cannibalsall:food for thought » I hate lists, but…

Since I haven’t posted for a while, and it seems like no one else is posting on their blogs either, I give you the following, which should enable you to waste a good 20 minutes of time. I mean, now that my French class is over, I’ve got nothing better to be doing than making these lists, right?

My List of Top 15 Anime Openings

In response to the many (lame) Best Anime Openings on YouTube, I decided that I obviously needed to compile my own list of best anime openings to demonstrate my superior taste ;-) After doing extensive research and watching many, many openings, I found that honestly, it’s pretty hard to rank many of them. Only a few are painfully bad, and many others are somewhat formulaic even though they’re still entertaining. I’ve tried to make a list that reflects the the more original and unexpected openings, as well as those that capture some of the best aspects of the genre (by which I mean boobs). Thsi means you’ve got some of the silliest as well as some of the most serious style of openings. I also went for ones that I thought worked well as a whole, that is, the song and the animation went well together, but utlimately, the choice and ranking is pretty arbitrary. They pretty much all have their strengths and weaknesses. I tried not to favor too heavily series that I liked (sorry Bleach, FMA!) but it undoubtedly didn’t hurt if a series I like also happens to have a cool opening. Enjoy!

15. Hellsing
The new opening, even though it wins out spectacularly in the blood and guts department, just lacks the style of the earlier Hellsing opening. And if anyone knows about style, it’s Alucard in his pretty red outfit with his pretty gigantic gun.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTsZ5aKAjwY

14. Kemonozume
An interesting and unexpected visual style to this opening. Don’t ask me to try and explain what’s going on though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3DnZYlwP2g

13. Mouse
I don’t know this show, but the opening has tits, asses, ninjas, and a brief shot of a little mouse. If only there were some tentacles, they’d have covered all the important anime bases.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57Ef6egT4kE

12. Gunslinger Girl
It’s not exactly a flashy opening, but I think captures the mood of the series well. And there are orphan cyborg assassins. Sweet!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEMjq9VpBSE

11. Dai Guard
Of all the giant mecha anime out there, I still think Dai Guard has the most fun and infectious theme song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvLBnMvApBg

10. Lupin III
Sooo 70’s. But how can an opening that involves the classic boxing glove on a spring trick fail to make anyone’s top 10 list?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHwA2WIEBXQ

9. Azumanga Daioh
This made a lot of other people’s top ten lists and the more I watched it, the more I found myself unable to resist the cutesy weirdness of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huWKSYUX5Fs

8. Read or Die OVA
Admittedly, part of my love for the opening comes from my love for the show, but think it’s still got the essentials of a good opening: catchy tune, lots of action, and Nancy Makuhari.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj12Qt9pcWs

7. Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex 2nd gig (Japan)
I wish the song were a little more intense to go with the visual feel of this opening. Nonetheless, I enjoy the unsettlingness of it as a whole.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5662vcnTvrE

6. Beck Mongolian Chop Squad
I’m a sucker for Engrish and for the unconventional theme of this series. It’s like Wonder Years meets anime. With a rock band. Riiight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqlROvI6LmM

5. Elfen Lied
Even if the opening has nothing to do with the series, the strangeness and artistry of putting the main character in a series of Klimt-inspired portraits with the hymn-like theme song is just so unexpected, it continues to impress me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqlROvI6LmM

4. Neon Genesis Evangelion
I will never, ever forgive Shinji for being the whiniest, most unsympathetic wimp in all of anime, but damn if that theme song isn’t permanently stuck in my head.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgATlhZFAfs

3. Ergo Proxy
There are many series out there now that are trying to play up the X-fileseque, cyberpunkish gothic sci-fi niche, but I think the opening to Ergo Proxy really captures that feeling the best, even if the song is a little too emo for my taste.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6JJrhNFHsA

2. Paranoia Agent
Being the morbid person that I am, I can’t help but be taken in by the creepy juxtaposition of the laugher and the destruction. Love him or hate him, Satoshi Kon has a real knack for the disturbing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-anabfAg06U

1. Cowboy Bebop
I lost interest in the series pretty quickly, but I can’t deny the opening has plenty of flair. I don’t know that it truly deserves to be called “the best,” but I think it’s one of the most solid entries on the list so that’s why I’m giving it the #1 spot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzyB0Cc1fFM

If you are not completely exhausted by that list, I have one more opening to submit to popular scrutiny. This one wasn’t really fit to make it into the top 15 (probably not even the top 50), but Jon, this one’s for you!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV9pf0abVtk

6 Comments »

hey Batty! thanks for including that homo-erotic basketball opening for me (totally hot)… but for the bishoujo/ echhi genre (not that I’m into that :), what about Steel Angel Kurumi?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh7A6niRbFo

Comment by j-potty — July 10, 2007 @ 1:16 pm
Watch out– that might be a link to a video of diseased anuses.

Comment by Celia — July 11, 2007 @ 6:13 am
Now, I’m not a total anime geek, but I compiled my own Top 5 list based on your 15.

5) Cowboy Bebop
Sure. I appreciate the Film Noir/007 tone to it, but it seemed dated. But lots of energy with this one.

4) Paranoia Agent
I agree with your “disturbing” comment, but now I have an “ear worm” thanks to that damn song. Interesting animation work.

3)Elfin Lied
I thought the artistic elements were neat. And no, I’m not exactly a huge Klimt fan. The song wasn’t terrible, either.

2) Ghost in the Shell, 2nd gig
I really loved the cinematic elements in this one, and the manipulation of the media. Pretty creative.

1) Ergo Proxy
True, it’s X-filey, but again, the cinematic motifs and fine incorporation of live film elements put it over the top for me. Seemed like an entirely different level of animation. But maybe that’s because I loved the old Rankin Bass Hobbit movie. Moreover, the song was hilarious: “Come fulfill my place”? Yes!

[P.S. the blog is now updated. ;-)]

Comment by Dana — July 11, 2007 @ 8:48 am
Celia-your warning came too late, but luckily, j-potty did not link to a diseased anus video. Instead, it is actually a pleasant little anime opening, repleat with catchy j-pop tune and cute Sailor Moon-style characters being their bouncy cheerful selves. I’m still not sure I’d put it in my top 15, but then, I tend to favor the dark over the poppy numbers.

And Dana, I do agree overall that those are probably the 5 openings I like the best. But I just couldn’t help but take points away from Ergo Proxy for having such a WB-type song. And I defend putting NGE in the top five because if you think the tune from Paranoia Agent is an ear worm, listen to A Cruel Angel’s Thesis a few more times. I swear to god that song rots your brain. But then, I’m a lyrics girl myself. Shinwa ni nare!

Also, if you like the music from Paranoia Agent, you should check out Susumu Hirasawa’s site–he has some free mp3s. He’s done soundtracks to a lot of Kon’s other work, and I think you might like the Paprika soundtrack. The electro-techno-ness of it might turn some people off, but I do think he has a really interesting style and it happens to complement Kon’s work well.

Comment by R. Batty — July 11, 2007 @ 11:53 pm
Maybe you should make a list of the top 15 closings, too. Start with Ergo Proxy, because there is nothing better than that song about the “unborn chicken voices inside [his] head.”

Comment by Sam — July 13, 2007 @ 3:58 pm
Oh nooooo. I spent too much time as it is compiling this list of openings. I’m not going through the closings too. Maybe *you* should do that list, Sam!

Comment by R. Batty — July 16, 2007 @ 12:28 am

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My List of Top 15 Anime Openings In response to the many (lame) Best Anime Openings on YouTube, I decided that I obviously needed to compile my own list of best anime openings to demonstrate my superior taste ;-) After doing extensive research and watching many, many openings, I found that honestly, it’s pretty hard to rank many of them. Only a few are painfully bad, and many others are somewhat formulaic even though they’re still entertaining. I’ve tried to make a list that reflects the the more original and unexpected openings, as well as those that capture some of the best aspects of the genre (by which I mean boobs). Thsi means you’ve got some of the silliest as well as some of the most serious style of openings. I also went for ones that I thought worked well as a whole, that is, the song and the animation went well together, but utlimately, the choice and ranking is pretty arbitrary. They pretty much all have their strengths and weaknesses. I tried not to favor too heavily series that I liked (sorry Bleach, FMA!) but it undoubtedly didn’t hurt if a series I like also happens to have a cool opening. Enjoy! 15. Hellsing The new opening, even though it wins out spectacularly in the blood and guts department, just lacks the style of the earlier Hellsing opening. And if anyone knows about style, it’s Alucard in his pretty red outfit with his pretty gigantic gun. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTsZ5aKAjwY 14. Kemonozume An interesting and unexpected visual style to this opening. Don’t ask me to try and explain what’s going on though. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3DnZYlwP2g 13. Mouse I don’t know this show, but the opening has tits, asses, ninjas, and a brief shot of a little mouse. If only there were some tentacles, they’d have covered all the important anime bases. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57Ef6egT4kE 12. Gunslinger Girl It’s not exactly a flashy opening, but I think captures the mood of the series well. And there are orphan cyborg assassins. Sweet! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEMjq9VpBSE 11. Dai Guard Of all the giant mecha anime out there, I still think Dai Guard has the most fun and infectious theme song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvLBnMvApBg 10. Lupin III Sooo 70’s. But how can an opening that involves the classic boxing glove on a spring trick fail to make anyone’s top 10 list? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHwA2WIEBXQ 9. Azumanga Daioh This made a lot of other people’s top ten lists and the more I watched it, the more I found myself unable to resist the cutesy weirdness of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huWKSYUX5Fs 8. Read or Die OVA Admittedly, part of my love for the opening comes from my love for the show, but think it’s still got the essentials of a good opening: catchy tune, lots of action, and Nancy Makuhari. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj12Qt9pcWs 7. Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex 2nd gig (Japan) I wish the song were a little more intense to go with the visual feel of this opening. Nonetheless, I enjoy the unsettlingness of it as a whole. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5662vcnTvrE 6. Beck Mongolian Chop Squad I’m a sucker for Engrish and for the unconventional theme of this series. It’s like Wonder Years meets anime. With a rock band. Riiight. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqlROvI6LmM 5. Elfen Lied Even if the opening has nothing to do with the series, the strangeness and artistry of putting the main character in a series of Klimt-inspired portraits with the hymn-like theme song is just so unexpected, it continues to impress me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqlROvI6LmM 4. Neon Genesis Evangelion I will never, ever forgive Shinji for being the whiniest, most unsympathetic wimp in all of anime, but damn if that theme song isn’t permanently stuck in my head. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgATlhZFAfs 3. Ergo Proxy There are many series out there now that are trying to play up the X-fileseque, cyberpunkish gothic sci-fi niche, but I think the opening to Ergo Proxy really captures that feeling the best, even if the song is a little too emo for my taste. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6JJrhNFHsA 2. Paranoia Agent Being the morbid person that I am, I can’t help but be taken in by the creepy juxtaposition of the laugher and the destruction. Love him or hate him, Satoshi Kon has a real knack for the disturbing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-anabfAg06U 1. Cowboy Bebop I lost interest in the series pretty quickly, but I can’t deny the opening has plenty of flair. I don’t know that it truly deserves to be called “the best,” but I think it’s one of the most solid entries on the list so that’s why I’m giving it the #1 spot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzyB0Cc1fFM If you are not completely exhausted by that list, I have one more opening to submit to popular scrutiny. This one wasn’t really fit to make it into the top 15 (probably not even the top 50), but Jon, this one’s for you! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV9pf0abVtk 6 Comments » hey Batty! thanks for including that homo-erotic basketball opening for me (totally hot)… but for the bishoujo/ echhi genre (not that I’m into that :), what about Steel Angel Kurumi? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh7A6niRbFo Comment by j-potty — July 10, 2007 @ 1:16 pm Watch out– that might be a link to a video of diseased anuses. Comment by Celia — July 11, 2007 @ 6:13 am Now, I’m not a total anime geek, but I compiled my own Top 5 list based on your 15. 5) Cowboy Bebop Sure. I appreciate the Film Noir/007 tone to it, but it seemed dated. But lots of energy with this one. 4) Paranoia Agent I agree with your “disturbing” comment, but now I have an “ear worm” thanks to that damn song. Interesting animation work. 3)Elfin Lied I thought the artistic elements were neat. And no, I’m not exactly a huge Klimt fan. The song wasn’t terrible, either. 2) Ghost in the Shell, 2nd gig I really loved the cinematic elements in this one, and the manipulation of the media. Pretty creative. 1) Ergo Proxy True, it’s X-filey, but again, the cinematic motifs and fine incorporation of live film elements put it over the top for me. Seemed like an entirely different level of animation. But maybe that’s because I loved the old Rankin Bass Hobbit movie. Moreover, the song was hilarious: “Come fulfill my place”? Yes! [P.S. the blog is now updated. ;-)] Comment by Dana — July 11, 2007 @ 8:48 am Celia-your warning came too late, but luckily, j-potty did not link to a diseased anus video. Instead, it is actually a pleasant little anime opening, repleat with catchy j-pop tune and cute Sailor Moon-style characters being their bouncy cheerful selves. I’m still not sure I’d put it in my top 15, but then, I tend to favor the dark over the poppy numbers. And Dana, I do agree overall that those are probably the 5 openings I like the best. But I just couldn’t help but take points away from Ergo Proxy for having such a WB-type song. And I defend putting NGE in the top five because if you think the tune from Paranoia Agent is an ear worm, listen to A Cruel Angel’s Thesis a few more times. I swear to god that song rots your brain. But then, I’m a lyrics girl myself. Shinwa ni nare! Also, if you like the music from Paranoia Agent, you should check out Susumu Hirasawa’s site–he has some free mp3s. He’s done soundtracks to a lot of Kon’s other work, and I think you might like the Paprika soundtrack. The electro-techno-ness of it might turn some people off, but I do think he has a really interesting style and it happens to complement Kon’s work well. Comment by R. Batty — July 11, 2007 @ 11:53 pm Maybe you should make a list of the top 15 closings, too. Start with Ergo Proxy, because there is nothing better than that song about the “unborn chicken voices inside [his] head.” Comment by Sam — July 13, 2007 @ 3:58 pm Oh nooooo. I spent too much time as it is compiling this list of openings. I’m not going through the closings too. Maybe you should do that list, Sam! Comment by R. Batty — July 16, 2007 @ 12:28 am RSS feed for comments on this post. Leave a comment Name (required) Mail (will not be published) (required) Website	Got Battitude? Prove it.

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