Best Anime Openings Part 3: Top 5 Favorites from 2010 ~2018 (21st Century Edition)

My favorite anime openings post-2010 was much easier for me to pick from than previous decades, since it's freshest in my mind, and I've seen less shows in the past several years. I think the only new anime I watched this year was Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card Arc. Unfortunately, none of the openings from CCS:CC made this list, despite my love for Maaya Sakamoto. Since this decade is not completely over, I chose five songs instead. This time around, I can clearly rank my favorite songs in order, starting with my most favorite as #1. The others songs have been tested with the passage of time, and I don't know if this will be the case for the songs I've chosen here, but I'm pretty sure I will enjoy these five songs for a long time to come.

I think I can't help having a 1990s taste in anime openings, which featured stronger hooks and a certain level of old school cheesiness. I realized I'm generally not a big fan of chaotic openings, both in terms of music and animation, which I think is more in vogue these days especially for shounen genre anime, not that I don't deny it works for some series. Neither do I like overly cutesy type openings (especially the gratingly squeaky kind), but again, I'm pretty open-minded as the list below probably covers a pretty wide range of anime genres and types of songs. I'm sure I must be forgetting some good opening themes but my rule of thumb for the test of time is if I don't remember it, it mustn't have been that great anyway.   

1. Guilty Crown OP1 - Egoist - "My Dearest" (2011)

This is one of my favorite openings in recent years, and was a chance find on Youtube recommendations. Because I liked it so much, I forced myself to watch the anime, which was not particularly as impressionable as the soundtrack. I wouldn't be able to summarize the plot of the anime for the life of me, but it was nicely animated and the character designs were good. The second opening, "The Everlasting," also by Egoist (of Supercell) is equally as excellent. Something about the vocals, the melody, the visuals all hits the right notes and embodies what the modern 21st century anime OP is all about. I think it'll remain one of the best openings of the decade to an otherwise lackluster anime TV series. Sometimes, the music is the best part of a series (Macross Frontier feat. Yoko Kanno).



2. Shingeki no Kyojin OP1 - Linked Horizon - "Guren No Yumiya" (2013) 
There are some anime openings that are so intense that you forget to breathe. Attack on Titan is probably THE shounen/fantasy anime of recent years, perhaps the only anime that could serve as a successor to the epic gritty shounen fantasy action that Fullmetal Alchemist was (though it will never come close to FMA in my heart). Actually that may be the main difference which sets apart FMA from others in its genre--the heart. The FMA characters, from Ed and Al, to the older military crew and even the side characters and villains are so well fleshed out and likeable. And the titans in Shingeki are just so ugly. In the AoT OP1, the German chanting, the smooth action sequences with detailed, rich backgrounds and the awesome composition by Linked Horizon (of Sound Horizon) make for the perfect anthem to a pretty chaotic anime. I admit, I put off watching this anime for a year before giving in because the opening sequence was so awesome. OP2 "Jiyuu no Tsubasa" is equally superb, with a more uplifting, anthem like tone to it, where as the first OP is urgent and frantic. I don't even remember what Season Two's OP3 was, however, though it had a too similar vibe to the other two. Anyhow, OP1 perfectly embodies the tone of the series in terms of music and animation in every way. 



3. Hanasakeru Seishounen - J-Min - "Change" (2009-2010)
I absolutely love J-Min's voice, and I chose this for the song more than the animation sequence, which is pretty generic limited-budget shoujo fare. My pet peeve over the past decade especially is how little effort goes into making shoujo series look good. You don't need a huge budget, but having consistent character designs and smooth animation and proper backgrounds can't be too hard. I'm not referring to this anime but just cookie-cutter shoujo series in more recent years. I recall enjoying this shoujo anime based off a manga by Natsumi Itsuki (who also wrote Jyu Oh Sei) since it had a splash of romance, political intrigue, a strong heroine, and that cheesy eighties romance novel feel. It is a reverse harem anime of sorts, done right. J-Min is a Korean singer, with a rock vibe, associated with SM Entertainment. This is also the most listenable song in this list.  



4. Magic Kaito 1412 OP2 - CHICO with HoneyWorks - "Ai no Scenario" (2015)
I love this opening song to pieces, and I've always enjoyed the various reincarnations of the Kaitou Kid franchise. Great job by HoneyWorks for writing a catchy, addictive hook. The opening animation sequence appears to have a more limited budget than Detective Conan, but it works well with the excellent song--I actually like the original HoneyWorks MV even more though!



5. Yuri!!! on Ice - Dean Fujioka - "History" (2016)
This was my favorite anime of that year, though I'm not really a sports anime genre fan generally. Ironically, several of my top favorite anime of the 1990s were sports anime ie. Slam Dunk and Cyber Formula. The opening animation sequence and choreography is fluid and beautiful in a minimalist way, which is attractive to me, since it's just Yuri, Yurio, and Victor skating--for a show centering around these characters about figure skating. I especially like it when animators update the opening sequence to progressively fill out with more color. Sometimes, openings have too many flashing images, psychedelic rendering, fan service character shots, random CGs and chaos, which suits some genres, like mecha and action series. But the appeal of this opening is how streamlined it is, how simple, and how well it suits its genre. I also find the singer Dean Fujioka to be a very hot and multi-talented actor as well. This is the most feel-good, inspiring song of the bunch.


Honorable Mentions:

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood OP1 and OP2 (2009-2010)

The last last three openings are good and fall in 2010, but at the end of the day, I still prefer Yui's "Again" and Nico Touches the Walls' "Hologram," OP1 and OP2 respectively, as I mentioned in the previous list.Technically, both songs missed out making it onto the 2000-2009 list by just a hair because that decade had such strong contenders. After some consideration, I decided that unlike the previous list, I might like OP1 "Again" by Yui as a song a hair more that "Hologram," though I love all the thoughtful manga reference put into the OP2 animation sequence, such as the Roy Mustang vs. Lust scene. Cumulatively, I still think "Hologram" is the best opening theme of Brotherhood though for its animation sequence and shounen action anime tone in general--parallel to "Ready Steady Go." I could have included an FMA Brotherhood OP3~5 song into the list above, but at the end of the day, the first two songs are better. But I also like the original FMA OST better in general. Truthfully, I was just too emotional drained from the original FMA anime by the time I got to Brotherhood. The difference between the FMA franchise, and many other shounen anime out there, is that I got very emotionally invested in the characters and their life's voyage, and I love that both FMA series tries to imprint very strong visual messages, including the stop watch engraving of "Don't forget," the railroad, the sky, the hand/automail reaching to the sky, and so on. I suppose out of the 2010 opening themes, OP4, Chemistry's "Period" would be my pick as best theme song. It reminds of me of FMA's OP3 "Undo" a bit. OP5 was just depressing and a bit philosophical. 

Angel Beats! Lia - "My Soul, Your Beats" (2010)

This was a heavily music themed anime, and I went in not expecting much, but the OST was good and it was a more heartwarming anime than expected. Yui Makino (TRC's Princess Sakura) plays a character with like five words the entire show. Jun Maeda is like a male version of Tomoyo and does everything one his own from writing the script to composing the memorable music.

Selector Infected Wixoss OP - Kanon Wakashima - "Killy Killy Joker" (2014)
I have not watched the anime, nor have any clue what it's about, but the song is so darn catchy. It missed the top 5 list because I have an inkling I might get sick of the song if I listen to it too many times, but this song made me take another look at Kanon Wakeshima of Vampire Knight fame and her awesome cello skills. 

Umineko Nako Koro Ni (When the Seagulls Cry) - Akiko Shikata - "Katayori no Tori" (2009-2010)
The horror genre is usually not my slice of pie, but I do enjoy a good psychological thriller and mystery, and where as I couldn't watch Higurashi, I was drawn into Umineko initially because of Beatrice's awesome character design. Beatrice reminds me of Yuuko on crack and is likewise voiced Sayaka Ohara (Yuuko from xxxHOLIC). This operatic opening remains probably one of the more memorable openings of 2010, though unfortunately, fans of the original visual the anime was based on heavily criticized Studio Deen's production of the story. The ending is very unusual, a rock opera by Jimang from Sound Horizon, "la divina tragedia ~Makyoku~ and yes, you've heard Sound Horizon because of Attack of Titan.

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card – Maaya Sakamoto - "Clear" (2018)

Truthfully, I don't think this song will make it to my Top 10 list of the decade because I find the song a bit more forgettable than Maaya's other songs, and you all know how much I love her. This song was included for nostalgia's sake and a kickback to CCS OP3 Purachina, which I think is standing the test of time to be my Top 3 best anime opening theme of all time. The best part of the opening sequence is Sakura's feather dress, and I almost like the animated sequence of OP2 "Rocket Beat" by Kiyono Yasuno with the darker tone a bit more. But I found the song a tad bit forgettable and too bright compared to the imagery. Please, another collaboration between Yoko Kanno and Maaya Sakamoto for Season 2 of CCS:Clear Card so that we can close out this decade with another CCS song on the Top 10 list.

I'm pretty confident that my Top 5 best anime opening theme choices for the 2010~2019 decade will not change, but we'll see if I can even draw out a Top 10 next year. I think part of the reason I'm releasing this list early is because deep in my heart, I doubt there's going to be any strong game-changer or any challenger to the Top 5 list I have right now. I actually began writing this list in 2015, when I posted the Top 10 Openings Part 2, and the only new song I added since then was the Yuri!!! on Ice OP.  I'm kind of impressed at the range I covered as well, from Sci-Fi, Post-apocalyptic fantasy adventure, Shoujo, Shounen, and Sports. Truthfully, I can do away with all of the honorable mentions above and not bat an eye, and just have a Top 5 list for this decade. Most of the songs on the honorable mentions list I feel like won't stand the test of time for me, or I just included because they're supposed to be popular. For example, I debated including the opening for "Your Lie in April (Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso, 2014)" because I think it was a very solid, well-made anime about classical music, and I do love Goose house, and the soundtrack was great, but it's a song I would forget in a couple years' time. In the list above, Guilty Crown's "My Dearest" is the best song, but I would say Attack of Titan's "Guren no Yumiya" is the best opening theme of the decade, though it's my least favorite song to listen to on my playlist of the Top 5 because it's too intense to listen to often. 

Please do weigh in and give me your recommendations in the comments below, and let me know if I've been missing out a great song!
 

Check out my list of:
Top 10 Anime Opening Themes Part 1: The 1990s
Top 10 Anime Opening Themes Part 2: 2000-2009
Top 10 Anime Ending Themes

Best Anime Openings Part 2: Top 10 Favorites from 2000~2009 (21st Century Edition)

The 2000s, namely 2000-2010, saw a dearth of amazing anime OST as anime became more mainstream and globalized. The decade especially saw some great soundtracks by notable composers like Kaoru Wada (Inuyasha), Yuki Kajiura (Tsubasa Chronicle), Michiru Oshima (FMA) and of course Yoko Kanno (Macross Frontier). In terms of anime openings, you saw flashier animation sequences with the help of digital technology, sometimes sloppier animation sequences because of said digital technology, awesome song selections and variety, more experimentation, and towards the end of the decade, there were more formulaic, cookie-cutter openings as anime studios stamped out similar shows season after season based on what worked. 

My 1990s list was skewed because of personal sentiments to my favorite childhood anime and a sense of nostalgia. Unlike the 1990s anime list, the list below is slightly less biased because I included songs that I found to be good regardless of what I thought of the show. In the 1990s, I saw whatever anime was available on TV, but in the 21st century, I had more liberty to choose what I watch, hence pickier, and Japan produced more titles with the digitization of animation, so there were too many shows to choose from. A few of the shows below I haven't watched but simply enjoyed their OSTs, and there are definitely more shounen titles here than my 1990s list, partly because I think the last great mahou shoujo series was Card Captor Sakura, partly because I feel like less production budget is put into shoujo anime in general. There were some solid shoujo series in the past decade and a half--I included a bunch of songs from Full Moon wo Sagashite in my favorite endings list, where animation sequence is less valued, but larger-budget shounen anime really trumped its competition for OP sequences. 

What I have done with this list is also choose the best song from each franchise, should they have many openings, and also choose only one song from an artist. I mentioned that for me, a good anime opening theme 1) tries to tell some sort of message or story through the animation sequence 2) include foreshadowing of plotlines to come, employ symbolism or imagery, especially if the show is based on a manga (aka pander to the manga crowd) and vamp up expectations for the key characters 3) have a catchy chorus/ riff that makes you anticipate the show 4) can be rewatched again after the show ends and remind you off the exhilaration you initially felt when watching the show. Also 5) I would be able to listen to the OP themes on my music playlist and enjoy them as songs. 

As we have switched over to watching anime on computers, it became much easier to simply skip over the anime OP theme. Good themes make you want to watch through the entire 1:30 minutes. Sometimes, unfortunately, good 1:30 opening themes are better than the entire show. This list was a lot harder to come up with because of the sheer variety, and it was hard eliminating some songs to choose my top 10. Again, they are in chronological order because it's fun to compare the changes across the decade. 

1. Inuyasha OP1 - V6 - "Change the World" (2000)
Inuyasha is one of the first anime I began watching online in Japanese with subs. Before, I used to watch Korean dubs. I think this opening IS the official "Inuyasha" song. The opening sequence is poignant, capturing feudal Japan, the spirit of adventure, Inuyasha's loneliness. Kagome is also one of the rare shounen manga heroines that I really like. Actually, Inuyasha has very likable characters. I even liked Naruku and think he's an epic villain (plus he's voiced by one of my favorite seiyuus). Too bad the story sort of dragged on and fell apart towards the middle, because this anime will always hold a special place in my heart. I always get surprised by all the sound effects in the OP--it was very 90s to include sound effects with the action sequences in the OP. Because Inuyasha itself has a 1990s feel to it, I would almost prefer to group this with the1990s list, but the anime ran from 2000-2004.  



2. Witch Hunter Robin OP - Bana - "Shell" (2002)
I used to listen to this song frequently in the early 2000s and rediscovered it in more recent years with new found appreciation for the song. I never watched the anime, but it's one of those songs that put you in a queer mood. Composer Taku Iwasaki did a great job with the OST for this anime, and I enjoy the guitar version of Shell especially. I like how the the OP connects with the ED theme "Half Pain", also by Bana. 



3. D.N.Angel OP - Shunichi Miyamoto - "Byakuya" (True Light)  (2003)
Shunichi Miyamoto is a very talented singer-songwriter pianist with an angelic voice. This beautiful opening I think outshines the anime itself, which stars Irino Miyu, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle Syaoran's voice, TV anime seiyuu debut as the hero Niwa Daisuke. By the way the anime originally cast Sakura Tange, CCS Sakura's seiyuu, which was why I was originally interested in it, but I think she got recast. That would have been interesting. Old Syaoran with young Sakura. This song may not have made the list if I had not caught an acoustic performance of the song by the artist and realized over again how good it was. Irino Miyu sings the song as well. 




4. Scrapped Princess OP - Jam Project - "Little Wing" (2003)
I especially love the Celtic-sounding opening chords of the song; Studio Bones never disappoints with animation, which is always clean and crisp. This is where I first learned about Jam Project, and an anime OP list would not be complete without at least one Jam Project song. I remembering liking this anime--I didn't particularly sympathize with any of the characters and the story sort of fell apart towards the end, but it was overall a very good animation with good production, music and overall premise. Plus, the characters resembled CLAMP's Angelic Layer anime designs. Actually it's one of the animations which I really loved in the beginning, but depending on the ending, it could have become really great or not. Episode 17 still remains, I believe, one of the most memorable and heart-wrenching episodes in anime, considering it was focused on a minor character that only appeared for a couple of episodes, which was a pity because Fulle was probably the best character in the anime. I digress. I love anime openings that through the music and animation sequence herald the promise of a good adventure to come and sets the atmosphere for the series, and this opening does exactly that.



5. Full Metal Alchemist OP4 - Asian Kung-Fu Generation - "Rewrite" (2004)
As you already know, I love all of FMA songs, and I think FMA (the first series and reboot Brotherhood) might boast a repertoire of very solid anime openings and endings overall, atop an excellent OST. I really couldn't choose which OP I like the best. L'Arc~en~Ciel is probably the most popular, because it is Laruku and because Funimation used it instead of Melissa as the OP in North America. But Rewrite is such an exhilarating song, and the title and lyrics are perfect for the last quartile of this amazing series. The action sequences are superb, and this opening builds up to the whole climax of FMA. On a side note, I personally think Cool Joke's UNDO is a very underrated song and also had very cute sequences in the OP which makes you feel really nostalgic (which is befitting since this is the 3rd opening when you've fallen in love with the characters and grown with them, right before the impending climax and bloodbath awaiting.) And I love the recycled motive of the Ed and Al on the railway. It made me want to cry when FMA: Brotherhood OP 2: Hologram (which I love) used that imagery. I actually like the FMA ending songs even better though because I like to listen to more mellow songs when writing. 

 

6. Bleach OP2 - UVERworld - "D-tecnoLife" (2005)
I love the opening sequence, the catchy melody of the tune, the Hitsugaya-taicho pimping going on in this video. While this OP may not be exceptionally stellar, it's a shounen action anime intro done really well, at its very peak. Most of Bleach openings are done very well--though I've long since stopped watching the series--I also really like Orange Range's Asterix, which grew on me over time, because it's unique, edgy and Orange Range is awesome. Check out the Card Captor Sakura rendition of Asterix--it's awesome. 

 

7. Sousei no Aquarion OP1 - Akino of Bless4 - "Genesis of Aquarion" (2005)
I haven't watched the anime, of the same director and composer pairing as Escaflowne, but fell in love with song the first time I heard it-- you know those songs that just sends a shiver down your spine? This is one. And I'm not the only one, because this song has become a meme in the Nico Nico Douga (Japanese equivalent of youtube) and its melody is used in part of the Nico Nico Douga anthem. The acapella version of this song with Bless4 is so haunting and beautiful, and I like it better than the original. Out of Yoko Kanno's OST openings, this song usually ranks the highest in Japanese fan polls out of best anime songs, usually in the top 10 or 20. 



8. Saiunkoku Monogatari - Ayaka Hirahara - "Hajimari No Kaze" (A Wind of Beginning) (2006)
This is one of my favorite anime openings of all times, not because of high budget or stellar animation quality, but the sheer beauty of a wonderful song paired with a well-planned animation sequence and powerful, soulful vocals by Ayaka Hirahara. I especially love the opening bars, "Hajimari no kaze yo... Todoke message..." That opening line just filled my heart with hope, anticipation, a sense that an epic story was about to unfold reflected perfectly by the silhouettes of Shurei and Ryuuki facing each other (which is why I like the Season 1 opening better than the new animation sequence from Season 2). This opening might have lasted the longest, spanning through Season 1 and Season 2 which ran until 2008, a total of 78 episodes. There are three versions of the opening. The second half of Season 1 played a modified sequence introducing new characters and that is my favorite version. I like it when openings change the sequence based on plotline, like how in CCS OP1, when Syaoran was introduced, his snapshot appeared in the OP, replacing Sakura's dad. Saiunkoku being based on a visual novel has an intelligent, unique and absorbing historical fantasy storyline, and Shurei is the rare heroine who is courageous, smart, independent and perhaps a role model for women. I felt bad because in the beginning, I thought this would be just another reverse harem anime. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to find one of the best, if not best, historical fantasy anime out there in the past decade. I gave up on hoping for a Season 3 however. The anime is paired with an oriental-themed soundtrack, befitting since the heroine is a talented ehru player, and I love how you can hear an ehru playing in the background for the opening song. This song is composed by YANAGIMAN and like its title, conveys exactly it's lyrics, "A Wind of Beginning." 


Saiunkoku Monogatari, Opening 작성자 Maxi-kun

9. Seirei no Moribito OP - L'Arc~en~Ciel - "Shine" (2007)
Like "Giri Giri Chop" from B'z from the 1990s list, this song was the one that almost didn't make it to the Top 10 list. Not because the song and the opening animation sequence is not wonderful, because it is, but because I haven't watched the anime. Also, I knew I wanted to include a Laruku song in one of the lists, and was debating between FMA's "Ready Steady Go" or Great Teacher Onizuka's "Driver's High" but decided to go with the one that gets little recognition though it is pretty amazing. So many anime use the pan-up to the sky motif as the closing image of an opening, but look how prettily it is done here.

 
 
10. EF - Tale of Melodies Opening - Elyssa - "Euphoric Field" (2008)
This opening with its catchy song and the artistic symbolism is very addicting and visually stimulating in a non-typical way. Based off a visual novel "EF - A Fairytale of Two," the anime, while touching on mature subjects, is tastefully done and strikes a balance between artistic interpretation, stunning visualizations, psychological and emotional depth and awesome music, befitting as one of the characters is a violinist. And kudos to the director for having a different version of the opening each episode. Each episode has a slightly different version, starting out in black and white with the English version of the song and gradually adding in different colors, inverting colors, until the final episode where the ending is in full color with the Japanese version of Euphoric Field (they did the same with the first season OP); it's fun watching all of them simultaneously. What got me interested is is Makoto Shinkai's involvement in the game, whose works are perhaps the most visually stunning pieces you will see in animation. Anyhow, a sign of a successful opening is when the opening alone gets you to watch an anime. I watched both EF - A Tale of Memories and EF - A Tale of Melodies one weekend, though its the sort of anime I wouldn't usually watch. I was blown away by the quality of the series. The music is by Tenmon, whose work I loved in "5cm no Byoushokou," directed by Makoto Shinkai. The two often work together. 



Honorable mentions (in order of how closely they missed the Top 10):

Detective Conan OP22 - Zard ft. Aya Kamiki - "Ai wa Kurayami no Naka de" (2008)
The ups of having an anime run for over a decade is that allows ample rule for experimentation and exploration into many different themes. I like how OP 22 focusing exclusively on the plotline of the Clash of the Red and Black, prominently featuring in the rather darker and angstier than usual opening sequence the characters of the Black Organization, the CIA and FBI rather than the usual mess and mesh of various characters present in Detective Conan. This opening theme sets the atmopshere for one of the most intense showdowns in Detective Conan and is Detective Conan at its best, justifying its 500+ episodes. While this may not be my favorite Detective Conan song, I thought it's a combination of a catchy song with a stylized animation sequence very relevant to the story arc at that time, and a prime example of what a long-running anime can do creatively with their openings. Truthfully, many of the OPs and EDs start blurring together in my mind after a while, but this one does not. And of course, it's a Zard song.

Clannad After Story - Lia - "Toki Wo Kizamu Uta" (2008)  
Kyoto Animation's productions always have stellar animation quality and sometimes, I watch because of that reason alone. I would say the studio is an example of what I call 21st century formulaic harem OP that is done super well and artistically. I didn't like Kanon or Air or any of those visual novel adaptations, but I enjoyed Clannad anime. Perhaps because it was really not a harem anime but focused on the relationship between Tomoya and Nagisa, and you get to see Tomoya's growth over the years. Perhaps I liked that Clannad's theme was "family." Clannad: After Story made me cry a bucket, and I didn't think it would. Anyhow, the opening sequence of both seasons bears rewatching after you finish the anime. If nothing else, it's shiny and beautiful. That silly Dango song is pretty addicting as well.

Tale of Abyss OP - Bump of Chicken - "Karma" (2008)
I absolutely love this song and the band Bump of Chicken, but it was originally used in the video game, so I didn't include it in the main list. Plus, I haven't watched the anime.

RahXephon - Maaya Sakamoto - "Hemisphere" (2002)
Another wonderful song composed by Yoko Kanno and sung by Maaya. But I already included a Yoko Kanno composition in the list above, and three Maaya songs in the 1990s list, which I like even better. I haven't watched this anime, either. 

Saint Seiya Hades: Chapter Sanctuary -Yumi Matsuzawa - "Chikyuugi" (The Earth) (2002)
I actually heard this opening in more recent years and have not watched any of the Saint Seiya franchise. Because the franchise dates back to the late 1980s, the opening had an oldies feel that I liked, and was surprised this song wasn't from the 1990s.The song is so melancholy, the opening so angsty, I love it.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood OP2 - NICO Touches the Walls - "Hologram" (2009)
I can make a whole list of just FMA songs. I chose one from Brotherhood as well. This one was a close call with OP1 Yui's "Again" but I opted for "Hologram" because of the catchy tune reminiscent of the first series and all the imagery and fast action sequences animated that will make manga fans squeal, for that's what Brotherhood is; a tribute to the manga.   

If I think harder, there will be a whole bunch of songs that I probably missed. There are many shoujo anime themes that didn't make it to this list such as the opening to Ultra Maniac, Gals!, Pretear, Fruits Basket, Princess Tutu and so-on, but I don't consider them to surpass the themes listed above. If I had to choose my top favorite songs on the list, it would be "Genesis of Aquarion" and "Hajimari no Kaze." The best opening theme for a series, based on song, animation sequence and my 5 criteria mentioned in the beginning would be Inuyasha's "Change the World." It's classic J-Pop, the flawlessly segued animation sequence doesn't leave you bored for a second and successfully tells a story, a condense version of the series, and leaves you feeling hopeful and excited about the show. I remember one of the later episodes reused "Change the World" and it hit that right note of nostalgia. I'm not sure if Youtube did an anime purge recently but it was hard to find good quality videos for some of the anime listed above. Let me know which opening theme of the 21st century is your favorite. Did I miss any themes?  

Check out my list of:
Top 10 Anime Opening Themes Part 1: The 1990s
Top 10 Anime Ending Themes

Best Anime Openings Part I: Top 10 Favorites of the 1990s (20th Century Edition)

I was absolutely sure I did a post long ago on my top favorite anime openings, since i did one on the Top 10 Best Ending list some years ago. And I realized, being silly me, I had written the draft post at the same time as the Best Ending and never published it. Luckily, I have  not watched a lot of anime over the past several years, hence I don't think my opinion has changed much since I wrote this post. I think the anime you watch when you're younger just resonate with you longer. I still love watching anime, but I just haven't found many shows that hit the right chords with me these days.

For me, good openings 1) seem to tell a story through the animation sequence 2) do some clever (or blatant) foreshadowing of plotlines to come, employ symbolism or imagery, or reveal something about the anime that is not delved into as much in the series and/or make you feel excited about characters shown 3) have a catchy chorus/ riff that makes you anticipate the show 4) can be rewatched again after the show ends, and you still can discover details in retrospective or makes you want to go back to the series again.

I finished writing up this list, the longest time it has ever taken to write a post, and stupid Blogspot deleted the draft, so this is my second time writing it. It's not going to be as thorough as my first post, and I think I am about to hate Blogspot, but here is shot deux. Heck, I've rewritten significant portions of New Trials chapters before and redrawn artwork deleted before, something like this won't daunt me. Actually, it is still annoying finding each song and checking each title and artist all over again. I don't trust this site anymore.

But, luckily, I still did have a draft from my 2009 entry, which I could use as reference. I think things you see/watch/hear/taste when you're younger definitely have a much more impact and a lasting impression. So I was slightly biased when choosing my favorite anime openings for those anime I watched pre-2000, in my childhood years. Thus, I'm going to separate the list into 20th century and post-2000.

In the ye olden days, anime openings were pretty much the anthems of anime; the opening personified the anime. There was less of the generic harem intro pop and more artistic openings in general, in my opinion. For me, the songs below also hold sentimental value and bring about nostalgia for the golden era of anime. Because I could not particularly rank the songs, I decided to go by chronological order.

1. Future GPX Cyber Formula OP - G-Grip - "I'll Come" (1991)
Cyber Forumla was one of my earliest anime loves. I know. How did I end up liking a shounen anime about Formula-1 driving (from the masterminds behind the Gundam franchise and Sunrise). I have no interest in cars or racing. But for me, it's really not so much what the context is, but the characters, and this anime (and all subsequent OVAs) remain one of my favorite anime till this day. I heard the Korean version of this song first, which was a dub of the Japanese version. It's an uplifting, inspirational song and still makes me smile nostalgically. I might like the Korean version more because the lyrics always resonate with me, especially the opening lines, "Like a waterfall, like a typhoon, race, Cyber Formula. Now you will able to accomplish it, yours and my miracle." Trust me, it sounds a lot better in Korean and makes more sense in its original form. The Japanese lyrics are more love-inspirational.


 
2. Slam Dunk OP1 - Baad - "Kimi ga suki dago sakebitai" (I want to shout that I love you) (1993)
I think Slam Dunk is the most epic sports manga/anime ever, and Japan probably would agree since Inoue is held in high esteem and Slam Dunk has remained the most popular manga in Japan for many years. Surprisingly enough, the Korean translation of the song pretty much was completely accurate with the same lyrics of "I want to shout that I love you." The lyrics resonate with Sakuragi Hanamichi perfectly, and the video is stunning and brilliant and makes you want to run out and play basketball. This song has a refreshing feel of adolescence, seishun, youth, passion. Take note of the basketball sound effects in the beginning. I never got into another sports anime like I was into Slam Dunk, which was all the rage in Korea. During gym class back when I was in junior high, the girls would sit on the bleachers and we would assign the boys in our class to various Slam Dunk characters. Good old days.   Random trivia: Akagi Arima from my fanfiction New Trials is partially named after Sakuragi's love interest, Akagi Haruno.



3. Magic Knight Rayearth OP1 - Naomi Tamura - "Yuzurenai Negai" (Unyielding Wish) (1994)
I love everything about this opening, the song, the video, that exhilarating electric guitar riff in the beginning draws your right into the world of Cephiros. Magic Knight Rayearth was my introduction to CLAMP anime back in 1996, and the first time I saw the preview for it, I knew I was going to love it just by the 30-second commercial. A key characteristic of 1990s openings is the sound effects that sort of went out of style post-2000. The orchestra version of this song is one of the most beautiful instrumental renditions of an opening song in any anime.



4. Fushigi Yuugi OP - Akemi Satoh - "Itoshii Hito no Tame ni" (For My Darling) (1995)
This is one of the rarer instances where I prefer the Korean opening song over the Japanese song. This opening sequence I would rank as in my top 5 favorite animation sequences as it hows the promise of fantasy and adventure. Everyone looks beautiful, all the action is put to the music on cue, the characters unfold like a story, the romance, the fiery tension, the mythical elements, everything is packaged so well into 1 minute 30 seconds. 



5. The Vision of Escaflowne OP - Maaya Sakamoto - "Yakusoku wa Irenai" (I Don't Need Promises) (1995)
I consider this opening one of the most poignant anime openings of all times because from the urgent chords of the piano opening the song, you are already transported into a mystical world promising adventure, fantasy and high romance. The role of Hitomi and this song catapulted young Maaya Sakamoto to fame in 1996. "Yakusoku" remains very popular to this day and is played in a lot of Yoko Kanno and Maaya Sakamoto concerts. Though it may not be my favorite Yoko+Maaya combo, this song I think marks the beginning of it all. Besides, I think the op sequence animation is stunning, surreal and just epic. While the Escaflowne character-designs might take some getting used to, the animation is stellar, surpassing any CG mecha anime made post 2000. Now that I think about it, I was first exposed to Yoko Kanno's music when I was a preteen (not that I cared about composers or seiyuu or directors or anything of that sort at that age.) But no wonder I've been hooked ever since.





6. Slayers Next OP - Megumi Hayashibara - "Give a Reason" (1996)
Not usually my type of song, but it's the best Slayers opening and a very upbeat, catchy 90s J-Pop representation. My best friend who introduced me to J-Pop in the first place sang it for me back in middle school, and the song always randomly finds its way back onto my playlist every so often. I also recommend Slayers Try opening them song "Breeze" also by Hayashibara.

 

7. Record of Loddoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight OP - Maaya Sakamoto - "Kiseki no Umi" (Sea of  Miracles) (1998)
A hauntingly beautiful song and OP for the only show on this list I have never watched. I didn't know it was sung by Maaya because she sounds more mature here. If I have to be really honest, objectively speaking, in terms of portraying the ambiance of a fantasy adventure, this song is probably one of the best anime opening songs out there (though I have other personal favorites from the Yoko Kanno and Maaya Sakamoto duo). 



8. Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne OP2 - Lastier - "Dive into Shine" (1999)
I like the first opening anime sequence better and the second opening song better. In Korea, they used the second song with the first anime sequence, so it worked out well for me. I especially love the shot where Jeanne is staring at Chiaki on the balcony lit by the moonlight in the first opening sequence. But the second song is a win!



9. Detective Conan OP6 - B'z - "Giri Giri Chop" (1999)
This was the one opening that almost didn't make it to the list. Don't get me wrong, I love B'z--they're my No. 1 favorite Japanese band, and I am thankful to have been introduced to B'z through Detective Conan. The reason I wasn't going to use this OP is because I don't consider it the strongest out of Detective Conan's gazillion openings and endings, and they used recycled animation from previous seasons. My theory is that rights to B'z song must cost more than other artists, hence they have to save budget via cutting down on new animation. Who knows. With the exhilarating pace of the song, the opening is a big of a mess but gets your adrenaline pumping. And this opening does something unique, which is integrating live video clips of the artists, guitarist Tak Matsumoto and vocalist Koshi Inaba, into the animation. It works because of their legendary status. This song marked the start of the B'z and Detective Conan partnership over the next decade and a half, still going strong, and was the first Detective Conan song to reach No. 1 on Oricon (like all other B'z songs, but an impressive feat for an anime single). I chose this song because of what it symbolizes for the ongoing Detective Conan franchise. Plus, I used to listen to this song quite frequently because it was on my workout playlist. This opening was used in episodes 143-167.



10. Card Captor Sakura OP3 - Maaya Sakamoto - "Purachina" (Platinum) (1999-2000)
This song remains high on the Japanese polls' list of most popular anime themes, and rightfully so. Season 3 of mahou shoujo anime Card Captor Sakura transcended the typical magical girl genre anime and became a classic on its own right--and I'm not exaggerating if I say this opening is a testament of the sheer genius and lasting-power of this CLAMP anime. The opening sequence is one of the most beautiful and well-planned sequences in all shoujo anime-dom with its simple yet sophisticated scenario. Sakura's white dress with pink trimmings remains an iconic outfit (kudos to Tomoyo), and I love the way all the characters flit through. I always held my breath to catch a 1-second glimpse of glaring Syaoran in the OP when CCS was broadcasted on NHK-2. CCS Season 3 is the first anime I caught live broadcast on NHK-2 because I was lucky enough to get transmission on satellite TV in Korea. I didn't even know it was a Maaya Sakamoto and Yoko Kanno collaboration until several years later, which is funny because back then, I was pleasantly surprised because OP3 was the only CCS theme song I actually really LOVED.This opening is a stellar because more than a decade later, it still remains classy, well-animated and does not seem dated at all. Plus the lyrics are meaningful as well, written by the third-leg of the Yoko-Maaya combo, Yuho Iwasato. I included this song in the 1990s list because Season 3 began airing in September 1999, in fact, just when I started to write New Trials. 



If I had to pick my top three favorite songs in this list, it would be from Cyber Formula, Magic Knight Rayearth and CCS, partially because of how much I loved each anime but also because I loved the individual melodies. If I had to pick the best opening in terms of song and opening sequence match-up, I would say it's Escaflowne's opening because of the fluid animation and strong, rich images that resonate with the song. Secret confession, I didn't even particularly like any of the characters or understand the plotline completely when I first watched the anime. I grew to appreciate Escaflowne more in later years. Another secret confession: I don't really care for mecha, but would tolerate it for good characters, strong plotlines or good music, such as Code Geass (for CLAMP character designs) or Macross Frontier (for Yoko Kanno music). But I could never tackle the Gundam franchise, though ironically, while I have no interest in car racing, one of my favorite shounen anime remains the Cyber Formula series, from the same creators behind Gundam and the same studio, Sunrise. 

Likewise, I debated including in this list some popular songs such as Evangelion or Cowboy Bebop, but at the end of the day, I decided to stick to my favorites, songs that I would still listen to nowadays. One thing in common with the songs below are that I have listened to them on my playlist at some point in time, so I believe them to be good songs with lasting power. Next, on to the 21st century which will be a lot of fun because of how dynamic the choices are. 

What are your favorite anime openings of the 1990s? Of all-time? Comment below!