music – Anime QandA

10 Best Anime OP’s Fall 2019

My 10 Best Anime OP’s of the Fall 2019 season!

It’s that time of the season to count down the 10 Best Anime OP’s and ED’s of Fall 2019, in this post we’re starting with the OP’s and while I don’t think this was the strongest season for OP’s there are still some bonefide classics amongst the top picks! As usual, in preparation for this post I’ve listened to every OP available to listen to and I try and not not let my personal feelings for a show influence the decision on the OP’s themselves. Let’s get started!

Note: I’ve tried to get Youtube links to all the listed songs where possible but some are not ideal quality (i.e. videos played in quad view to avoid copyright detection) and if links end up being broken in the future it’s because they’ve been taken down.

~Number 10~
“Smile Skill = Suki Skill!” by Akaki Chikai from ‘Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?!’

There’s nothing particularly unique about this OP, it’s just a catchy good time sung by cute girls, plus gotta love an easily imitable dance move incorporated into an OP’s visuals.

~Number 9~
“TIT FOR TAT” by MYTH & ROID from ‘Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious’

By this point MYTH & ROID are veritable veterans of singing OP’s for isekai anime (they’ve sung OP’s for such isekai anime as: Iskeai Cheat Magician, Overlord, Re:Zero and The Saga of Tanya the Evil) and here’s another one for their belt and it’s a banger that showcases the vocalists unique sound perfectly.

~Number 8~
“Can now, Can now” by Study from ‘We Never Learn! 2nd Season’

Okay, this one is a totally biased pick. I just love this anime and these girls (the voice actors are credited as the band ‘Study’ for the various OP’s and ED’s from both the first and second season. And they just sound great and this OP (and its visuals) are adorable. It’s not quite as good as the first seasons’ OP but it’s still pretty wonderful.

~Number 7~
“CAPTURE” by EGO-WRAPPIN’ from ‘Case File nº221: Kabukicho’

I’m not really sure what genre this song is, (jazz maybe?) but this is absolutely a case of a song growing on me the more I heard it, despite it being counter to a lot of my usual musical tastes. It’s cool and chaotic and fits with the visuals of the OP perfectly.

~Number 6~
“Wild Side” by ALI from ‘BEASTARS’

I’ll fully admit that a large part of the reason this OP is even in this list is because of it’s outstanding stop-motion visuals that tell a full story in of itself because musically this song doesn’t really work for me (I don’t like the vocalist and it’s a bit messy), but together with the visuals it’s practically a work of art.

~Number 5~
“Q-vism” by Who-ya Extended from ‘Psycho-Pass 3’

This OP fits so perfectly into the Psycho Pass universe that it’s kind of surprising it’s from a different artist to any of the other Psycho Pass OP musicians. That’s not to say it’s derivative–not at all–in fact I think it perfectly strikes the balance between being inspired by the past and carving out a bit of its new identity (kind of like Psycho-Pass 3 itself). I think it’s honestly great!

~Number 4~
“Thought I knew ft.ra’z, Hayes” by YVY from ‘Stand My Heroes: Piece of Truth’

My criteria for picking my favourite OP’s is kind of difficult to pin down, this song being absolutely an example of a song that I’d otherwise probably be indifferent to but for some reason the combination of the fractured, dark electro beat with the occasional falsetto of the vocalist and some genuinely evocative choice of English phrases really just clicked to make a stand-out OP.

~Number 3~
“BULLET MERMAID” by Rin Namiki (Yuu Sasahara) and Misa Aoi (Riko Kohara) from ‘Kandagawa Jet Girls’

I think something that anime OP’s seem to neglect nowadays is the importance of being ‘sexy’ especially for ecchi or even ecchi-adjacent anime–sure ED’s have it plentiful but not OPs!. Granted this OP doesn’t start really being sexy until the last 15 or so seconds but it makes it count! Also this song is just a damn catchy and fun little number that makes me smile every time I hear it!

~Number 2~
“Take On Fever” by OLDCODEX from ‘Special Crime Investigation Unit – Special 7’

I’ll always have a soft spot for this kind of music; heavy instrumentation kick-ass beat with a vocalist with a decent range. I’m not watching this anime, probably never will but this song will be in my head for days.

~Number 1~
“MAYDAY” by coldrain feat. Ryo from CRYSTAL LAKE from ‘Fire Force’

So I’ve got a lot of things to say about this particular OP and song so strap in for a wall of text. The reason this list is out probably a week or two later than I usually post them is because I was waiting for this one to come out. Not only is ‘coldrain’ an amazing band who I’ve recently gotten into in a big way (kind of like how I got into ‘Survive Said The Prophet’ after the Banana Fish OP) but when it was announced that this would be the OP I was practically giddy. I listened to the song a dozen or more times hoping each time that the visuals for the OP would be on par with the first cour’s OP. And alas, no, the visuals are honestly kinda lazy and don’t match with how killer this song is. So I fully admit that this Number 1 pick is 100% because of the song and not the OP’s visuals, if you think that’s a cop-out too bad this is my list. Amazing song, honestly one of the all time greats but with sadly lacklustre accompanying OP visuals.

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And that’s my Top 10 OP’s for Fall 2019! Agree, disagree? Let me know your picks of the season in the comments below and thanks for reading!

Previous Seasonal OP & ED Lists (2019):

10 Best OP’s Winter 2019
10 Best ED’s Winter 2019
10 Best OP’s Spring 2019
10 Best ED’s Spring 2019
10 Best OP’s Summer 2019
10 Best ED’s Summer 2019

Previous Seasonal OP & ED Lists (2018):

10 Best OP’s Winter 2018
10 Worst OP’s Winter 2018
10 Best ED’s Winter 2018
5 Worst ED’s Winter 2018
10 Best OP’s Spring 2018
10 Worst OP’s Spring 2018
10 Best ED’s Spring 2018
5 Worst ED’s Spring 2018
15 Best OP’s Summer 2018
5 Worst OP’s Summer 2018
10 Best ED’s Summer 2018
10 Worst ED’s Summer 2018
10 Best OP’s Fall 2018
10 Worst OP’s Fall 2018
10 Best ED’s Fall 2018
5 Worst ED’s Fall 2018
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The Best Anime OP’s of 2018
The Best Anime ED’s of 2018

If you liked my post and want to support my content, please consider supporting my Patreon page, or donating by buying me a coffee on Ko-fi!

10 Best Anime ED’s Summer 2019

10 Best Anime ED’s of Summer 2019

And now we’re counting down my best ED’s of Summer 2019 anime! A reminder that I listened to all the ED’s of the season and even shows I’m not watching have made it onto the list, so it’s not a completely biased list (though obviously its biased towards my tastes–it is a personal list after all). Let’s get started with the 10 Best Anime ED’s of Summer 2019!

~Number 10~
“Hibari” by ASCA from ‘Lord El-Melloi II Case Files: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note’

I don’t know what it is about this song, its not unique or particularly interesting–nor am I watching the show (nor will probably ever) but something about its melancholy intonations really got to me in a way I can’t really quantify–and sometimes that’s all the more reason to make mention of something.

~Number 9~
“LIFE” by Rude-α from ‘Dr. Stone’

There’s something very laid back and chill about everything this ED does which I’m really fond of. Rap kinda does nothing for me as a musical genre and the visuals are pretty weird and off-putting in places but the more I listened to this the more I enjoyed and I’m not even watching the show!

~Number 8~
“Torches” by Aimer from ‘Vinland Saga’

This song reminds me of a Western song but I can’t for the life of me think of which one… Regardless it’s all kinds of beautiful and emotional.

~Number 7~
“Hajime no Uta” by DracoVirgo from ‘Arifureta: From Commonplace To World’s Strongest’

Much like this show’s OP I do love how ‘unconventional’ this ED is while still remaining an air of familiarity also like the OP its reminiscent of James Bond openings (though in this instance its more with the visuals than the music) which is something I love. Hey! I did warn you that I had a strong bias with these things sometimes!

~Number 6~
“Seishun no Reverb” by Nozomu Tanaka (Chinatsu Akasaki), Akane Kikuchi (Haruka Tomatsu), Shiori Saginomiya (Aki Toyosaki) from ‘Wasteful Days of High School Girl’

Unlike this show’s OP (which took the Number 1 spot if you recall) the ED is very indicative of an anime ED it’s more relaxed and chill but it still manages to be catchy and inherently enjoyable over multiple listens.

~Number 5~
“Connected” by Tilarna Exedilika (Mayu Yoshioka) from ‘Cop Craft’

I’m kind of hung up on the idea of a cop show having an ED sung by its female protagonist (which is exactly the situation here) it’d be absurd if it were a US cop drama but because it’s anime it’s perfectly normal. I know, weird thing to get side-tracked by but here we are. Anyway this song is just great and powerful and Mayu’s vocals are a commanding force to be reckoned with!

~Number 4~
“Glow at the Velocity of Light” by Riko Azuna from ‘Astra Lost In Space’

This ED hits all the right notes and delivers a terrific and toe-tapping song from beginning to end.

~Number 3~
“Future Sign” by KiRaRe from ‘Re:Stage! Dream Days’

Any idol series worth its salt is bound to have top quality music and thankfully this show looks to have stellar music as shown in full splendour by this ED performed by ‘KiRaRe’ the idol group made up from the main characters of this series. It’s bouncy, fun and catchy–everything a good idol song should be!

~Number 2~
“Macho a Name?” Naruzou Machio (Kaito Ishikawa) from ‘How Heavy Are The Dumbbells You Lift?’

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before (surely I must have) but I’m quite a fan of the ‘Eurovision Song Contest’ in all its cheesy glory and this song sounds exactly like a Soviet Bloc entry–and that’s absolutely a compliment to this song. It’s absurd, hilarious and gets your feet moving and singing along to that chorus–I love it!

~Number 1~
“Veil” by Keina Suda from ‘Fire Force’

Wow. This ED song and its accompanying visuals sure do make an impact, from the minimalist but powerful vocals that start the song in an evocative and mysterious way to the absolute banger it transitions into just everything about it is a masterpiece. There’s kind of not anything else to say about it other than if you haven’t heard it yet, do yourself a favour and take it all in!

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And that’s my Top 10 ED’s for Summer! Do you agree or disagree with my choices? Let me know your favourites in the comments below and thanks for reading!

Previous Seasonal OP & ED Lists (2018):

Previous Seasonal OP & ED Lists (2019):

10 Best OP’s Winter 2019
10 Best ED’s Winter 2019
10 Best OP’s Spring 2019
10 Best ED’s Spring 2019
10 Best OP’s Summer 2019

If you liked my post and want to support my content, please consider supporting my Patreon page, or donating by buying me a coffee on Ko-fi!

10 Best Anime OP’s Summer 2019

10 Best Anime OP’s of Summer 2019

It’s time for the OP’s of Summer 2019, and I watched all of them to make this list, yes every OP of the season and while I don’t think the OP’s were as strong as some previous seasons we’ve still got a enough truly great ones to make up a top 10! As with my previous lists I’m judging both the music and the visuals and of course, I’m a little biased with my picks (who isn’t?!) With that out of the way let’s count down the 10 Best Anime OP’s of Summer 2019!

~Number 10~
“FLARE” by Void_Chords feat.LIO from ‘Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest’

I’m not sure what it is about this OP but despite being very ~modern~ sounding it just connected with me in a way I didn’t expect. It’s got a bit of James Bond about its opening notes, then transitions into something reminiscent of trap and dubstep and then suddenly saxophones? Maybe some might call it “messy”, I call it “avant garde”!

~Number 9~
“Inferno” by Mrs.GREEN APPLE from ‘Fire Force’

A part of me wanted to complain how generic and routinely ‘shonen’ this OP for a new shonen anime sounded… and then another part of me thought I should get my head out of my ass and just enjoy what is a simply banging tune, with slick accompanying visuals. It just works!

~Number 8~
“Zero Centimeter” by Yuiko Oohara from ‘Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san 2’

While not as immediately catchy as the OP for ‘Takagi-san’s’ first season, this OP feels like a worthy spiritual and emotional successor that only benefits from having knowledge of the show its from and the journey we’ve been on. It’s cute and sweet and fun and light and just an utter joy to watch/listen to.

~Number 7~
“Shadow is the Light” by THE SIXTH LIE from ‘A Certain Scientific Accelerator’

It’s dark and brooding and tense but still got that infectious beat that makes an OP a winner.

~Number 6~
“MUKANJYO” by Survive Said The Prophet from ‘VINLAND SAGA’

Survive Said The Prophet delivered one of 2018’s best OP’s with “Lost & Found” from ‘BANANA FISH’ so its no surprise that their second(?) go at an anime OP is a kick ass banger! Yes, it’s not as catchy as the aforementioned but it’s still packs a punch and captures your attention from beginning to end!

~Number 5~
“Iya yo Iya yo Mosuki no Uchi” by Spica Spica from ‘Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks?’

It’s just well made, high energy silly good time fun–kind of like the show itself!

~Number 4~
“HELLO to DREAM” by Yuka Iguchi from ‘Is It Wrong To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon II’

Say what you will about bagpipes as an instrument but they can be evocative when used sparingly and, let’s face it, as far as rare instruments appearing in anime OP’s bagpipes are pretty much at the top of the list. Aside from that though it’s just a damn solid OP with some expensive looking 3D background visuals to tie it altogether.

~Number 3~
“Daisuki” by Ayaka Ohashi from ‘Hensuki: Are you willing to fall in love with a pervert, as long as she’s a cutie?’

There’s something comfortably cliche and fundamentally familiar about this OP song, it by no means breaks new ground musically, nor is it an exemplary example of this genre’s music, but what it is is an OP that impresses without being flashy and delivers without being drastic, simply said it’s just an all round great experience without drawing attention to itself.

~Number 2~
“Onegai Muscle” by Hibiki Sakura (Ai Fairuz), & Naruzou Machio (Kaito Ishikawa) from ‘How Many Kilograms are the Dumbbells You Lift?’

OP’s from Doga Kobo anime in the last year or so have been absolute utter joys to behold, there’s just such an utter commitment to the theme of their given anime and “Onegai Muscle” is absolutely no exception. It’s a high energy, supremely focused and wonderfully tight melding of music and visuals that transcends the language barrier and indeed even the interest barrier (I have no interest in exercise or weight training and yet this OP has me entranced) which comes together to create a sublime OP experience.

~Number 1~
“Rin! Moon! dass! cry!” by Nozomu Tanaka (Chinatsu Akasaki), Akane Kikuchi (Haruka Tomatsu), Shiori Saginomiya (Aki Toyosaki) from Wasteful Days of High School Girl

Before I’d been given the translation of this OP’s lyrics this song was already highly ranked on this list, probably second or third. After all its a unique sounding song (which is admittedly rare given just how many anime OP’s exist in all sorts of musical genres) but not only that the visuals were a fun and dynamic treat too. Then came the third episode on ~whatever streaming service this show airs~ and we were afforded the translated lyrics… and then everything came together. This OP is wonderfully meta, tongue-in-cheek and legitimately hilarious… I don’t think there’s ever been a case where I’ve not only laughed at an OP and its lyrics but done so repeatedly after the fact. It’s very specific but it’s also very funny and very cool!

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And that’s my Top 10 OP’s for Summer! Agree, disagree? Let me know your picks in the comments and thank you all for reading!

Previous Seasonal OP & ED Lists (2018):

Previous Seasonal OP & ED Lists (2019):

10 Best OP’s Winter 2019
10 Best ED’s Winter 2019
10 Best OP’s Spring 2019
10 Best ED’s Spring 2019

If you liked my post and want to support my content, please consider supporting my Patreon page, or donating by buying me a coffee on Ko-fi!

10 Best Anime ED’s Spring 2019

10 Best Anime ED’s of Spring 2019

First came the OP’s now come the ED’s! For consideration in this list of ED’s is both the quality of the visuals and the music and ~every~ anime of the season is being assessed and is eligible regardless of whether I’m watching the show or not. This list might be biased towards certain factors but I’ll explain the “why” of my choices underneath each pick. Let’s take a look at my 10 Best Anime ED’s of Spring 2019!

~Number 10~
“Ne, Issho ni Kaero.” by Hitori Bocchi (Chisaki Morishita) from ‘Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu’

It’s cute and quirky and perfectly bridges the gap between the manga and anime. Plus musically it’s got an interesting, almost Irish sounding vibe to it which makes it stand-out all the more.

~Number 9~
“PEARLY×PARTY” by Party☆Fairy [Nuckelavee (Himika Akaneya), Titania (Rie Takahashi), Coopy (Nao Touyama), Brigitte (Yuu Serizawa), Bodach (Suzuko Mimori), Bethor (Rina Hidaka)] from ‘Han-Gyakyu-Sei Million Arthur 2’

Sorry, no video exists of this online (as far as I can tell) so enjoy this still image from the ED instead!

All the female cast in bunny girl outfits? What more could you want?! Oh and the song is pretty damn catchy too…

~Number 8~
“Shinri no Kagami, Tsurugi no You ni” by Konomi Suzuki from ‘YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love At The Bound Of This World’

With enigmatic and thought-provoking visuals and an excellent song that evokes the likes of Steins;Gate its hard not to be drawn into this captivating ED.

~Number 7~
“Name of Love” by Cinema Staff from ‘Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2’

I’m way behind on Attack on Titan but even I felt myself getting nostalgic and even a bit misty-eyed by this ED. It’s simple, but wholly effective and sometimes that’s all you need.

~Number 6~
“Moffumoffu DE Yoi no Ja yo” by Senko (Azumi Waki) from ‘Helpful Fox Senko-san’

It’s expectantly adorable both musically and visually. This is definetly an ED that benefits from being a fan of the series though!

~Number 5~
“Attouteki Vivid Days” by Nanami Yoshi from ‘Wiseman’s Grand Child’

Unlike the chill and humorous OP (which also featured highly on my previous list) this ED is pure head-banging rock and it aptly rocks.

~Number 4~
“Lily” by Luck Life from ‘Bungou Stray Dogs 3rd Season’

I’m fairly sure I haven’t come across the band ‘Lily’ before (nor watched any of ‘Bungou Stray Dogs’ for what its worth) but I really enjoyed the song both musically and vocally and while I couldn’t find a proper video of the ED, the glimpses of the visuals I did catch in the background of this live performance seemed very evocative and fitting to the song.

~Number 3~
“Lucky Ending” by Vickeblanka from ‘Fruits Basket (2019)’

This song; its delicate arrangement and the emotive vocals are all fantastic–something I’m sure I’d be saying if I wasn’t heavily invested in this show emotionally…

~Number 2~
“Stand by me” by the peggies from ‘Sarazanmai’

I probably won’t ever watch this show (for reasons) but holy heck did this ED make a massive impression on me. The striking blend between live-action nighttime backgrounds and the animated characters is something that’s kind of unforgettably cool and the music… well it’s ‘the peggies’ (a.k.a. one of the best things to happen to anime music in the last 6 months) so what else is there to say other than “wow”.

~Honourable Mention~
“Modern Crusaders” by Enigma from ‘Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind’

You gotta hand it to whoever’s picking these Jojo ED’s, when they’re not using perfectly suited popular Western songs they’re introducing me to bands I’ve never heard of but totally would have been a fan of if I’d discovered them in my earlier years. It’s not the best Jojo ED (that place will forever be taken by ‘I Want You’ by Savage Garden’) but a Jojo ED is always at the very least worth an honourable mention!

~Number 1~
“Never Give It Up!!” by Study from ‘We Never Learn!’

Something I’ve never (at least I don’t think) disclosed about my decision making process regarding these OP and ED lists is that I award each song/video combo a score out of 100 and sort accordingly. Usually there’s only 1 or 2 points between number 2 and number 1–this time there was five points between them. Not to oversell this ED, but I love everything about it–it not only manages to perfectly capture everything about the show (and the girls) but the song is just magnificent from beginning to end.

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And that’s my Top 10 ED’s for Spring! Let me know what ED’s were your favourites this season in the comments and thanks all for reading!

Previous Seasonal OP & ED Lists (2018):

Previous Seasonal OP & ED Lists (2019):

10 Best OP’s Winter 2019
10 Best ED’s Winter 2019
10 Best OP’s Spring 2019

If you liked my post and want to support my content, please consider supporting my Patreon page, or donating by buying me a coffee on Ko-fi!

10 Best Anime OP’s Spring 2019

10 Best Anime OP’s of Spring 2019

Spring anime has sprung and with it a fresh bloom of new anime OP’s and ED’s have risen from the garden! As per my (new) rules–instated at the start of the year–both the quality of the visuals and the music are being taken into consideration and every anime of the season is being assessed and is eligible regardless of whether I’m watching the show or not. Yes this list might be biased towards certain factors but I’ll explain the “why” of my choices under each pick. With that out of the way let’s look at my 10 Best Anime OP’s of Spring 2019!

~Number 10~
“Equal” by sumika from ‘Mix’

Sometimes an OP is just so refined and polished–despite being about a topic that’s ostensibly uninteresting to me (in this case boy’s highschool baseball)–that it can’t help but grab your attention. But then again sports anime almost always tend to be remarkably polished and catchy so I shouldn’t be too surprised.

~Number 9~
“Dash&Daaash!!” by Fudanjuku from ‘Magmel of the Sea Blue’

Striking a balance between both familiar sounding and with some uniquely fun elements (okay so random English words thrown in isn’t unique–but it works so well here) is made to look effortless here. It’s also the kind of OP that’s over so quick you’re kind of sad because it was such a fun time throughout!

~Number 8~
“Again” by Beverly from ‘Fruits Basket: 1st Season’

This song almost brings me to tears every time I hear it, it’s so beautiful and melancholic and I never even watched the original ‘Fruits Basket’ anime or read the manga so my feelings are coming off (as of the writing of this post) just three episodes of the new series. It’s a moving song for a moving anime. The only reason it isn’t higher is because listening to this OP more than once in a short space of time proves difficult because of how slow it is.

~Number 7~
“Bon♡Kyu♡Bon wa Kare no Mono♡” by Sumire Uesaka from ‘Why the Hell are You Here, Teacher!?’

Generally speaking, OP’s aren’t that sexy–sure there have been some in the past but I can pretty much count them on one hand that’s how rare they are. Usually the sexiest visuals are saved for the ED (for some reasons) but not only is this one among the sexiest but it’s also comes with a damn cute song too!

[If the embed doesn’t work for the ‘Streamable’ video click this link: https://streamable.com/jz4qh]

~Number 6~
“Kotae” by Mao Abe from ‘AFTERLOST’

It’s just a banging tune with some cliche (but still dynamic) visuals accompanying it–sometimes simple works best.

~Number 5~
“Hitoribocchi no Monologue” by Hitori Bocchi (Chisaki Morishita), Sunao Nako (Minami Tanaka), Honshou Aru (Akari Kito), Sotca Luckythar (Yuuko Kurose) from ‘Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu’

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I adore OP’s and ED’s that are sung by the cast and the cuter the cast the better. Hitori Bocchi’s OP is full of high-spirited energy and joy and makes me smile every time I experience it!

~Number 4~
“WONDERFUL WONDER” by EDOGA-SULLIVAN from ‘Ao-chan Can’t Study!’

In past season’s I had a (admittedly stupid) self-imposed rule to not include any OP’s that were 1 minute or less–here’s the OP that “forced” me to break and disregard that rule once and for all. This OP is cool and fun and catchy and matches the visuals perfectly! One minute OP’s deserve attention too!

~Number 3~
“Koyoi mofumofu!!” by Senko (Azumi Waki), Shiro (Maaya Uchida) from ‘The Helpful Fox Senko-san’

Sometimes a thing is just too cute for words. (PS, can’t find a version of the OP that isn’t in weird “quad vision” so just watch the show for yourself!)

~Number 2~
“Ultimate☆MAGIC” by i☆Ris from ‘Kenja no Mago’

One of the biggest compliments you could ever award an OP is that based on its quality alone it singlehandedly made you want to watch the show it was from. I had next to zero interest in this show until I watched its OP. It was a joy from start to finish to watch the OP and (once I get round to watching it) I hope the show is as much of a joy to watch as well!

~Honourable Mention~
“Isekai Quartet” by Ainz (Satoshi Hino), Kazuma (Jun Fukushima), Subaru (Yuusuke Kobayashi), Tanya (Aoi Yuuki) from ‘Isekai Quartet’

A part of the absolute joy of this OP is entirely in knowing the shows these characters are from (that extends to the show too for the most part) and while it’s arguably deserving of a spot on the list I felt it was too niche of a choice to justify it because of the requisite knowledge required to enjoy it. It’s still a catchy tune with bright visuals but ultimately there were more appropriate picks for a list like this.

~Number 1~
“Seishun Seminar” by Study from ‘We Never Learn!’

There’s a lot to like about the OP but likewise it’s not immediately evident from a first or even second viewing. It’s low-key sexy but not salacious (like the Number 7 pick), it’s catchy but it does it with subtlety, it’s the kind of OP that grows more and more fun to watch the more you see it but in a way that’s almost hard to quantify. All I know is I can’t stop thinking about it and when it comes to an anime OP that’s the sign of a true classic.

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And that’s my Top 10 OP’s for Spring! Agree, disagree? Let me know your picks in the comments and thanks for reading!

Previous Seasonal OP & ED Lists (2018):

Previous Seasonal OP & ED Lists (2019):

10 Best OP’s Winter 2019
10 Best ED’s Winter 2019

If you liked my post and want to support my content, please consider supporting my Patreon page, or donating by buying me a coffee on Ko-fi!

To The Beat Of My Own Drum – ‘BanG Dream! 2nd Season’ Full Review

To The Beat Of My Own Drum – A Full Season Review of ‘Bang Dream! 2nd Season’

What’s the show? BanG Dream! 2nd Season.

And what’s it about? In a nutshell it’s a slice of life show about five high-school girls who form a band called ‘Poppin’ Party!’ with the goal to end up performing at Budokan one day (Budokan is the largest arena in Tokyo–only the biggest bands can fill a crowd there). But it’s a long road, as evidenced by the fact that the entire first season only got them as far as performing at a local music venue–and only after failing their first audition.

I wish this gif was bigger because I love it.

And so does the second season continue on with their rocky road to stardom? Eh, kinda…?

What does that mean? Well, there’s two big differences between the 1st and 2nd season. First and most obvious is the fact that the show utilises 3D animation for its character models (with mostly 2D backgrounds)–but I’ll get into that more later. The (arguably) bigger change is the fact that ‘Poppin’ Party!’ aren’t the only band to get focus in this season. We’ve got five more bands, each with 5 new characters per band that are featured frequently and throughout the season.

*starts counting on fingers* But that’s like 25 new characters?! Why would the show do that to its audience? Because, between the first season airing and the second season airing something big happened in the ‘BanG Dream!’ fandom. Namely, a mobile rhythm game called ‘BanG Dream! Girls Band Party!’ and, unlike the first season, it was a runaway success, becoming a massively grossing product for publishing company Bushiroad. And part of the appeal was undoubtedly the four bands that got introduced through the mobile game; ‘Roselia’, ‘Afterglow’, ‘Pastel＊Palettes’ and ‘Hello, Happy World!’ And it was ‘Roselia’ in particular that helped catapult the series, with the goth-rock inspired band constantly topping fan and official polls as the favourite band with the best songs.

So what does that mean for this second series in particular? It means ‘Roselia’ feature a lot. To the point where they are featured as frequently is as organically possible to the narrative flow of the series and they even have their songs as ‘OP’ and ‘ED’ in three of the episodes an honour ~not~ afforded to any of the other bands in the show. This is what we call blatant pandering and fan service and as a fellow ‘Roselia’ stan I was in heaven every minute of it.

Well I guess now that you’ve ‘outed’ yourself, you might as well explain your connection to the series… You make it sound so lurid! Basically, I watched ‘BanG Dream!’s first season way back before I even knew there was a mobile game and I really enjoyed it. To the point where I made an impassioned (if slightly under-researched) post on my site about why ‘BanG Dream Is Better Than Love Live!’–fuelling a rivalry that pretty much only exists in my head… It wasn’t until the end of 2018 that I found out about the ‘BanG Dream! Girls Band Party!’ mobile game and I was hooked. Not “spending my life-savings”-hooked, but “playing it every day for an hour or so”-hooked.

And how’s that going to skew your overall verdict of this series as far as reviewing it impartially? Right, so imagine a window, this is me throwing impartiality out that window. There will be next to no impartiality here.

Thanks for being honest I suppose… This is a hard show to review for me because on the one hand, the first season of ‘BanG Dream!’ was flawed and occasionally boring–whereas this new season is consistently entertaining and high-quality not to mention smartly constructed. The irlwaifu, who watches most of the seasonal anime with me, was to put it succinctly–not a fan of season 1 she found it dull and boring and took every opportunity to make fun of it. Whereas season 2 made her smile and laugh and sing-a-long and actually look forward to the forthcoming 3rd season–such is the difference between these seasons. For anyone who hasn’t watched or played or been any part of this series it’s hard to recommend a show that has a polarising, first season and make someone sit-through it just so they can get to the awesome goodness of the second season. People drop shows midway through a single episode, can you imagine what kind of critical acrobatics I’d have to go through to convince someone to watch twelve(+) episodes just to get to something they’d find worthwhile?!

Arisa taking Kasumi to town on her lack of responsibility. Arisa best girl!

Okay, I get it. Then who is this review for? I, uh… I don’t know. Myself, I guess? In a way this is just me signal boosting a series I love and showing how much I love it. I mean, in the 3 months since it’s been out I’ve watched it all through twice and some episodes I’ve watched four times. That might not seem like a lot, but I seldom–if ever–watch a series through more than once unless there’s years between viewings.

CHU2 (that’s her name) is the best anime villain.

That good, huh? The characters and songs and animation is just so unbelievably high quality here. And back onto the topic of 3D animation, well I’ve never been a fan of it until I saw what magic they were capable of here! Never once did the animation fall into ‘uncanny valley’ territory and the 3D animation actually improved upon what was previously done in 2D–as evidenced by some recreated flashback scenes to season one! Not only that the attention to detail in the live performances is immaculate with individual fingering noticeable on guitars and keyboards as well as the overall excellent choreography and lighting of these lengthy sequences.

And what about your favourite episode? No doubt, ‘Hello, Happy World’s’ episode stands out as the highlight from the season. I’ve watched the episode five times already and I never get sick of it (you can find more info on it by reading my single episode review of it here).

But it’s not ‘PERFECT’ right? You’ve gotta have some issues with it, yeah? I mean sure, if you want me to nitpick. The ‘Pastel＊Palettes’ episode was a weak-link–as expected. Likewise there’s an overall sense that larger plot points are being intentionally sidelined for the inevitable 3rd season. And for my liking there’s not enough songs featured per episode as I would like, but these are all complaints that come from me being a super-fan, rather than complaints indicative of the product to the average viewer.

Sorry, ‘Pastel＊Palettes’, you’re just kinda boring. But you do have a couple of good songs!

Right, so try as you might I want you to come up with a final recommendation and review for ‘BanG Dream! 2nd Season’–even with all that aforementioned bias. Put simply, the 2nd season of ‘BanG Dream’ not only improves upon everything that came before and caters to both fans of the mobile game and non-fans alike with impressive visuals, catchy songs and an all-round infectious energy. It also delivers a compelling slice of life story, with stellar voice acting and a surprisingly unpredictable narrative despite being a part of an existing product. I’ve had this dream before but it’s all the sweeter now: 93 out of 100.

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10 Best Anime ED’s Winter 2019

10 Best Anime ED’s of Winter 2019

Here we are–back again counting down the 10 Best Anime ED’s of Winter 2019! In case you missed it, click here for my 10 Best OP’s of Winter 2019.

~Number 10~
“Happy Happy Friends” by Wataten☆Five from ‘WATATEN!’

This is just pure catchy good fun, plus the visuals remind me of the ‘Muppet Show’ for some reason.

~Number 9~
“Wagamama” Arisa Takigawa from ‘Domestic Girlfriend’

It’s just a great damn song that fits the mood of the show (and the ED visuals) perfectly.

~Number 8~
“Little Soldier” by Azusa Tadokoro from ‘That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime’

There’s a lot of feeling wrapped up in this ED plus it’s also a straight up banger that could have easily served as an OP in place of the mediocre one we got!

~Number 7~
“Zettai Zetsumei” by Cö shu Nie from ‘The Promised Neverland’

Unabashedly a Cö shu Nie song and I mean that with all the compliments I could ever afford them.

~Number 6~
“Hagan” by Fujifabric from ‘3D Kanojo: Real Girl 2nd Season’

I don’t watch this show but this ED is so damn good it almost makes me want to! It’s a powerful song that resonates despite having me personally having no real attachment to the imagery on screen.

~Number 5~
“Colorful☆Wing” by Gripen (Yuuka Morishima), Eagle (Hitomi Ohwada), Phantom (Shiori Izawa) from ‘Girly Air Force’

Cue “I love anime songs sung by the voice actors comment” here. It’s especially true when the voice actors all have such distinctive voices–especially hearing best girl Gripen singing is all kinds of amazing and adorable.

~Number 4~
“Whiteout” by Riko Azuna from ‘Boogiepop and Others’

‘Cool and mysterious’ is how I describe this song, it’s also a straight up banger that as soon as I hear it I can’t get it out of my head!

~Number 3~
“Sign” by Aya Uchida from ‘The Quintessential Quintuplets’

The driving beat along with the rapid but sensual vocals all instantly hit all the right buttons with me. This ED is a bonefide masterpiece and I love every second of it, and in any other season it would have been enough for the number 1 spot and yet there’s still two ED’s that are better!

~Number 2~
“Sentimental Crisis” by halca from ‘Kaguya Sama: Love Is War’

The term ‘art’ gets bandied around pretty frequently these days but damn if this ED isn’t a beautiful work of art that only gets all the more endearing and gorgeous every time I watch it. I do love an ED that tells its own little story with its own visual style and this is a prime example of it.

~Honourable Mention~
“Chikatto Chika Chika” by Konomi Kohara from ‘Kaguya Sama: Love Is War’

So um, here’s the thing, this is the best ED ever. That’s not a joke or hyperbole this is fact. But the reason this has only gained an ‘honourable mention’ in my list is for one stupid rule that I have that one off ED’s are not eligible to be numbered in my OP/ED lists. This ED is perfection but it’s mostly due to the flawless animation in Chika’s dance that makes that the case. I love this so much, this pure unadulterated joy that everyone on Earth should experience just once in their life.

~Number 1~
“Sparkle☆Power” by Iketeru Hearts from ‘Pastel Memories’

https://streamable.com/s/nowmv/zllbfm

This is a 100% biased, fan-service inspired pick for number 1. Just putting it out there, but no other anime ED this season has brought such a smile to my face every time it plays. There’s nothing academic or intellectual I can say about this pick other than ‘dem girls thicc, me likey’.

(P.S. There were no good versions of the song on Youtube, hence why I couldn’t embed and had to use a ‘Streamable.com’ version of the ED.)

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And there’s my list! Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment below and let me know what ED was your favourite this season!

Previous Seasonal OP & ED Lists (2018):

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10 Best Anime OP’s Winter 2019

10 Best Anime OP’s of Winter 2019

Hello everyone! A new year and you know what that means, new anime OP’s and ED’s to indulge upon! Last year I made the odd caveat that I was only going to judge the songs on the quality of the music and not the visuals in a move I thought would give my ~opinions~ an air of impartiality. But you know what, that’s dumb, I’m biased as heck and I know it. So while–for the sake of completionism–I did listen (and watch) every anime OP this season, this list is still probably going to end up pretty biased so, you know, if you’ve got a problem with that, tough luck! With that out of the way, let’s count down my 10 Best Anime OP’s of Winter 2019!

~Number 10~
“Kaze Tsuyoku, Kimi Atsuku.” by Q-MHz feat. Mitsuhiro Hidaka a.k.a SKY-HI from ‘Run With The Wind’

Oh hey, the first OP is from a show I don’t watch, see I’m totally not biased! Expectedly for a sports anime its OP is high energy and high quality but in addition to the quality song the visuals are also top quality almost coming off like a little short film. If I didn’t have a natural aversion to male-centric sports anime I might even admit this made me want to watch the show…

~Number 9~
“Kono Yubi Tomare” by JUNNA from ‘Kakegurui xx’

I love James Bond opening credit sequences–in some ways they are the spiritual predecessor to anime OP’s in that they’re big elaborate affairs that can work as little art pieces of their very own. The song here, is not nearly as good as Kakeguri’s 1st season OP but it more than makes it up for it in the visuals which are very ‘Casino Royale’ inspired and at times are mesmerising.

~Number 8~
“Touch Off” by UVERworld from ‘The Promised Neverland’

Just gonna get this out of the way, this OP doesn’t fit this show at all. Fight me. That said it absolutely kicks ass on it’s own, UVERworld have never been better and this OP just draws all attention to it as soon as it starts. “Fire” indeed.

~Number 7~
“KODO” by nonoc from ‘Magical Girl Spec Ops Asuka’

The first 15 seconds of this OP kick my ass so much that’s it’s kind of hard to recover and gather my thoughts. Thankfully this is no one-trick pony as the rest of the OP lives up to the hype it sets up for itself delivering an absolute banger. It’s always a good sign when the OP feels shorter than the 1:30 it covers and leaves you wanting more!

~Number 6~
“Endoro~ru!” by Yuusha Party [Yuusha (Hikaru Akao), Seira (Shiina Natsukawa), Fai (Ari Ozawa), Mei (Inori Minase)] from ‘Endro!’

In contrast to the previous pick this song starts off relatively quaint and low-key, it’s cute, quaint and unassuming for nearly a minute and then that infectious chorus kicks in and I’m all smiles. Plus you know I’m a sucker for an OP sung by the show’s cast…

~Number 5~
“Love Dramatic” by Masayuki Suzuki feat. Rikka Ihara from ‘Kaguya-sama: Love Is War’

This isn’t my preferred genre of music, it’s ‘twee’ and I don’t usually enjoy it. But again it’s those James Bond inspired slightly psychedelic dance-y visuals that completely make this an effort of the whole being greater than the disparate parts.

~Number 4~
“Kawaki wo Ameku” by Minami from ‘Domestic Girlfriend’

This OP made me pregnant.

~Number 3~
“Gotoubun no Kimochi” by Nakanoke no Itsuzugo (Kana Hanazawa, Ayana Taketatsu, Miku Itou, Ayane Sakura, Inori Minase) from ‘The Quintessential Quintuplets’

Much like the show itself this OP has no business being as being as memorable and endearing and charismatic as it is. In fact here’s a little behind the scenes info on this list: I usually like getting these Best OP lists out in the first month of the season but as I’m writing this we’re in the third and final month of Winter 2019 and initially this song barely scraped in at Number 9. But as the list was delayed, ever did this song creep up, I found myself humming it then outright singing the parts at random points during the day. I don’t know how or why but this OP won me over in a way I never expected. Talk about a “surprise”.

~Number 2~
“shadowgraph” by MYTH＆ROID from ‘Boogiepop and Others’

Oh my god, I just can’t get over how cool and sexy this OP is, a show this weird and sci-fi has no business having an OP this damn slinky. It’s also a case where the song syncs up so perfect to the visuals that you can’t help picturing the OP in the head when you hear the song alone.

In any other season this’d be the winner but there’s one better. Warning, massively biased choice incoming!

~Number 1~
“Kizuna Music” by Poppin’ Party from ‘BanG Dream! 2nd Season’

So, uhh, yeah. I love BanG Dream! the anime, I love BanG Dream! the mobile game and I love all the (literally hundreds) of songs associated with the various bands featured throughout. The second season of ‘BanG Dream!’ came in like a proverbial wrecking ball to be my favourite show of the season (yes, calling it now, sorry ‘Endro!’) and so it’s no surprise that Kizuna Music–a bonefide pop classic in my opinion–is my Number 1 song of the season. Yes this choice is biased, I’ve played this song in the mobile game so much I could probably play it with my eyes closed and simultaneously sing it in Japanese. But I legitimately think there’s no better OP to come out of this season than this. Hence it being my pick for number 1.

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And there’s my list! Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment below and let me know what OP was your favourite this season! And stay tuned for the Worst OP list, and the lists for best and worst ED’s of Winter 2019–coming soon!

Previous Seasonal OP & ED Lists (2018):

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True Colours – ‘BanG Dream! 2nd Season’ Episode 5 Review

True Colours – An Anime QandA Review of ‘Bang Dream! 2nd Season’ Episode 5

What’s the show? BanG Dream! 2nd Season, Episode 5.

So how’s this episode? As good as can be expected for an episode focusing on my least favourite band in the series.

This show really captures inner-city Tokyo’s aesthetic really well.

Wow, straight in there with the harsh truths, huh? That’s not to say I don’t like their songs–their songs are great, but I feel like Pastel✽Palettes (who are the focus of this episode) have the weakest vocalists, have the most ordinary aesthetic and are kind of dull characters. This episode didn’t change any of those facts, however it did at the very least endear me to them–specifically Aya and Chisato–who were front and centre with their little ‘arc’.

Right, and what is their story in this episode? So the band is practising for the big performance at ‘World Idol Festival’ and there’s a bit of nervousness in the air as they failed their first live debut show–they had to lip-sync and then the power cut-out (an idol’s biggest fear!)–hence why they’re learning to play their own instruments now. Meanwhile there’s a particular song that Aya is keen for them to practice and perform at the festival but that Chisato has doubts about (it’s a duet between her and Aya, but Chisato is a bassist and is worried about being able to plan and sing at the same time). But the two get over their concerns and go on to play at the festival (albeit on a smaller stage than they were expecting) and perform the song without a hitch. The end.

And that’s it for the episode? Yes, and compared to the ridiculous, fantastical spectacle we got last week this is practically a different show. But it’s also pretty sweet and charming and has some nice character moments and even a couple of good jokes. Is it the weakest episode so far? Undoubtedly. But is it still enjoyable, with nice characters and great music? Absolutely. So while I still consider Pastel✽Palettes to be the weakest of the 5 bands (currently) in this series, I still enjoyed this enough that I don’t lament their existence.

Previous ‘BanG Dream 2nd Season’ Reviews:

A Whole New Dimension – Episode 1 Review
Offering Support – Episode 2 Review
Rokka And Roll – Episode 3 Review
Flying High – Episode 4 Review

If you liked my post and want to support my content, please consider supporting my Patreon page, or donating by buying me a coffee on Ko-fi!