Glossary:
OP-The opening song played at the beginning of an anime episode, which duration is usually 90 seconds.
Ed: Yeah same thing, only this song is played at the end of an episode and can be longer.
OST: The Original Soundtrack of an anime series.
So, if you're here from Part 1, welcome, let's not waste any time. If you're not though, well, better check out what this whole list is about by following the link here. Let's begin.
EDIT 2/15/15: 23# - "Connect" from Madoka Magica REPLACED
19# - "Crossing Field" from Sword Art Online REPLACED
EDIT 2/15/15: 23# - "Connect" from Madoka Magica REPLACED
19# - "Crossing Field" from Sword Art Online REPLACED
Artist(s): MY FIRST STORY
Arpeggio isn't the most popular anime out there to my knowledge, not that I would know, I actually haven't even seen the thing yet but from what I've heard it's a mediocre show with a couple of good points. Such as this opening, which is both filled with flowing lyricism and a couple of drops that are guaranteed to be stuck in your head for the next month or so.
Artist(s): MELL
Unlike some other people, I'm actually not the biggest fan of this opening, but I won't deny it's pure effectiveness. It pretty much let you know exactly what you're getting into with a show like Black Lagoon, and the crude imagery and somewhat disturbing quickly set the tone.
Artist(s): FLOW
It's of three a good song, nostalgia and the carefully placed images with in this OP that makes it so memorable. Of course, it had the honor of sending off the final episodes of a great series, but it also looked on everything it took to get to this point and let us know that our favorite characters might not be alive by the end of it. And that's all you can ask from a final OP.
Artist(s): Goose House
Fall 2014 was a good season for OP's, let's just say that you'll be seeing another from that particular season later in this countdown, but undoubtedly, the highlight was this superb 90 seconds of colorful euphoria. Your Lie in April is a amazingly animated show, but this opening pulls off all the stops; the fluidity, colors and senses you capture make this probably the best opening of the past year. It also fits the show quite nicely, which, you know, means that it was completely necessary to replace it half way through the anime.
Artist(s): Eufonius
While the After Story opening is better, I've already used it on another OP list, but even with that said, looking back on the original Clannad opening, there's a lot of good here. First of, the amount foreshadowing is actually kind of amazing, and the music is fast but gentle, and the song itself is good enough to bring up those feels from After Story when you watch it. Calling out my personal favorite part from seconds 21 to 40; just brilliant.
Artist(s): Choucho, Saori Kodama and Makoto Miyasaki
And there's the triumphant hat-trick for Kyoto Animation as they mark their third opening on this list. Hyouka has quickly become one of my favorite KyoAni anime, and a big part of that is just how different it feels, even though it's mostly just a slice of life. This OP shows that wonderfully, with very interesting visuals, a nice song, and Oreki walking around with the same bored look on his face.
Artist(s): Nightmare
Going back to what I talked about with "Colors", this song holds weight just becuase of the grandeur show it belongs to. To accumulate, the OP goes for these awesome contrasting colors, godly depictions of the main character Light(as if we didn't already know he was full of himself), and a really distinctive voice for the vocalist. This all makes for a very different OP, but one that does nothing but suit Death Note as an anime.
Artist(s): HoneyWorks
I actually first heard this song in an English cover, and the moment I heard those first few seconds, I exited out and sought out the original version(yes, I'm purist trash, I know), thinking how on earth had I not it before. Sekai wa Koi ni Ochiteiru is undoubtedly a beautiful song, and I don't need to have watched Ao Haru Ride to know that, though, let's just say that this OP is just one more reason more me to see the damn show already.
Artist(s): Kana Hanazawa
I think the greatness of this OP is that it only becomes meaningful and creepy as hell only after you've finished watching Monogatari Second Season. And while that may take the fun out of it for some, at the very least, you can enjoy the enigmatic singing, the typical awesome Monogatari visuals, and really interesting color scheme. However, if you don't feel like watching all of Monogatari just to understand this OP, well just try playing this beside the Bakemonogatari OP "Renai Circulation" and then see if you understand a little.
Artist(s): Natsumi Kiyoura, Kouko Komine and Tomohiko Kira
26# - "Step" from Nisekoi
Artist(s) ClariS
Just as Nisekoi is a show that does exactly what it has to do, this OP completely fits the show, showcases all the major characters, has a catchy song, and that's all it needs to do. I love it. Unfortunately, the "Wired" doesn't seem to, destroying all copies found due to copyright laws. Regrettably, this time, I couldn't find a link to the original video, so if this video does get taken down, we're both sort out of luck, unless you're fine listening to covers.
Artist(s): Saori Hayami
The "God Knows" franchise has always had fantastic openings but I'm pretty sure this is my favorite. This OP keep the light-hearted tone of the series, but as you could probably tell from watching the previous OP earlier on in the list, this one just feels a little darker. Which suits the tone of this season I guess. Also, can we talk about how awesome that part in the beginning is?
Artist(s): Yui Horie
Ahem, little note. The Code Geass OP was called "World's End". The "the" in this title is very important. Anyway, I didn't want to put both OP's of Golden Time on this list, so it came down to choosing between the this and the extremely catchy first opening that I love. And while said OP is catchy, I had a sneaking suspicion that this second OP might actually be the one that's a good song, so here it is. I guess it's just impressive that the beat doesn't just keep the fast as hell rhythm for the entire song, but only gets faster as the song progresses, making for this awesome OP that just keeps building on top of itself. And hey, there's even a little symbolism if that's your thing.
Artist(s): SaitÅ Chiwa
While this sweet and charming opening doesn't exactly encapsulate the character it's focusing on, these visuals are artsy and cool enough so I don't mind. The Monogatari franchise makes a return to this list with its first ever OP, an OP that lets you know it's going to be that kind of anime. A kind of anime where still images flash across the screen, the symbolism makes no sense, and the characters spend 90% of their time talking about absolutely nothing important.
30# - "Borderland" from Jormungand
Artist(s): Mami Kawada
To send off the second part of this list, I'm going to say something a little controversial here. the two shows aside, I think this opening is waaaay better than Back Lagoon. It's got pace, fun visuals, a guarantee that you'll be humming it stupidly to yourself later, and a strangely foreboding tone that I just adore. As for the show, well, let's just say it is everything this OP promises, unlike some other that I could name.
See you people in Part 3. Goodbye for now guys.
Click here for my Top Ten Studio Ghibli Films countdown.
And my anime review of Fate/Zero is here.
Hey, I talked about Hyouka a little, so why not check out my First Impressions of the show here.
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