme, "DT Suteru" ("I'll lose my DT") by Golden Ixion Bomber DT. Go ahead. I can wait. Just be sure to note that our hero is swinging a sword that turns into a thick-tipped giant hammer when he holds it juuuuust right.

Getting a little bit of a hint that there's something trolling under the surface of this sub-standard adventure anime? Maybe the lyrics might give you a hint. Just be aware that the underlined lyrics were what was written on the screen, while the lyrics underneath are the actual sung song.


「戦士の称号」捨てる                 I will give up my title as a knight!
ＤＴ捨てる                                     I will lose my DT!

僕に戦士の称号捨てさせてよ       Let me lose my knightly title.
僕に「ＤＴ］捨てさせてよ           Let me lose my DT.

普通の男に戻りたいな                   I want to become a regular guy again.
おとこになりたいな                         I want to become a man.

とても悲願しい運命                        My extremely long-cherished fate
とてもかなしいたからもの              My extremely woeful treasure

宿敵に返上したい                          I will return that to my enemy.
きみにささげたい                            I will give it all to you.

次元転移したときから　強く引力れ合い  Since the time I jumped dimensions, I've felt a strong pull
であったときから　強くひかれ合い          Since the time I met you, I've felt a strong attraction,

眠るたび悪夢をみた                      And when I sleep, I have nightmares.
眠るたびゆめをみた                      And when I sleep, I dream.

ハイペリオンの覚醒にうなされてしまうよ         I've groaned in my sleep from my awaking Hyperion.
からだのほてりにうなされてしまうよ                 I've groaned in my sleep from my body's warmth.

オーラの冷まし方をおしえて         Tell me how to calm my aura.
ねつの冷まし方をおしえて            Tell me how to cool my heat.

どうしてだろう　宿敵と対決すれば対決するほどに    Why is it that the more I fight with my enemy,
どうしてだろう　きみをしればしるほどに                      Why is it that the more I know about you,

僕はもう　アルマギアが戦闘状態になる         the more I'm thrust into Armagia's open warfare?
僕はもう　あいつがかたくなる                          the more that part of me gets so hard?

僕に戦士の称号捨てさせてよ         Let me lose my knightly title.
僕に「ＤＴ］捨てさせてよ             Let me lose my DT.

主君の右腕と決別さ                        This is goodbye to my master's right-hand man.
みぎてとさよならさ                           This is goodbye to my right hand.

ライバル同士で戦おう　決着は      Let us fight as equal rivals. The conclusion to it all...
ふたりでしよう　これからは             Let us do this together. And from now on...

宿敵を逃さない                                 I will not overlook my enemy.
きみをはなさない                              I will not let you go.

宿敵と対戦しかない                         I can only fight my enemy.
きみとはなれない                             I can never leave you.

Can you perhaps guess what "DT" means then? (Check below.) Well, considering the main villain (whose initials "ED" could now stand for "erectile dysfunction") basically had his balls literally busted by the hero, I think you can tell.

* DT = "doutei", the Japanese word for "virginity".

Best Opening Themes of Spring 2012

HOORAY! THE MUSIC GOT BETTER!

Well, I suppose everything generally got better this season. Last season's ugly opening-theme performance aside, there were just too many good shows in Spring of 2012 to screw up the OPs for the second season in a row. Even with the passing of the Gintama' anime, there was a lot to choose for musical services, and a lot of opening animations were nice to watch.

So just sit back and listen to the dulcet tones of Mutta Nanba(?) as we count down the Top 25 Opening Themes (and the Worst One) for Spring 2012.

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Best Opening Themes of Summer 2011

It's me! Whatever you do, stay away from R-15 and Mayo Chiki!

Somehow I must have sent a D-mail to myself from the future. I have the faintest feeling that I had warned myself not to watch much anime this season, and running the first three episodes of each anime over and over again in my mind pretty much confirms what I've thought.

There really wasn't anything in anime this season that was new enough to drag my attention away from the Spring 2011 shows that I've continued to follow. Likely it had to do with the waving flag of surrender constructed out of recycled anthology pages—eight shows from Shônen Jump ran on Crunchyroll, Funimation and Viz Media—but it probably has a lot to do with the deluge of average shows. Still plenty of beach episodes on shows that could have been mistaken for other shows. (Was I watching A Dark Rabbit Has Seven Lives or Kore wa Zombie Desu Ka? I can't remember.)

I did manage to stay awake enough to pay attention to the songs in the beginning and end. At least, I hope I did. Many of them, much like the shows themselves, failed to impress.

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Best Opening Themes of Spring 2011

Yes, this is part of the promo video for Maria Holic Alive's "Runrunriru Ranranrara".

Where will it rank?

With the end of another (crowded) anime season upon us, finally just about everything can be put into place. Most shows are ending, but some have another season to go, complete with changes to the opening and ending songs and animation, so it's about time AniMaybe gets to ranking these things! The ending themes have been compiled and ranked before, but the sheer number of opening themes makes their ranking a bit more complex. Here are the Top 25 Opening Themes for the Spring 2011 anime season (along with what we felt had to be the worst).

(Once again, all of the CD images are straight from the CD Japan website.)

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The Top 15 Best Themes of Winter 2011

Last fall, I ranked the Top 15 themes for the anime season and had a pretty good time rediscovering the music of Japan. Like I had mentioned before, those first 90 seconds can mean a lot to a series, and sometimes the final ninety can also set an equal pace for the next show. However, with the lack of new and/or impressive shows this season, it was a wonder if the themes would be better in order to convince fans to keep watching or if they would worsen from the quality of the shows themselves.

Only one way to find out. I've taken a look at the major opening and ending themes for the Winter 2011 season and ranked the best 15. I promise you that they all have at least used their instruments properly (which is why Oniichan no Koto is NOT ranked here).

[All CD cover images come courtesy of CD Japan. OP = Opening Theme. ED = Ending Theme.]

Honorable Mention: "Immoralist" - Yui Horie (Dragon Crisis! OP)

You can't blame Dragon Crisis! for trying to be dramatic with their opening theme, an array of the main characters glancing at the camera like they were to mean business. It's a weak display of the show to first-time viewers, but it's not like the music is terrible. I'm probably giving the show's opening this spot out of pity, as the ending theme and animation are just horrendous from a musical perspective.

Well, maybe the music is pretty bad. It seemed pretty boring and uninspired.

Actually, you know what? The hell with you, Dragon Crisis. You frustrated me long enough with your wishy-washy nature.

Honorable Mention: "Sekai to Issho ni Mawarô yo!" ("Let's Revolve With The World!") - Love Roulettes (Rio Rainbow Gate! OP)

It's chintzy, totally plastic in its presentation, and likely over-embellished, but it's peppier and deserved eye candy for those expecting it. It grabs the viewer around the neck and leads them through animation and music that fits the form. Yeah, it's faker than 75% of the breasts in the show, but it's mindless and more fitting of this position.

15. "Itsu Datte" ("Anytime") - Daisuke (Wandering Son OP)

The opening animation for Wandering Son is likely a bit too plain for some fans, as there are no appearances by any of the characters to really present the show in its minute-and-a-half introduction. However, it's pretty clever regardless. Presenting the credits in its three-dimensional style not only gives depth to the classroom, but we're given a sort of temporal geometry when we see how all of the credits are spaced in relation to others. Pretty nifty typographical trick.

The song's not so bad either.

14. "Perseus" - Yamazaru (Tegami Bachi Reverse ED2)

The ending theme for the second Tegami Bachi Reverse season is a pretty good example of what some shows are trying to do—save time and space by presenting the next episode's trailer within the ending animation (also done by Wandering Son). In addition to the animation's Final-Fantasy-esque trip that Lag and Niche make between castles, we get a solid dance-pop number from Yamazaru that sounds a little like Quruli's music.

13. "Sawakaze" ("Fresh Breeze") - Tomofumi Tanizawa (Kimi ni Todoke 2 OP)

Kimi ni Todoke is one of those shows that depend on the lightness of the soundtrack behind it. Giving the show something other than a piano-based opening sounds preposterous, but the music accompanying Tanizawa's lyrics treads lightly around the animation. Perhaps the buttery sounds are the reason the animation only lasts a minute—it must have snapped like a spider's web upon its composition.

12. "Ma-Ka-Se-Te Tonight" - Iori Nomizu (Kore wa Zombie desu ka? OP)

There's not that much to the opening animation for KoreZom, save for the decent overlap of computer graphics and traditional art. It's mostly in place to show off the group's fighting talents with an energetic rock song from Nomizu, the voice actress for Haruna in the show. It probably won't be as memorable as others, perhaps due to the animation providing a little too much while withholding a lot of the identities of the other characters.

11. "Wagana wa Shôgakusei" ("Our Names are Elementary-School Students") - Marui Sisters (Mitsudomoe Zôryôchû OP2)

Never mind the idea that the name of the song doesn't make much sense; Mitsudomoe itself was never meant to be coherent. This opening is meant to be thrown around like pillows during a sleepover pillow fight, each of the Marui sisters' personalities shining through boh visually and vocally. Naturally, this makes for hectic animation to accompany it, but it's a fun listen, especially with recorders used for the background music.

10. "Daydream Syndrome" - Marina Fujiwara (Dream Eater Merry OP)

It was a shame that Dream Eater Merry was claimed off the licensing waivers so quickly this year, but it was a deservedly good show for what it was worth. The opening had the spark that likely sold me the keys to a vehicle with a good motor, plenty of good background music with a strong voice in Marina Fujiwara, who finally was called up to the majors after multiple appearances on Touhou soundtracks. Good stuff.

9. "Shining Star" - 9nine (Star Driver OP2)

I'm certainly not going to back down on my opinion that Star Driver had me at the opening theme for Season 1, but if the animation and music for Season 2 were used in their places, I wonder just how interested I would have been. Granted, you get a good song from 9nine with some great melody, but the animation rubbed me raw. Using the first snips from the Season 1 opening to create the Season 2 opening...feels like there have been some originality lost. You get a solid opening, yes, but I'm mindful of the overused "naked-girl-looking-at-you" motif.

8. "For You" - Rie Fu (Wandering Son ED)

Rie Fu is one of those singers in Japan that has a great balance of cultural influences, her voice weathered by exposure to 70's performers such as Joni Mitchell and The Carpenters. While her talents have been used in action shows such as Bleach and Darker Than Black to bring down the mood at the end of the shows, her song "For You" at the end of Wandering Son is accompanied only by cherry blossoms and the two main characters. While its plainness likely brought it down, the song is sweet and quite pleasant to follow, fitting well with the show.

7. "Magia" - Kalafina (Puella Magi Madoka Magica ED)

I had the good fortune to meet with the girls of Kalafina and their producer Yuki Kajiura at Anime Boston in 2009, and it was a thrill to hear them perform. While most female groups in Japan try to impress with style reserved for unicorns and rainbows, Kalafina have been allowed to go the opposite direction; "Magia" is a haunting contemporary-classical piece that feels windswept and stormy, while the animation depicts the hidden danger the show's opening theme never displays. Even the details are spectacular; note how Homura's shadow turns to look back at Madoka's shadow in concern.

6. "Honki Sentai Gachi Ranger" - Masaaki Endô (Honki Sentai Gachi Ranger OP)

Probably an unfair choice for this song, as it only appeared in the first episode of the Mitsudomoe Zôryôchû as a "spin-off", but the song was a perfect complement to the ode/parody to the tokusatsu "ranger" shows out there. It was upbeat and totally captured the energy (and unintentional comedy) of these live-action shows. The producers were even able to flag down Masaaki Endô, one of the founding members of JAM Project, to do the song. It was a much better display of energy than JAM Project's actual submission for the season, "Vanguard", which was weakened by the Cardfight! Vanguard show.

5. "Connect" - ClariS (Puella Magi Madoka Magica OP)

I was pretty impressed by the talent we saw in ClariS last season when they performed the opening to Oreimo, but I'm well aware that freshman success is often followed by sophomore slumps. The middle-school-duo-that-sounds-nothing-like-one didn't fail to impress with this potent opening to Puella Magi Madoka Magica, the song quite tight in its performance.

However, it's the animation that doesn't quite put it at the top. Now, SHAFT didn't animate it badly, but Madoka's transformation sequence just feels creepy to an extent. Never mind the fact that we haven't seen the transformation sequence in the actual show yet—it just feels shudderingly weird to see Madoka getting transformed by a kiss on the forehead by the ghostly naked image of herself.

4. "Cold Finger Girl" - Chiaki Kuriyama (Level E OP)

Yeah, I know. The animated opening to Level E felt a lot like the opening to the Men In Black animated series intro, but the music to that show was so rigid and mechanical. They should have used something a little off the beaten path like this song from Chiaki Kuriyama (yes, Gogo from Kill Bill, that Chiaki Kuriyama!). This is smoky-blues-bar rock-and-roll that fits the animation's fast pace and solid-color style. A fantastic opening that is so alcoholic it requires a Black Label chaser.

3. "Dadada!" - Group Tamashii (Beelzebub OP)

In all honesty, I was a bit concerned by Beelzebub's concept and character designs, but I'm happy to see the show has developed into strictly the Shônen Jump comedy it was meant to be. The opening theme and animation aren't trying to be overly artistic like some of its brethren—appropriately enough, Group Tamashii, a band of comedians, were recruited for the job, and "Dadada!" comes out as a fitting ode to the yankii lifestyle. The animation itself has its moments, a handful of funny scenes mixed with a vortex of fire that makes characters indistinguishable, but the song carries the sequence and matches a lot of the characters themselves, displaying false macho bravado while it sings about taking care of the son of the Devil.

2. "Destin Histoire" - yoshiki*lisa (GOSICK OP)

So far, GOSICK has been proving to be a series worth following each week, and its opening theme manages to distinguish itself from a lot of the other shows. The song from yoshiki*lisa (stage name for TV talent Risa Yoshiki) is a good synthesis of a pop ballad, not really straying out of the lines when the stencil for a typical opening theme is provided.

However, the artwork done for the sequence and the movement of the scenes are what carry the opening well. The heaviness of the outlines and the lack of true detail in the colors provided for the designs makes the animation appear to come to life as a picture book composed of tarot cards, and the scenes are short enough to explain the bursts of comedy and drama without actually going into the story. Calling it a photo album for the show also isn't justice; the counteractive movement of the panels give it the sense that someone is winding the crank in the background. Perhaps this is the closest thing we can get to a pop-up book in animation.

1. "Harinezumi" ("Hedgehog") - Hitomi Azuma (Fractale OP)

Sometimes the best animation opening for a series is the one that shows almost nothing at all. We saw that from Star Driver's opening from last season, the characters mostly held back while Takuto dashed with the music. This time around, we're not even sure who is being featured in the opening animation. Naturally, the OP for Fractale goes the route suggested by its name by leading the viewer through a fantasy of computerized fractale-laced images, working from the inside out.

The animation is possibly something a good computer-graphics student could produce, but it's the music alone that gets the job done. While the song itself is powered with the digital drive of electronica, Hitomi Azuma provides a wondrously uplifting voice with tinges of Irish folk—you should listen to her sing "Down By The Salley Gardens" in the ending theme, a traditional Irish song penned by William Butler Yeats. Couple that with finger cymbals and the slow drift of an ocarina, and you get a song that is influenced by a multitude of nations, perhaps fitting with the theme of global mentality in the show itself.

In general, the music and sequences for this year's shows were not as impressive as expected, but the choice gems we found were pretty good. Guaranteed you'll find an ULTRA-PRISM song next season, though.

The Top 15 Best Themes of Fall 2010

A cracking soundtrack doesn't necessarily need to be in place to make an anime good, but a really good opening and closing theme will have people talking for years. People are still dancing to the Haruhi Season 1 ending theme, and I'm convinced that DNA2 became a smash anime series thanks to the addition of a blossoming band known as L'arc-en-Ciel to its opening sequence. Produce a catchy song and grab the audience with 90 seconds of power, and you'll be sending them to karaoke boxes over and over. Guaranteed.

Here is a listing of the fifteen TV-cut themes, either opening or ending, that I think deserve some praise for lifting their shows. Heck, send some of them overseas for an award tour if you can!

[All CD cover images come courtesy of CD Japan (http://www.cdjapan.co.jp). OP = Opening Theme. ED = Ending Theme.]

15. "HELP!! ~Hell Side / Heaven Side~" - Mio Isurugi / Arashiko Yûno (M.M.!, OP)

Well, not much to write about the animation, as it's pretty much just an assembly of the M.M.! crew displaying their idiosyncrasies, but the song sung by the main heroines, voice-actresses Ayana Taketatsu and later Saori Hayami, is at least peppy enough to lift spirits. Its double-sided nature ("Go to Hell!" becomes "Go to Heaven!" in mid-season) is notable enough to be a above-average start to the show.

14. "Bakurock~Mirai no Rinkakusen" ("Contours of the Future") - YA-KYIM (Bakuman, ED)

The limping opening theme from Kobukuro gives the slice-of-life show a little too much sappy romance, so at least the ending theme from the hip-pop unit YA-KYIM has a little more joy to it. The animation itself isn't much of a stretch, silhouettes of the main characters running along with panels of the supporting cast, but the up-tempo song keeps the atmosphere breezy enough for the next show.

13. "Rose-Hip Bullet" - GRANRODEO (Togainu no Chi, OP)

Surprisingly absent from the opening animation scene are Visual-Kei bands. With Buck-Tick still affiliated with the Shi Ki animation, the only other band that provides some good Vis-K rock is GRANRODEO, a duo comprised of veteran guitarist Masaaki Iizuka and voice-actor Kishô Taniyama. The opening animation is nothing exceptional, but the music really clobbers the listener like a cinder-block and sets a decent stage for the show.

12. "Last vision for last" - Faylan (Hyakka Ryôran Samurai Girls, OP)

Faylan is one of those singers in Japan where her voice just demands a sexy song for accompaniment. While the decision to use her for the ending to Tantei Opera Milky Holmes is perhaps questionable, she adds plenty of J-pop power to the opening for Hyakka Ryôran. Add to it the female cast strutting their stuff with a clash of swords, and it's a nice punch to begin the show.

11. "Akai Kôto" ("Red Coat") - Suneohair (Arakawa Under the Bridge*2, ED)

The ending theme to the second Arakawa Under the Bridge series has two different versions. While the original is a live-action presentation of its more cartoonish characters in realistic scenes, the second is an animated version with the heroine Nino exploring the world around her as if she were coming alive from a coloring book. The acoustic guitar finishes the episode appropriately, leaving a wind-swept feel to the story.

10. "God Only Knows (Part III)" - Oratario The World God Only Knows (The World God Only Knows, OP)

KamiNomi provides perhaps the most bipolar of the opening themes for the season, using just a fraction from a medley on the official soundtrack as its opening. The first half of the song drowns itself in digital and dances through circuitry like Tron, only to end in the tinny sound of a harpsichord and our main character's mind buried in a handheld video game. Appropriate, considering the main character's tendency to bounce between 2D and 3D mentalities.

9. "Fallen Angel" - Aimee B (Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, ED)

Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt has, hands down, the best soundtrack of the season with plenty of electronica to follow such a bizarre series. The ending theme tones it down by bringing the viewer back to earth with a slow English-language R&B dance number, while bobbleheaded versions of Panty and Stocking are subjected to slow-motion doomsday scenarios. A great way for the audience to exhale.

8. "Metamerism" - Kanae Itô (Shinryaku! Ika-Musume, ED)

Sometimes simple is better. Although some minute details vary according to the content of each show, the ending animation covers only a shot of Squid Girl gazing longingly at the night sky and the waves on the beach. Kanae Itô covers the song gracefully like a boat drifting on a sea of violins. Possibly the best ending theme of the season.

7. "Downtown" - Maaya Sakamoto (Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru, OP)

I'm a bit surprised that the opening theme for Soredemo was so upbeat and catchy that I often spent more time listening to the song and watching the opening than the actual anime itself. Maaya Sakamoto has such a range with her vocal talents as both a singer and a voice actress, and she pulls off a brilliant Broadway song, while Hotori and friends dance along in a cabaret number.

6. "Shinryaku no susume" ("Let's Invade") - ULTRA-PRISM with Ika-Musume (Shinryaku! Ika-Musume, OP)

Nothing needed to be said here but...

SHINRYAKU
SHINRYAKU
SHINRYAKU
SHINRYAKU
SHINRYAKU
SHINRYAKU
IKA-MUSUME! (chu!)

If that doesn't get lodged in your brain for hours on end, you are one hell of a clear thinker.

5. "Cosmos vs. Alien" - Etsuko Yakushimaru (Arakawa Under the Bridge*2, OP)

For the most part, Arakawa Under The Bridge has depended on surrealism in its story and comedy, so Studio SHAFT has saved a lot of its creativity for its openings and endings. Since the collaboration worked so well the first season ("Venus and Jesus"), Etsuko Yakushimaru donates her wispy voice to the second opening amongst a jaunty Wonderland-inspired tea party interrupted by explosions in space.

4. "MAXON" - Jam Project (Super Robot Wars OG: The Inspector, OP)

Come on. If it's got robots in it, it's gotta have the thunderous voices of JAM Project! Serious power charge from the quintet, and the animation sells the sizzle pretty nicely. Any excuse to yell "Revolving STAAAKE!" is as good an excuse as any.
3. "Koko Dake no Hanashi" ("Just Between You and Me") - chatmonchy (Kuragehime, OP)

Kuragehime is meant to be a fluffy geek story, so it's only appropriate for the theme to be light and buttery like popcorn. Speaking of popcorn, the animation does a terrific job in presenting the characters in their own movie parodies, finishing with a sunny morning wake-up call around the apartment. Surprisingly, chatmonchy's influences stretch from Thee Michelle Gun Elephant and Hi-Standard to Dave Grohl, but they pull off a nice mellow sound.

2. "irony" - ClariS (Oreimo, OP)

With such clear voices joining the upbeat background music, ClariS may surprise you—the duo is reported to have been in middle-school at the time of their debut this year. While the opening sells a lot of itself through Kirino's tsundere behaviors, the actual animation changes from week to week and remains fresh. Get to know ClariS—they're slated to sing the opening theme for Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

1. "Gravity ø" - Aqua Timez (Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto, OP)

There is no song or opening sequence that could reasonably replace what Star Driver has offered this season. Instead of providing cuts to the various characters and mecha in the show, Studio Bones goes off the beaten path by having its hero Takuto running across two-dimensional solid-color scenery and past his classmates, his speed matching the pace and crests of the song. Aqua Timez had performed some good songs for Bleach, but there is nothing but inspiration coming from their blend of pop and rock before Takuto takes off for the skies in his mecha. If there was an opening that ever rivaled One Piece's first OP ("We Are!") in terms of the spring of youth and hope, this is it.

There you have it, folks. The Top 15 songs of the season. Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the soy sauce.