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Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Top 5 Anime Opening Songs


I've stated in the past that I am a fan of Jrock, mainly because of how diverse the music in that rock scene is compared to the American music scene.  I am also a fan of anime as well.  In fact, it was because of anime that I started to look deeper into the Japanese music scene to begin with.  I didn't pay much attention to anime openings at first but the more I got into music, the more I started to pay attention to them.  In time I would always want to watch the openings while my friends would want to skip it and get straight into the anime. It is still something that they find annoying about me, but I don't care.  So I would like to countdown the top 5 Anime Openings.

5.  Fly High 
Artist: Burnout Syndromes
Anime Haikyuu




Fly High is the 4th opening song for the Volleyball anime, Haikyuu.  Haikyuu has a lot of great openings and to be honest, this one actually wasn't my favorite at first.  However, the more I listened to this song, it really grew on me and has now become my favorite opening for this anime.  The slow intro is the great build up to the intro that really hooks you into the song.  The song lyrics also match the tone and theme of the anime as well.  Basically, the song is about never giving up and pushing forward to reach your goal.  The music and lyrics work well with the tone of the anime and sets you up for a great viewing of this anime.

4.  Gurenge
Artist: Lisa
Anime: Demon Slayer



Lisa first caught my attention with her song "Crossing Fields", used as the opening song for the first season of Sword Art Online.  A lot of people know Lisa for that opening, and while I think that song and opening are both good,  this song has stuck with me more.  Lisa takes a more deeper, darker tone with this song and I think it works better. Considering the tone and plot of Demon Slayer, that musical tone fits it perfectly.  Also, while both Crossing Fields and Gurenge are about over coming weakness, I think that Gurenge is more relatable.  What I mean by that is that instead of saying the pain will fade away, like in Crossing Fields,  Gurenge is more about pain sticking with you and using that to grow.  If we are honest with ourselves, the pain never goes away and we never forget it.  In one way or another, it shapes us going forward and I think this song touches on that pretty well.   Considering what happens in Demon Slayer, I think this is one of the best songs they could have picked for that anime.



3.  Cha La Head Cha La
Artist: Hironobu Kageyama
Anime: Dragon Ball Z




As a kid, Dragon Ball Z was my favorite animes as a kid.  It is easily one of the most famous anime shows in history and is still watched by many today.  Among many things that stick with me in this anime, the opening theme, Cha La Head Cha La, is one of them.  The keyboards and chorus are great hooks that will stick with you after you hear this song once.  The song title may seem like gibberish, but what is interesting though is that the phrase is an English phrasing for the Japanese word, hetchara.  Hetchara is a Japanese slang for no problem or I can handle it.  A perfect fit, considering the characters and overall plot of the anime.  The lyrics are basically about not letting obstacles bother you and not being afraid of them.  It goes along with the anime very well but the chorus and the music is what people remember most about this song and for good reason.

2. Tank
Artist: The Seatbelts
Anime: Cowboy Bebop



This instrumental jazz opening is catchy as heck and is still one of my favorite anime openings to this day.   Some people have compared this opening to they same style of older spy shows from the 50s and 60s and I think there is a lot of truth to that.  However, I would say that this song is better executed then a lot of those older openings.  The music is much tighter and the many hooks in this song make it much more memorable then most of those.  This anime debuted in 1998 and I still remember it better then most intro songs in general.  Not just in in anime but in most television shows and even movies.  This song is composed very well and while it may not have lyrics, it doesn't need them.  The music carries the anime on its own.

1. Mayday
Artist: Coldrain
Anime: Fire Force




I think that rock and metal music are some of the best kinds of  music to use as openings for a show and the 2nd opening to Fire Force is a good example of that.  The way the music blends with the video is spot on.  The Intro guitar riff in this song is a great hook to get you pumped for the anime, or headbang to.  The Lyrics also fit the anime well and are a little unique for opening songs.  Instead of being uplifting and overcoming obstacles, this song is about tyrants and ignorant people destroying society and I think it works well with the anime.  I actually wish that the first opening had a song like Mayday.  I like the first song fine on its own but I feel it is softer then it should be considering all the action taking place in the opening.  Mayday not only works with the opening but I think it is a better representation of the anime in general.     







7 comments:

  1. My husband is fond of Mangas. I will pass it through him. I am always amazed how someone can get so into something. I found it so cool.

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  2. My sons in into music. I'll make him check your site. Nice post.

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  3. My son just started watching dragon ball and he likes the song and tries to learn the words. I need to watch more of them though.

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  4. I know the Cha La Head Cha La because I've watched Dragon Ball during my childhood days and my Little brother still love this Anime :)

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  5. So I barely remember dragon ball z cause it was just past my age group but I find your list of your top 5 anime opening songs. I feel like your missing out on some of the old classics who by far are better than these! For example: my #1 would easily be the Speed Racer Classic Original Theme Song by Danny Davis And The Nashville Brass followed by Go Astro Boy Go! from the Original Astro Boy anime!

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  6. Jrock, sounds very interesting, never heard of it before but will definitely have to check it out.
    XO, MJ
    https://www.lush-fab-glam.com

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  7. My kids love Anime. I'll share this post with them to see if they recognize any of the songs.

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