Board 8 > JZ's Exceptional Taste Series: Top 8 Gundam Opening Themes

(+) Yeah! (+)

Just a little something I'm doing because I'm bored. Been watching/rewatching loads of Gundam lately and even having missed a few shows I'm still relatively confident in saying I'm one of the board's biggest fans of the franchise. Hell, there are probably only eight or so people here who'd even care to read this but whatever. I'm bored!

8.) Mobile Suit Gundam 08th MS Team // "Shining in the Storm"
Opening Version:
Full Version:

Wow. Would you look at those wonderfully weird lyrics in the subtitles!

Topping off the list is the opening to a Western fan favorite with lots of "UC street cred". Mobile Suit Gundam: 08th MS Team aired here in America on Toonami for a while and it gained a following for its more realistic depiction of everyday life in war.

The opening theme, "Arashi no Naka de Kagayaite" (literally "Shining in the Storm") follows through on this in spades; despite the music being catchy and upbeat there's a certain intentional melodramatic repetition going on here. More importantly the scenes used in the opening are mostly very down-to-earth and sometimes silly in an almost M*A*S*H-like way.

This is a good opening right here.

7.) Mobile Fighter G Gundam // "Flying In The Sky"
Opening Version:
Full Version:

And now for something completely differ -- SHINING FINGER

G Gundam, the franchise's sole total delving into the realm of the "Super Robot" subgenre, has an appropriately crazy-sounding opening. Yet another Toonami-bred Western-recognized show (spoilers here and now: this is going to happen a few times on this list even though I've branched out quite a bit from that batch) and I actually really recommend you check out the full version because it adds an almost darker element to it.

But for its place on the list I've gotta go with the obvious draws: it's exciting, it's cheesy in a lovable sense, it's got a Japanese dude shouting "Shining Finger" merrily, it's got Domon's magical powers of electricity and it encompasses the beat of the show in a superior fashion over the second opening theme.

It's crazy, yo.

6.) Gundam After War X // "Dreams"
Opening Version:
Full Version:

If ever there were an anime opening I'd listen to while running on the treadmill or stairclimber or what-have-you in order to feel utterly pumped this would be it. Especially the full version; I think in order to really appreciate why "Dreams" is on the list you've gotta give the full five minutes a shot.

But these songs are placing first and foremost because of their effectiveness as openings and "Dreams" delivers there too. The beat hits you fast and hard but the backdrop is a much-slower panning of various characters gazing thoughtfully. If you've never seen Gundam X (and I'd bet there's a good chance you haven't, oh and you're totally missing out) you might not get the relevance here but a lot of those scenes in the background feature a devastated world thanks to the show's rather post-apocalyptic nature.

Still, it's a surprisingly good-feeling kind of show, a real against-all-odds show. Shame it got forcibly truncated nonetheless!

More to come later.

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"Setsuna, you have to change. To make up for me... who didn't change." ~SCP~
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Stardust Memory op 1 is totally number 1

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PSN Sfandi
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Tobe! Gundam is too catchy and amazing to not be number 1.

Not hokey at all.

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"I can already feel my Dumey Lust kicking in." -MistBiomeZ

From: EDumey | #003
Tobe! Gundam is too catchy and amazing to not be number 1.

Not hokey at all.

Guuuun-dah-MOO

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"Setsuna, you have to change. To make up for me... who didn't change." ~SCP~
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From: NioraptH | #005
Daybreak's Bell 1st aw yeah

/unpopular opinion is unpopular

Definitely a good song but I'm not going to confirm or deny whether or not it will place.

Same to Diet for his 0083 choice.

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"Setsuna, you have to change. To make up for me... who didn't change." ~SCP~
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5.) Gundam Wing // "Rhythm Emotion"
Opening Version:
Full Version:

OK, Relena is staring at Heero a bit too long and a bit too oddly at one point in this sequence and I would have liked to see Heero actually wear that outfit at some point.

Ahem, anyway. This is the entry that will probably ring a bell with the most readers who happen upon this topic because Gundam Wing is rather easily the most Western-popular series in the franchise. Toonami cranked the hell outta this one and I cannot tell you how many times I've read "this is the only Gundam show I've watched and it's great!" on the internet. Also, "this is the only Gundam show you crybabies have ever seen and it's the worst!"

Yeah, it's the Final Fantasy VII of Gundam. But we're not really here to get into a debate so let's get back to the matter at hand. Obviously I like this opening a lot. "Rhythm Emotion" is only played for the lattermost quarter of the show but I think it beats out "Just Communication" in both music and opening presentation, even though its predecessor would still come in around number ten or eleven for me if I were to go back that far. There's cool atmosphere in this (check out the beeping as Heero lays coldly in his cockpit early on and the desolate ruins all throughout) and Two-Mix really cranks out a cool... er, rhythm.

Plus it has Wing Zero and Epyon duking it out and that alone is almost top-five worthy.

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"Setsuna, you have to change. To make up for me... who didn't change." ~SCP~
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Diet Water posted...
Stardust Memory op 1 is totally number 1

YEssss, it had better be JZ or I will think less of you as a man.

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Oh man I just love the voice of Tobe! Gundam.

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Chant the name of BlAcK TuRtLe, winner of the 2010 Guru Challenge!
NEXT TIME!

4.) Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam // Toki wo Koete (The Sign of Zeta)
Opening Version:
Full Version:


"I came here to laugh at you."

This is a song with some borderline-ironic history right here. Although the music was originally composed by an American musician (hence the distinctively Western 80s feel to it) when it finally came time to release Zeta Gundam overseas on DVD in 2004 copyright issues ended up preventing us from getting the proper opening music.

For anyone who's seen Zeta I shouldn't have to explain this song's placement but for the uninitiated just let the long-lost decade of long hair and lost brain cells take you away as you enjoy a flurry of mecha action scenes punctuated by a strong-willed badass with shades to rival any crime scene investigator's. The song itself is really just totally catchy and the singer does a great job keeping up with the instruments without taking over.

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"Setsuna, you have to change. To make up for me... who didn't change." ~SCP~
http://img.imgcake.com/Jeffzeropngus.png

From: edwardsdv | #008
YEssss, it had better be JZ or I will think less of you as a man.

Oh, the excitement is building now!

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"Setsuna, you have to change. To make up for me... who didn't change." ~SCP~
http://img.imgcake.com/Jeffzeropngus.png

3.) Gundam 00 // "Ash Like Snow"
Opening Version:
Full Version:

Easily the most recent on the list, "Ash Like Snow" is absolutely terrific. The Brilliant Green is a cool newer Japanese band and they really bring this opening to life. The art design in the eye candy is sleek and shiny, the scene transition throughout the montage is well-paced and balances accentuating both character drama and robots exploding pretty effortlessly and there's a strong melody all throughout.

We're now moving into "songs JZ listens to fairly often" territory and "Ash Like Snow" definitely deserves the treatment. Sorry, Nio, I know how much you love the first of 00's four openings but the second is totally where it's at for me. At least we're in agreement that the third is kind of bad, I hope!

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"Setsuna, you have to change. To make up for me... who didn't change." ~SCP~
http://img.imgcake.com/Jeffzeropngus.png

From: NioraptH | #013
Funnily enough, Ash Like Snow is the only Gundam 00 song in my active playlist... Daybreak's Bell is kinda on/off for me.

I kinda rank it... Daybreak's Bell >= Ash Like Snow > Hakanaku Towa title too long > Namida no Mukou as far as 00 openings goes.

Also, Invoke/Ignited top two?

That's a good ranking.

And also, SEED and SEED/Destiny are two of the only series in the franchise I haven't seen so I don't feel like I know their openings well enough to place them. :P

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"Setsuna, you have to change. To make up for me... who didn't change." ~SCP~
http://img.imgcake.com/Jeffzeropngus.png

2.) Gundam After War X // "Resolution"
Opening Version:
Full Version:

That's right. Gundam X shows up twice. Cheap, you might grumble, especially since, again, there's a decent chance you've never seen the series. But just let Romantic Mode (hey, I didn't make up the band name myself here) take you away with this pulse-pounding track of... well, what else? Resolution? It's the second of two openings for the shortened-but-still-sweet third alternate universe series and as far as I'm concerned it might well feature the best music out of any Gundam opening. If not any opening... ever.

Again, the atmosphere is delightful. It's just not quite as delightful as our number one. But it gets the job done, even if much of it is re-used footage that "Dreams" featured. But damn, this one deserves its place for the song first and foremost and it excels there far and away. Listen to the full version or you're seriously denying yourself, that mad beat is unstoppable. This song makes me want to write novels about epic rebellions, it really does.

Almost there...

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"Setsuna, you have to change. To make up for me... who didn't change." ~SCP~
http://img.imgcake.com/Jeffzeropngus.png

Actually watching Zeta right now. Good good stuff.

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"I can already feel my Dumey Lust kicking in." -MistBiomeZ

1.) Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory // "The Winner"
Opening Version:
Full Version:

C'mon now, Diet Water and edwardsdv. Could it have been anything else?

So "Resolution" has what I consider the best music; how could I put "The Winner" above it? It's simple: not only does it have the coolest general mood for its opening overall but it also has another song that's also f***ing awesome. But yeah, there's something flat-out rad (especially for UC buffs) about the whole package here. Kou Uraki racing as the years from 0079 to 0083 beat by is nifty. The Zeon flag waving about is snazzy. The "Ghost of Solomon", Anavel Gato, appears on the screen in a startlingly ghostly fashion.

Everything comes together flawlessly here. It's a giant UC festival and it's freakin' sweet.

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"Setsuna, you have to change. To make up for me... who didn't change." ~SCP~
http://img.imgcake.com/Jeffzeropngus.png

From: EDumey | #016
Actually watching Zeta right now. Good good stuff.

Yeah, Zeta is amazing

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"Setsuna, you have to change. To make up for me... who didn't change." ~SCP~
http://img.imgcake.com/Jeffzeropngus.png

Actually, if you don't mind the slight derailment, how is ZZ compared to Zeta? I'm going through the UC verse for the first time, and I'm about halfway through Zeta now.

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"I can already feel my Dumey Lust kicking in." -MistBiomeZ

Oh, I don't mind at all. I usually relish the opportunity to discuss Gundam. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you as I stepped out for a while.

Sadly, it's... pretty much universally considered a couple of steps down in quality. The major offender is the lack of direction and overall more childish feel to the first half; it actually picks up quite a bit in its second half. But the "funny" escapades of the younger characters really come off as mostly banal. There's just a very kiddy style to a lot of things early on by comparison.

It does get better though, yeah. When it starts to take itself seriously (and gets properly serialized in nature like Zeta pretty much always is -- you know, one episode leading into the next fairly well and such) it's a worthwhile watch so you might want to grin and bear it early on.

Let me know when you get around to finishing Zeta and I'll tell you something behind-the-scenes which sort of explains what went wrong with ZZ. I'd say it now but it's a Zeta spoiler!

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"Setsuna, you have to change. To make up for me... who didn't change." ~SCP~
http://img.imgcake.com/Jeffzeropngus.png

I will bump this a total of five times. The first poster who responds after the second, fourth and fifth bumps will gain a special prize.

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"Setsuna, you have to change. To make up for me... who didn't change." ~SCP~
http://img.imgcake.com/Jeffzeropngus.png

I hope that was the second bump.

Anyway, YAY ,you got it right!

I love stardust, I feel like it had the perfect feel for a side Gundam and that Kour/ Nina Purpleton was pretty well done. And Mancha was funny.

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Also, Drunk edwards is drunk wee.

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Nope. That was the first bump, I'm afraid. But don't worry -- I don't even know what I was talking about with the "special prize" shenanigans so there's no guarantee they'll even be good!

0083 was pretty rad. It's not my favorite series in the franchise though but damn if it didn't do a great job on presentation for its time. Especially that opening. Oh, and I didn't say it in the write-up but the second opening, "Men of Destiny", isn't bad either. It's just not top eight material.

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"Setsuna, you have to change. To make up for me... who didn't change." ~SCP~
http://img.imgcake.com/Jeffzeropngus.png

Yeah I agree, Men of Destiny is just not quite the same level of awesomeness in either song or video.

Also, be honest, South Burning is the most badass name ever, right?

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edwardsdv, you are the second person (>_>) to bump this topic! You have just received a Gouf Custom! This is no Zaku boy, no Zaku!



Enjoy yourself in this Universal Century equivalent of a hot rod! It may be an antique but it electrocutes its enemies and doesn't afraid of anything!

Also, be honest, South Burning is the most badass name ever, right?

Haha. Yes.

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"Setsuna, you have to change. To make up for me... who didn't change." ~SCP~
http://img.imgcake.com/Jeffzeropngus.png

Jeff Zero posted...
edwardsdv, you are the second person (>_>) to bump this topic! You have just received a Gouf Custom! This is no Zaku boy, no Zaku!



Enjoy yourself in this Universal Century equivalent of a hot rod! It may be an antique but it electrocutes its enemies and doesn't afraid of anything!

Also, be honest, South Burning is the most badass name ever, right?

Haha. Yes.

This is really VERY ironic because I just bought a model of a Gouf:



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edwardsdv

Haha, awesome.

I used to own some models (and action figurine things too) back in the day. I really need to get back into the scene. I thought it was cool as s*** collecting dem mobile suits.

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"Setsuna, you have to change. To make up for me... who didn't change." ~SCP~
http://img.imgcake.com/Jeffzeropngus.png

Well, I bought the Char one and enjoyed myself putting it together. So I just like modeling I guess.

My collection currently:

Char's Zaku, a Gouf, Garma's Zaku, Unicorn Gundam(in unicorn form), and the GM Custom from 0083 that Burning and Mancha pilot.

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Nice. I'm trying to remember what all I used to own. This is the closest I can come up with right now. Bear in mind this was around 2001 or so. Times have changed. Or something.

Models:
RX-78 Gundam
Char's Gelgoog
Wing Gundam
Jagd Doga

Figurines: (hey, they were flimsier and not nearly as shiny but they went on sale often at Suncoast)
Two RX-79 EZ-8s (made it seem like it was a couple of Federation pilots fighting alongside one-another... or something)
Nu-Gundam (my friend had Sazabi!)
Wing Zero (my friend had Epyon!)
Deathscythe
GM

Looking back, I was definitely a follower of the protagonists while my friend collected Zeon stuff and other similar groups. I eventually gave him the Gelgoog because it seemed fitting.

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"Setsuna, you have to change. To make up for me... who didn't change." ~SCP~
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Exceptional taste.

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"Setsuna, you have to change. To make up for me... who didn't change." ~SCP~
http://img.imgcake.com/Jeffzeropngus.png

For an excdeptional man

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My older brother had every model of every mobile suit to appear in Wing. Mostly just because he liked building them, and then leaving them around his room in giant battles.

Plus he had one random generic Zaku.

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"I can already feel my Dumey Lust kicking in." -MistBiomeZ

That Zaku was surrounded by things infinitely more powerful. Like... not in a UC sense, even. The mechs in Wing were damn powerhouses and probably could have eaten that poor Zaku at any time.

That Zaku is a badass.

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"Setsuna, you have to change. To make up for me... who didn't change." ~SCP~
http://img.imgcake.com/Jeffzeropngus.png

That Zaku is the soldier from the intro of Dragon Quest II amazing.

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Haha, I had to look that one up unfortunately but I do agree. That game's on my to-play list too, actually.

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"Setsuna, you have to change. To make up for me... who didn't change." ~SCP~
http://img.imgcake.com/Jeffzeropngus.png