Lurker > Logicblade

Feel free to give your thoughts as they come up, it's always interesting to see. There are so many openings to choose from, 100 is a lot more prohibitive than it sounds, especially when there's like 60-70 openings a season.

Anyway here's one I had to get on the list. Because I'm a Popipa Stan, and I live that life.

80. Kizuna Music - Poppin' Party - BanG Dream! Season 2 OP
2019 (7/9)
Winter 2019 (5/5)
https://streamable.com/9dczn

Kizuna Music may not be the most technically beautiful opening, but I love this song to death and I love how the character of each of the PoPiPa girls shines through in this one. Winter 2019 is my second most represented season, just behind Spring 2018 which had 7 songs somehow. Anyway it's a real bop and I can't help but sing along whenever it starts playing. I also couldn't find a version without ads or being cut off so here you go. I was originally planning on just putting this as the 100th spot but I just kept moving it up the list as I went through the pile of songs because I just liked everything else less.

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Let's end the 80's with a blast.

80. Spirit Inspiration - Nothing's Carved in Stone - Zetsuen no Tempest
2012 (5/8)
Fall 2012 (1/1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OYMM-68VGU

Nothing's Carved in Stone has some really catchy openings, and Spirit Inspiration is definitely an inspired piece. You very quickly get a handle on what sorts of characters the main cast are, and you get to see some cool action scenes, interspersed with some funky bass licks, and of course "SPIRIT INSIPIRATION, NO I CAN'T LOOOOOOOSE." It's all done very well and is definitely worthy of being on the best openings of the decade list. Oh, and the anime is a definite much watch, also one of my favourites from the decade.

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81. Genesis - Stereo Dive Foundation - Dimension W
2016 (9/11)
Winter 2016 (2/2)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Cqzz88jrxY

And now for an opening that gets by solely on how beautiful the action is. I don't hate the song perse, but it's very hit or miss. It's definitely the action that's the main draw, from the funky dance at the beginning, to the car chase and fight scene, it just oozes style. If the song did more for me, this could have easily been in the top 30. However, it's just a case of I really appreciate this, but there is definitely better out there.


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Lion would have done fairly well if it was a song this decade, yes. Sadly Delta was nowhere near as good in the opening department than Frontier. Is that list spoilers? Eh whatever.

82. Now Or Never - Nano - Phi Brain Season 2
2012 (6/8)
Spring 2012 (4/4)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LKssvKRmD4

Are you ready to solve some fucking puzzles? After listening to this opening you might as well be. Phi Brain actually had some really underrated openings, both this and Brain Diver are real bops, and again it was hard picking exactly which one should make it onto this list. In the end I liked Nano's Now or Never just that little bit more, the guitar riff draws you in instantly. The visuals to the opening have this nice mirror effect going for it, starting and ending with similar shots of the protagonist and arc villain, and sometimes I just like the duality of the whole thing, makes up for the style being a little off the beaten path. Didn't realize most of my 2012 reps were from the month of spring though.

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83. PROMPT - Natsumi Kon - Ginga Kikoutai Majestic Prince
2013 (8/8)
Summer 2013 (2/2)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66ywZgB8iQ4

So guys, I really like Mecha anime. Especially ones that ended up being the least popular out of all three that were airing at the exact time (Valvrave, Gargantia). In any case, I can't even find a good version of this opening, just goes to show how underappreciated this show was in certain circles. I mean, Hiraiface, I get it, but the action choreography was actually stunning, and both openings had merits for making it on this list. I liked this one's song a little bit more, and could just feel the inspiration welling up in me when listening to the last 30 seconds or so.

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And one more for the night.

84. MAYDAY - Coldrain ft. Ryo from Crystal Lake - Fire Force
2019 (8/9)
Fall 2019 (1/2)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0WClcc-aVs

Sometimes you just want some heavy screaming in your shounen anime about fire fighters who literally fight with fire. The opening has some nice visuals, but it's very inconsistent. But the song is really enjoyable, and if I like the song I'm going to at least consider the opening for something. Not my favourite coldrain opening this decade, but I do really like this one, and the bridge of "EVERY BRIDGE WE BURN" is just such a god damn earworm. You gotta love it.

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85. Here - Junna - The Ancient Magus' Bride
2017 (6/6)
Fall 2017 (2/2)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuZbmLLv1vM

Oh wow, I only have 6 songs from 2017. Must have been a weak year overall. In any case, the Ancient Magus' Bride does not have a weak opening, Junna's voice is enchanting as we get anime beauty and the beast out in full force here. The choice of instruments is hauntingly beautiful, as the spanish guitar just gently plays with your heartstrings. It feels weird loving an opening so much, and only having it number 85 on a list like this. It's crazy.

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bumpo

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86. Flashback - Miyavi vs. KENKEN - Kokoku
2018 (15/16)
Winter 2018 (3/3)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhBA6ynorvc

This one is a god damn trip. I got to hand it to them though, it's hauntingly catchy and addictive. It's got that paranoia agent vibe to it, despite being an entirely different flavour of song. This is just a really good case of the visuals and song combining to make a better opening than they would be if they were just their individual parts. It really goes hand in glove in that sense. It's not going to get the upper hand on some of the other songs on this list, but it will force my hand when it comes to awful, awful puns.

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87. Trigger - Yuuki Ozaki - Terror in Resonance
2014 (10/13)
Summer 2014 (3/3)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1ARRcK4LVs

Haunting beautiful vocals combined with some very trippy visuals makes for a really good opening as it turns out. Well, at least I think so. Probably the best godzilla spinoff to date. Wait, it's not? Whoops. Everything from about 30 seconds on to the end is really good, and almost makes me want to pick up the series again, even though I dropped it pretty quickly for a reason.

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88. Serment - Mami Kawada - Shakugan no Shana Final
2012 (7/8)
Winter 2012 (2/3)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbuL1a_TZbQ

Finding a good version of this opening was difficult to say the least. Finding the full version, or a nightcore version, no problem, this though? That's another question entirely, so we take what we've got. The Shana openings all have a lot of neat buildup in them, and this is no exception. Kawada is just pleasant to listen to and as the music swells, the action matches pace, combining touching memories with intense stare downs, and it's just a good solid opening all around.

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89. Renegade - Stereo Dive Foundation - Gangsta
2015 (10/11)
Summer 2015 (2/2)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COBpRXm_CUQ

I love the style of the opening, so much so that I can even forgive this having a weaker song than usual. Not that it's bad or anything, just the verses and chorus can be a bit hit or miss for me, and the backing chipmunk sounds can be grating or just fine depending on how I feel. The style is great, the action is really good, so I would feel remiss not having this somewhere in the top 100. The long version of the song is more palatable, but the short version, I dunno, it just rubs me the wrong way.

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90. Sawakaze - Tomofumi Tanezawa - Kimi Ni Todoke
2011 (11/12)
Winter 2011 (3/4)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75F5ZHd5VmQ

Short, Soft, and Sweet. Sawakaze just gives you that warm bubbly feeling in the depths of your heart. The singers voice is enchanting as you fade away into a dream-like haze. You can't listen to it without developing a derpy smile on your face, and for that it's worth a spot on this list.

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Ah, I forgot to put the artist for the Aquarion EVOL op, it's Akino and Aiki. Too late to edit it.:(

91. Daydream Syndrome - Marina Fujiwara - Yumekui Merry
2011 (12/12)
Winter 2011 (4/4)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0SUtZF7Uo4

Some openings rank really highly because I like the song so much. Daydream Syndrome is one of those songs that just stays in your head all day when you listen to it. As for what is going on with the visuals, I have no real idea. I assume they're meant to be deeper than they appear, but the series does look really cute regardless. It hits you with the rocking tempo early, has some really fun key changes, and that climax is great.

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92. Kimi no Shinwa - Aquarion EVOL OP 1
2012 (8/8)
Winter 2012 (3/3)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnHnWyxTid8

One more before I call it a night, and we have an opening for an anime about super robots punching things, love, koans that make zero sense, and a plot better suited to a super robot wars game than any sort of anime. This could have been the other Aquarion EVOL opening, I do like that song as well, but the second opening is basically a clip show so obviously that's out of the question entirely. This opening does a good job showing off their colourful cast of characters, giving you a bit of insight into what they're like, and tops it all off with some beautiful action scenes. The last twenty seconds or so are real good.


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93. Hello, World! - Bump of Chicken - Blood Blockade Battlefront
2015 (11/11)
Spring 2015 (3/3)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J8jcI0WtzM

I really wish Bump of Chicken made more openings for stuff, they do really good work. Karma from Tales of the Abyss is still a bop, and Hello World continues the legacy. The buildup of the opening is really great, I love some of the imagery in this opening a lot, from the scattered photographs zooming out and becoming the city skyline, to the action sequence at the big climax of the opening. It's very well done, all things considered.

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94. Cerulean - BACK-ON - Gundam Build Fighters Try
2014 (11/13)
Fall 2014 (3/3)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtDNymy7p9U

Man, nothing like a BACK-ON opening to get you hyped for smashing plastic models together. Gundam Build Fighters is a really fun series. Build Fighters Try... not so much. Same sort of premise, but the execution kind of flopped horribly. What didn't flop however was the rocking openings. Great action scenes, inspirational lyrics, and they just tie together really well. If the premise of the show is to sell plastic, they're doing a damn good job of it. Just Fly Away and Wimp are also really good openings, but I decided to go with this one as my choice.

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I'm certain Busou Renkin was last decade.

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Doing some research on the list added some anime to the "give it a shot pile." As for animes I've already given a shot, here's number 95.

95. Paradigm Box - Character Voices - Caligula
2018 (16/16)
Spring 2018 (7/7)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOESH-O7VRw

So Caligula. The game had a very good soundtrack and I grew to really like the characters and their struggles, so I said what the hell, give the anime a try. It wasn't all that good, but the one thing they absolutely nailed was the soundtrack, and especially the opening. The visuals are dynamic, fully utilizing the games' style of monochrome with just a splash of colour in the right spots. The two lead voice actors have a nice contrast in their voices, and it gets you really hyped up for what is essentially Persona 3 redux.

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96. Divine Intervention - Fhana - Witch Craft Works
2014 (12/13)
Winter 2014 (4/4)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsC99AIHjDQ

Huh, the bottom of my list seems to really lean into the soft and cute. I uh... promise that changes as we move on. It combines a nice song, with some nice visuals and actions scenes. Gotta get me a big tittied witch GF though... I don't have a lot to say about it, other than I just like it.


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97. Little Busters EX! - Rita - Little Busters EX!
2014 (13/13)
Spring 2014 (3/3)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYwahups9Pc

Well, this is the first time a key anime is appearing on this list, and it won't be the last. I specify this one over the original little busters opening because I like the instrumentation more as well as the visuals. I have no idea what the hell the context of it is, since I've never played Little Busters, but I can assume that it's all very deep and full of spoilers. My favourite part is actually the buildup from about :38 to :50, just gives off that sort of eerie unsettling 'something is going on' vibe that I really like. It's a good OP!

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98. Coolest - Customi-Z - Haven't you heard? I'm Sakamoto OP
2016 (10/11)
Spring 2016 (3/4)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8d3bW42aFY

This one is just silly, but very aptly fitting of the gag anime that is Sakamoto. The entire gimmick is that Sakamoto looks cool doing literally any mundane task. Naturally the joke gets stale pretty quickly, but it's funny enough the first few times. I really like the vibrant colours, the fast beat, and the way the opening just really fits for the source content. You really are the coolest, Sakamoto-kun.

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99. Papapa - Shuka Saito - Ore wo Suki nano wa Omae dake ka yo (OreSuki) OP
2019 (9/9)
Fall 2019 (2/2)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eidiBULZF_Q

So the first time you listen to this, it's just sort of whatever. Decently catchy, nice enough visuals... and then you listen to it again and all of a sudden you're all Papapa up in here. Shuka has a really neat voice, and I can understand it being nasally and offputting to some, but it really tickles my ears in just the right way. So in the end you end up getting a really cute opening about a silly harem anime. And that bench is about to ruin Joro's entire life.

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100. Innocent Promise - Trustrick - Shounen Maid OP
2016 (11/11)
Spring 2016 (4/4)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2si8RtqFYA

It's cute, it's warm and it's fluffy. Seeps right into your soul and makes you feel really comfy, this has all the hallmarks of a good opening. I especially like the part from about :46 to about 1:04. It doesn't have any sort of wow factor to it, it's just a very catchy song with some nice visuals to go with it. And for that, you get a spot on the top 100.

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Can't believe another new decade is upon us. It's been a long time since I made a ranking topic, but I'd thought I'd kick it off right by doing an anime opening's list. My methodology for this was pretty simple. I had four tiers that I ranked openings on. The first tier is "This could be my favourite OP of the decade. full stop.", the second is "I adore this OP, it should rank highly." and the third tier was "This is a really good OP, and should probably be in the top 100." The 4th tier was simply "Not good enough". In order to do this, I scoured the internet for other peoples rankings topics by anime season, by year, by decade, and tried to develop a comprehensive list. Well when there's 50+ animes a season, with 40 seasons to look through, you have to deal with a lot of songs, so naturally some may have fallen through the cracks. But it was not for a lack of trying. I even asked around in the board8 discord for a few suggestions, which helped round out my list. In any case, I've gotten to a point where I feel good about the order, feel good about the songs on the list, and I'm ready to get started... after I take a nap or get the long sleep.

To prevent the same anime from taking multiple spots, I limited it to one song per anime. There were a few exceptions, but honestly not as many as I thought there would be. There's also like a bajillion Fate animes, I treated them all as their own entities, rather than one big thing because... well they aren't. In any case, here's how my tiers ending up shaking out, for a bit of teaser.

Nachos Supreme Tier 20/100
A+ Tier 36/100
A Tier 44/100 (14 Honorable Mentions/Final Cuts)

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1. Sakura

(ok not actually, but I'm just hoping she ranks high)
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Wrath
Sloth
Pride
Envy
Lust
Greed
Gluttony

in that order.
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https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvEaex9xn7t519HYcCDHdsguFqN8Yti4y

There's no way in hell I finish this before Cold Steel 3 comes out.
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Once characters start developing into their roles, the Blue Lions really take off. Felix is a great swordmaster, and Ingrid is a big ball of dodge. You also get a lot of early paralogues to help with damage output.
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20 bucks and I never saw it again. Don't lend money to people if you want friends.
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I swear this is an Achilles' tear that they're just covering up.
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It happens to me fairly often. Turns out not being attracted to women makes you very attractive to women.
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Well they forced you to move on in a lot of courses so in junior high I'd get A's and B's in all the important subjects and then F's in art and shop and stuff because I'd just go home once the classes that mattered were done with.
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Iron Man > Thor > Black Widow > Cap > Hawkeye > Hulk
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