13. Towards The Light (One Piece Opening 3)
I tend to watch One Piece on Fridays and Saturdays; and I have expanded to Thursdays given this whole situation this month. There have been three opening themes so far at the point I'm in; and this one has to be my favorite. It has done the best job of capturing the optimism and wonder of One Piece, with a bubbly and light tune. It is a perfect song to kick off this list.
12. No Need to Promise (The Vision of Escaflowne)
Of some of the series that I've picked up, Escaflowne has been regarded as a classic; and for good reason. It may be a shojo piece, but it manages to combine elements of romance, fantasy, science fiction, and drama in one series; giving it a very broad appeal. The theme song is a heartfelt and refreshing opening that manages to convey the tone of the series well, and makes me glad every time I listen to it.
11. Digimon Theme
The original Digimon theme is one of the themes I remember growing up. I can say it still holds up today. With its raw and scratchy electroclash, this was the anime theme song that signaled the end of the '90s and the beginning of the 2000s. More than adequate for this spot.
10. Rock The Dragon (Dragon Ball Z)
I was about 8 when the Dragon Ball Z craze was in full swing, so I would naturally have this theme song on my list. While "Cha-La Head-Cha-La" does have merit (I mostly know it from being the opening Team Four Star uses); this song really fits the intense action of the show more. "Dragon Soul" of Dragon Ball Z Kai is decent, but it doesn't really match the testosterone-laden heavy metal style of this song. That's why I'm using it for the 10 spot on my list.
9. Go Speed Racer Go
I tend to be using a lot of common anime theme songs in this list, but that's mostly because anime tends to be such a divisive medium among Americans that it's to this day, a niche market. Even so, there are times when a show becomes a hit in the vein of Star Wars or The Avengers; becoming a zeitgeist-crossing institution in America. Speed Racer is, for better or worse, one such anime. This catchy theme song exemplifies that. While the original Japanese theme song for "Mach Go Go" (the Japanese version of Speed Racer) was airy, this song was recorded in the middle of when bands such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were making inroads in the 1960s. It is such an earworm to this day, that every time a new Speed Racer adaptation is made (such as the 2008 film adaptation by the Wachowskis), a new version is recorded to match the musical style that's popular when the adaptation comes out. It is such an enduring song that I'm including here.
8. Bleach Opening 2 (Afterlife)
I've had a rather interesting experience with Bleach. While the anime is over in Japan (the remaining episodes are still being dubbed), the manga is continuing, and it's gotten a wedge driven between its fandom due to the many filler arcs in it. I personally consider filler to be a necessary evil in anime; and I like the show even as others abandon it. The opening I'm using is from the arc that truly got me into the show, The Entry/The Rescue. It had some of the best fights and situations of the show; and one of the catchiest openings to go with it. The first Bleach opening was a light pop song that was wholly inappropriate for this type of show; while the second had an orchestral/rock fusion in the vein of bands like Yes. It remains my favorite opening for how far I've gotten (I'm almost done with the Bount arc); none has topped it so far.
7. Young Boy, Become A Legend (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
This theme song is one of my favorite Studio Gainax themes; taken from Evangelion, their famed deconstruction of the mecha genre. Its imagery and tune will be in your head for some time if you elect to watch it. It has been parodied and homaged by an innumerable number of fans and often comes up in classes about Japanese culture on college campuses.
6. Fancy Hearing Cake (Azumanga Daioh)
The theme song to the first and one of the best slice of life anime I watched, "Fancy Hearing Cake" is a whimsical tune that earns its place among the other earworms on this list. The lyrics and imagery of this song don't make a lick of sense, but they don't have to. The song is perfect to open the adventures of Chiyo and her high school class.
5. Pokémon Theme
In the 16 years Pokémon has been running, there have been many theme songs to it, and this one that was in the first season remains the best. It manages to quickly affirm what the show is about and state its goal. The way they do this is through one of the catchiest theme songs of any TV show. I assure that if you've heard it at least once, you'll probably never be able to get it out of your head for the rest of your life. It is that good.
4. Cowboy Bebop Theme
The theme to Cowboy Bebop is-what else?-a jazzy piece of Bebop that sets the noirish tone for the show. Cowboy Bebop is among my favorite anime from Toonami/early Adult Swim; so it's natural that this theme stuck out at me.
3. Trigun Theme
Naturally, Trigun is also among my favorites from that era, as a companion piece to Cowboy Bebop, so its theme song goes here as well. It's essentially one continuous guitar riff; so feel free to commence headbanging.
2. Sorairo Days (Gurren Lagann)
This is my favorite Studio Gainax opening. As I've said before, if Evangelion is the cynical side of Mecha, then Gurren Lagann is the optimistic side. This song is a prime example of that, going throughout the entire 26-episode run of the show; showcasing Simon's journey throughout the whole thing.
1. Remote Perception (Code Geass Opening 2)
Now, my favorite anime theme song must come as a surprise to all of you. I actually didn't like the first Code Geass opening. It just sounded like elevator music to me. This opening, however, had a gritty four-chord guitar hook and a scratchy and raw punk sound to it. It is still in my head to this day, since I first heard it in 2011. That is why it's my favorite anime theme song.
So, there's the anime openings. Join me next time for my favorite anime endings. See you space cowboy.
Have you ever seen the Daicon III and IV opening animations?
ReplyDeleteNever heard of them. I think I'll look into them before I start the post on the top 13 anime endings.
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