The Top 5 Anime Opening Themes
Wednesday 10 September 2008 @ 10:08 pm | By Vekter 22 CommentsAs a new feature, each Wednesday or so for a while I’m going to start doing some Top 5 lists, starting with the top 5 anime opening themes.
Well over a thousand anime series have been released over the years, each one with a different theme song, and some with more than one over the years. However, most are mediocre at best, so I took it upon myself to compose a list of what I consider the best 5 anime opening themes of all time. This list was hard to do; I ended up having to cut a few songs I loved that just weren’t as good as some of the others, including The Cruel Angel’s Thesis, Cutey Honey, and a few others. So, without further ado, here’s my list of the top 5 anime opening themes.
In 5th place on my list is "Obsession" by See Saw, the theme to .hack//SIGN. Obsession just barely got on the list, with the Evangelion theme The Cruel Angel’s Thesis coming up 6th. The only reason Obsession inched out Cruel Angel’s Thesis is because Obsession truly matched the overall feel of .hack//SIGN. The overall feel of the song seemed to go well with the feel of the anime, which at times can feel pretty trippy, technological yet very human. Plus, I just think it sounds great.
The other 4 after the jump.
Up at number four is "The Light Before we Land" by the Delgados, the opening to Gunslinger Girl. The main reason this got on here is that it’s just a cool song. It has a great feel to it, nice vocals, and just a good overall feel. The other reason for it’s number 4 position is, again, the fact that it matches the show rather well. The song reminds me of the main character, Henrietta, who is a cyborg assassin with a child’s body: It sounds like a light, relaxing tune with a sinister undertone.
Taking up the number 3 spot is "Soraio Days" by Shoko Nakagawa, the opening theme from Gurren Lagann. This awesome song gets on the list for one reason, and only one reason: It’s fucking awesome. While the opening version itself is alright, the full song is just plain great: Great vocals, great beat, great everything.
Just shy of number 1, my number 2 pick is "Shut Up and Explode" by Boom-Boom Satellites, from Xam’d: Lost Memories. This rock-techno song really gets the viewer into the mood for the show itself. It’s an upbeat song with a great beat, awesome guitar, and pretty cool lyrics. The main thing that kept this from number 1 was it’s repetitive lyrics. Though they are good, it gets kind of annoying after you’ve heard RUN AWAY for the 30th time in a row.
And, at number one, is… Well, what else?
That’s right. In my opinion, the best anime opening theme of all time is "Tank!" by The Seatbelts, from anime classic Cowboy Bebop. Maybe I’m a sucker for jazz, but this song is one of the best songs I’ve heard, anime or not. It has an awesome beat, a good feel that works well with the show, and an excellent sound that has helped make Cowboy Bebop one of the best anime out there.
Next week’s list: The Top Five Anime Opening Sequences.
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Abraham 'Velcor' Duarte
David 'KidKobun' Bruno
Ivan 'Nahu' Lozano
Random J
Sol
RUN AWAY RUN AWAY! SUCK IT UP SUCK IT UP!
Nice list. Yay for Tank!
What, no BURE BURE BURE BURE?
NEXT WEEK: TODAY’S LIST, BUT WITH MUCH MORE EMBEDDED YOUTUBE VIDEOS
You cant fool catears!
But seriously, you can judge an opening besides the music.
I’d also like to add Hare Hare Yukai to the list. I know it’s not an opening theme, but come on, it’s catchy as hell, and Suzumiya is a great show.
Before I go into my anime snob susumiya rant.. you said it yourself! Not an opening!
*Soak it up soak it up!
Gotta find the lyrics so I finally know what the heck he’s singing.
Everyone has their own top 5 lists i bet :p . but i have to admit, you picked a lot of catchy little tunes! the only one i never heard of, was the boom boom satellites one, if only cause the Canadian PSN doesn’t have any downloadable movies/tv on it ;_;
PERSONALLY, I think that Obsession and Tank! are the only two up there that have the je ne sais quoi to be on a top-5 list… but I’m pretty picky when it comes to music. Also I have no suggestions for the other three. Maybe the Lucky Star OP. (tee hee)
@robbie: I definitely took Haruhi into consideration. Though I wanted to make it higher, the OP just wasn’t as good as some of these on the list.
If I had to place it, I’d put it at #7. I’ll probably do endings eventually, so it might get on there.
So which one is your top 5 shounen-ai opening themes?
This will be a fun, reoccurring piece.
I always get chills from the GL opening song.
Still if you like Cruel Angel’s Thesis and like Jazz then you should lisen to the 10th Anniversary of Cruel Angel’s Thesis and to bad they made into the real opening theme ^^
The opening for Slayers series would rank high up on my list with Thesis of a cruel angel cuty honey and a few others.
I still think Tank! is overrated.
[...] We discuss Vekter’s top 5 anime opening songs We talked about the second Death Note movie coming to theaters and how it might get you killed. The new Haruhi YouTube series has Vekter all giddy like a schoolgirl. We discuss the latest Dragon Ball Live Action movie images and why if you cast a vampire, you get a vampire. [...]
WHERE IS MY YUUSHA-OH TANJOU VEKTER? IT’S BETTER THAN ALL THOSE
AND REPLACE TANK WITH THE GUNSMITH CATS OP
While I like a lot of these, Najica Blitz opening is still one of my favourites.
@Dogi: Yeah?
Well, that’s like, your opinion, man.
the opening song for Welcome to the NHK really got me hooked – puzzle, by Round Table . .
Cowboy Bebop FTW!