Board 8 > Jesse Ranks TV Show Intros - The Rankings

(+) Yeah! (+)

46. Cardcaptor Sakura - Platina (Opening 3) - Raetsel_Lapin
https://youtu.be/q91TXBDgyac

Unique: 5.25
Story: 3.5
Music: 6.5
Animation: 6
Personal: 5.25
Average: 5.3

This intro felt a bit slow at times, lingering for awhile on the main character as she engages in silent introspection. But it also had an unusually serene quality to it, which I think would have been lost if the pacing had been quicker. So my comment about the pacing is intended more as an observation than a criticism.

My favorite thing about the intro was the lovely theme song, which has a very nice melody and pleasant vocals. This is one of those songs that really added a lot to the intro, giving it a sense of emotional significance that also helped boost the Story score.

Speaking of story, theres a feeling of something profound to the characters introspective moments, enough to create some sense of story, even if you get no real idea what the show is about. But without more of a glimpse into whats going on inside the characters head, this was really as high as I could go with the Story score based on only a vague sense of depth.

Finally, the animation was very fluid and looked really good at times, with nice details such as the way the characters hair sways in the wind, the distorted reflection in the mirror star, and the falling flower petals. Theres a definite sense of artistic vision to the sequence. However, various parts of the intro were less challenging and contained only stills of characters, which held the Animation score back somewhat.

Despite my nitpicking, this was a good intro overall.

45. Pinky and the Brain - Eddv
https://youtu.be/qzZmU0aGmcc

Unique: 5
Story: 5.25
Music: 5.75
Animation: 5
Personal: 5.5
Average: 5.3

Im not sure how much I would like this intro if I saw it for the first time today, but its got some nostalgia value for me, since I really liked this show back when it was on the air.

I think the best thing about the intro is the catchy and fun theme song. Its memorable and its tough to imagine a song that could have worked any better for this show.

Theres definitely some originality to the way the words run across the screen as part of the presentation, but aside from that, its basically a series of clips. The intro manages to tell about as much story as it possibly can for a premise about two mice trying to take over the world, not only giving us the plot, but also showing us the personalities of the two leads. And at least for Brain, theres a bit more to his personality than just being a genius, given that Orson Welles like voice and obvious annoyance at Pinkys antics.

Id also say the animation is about average for the era. Its consistent in quality, but never stands out as particularly impressive.

Its a solid intro overall. Narf.

NARFF DDDUBN dun

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44. Angel - ChaosTonyV4
https://youtu.be/-FXt2zoUgyo

Unique: 2.25
Story: 4.25
Music: 7.5
Animation: N/A
Personal: 7.25
Average: 5.3125

I was a big fan of Buffy back in the day, in no small part thanks to Angels character, a novel take on the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde persona. So I was naturally also a fan of this spin-off, and this intro has such nostalgic significance to me that I associate it with a specific period in my life that it takes me back to.

On a more objective level, I think this intro would be nothing special if not for the wonderful theme song. A recurring theme throughout these rankings is that the right theme song can do a lot to set the mood of the show and get across what the imagery is meant to convey. And that is particularly true in this instance, where the melancholy strings tell the story of all the suffering Angel has inflicted and the guilt he carries with him. And the theme song manages to carry that emotional weight, even as the badass percussion comes in, quite appropriately at the moment Angel bursts down a door.

Theres also some story here in the imagery of the despondent woman near the start, and David Boreanazs always great brooding, along with his solitary walk near the end. But the intro suffers on originality from being a series of clips, with only a few visual flourishes.

But I remain a fan of this intro, and I think its held up pretty well over time.

I loved Angel but the ending was downright awful

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5tarscream posted...

I loved Angel but the ending was downright amazing

Fixed

A bit rushed because they'd just been cancelled after being one of the highest rated WB seasons that year and were fully expecting to bring those plots into Season 6? Sure. But they nailed the landing, and the final scene is one of my favorites.

The only major disappointment was the Buffy in Rome episode. It was funny but also not good.

I haven't done an Angel rewatch in a while... might need to break out the DVDs.

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Mega Mana posted...

A bit rushed because they'd just been cancelled after being one of the highest rated WB seasons that year and were fully expecting to bring those plots into Season 6? Sure. But they nailed the landing, and the final scene is one of my favorites.

I read that it only got cancelled because Whedon was pushing for an early renewal before the network was ready to commit, not sure if thats true. But I agree they did a great job with the ending, especially considering the cancellation.

43. Mob Psycho 100 - hombad46
https://youtu.be/Bw-5Lka7gPE

Unique: 8.25
Story: 3.25
Music: 4.5
Animation: 6.25
Personal: 5
Average: 5.45

This is easily one of the more bizarre intros on the list, but thats not the only reason it earns a high Unique score. More importantly, it has an extremely distinctive visual look, which is evident from the start with the eye-catching animation style and unusual color palette. In fact, the intro even dramatically changes animation styles at times, most notably for the guy who looks like hes going Super Saiyan starting at around 1:08 (not saying this is even remotely a DBZ ripoff, its just the first thing that came to mind).

The animation was tough to score because as I mentioned, it changes so much from moment to moment. At times theres an astonishing amount of detail, such as the wonderfully bizarre part starting at around 0:44 (which I almost cant believe wasnt associated with the work of Satoshi Kon), while at other times the animation looked overly simplistic such as that green germ thing at around 0:34 (whatever that creature is, its the one thing I really dislike about this intro). Overall, this is clearly above average animation.

Unfortunately, the theme song wasnt nearly as experimental and interesting as the visuals. In fact, it was a rather dull song, which didnt feel like it fit the intended tone of the intro. That doesnt mean it was a bad song, but they could have chosen better.

Lastly, the Story factor was another tough one for this intro. I never want to penalize an intro for telling a story through abstract imagery and mood, which can actually be more effective than narration. But this is so far out there that I feel like I cant piece together much of a coherent story. Thats not to say theres no story here, as I feel like Im getting a vague sense of it, even if I cant put it into words. But there was just so high I could go with the score for that factor here.

Despite a few issues, this was a pretty cool intro that makes me curious to check out the show.

Yeah, that's one of the ones I was banking on uniqueness for. Glad it paid off there.

Jesse_Custer posted...

that green germ thing at around 0:34

This is a ghost BTW

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42. Bobobo-bo bo-bobo - Pirateking2000
https://youtu.be/Yx-9zJ3UpvQ

Unique: 7.75
Story: 2
Music: 7.5
Animation: 6
Personal: 4.5
Average: 5.55

What did I just watch? This was a tough intro to score because I get the feeling its not supposed to make much sense, no matter how many times you see it.

Clearly it warrants a high score on the Unique factor. Why didnt that factor score even higher? Because its not just about showing weird stuff, but presenting a meaningful story in a novel way. And this has the feel of throwing everything but the kitchen sink in and hoping something sticks. I wouldnt go so far as to say theres no story here, since the sheer absurdity and expressions of the characters count for something in tone. But its virtually impossible to say what this show is about just from watching this intro.

What this intro lacks in cohesiveness, however, it makes up for in other ways, most notably a great theme song which demands your attention right from the start. And the animation is above average in quality, albeit a bit inconsistent given the intros periodic tendency to change the visual style intentionally.

I cant say I really enjoyed this one, but it was definitely one of the more memorable intros nominated.

41. The Drew Carey Show (Cleveland Rocks) - Mega Mana
https://youtu.be/i47lyjYF5As

Unique: 6.5
Story: 3.75
Music: 7.5
Animation: N/A
Personal: 4.5
Average: 5.5625

Im not the biggest fan of this intro, but I admire the way they created an elaborate musical number for the intro of a sitcom. And its obvious a lot of work went into the choreography, which I dont have a factor to score this on. But on a personal level, I prefer the other Drew Carey intro still to come on this list.

The story isnt apparent here, but there is some. Everyone is racing out of an office building at the start, not wanting to spend even a second longer stuck inside than they have to. Then they make a stop at the ATM before living it up. That reveals this is a story about a working class guy who lives for the weekend. But the fact we dont get more of a glimpse into his life or what sets any of the characters apart holds back the score for Story.

What really makes this intro iconic is obviously the theme song. Its full of energy, catchy as can be, and wonderfully timed to go with the visuals. This is exactly what a theme song should achieve, and it creates much of the sense of exhilaration you get when you watch the sequence.

40. Dilbert - CybrMonkey
https://youtu.be/fpivIYJFjd4

Unique: 6.25
Story: 5.75
Music: 5.25
Animation: 5.5
Personal: 5.5
Average: 5.65

This was an interesting intro with a lot going on. First theres the sardonic focus on evolution, showing how far weve come only to reach the point of humanity being hunched over a computer. Then after becoming literally trapped inside the computer and printed out, Dilbert gets launched around the office as a paper airplane, resulting in total chaos. And finally, the Dilbert plane is crumbled up into a ball by the boss and discarded in the garbage, leaving us with an image of a helpless Dilbert trapped in one of countless cubicles. I think the clear message of this is the way office workers are essentially disposable commodities treated like garbage.

The discordant music starting at around 0:22 does a good job of enhancing the sense of chaos unfolding in the office (or perhaps in Dilberts mind). And its got to be one of the more unusual theme songs Ive ever heard from a cartoon, without anything resembling a catchy hook. That isnt a bad thing, and it fits for this sequence, but I cant say its a song I would want to repeatedly listen to.

The animation was mostly average, but the visual effect of the sparks raining down from the broken lights looked really good. And I liked the way they depicted that zoom out to show all the cubicles at the end. All in all, Id say the animators did the best they could with this considering the simplistic character designs they had to work with.

Surprised Bobobo ended up being one of my higher ranked nominations given some of the earlier rankings but neat.

Jesse_Custer posted...

What did I just watch? This was a tough intro to score because I get the feeling its not supposed to make much sense, no matter how many times you see it.

Yeah that's pretty accurate.


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39. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend - Raka_Putra
https://youtu.be/qzY3EaJTuJk

Unique: 6.25
Story: 6
Music: 5.75
Animation: 5
Personal: 5.5
Average: 5.7

When this intro started, I thought it was just going to be the lead character narrating her backstory through song, which would be nothing special. But I liked where it went with her interactions with the cartoon characters, such as the way she got offended by them singing the title. And it was novel the way theres two competing narratives going on here. Theres the main characters interpretation of herself and then theres the way everyone else sees her, which gives us a surprisingly deep dive into her personality in the span of only about half a minute.

While the song wasnt anything groundbreaking, it was used very effectively to tell the story. It felt like they were going for an intentionally cliche 60s sitcom sound with the way the cartoon characters sang crazy ex-girlfriend, which fits with how self-aware the intro is. As a result, the theme song had an unusual sense of charm to it that you dont hear much of these days.

Im sure they were also going for intentionally campy animation, and despite its simplicity, I wouldnt say the animation ever looks bad. Each of the cartoon characters is drawn with a distinct look, even if they all have the same incessantly cheerful expressions.

I enjoyed this one, it was fun.

Crazy Ex Grilfriend does the heavy lifting an intro needs to.

I saw the intro, I watched an episode and that's how I got into Crazy Ex Girlfriend.

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Yeah I like how short and sweet it is yet it set both the story and the tone really well.

Except for the same-y cheerful expressions I guess since a couple of those character don't exactly do that in the show proper, but yeah it's a minor nitpick.

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38. Shiki - hombad46
https://youtu.be/Iw5u3QVdHjA

Unique: 6
Story: 5
Music: 5.75
Animation: 6
Personal: 5.75
Average: 5.7

My first thought when this intro started was this is going to be a generic one, but I quickly realized I was wrong. The intro has a number of interesting aspects that give it a unique feel, such as the view entering the womans mouth at around 0:20, that red lighting effect at around 0:32, and the really cool stained glass look for the faces just before a minute in.

The animation looks really nice, with some impressive visual effects such as the way skin dissolves from the characters to reveal their skeletons. And I particularly liked the aesthetics of the way the red and blue faces merge for a kiss starting at around 0:16.

The theme song didnt strike me as going too well with the horror oriented visuals theme at times. But I liked the song enough that it didnt really matter.

The weakest element here has to be Story, since the intro shows a LOT of characters I know nothing about without having seen the show. But theres enough atmosphere and creepy imagery here to give a strong sense for the tone. Im getting the vibe this is some kind of blend of romance and horror. I could be completely off about that, but the point is the intro at least gives me the sense of a meaningful story, even if I have no idea about the details.

Pretty good intro overall.

37. Avatar: The Last Airbender - Great_Paul
https://youtu.be/d1EnW4kn1kg

Unique: 5.5
Story: 6.5
Music: 5.5
Animation: 6
Personal: 5.5
Average: 5.8

This is a highly focused intro. The creators knew exactly what they wanted to do with it and accomplished their goals, without wasting even a moment of the sequence on any diversions. This intro isnt meant to be memorable. It doesnt even have a true theme song. Its simply designed to tell you what the show is about in a way that makes you want to keep watching.

While narrated intros rarely work well, this intro pulls it off by building its own mythology from the start and telling the story like a legend. Its what the intro for Yu-Gi-Oh! tried to do at the start, but far less effectively without having the kind of imagery you see here showcasing each of the four elements. Its simple and to the point, but its interesting.

Even better is the way the intro pulls you into its world by starting with an overhead map and zooming in until you get this really nice hand-drawn style of artwork for the waves and mountains. That segment was my favorite part of the intro and helped boost the score for the already good animation.

The intro also does a nice job of introducing Aang by showing you his abilities and playful personality in the span of seconds. Unfortunately, the intro doesnt give you much of anything about the other characters including the narrator. But overall, the viewer is left with a good sense of the story and world of the show.

Lastly, while there is no theme song, what little background music we hear does a decent job of helping to set the tone and accompanying the visuals. But it was tough for me to score the music any higher when its so sparse and forgettable.

And one of these days, Ive got to get around to watching this show.

Jesse_Custer posted...

And one of these days, Ive got to get around to watching this show.

Yeah you should, you'd probably like it.

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36. Baccano! - Raka_Putra
https://youtu.be/ODWzLqywz4c

Unique: 5.5
Story: 5.5
Music: 6.25
Animation: 5.5
Personal: 6.25
Average: 5.8

This seems like a really novel intro until you see this sequence from Snatch:

https://youtu.be/yAgI51QvWxs

Well, at least its got a unique style among anime shows, right? Oh wait...

https://youtu.be/frfompwkApw

To be fair, that last one has the same writer and director as Baccano and was released later. But my point is I cant score this as high on the Unique factor as its distinctive style might seem to warrant. Of course, it does still have a different tone and style than the intros to most shows, and was novel enough to get plenty of parodies like these:

https://youtu.be/7gc5IZkZQ1k
https://youtu.be/sJ1WlUlHMzo

So I guess what Im trying to say is I dont really know what to score this on the Unique factor, and Im just going with what feels right.

Anyway, I like this intro for its whimsical tone, the energetic theme song, and the way it avoids the cliche of having a dozen or more characters you cant distinguish in an anime intro by individually naming each of them as if theyre actors in a sitcom. But this isnt a Too Many Cooks intro either. The reason the Story score is as high as it is despite the intro telling us so little about the plot is that it gives most of the characters a distinct sense of personality in the very brief time we are introduced to them. For instance, you can tell right away Ladd Russo is some kind of crazy bastard.

So yeah, this is a really fun and memorable intro. And I think its a shame I cant rank it even higher, but were in the territory of every intro being really good now.

Jesse_Custer posted...

For instance, you can tell right away Ladd Russo is some kind of crazy bastard.

I'm glad that's one of the takeaways from the intro cause he really is

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35. Mr. Rogers Neighborhood - Eddv

Note: The link no longer worked, so I had to substitute another one.

https://youtu.be/hGLb6G_pidg

Unique: 6
Story: 4
Music: 7.25
Animation: N/A
Personal: 6
Average: 5.8125

Admittedly, I was more of a Sesame Street fan when I was little, but this is an undeniably charming intro. Its difficult to even imagine something like this airing today, and theres something very refreshing about how wholesome it is.

The simplicity and directness of the intro, where Mr. Rogers speaks directly to the viewer as his neighbor, is actually what makes it unique. And the theme song is what gives the intro such a sense of genuine decency. Mr. Rogers may not be the greatest singer, but thats all part of the appeal. Hes an ordinary guy welcoming you into his home, and the song is his invitation, which feels like its being sung directly with you in mind when youre watching.

Where this intro falters is the element of Story. Its not completely devoid of story, as the intro clearly establishes the tone of the show and Mr. Rogers character. But theres no real world building from what little we see of the community outside his home. Of course, this show was never meant to be Pee-Wees Playhouse (that could have been an interesting intro to rank), and perhaps its for the best to keep it simple, but Im constrained to assign a limited score for Story.

Although I cant rank this intro any higher, its an undeniably special one and Im glad it was included.

Simple and charming is the perfect way to describe Mr. Rogers.

The Baccano! intro is so good its made me attempt watching the show twice but i can just never get into it despite loving the setting and era.

Great topic

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Should've added another 0.5 on the uniqueness for the name Jacuzzi Splot :p

Aww I'm sad that I'm all out of nominations but at least my final two got pretty high. Looking forward to the top 10.

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34. Animaniacs - hombad46
https://youtu.be/CWnWwN1z_UM

Unique: 5
Story: 5.25
Music: 7.25
Animation: 5
Personal: 6.75
Average: 5.85

A lot of intros have tried to copy the style of this one, but none have come close to doing it so well. It gives the impression superficially of being just a bunch of random zany clips, but it actually does a very good job of introducing the viewer to the Warner siblings, the eccentric world they inhabit, the setup for the show with the Warners locked in the water tower and getting free to cause mischief, and the tone of the show. In fact, the sequence even cleverly mocks using an intro to set up the story, having the Warners sing and now you know the plot. And although theres nothing particularly innovative about the presentation, it has a distinctive feel that stands out from other cartoons.

The theme song is full of energy and catchy to say the least. Its tough not to enjoy, at least in my view. And while it seems like some of the lyrics were made up just for a rhyme, it works for the whimsical nature of the sequence.

Thats about all Ive got to say for this one, its just a lot of fun.

Animaniacs is definitely a classic, iconic opening. The Tiny Toons took so many cues from it and I think I like that even better.

Also when they aired Animaniacs here in Indonesia, they actually dubbed the opening as well. Though it lost like basically all the rhyming.

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Raka_Putra posted...

Animaniacs is definitely a classic, iconic opening. The Tiny Toons took so many cues from it and I think I like that even better.

Tiny Toons was made before Animaniacs

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Huh! That really surprised me. The art style of Tiny Toons really made me think late 90s so I thought it was newer than Animaniacs.

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Going back and checking out that Tiny Toons intro and knowing that came out before Animaniacs, I wonder if my Unique score was a bit high for Animaniacs. They really do have a very similar tone. But I believe my thought process with this one was Unique isnt just doing something novel, its also how much the intro would stand out among intros of a similar genre to someone seeing it for the first time, and I still think Animaniacs tends to stand out.

33. Perfect Strangers - ZeroSignal620
https://youtu.be/8vbnLYROCj8

Unique: 1
Story: 5.25
Music: 8.5
Animation: N/A
Personal: 8.75
Average: 5.875

This one really hit me with the nostalgia, and wound up getting ranked significantly higher than it probably deserved objectively. I realize it's got a derivative sitcom style with a presentation that barely stands out from the intros to similar shows. But I dont care, damn it. This intro means something to me.

So what do I like so much about it? For starters, the theme song, which had an unusually great melody for a sitcom. The song conveys a sense of sincerity, making me care about the characters right away before I even get to know them. Its the tone so many other sitcom theme songs of the era tried to capture, but I think this one gets it just right.

Theres also more story here than it might at first appear. Granted, parts of the intro are just clips showing the city of Chicago or some silly moment without context, but with close attention, youll also see this is the story of a hopeful immigrant coming to America. You see his personality come through in the way he clutches that teddy bear (despite being a full grown adult) while riding on the back of a wagon with the sign reading America or burst, and you see the pure childlike joy on his face when he first sees the Statue of Liberty. You also get some hint of the Odd Couple premise, which shows the other main character being stiff and dressed distinctly differently from Balki (the immigrant character). So thats good enough for a respectable Story score. And what little I could award for the Unique factor comes entirely from the fact that this intro at least tried to tell more of a story than you get in typical sitcom intros with everyone just smiling at the camera.

32. March Comes In like a Lion - handsomeboy2012
https://youtu.be/dVeN7cIQ7ao

Unique: 5.5
Story: 6.25
Music: 5.75
Animation: 6.25
Personal: 5.75
Average: 5.9

This seems like an intro thats easy to overlook at first (in fact, I forgot it was nominated until reminded). It doesnt ever do anything attention grabbing or try to stand out with weird imagery or a dramatic theme song. But that doesnt mean its dull by any means. Its got a subtle depth and beauty to it that requires several viewings to really appreciate. And, if anything, I get the feeling this intro would grow on me more over time, but alas, I have to score it now.

The animation has a really nice atmospheric quality, almost like a watercolor painting at times. In fact, the animation is a big part of what makes this intro unique, along with the dreamlike tone.

The intro also effectively tells a story, starting with the boy plunging into the water, and having an Alice in Wonderland type experience where he envisions a strange world with many doors. Most meaningful to me in this sequence is the way the darkness grabs the boy and overtakes him, followed by a vision of bright light in which we see glimpses of people who must mean something to the boy. And then he reaches out for a hand before we return to reality to see him lying unconscious. I can only speculate as to the meaning, but it strikes me as if the boy is suffering from despair, if not depression, and is searching for someone to save him. I dont know if this is a valid take, but there was more than enough here to analyze to make it clear theres a meaningful story.

Lastly, I enjoyed the theme song, particularly the guitar part. I wouldnt say its the type of song I would have chosen for this intro or that it did much to set the tone, but it was very pleasant with a nice melody nonetheless.

I might check out this show at some point, since the intro has intrigued me.

That's a pretty good take on the story. At first I thought this is where the intro would lose points at.

Wish I had nominated more than one, was in a hurry and didn't notice the nomination period was about to end.

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31. Star Trek: The Next Generation - Murphiroth
https://youtu.be/HnDtvZXYHgE

Unique: 2.5
Story: 1.75
Music: 9.5
Animation: N/A
Personal: 10
Average: 5.9375

This one is a heartbreaker. There are few intros on the list that mean so much to me personally. Just hearing that synthesizer at the start while seeing the view of space with the serene colors is so soothing to me. No matter how messed up the world might be, I can always turn to this intro and show for comfort like an old friend.

And thats why it pained me to have to score it so low in some factors. But this is not a particularly unique intro. Its basically an updated version of the intro to the original series, and even the fantastic theme song comes from Star Trek: The Motion Picture. What little I could award this intro for the Unique factor comes from its distinctly different tone from the original series, along with the visuals of stuff like a comet and planets, which look surprisingly good even by todays standards (admittedly Im not sure if this involved CGI or anything I could assign an Animation score for).

Also, as I already discussed for the intro to the original series, theres not much in the way of story. The intro lets you know the show is about this starship exploring the unknown, but you could figure that much out simply from the title. The one aspect that benefitted this intro in the Story factor compared to the original series is a greater sense of the wonder and beauty of space, which makes this feel like more than just another show set in space.

Fortunately, I was able to award a high score for one other factor, thanks to the fantastic musical score, which is far more epic than the theme for the original series. The music is also timed nicely with the visuals of the Enterprise, and gives you a sense youre in for something special.

It may not have come in near the top of the list, but this intro will always hold a special place for me.

30. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood (OP 1) - hombad46
https://youtu.be/X59yPeVk_70

Unique: 4
Story: 5.5
Music: 6.75
Animation: 7.25
Personal: 6.75
Average: 6.05

This is a really good intro, although Ive never quite understood why so many people see it as the definitive best intro from either of the FMA series. Personally I prefer a couple intros from the otherwise inferior series Fullmetal Alchemist (sans Brotherhood), OP1 (Melissa) and OP4 (Rewrite). But like I said, this is still really good.

The animation looks great, with nice details like the way Edwards hair and clothing blow in the wind. The artwork also does a good job with facial expressions to convey the emotions of the characters, which helps convey the sense of story thats left a bit vague.

And on that subject, while theres actually plenty of story here if youve seen the show, its tough to follow most of the significance of what youre watching without that familiarity. Nevertheless, I think some story comes across, most notably from the dramatic moment (starting at 0:49) where Edwards body starts to come apart, followed by his brother completely vanishing. And then most effectively, we see their friend in a similar shot, losing none of her body, but clearly suffering a loss nonetheless of whatever has happened to her friends.

The most original portion of the intro is the scene I just mentioned. But while the intro has a presentation similar to many others, its still got a distinctive look and tone. And it does the whole introspective staring thing more effectively than practically any intro that comes to mind.

Finally, the theme song is very emotional and does an excellent job of setting the tone. Its timed very nicely with the visuals, such as the way the intensity picks up during the vanishing scene. And the song never gets dull, maintaining a good sense of energy the whole way through.

And just like that I'm down to one left. Oh well, figured it'd be Cowboy Bebop

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29. True Blood - paulg235
https://youtu.be/EjooosDIFgQ

Unique: 6.75
Story: 6
Music: 7
Animation: N/A
Personal: 5.75
Average: 6.375

This is a really good intro, but I confess its also one I dont particularly enjoy watching thanks to such imagery as the decaying corpse of an animal. Of course, this intro is supposed to make you feel uncomfortable, as evidenced by the kid in the Klan uniform.

All that strong imagery has a definite story to tell. The weird thing about this intro is the story the intro conveys leads you to believe its an entirely different kind of show. Sure, theres the slight hint of vampires from the sign reading God hates fangs, or the kid with the blood red strawberries smeared around his mouth. But the story this intro conveys seems to be about the ugly side of America and its long history of racism. Regardless of whether the intro gives a misleading impression of the premise of the show, however, theres undeniably a story here.

The theme song is oddly perfect for this intro. I say oddly because it doesnt seem like a song about doing bad things with a person should work with an animal decomposing. But it suits the provocative and edgy tone of the intro, and its a pretty good song too.

Down to one and it's not the one I expected to last the longest. Really curious to see where it lands.

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28. Death Note (OP 2) - kateee
https://youtu.be/Cnc319FOsNE

Unique: 8.25
Story: 5.75
Music: 5.75
Animation: 6.75
Personal: 5.5
Average: 6.4

Funny thing about this intro. The first time I watched it I was going to give it a 0.25 on the Personal score. But then I came back to it for another watch a few days later and something clicked. I think youve got to be in the right frame of mind for this one, but now that I feel like Im getting it, I actually kind of like it. And although I cant say I would ever listen to music like this in isolation, it works astoundingly well with this sequence and what I think theyre going for.

Anyway, Ive never watched this show, but the intro seems to me like its about a downward spiral into insanity. It also seems like the intro is challenging the viewer to see through the perspective of whoever is going insane, with a barrage of imagery that all seems askew in some way. I found it particularly interesting the way theres this period of calm starting at around 0:35 where various characters appear to be stalking each other, and then all at once, theres a sudden explosion of even greater madness than before. And through it all, the music is extremely well timed with the visuals and doing a lot to enhance the intensity.

The animation looks really good in a very unconventional way, which at times has an intentional ugliness to it. And theres some cool visual effects here, such as the multiple creepy faces appearing near the start. It cant be easy to create a sequence with such a unique look that changes in tone so frequently, and its apparent a lot of work went into it.

No matter what you think of this intro, one thing is for sure. Its memorable.

27. X-Men: The Animated Series - Pokewars
https://youtu.be/di6DocEkruk

Unique: 4.5
Story: 5
Music: 8.25
Animation: 5.75
Personal: 8.75
Average: 6.45

This is another intro that invokes a lot of nostalgia in me. Back in the day, this was one of my favorite cartoons, and I always enjoyed the intro.

Its not the most original presentation, but this intro has a distinctive feel that sets it apart from the intros to similar shows, in no small part due to the iconic way it sets up each of the characters. One of my criticisms of the Avengers intro earlier on this list was how generic the introductions to each of the characters was, but this intro avoided that problem. The characters are not simply shown using their powers, but also the style of each characters brief sequence and even the font for their names are completely different. As a result, it gives you some sense for each of their personalities, from Wolverines berserker nature (starting with his shirt off in the jungle before he appears in costume) to The Beasts intellectualism (as he casts his glasses and book aside to leap toward the camera). And hey, this intro even managed to pull off the impressive feat of making Cyclops seem interesting!

The animation has held up remarkably well over time, and this is one of the few comic-based cartoons that truly feels like pages ripped from a comic in motion. You can tell from the way each of the characters is depicted that the creators of this show loved the source material, and it wasnt just some cash grab like plenty of other cartoon adaptations.

And as for the theme song, it was awesome back when this show first aired and its still awesome today. I cant think of too many other theme songs that can get you on the edge of your seat during the opening seconds like this one, and provide so much energy the whole way through. The song lets you know youre in for something special, and I think its one of the best themes to any cartoon show.

26. The Simpsons (season 1) - WhiteLens
https://youtu.be/SR8WWFzrZAg

Unique: 5.25
Story: 7.25
Music: 8.5
Animation: 4.5
Personal: 7
Average: 6.5

Its weird to go back and see the original opening to The Simpsons after all these years. Although Im sure I must have seen it before, I cant say I remember this version. And although it seems a bit more crudely animated (but not too bad for the time), I actually really like the part they cut out where Bart takes the bus sign and all the passengers have to chase after the bus. The one thing I found perplexing was seeing absolutely nothing happen when they all got to the couch at the end. That and the fact that Maggie was somehow able to run to the couch on her own?

Theres plenty of story in this intro, as it not only shows you much of the town of Springfield, but also gives you a clear insight into the personalities of each of the main characters, which is something a lot of intros struggle with when dealing with more than one or two central characters. We see that Bart is mischievous and free-spirited, wanting nothing more than to burst out of the school when the bell rings. We see that Lisa is free-spirited in a somewhat different way, far too creative with her saxophone playing for the school orchestra. We also get to see Homer donned in a radioactive suit that he immediately discards regardless of the risk that was present seconds earlier as soon as he is able to leave work. And finally, Marge and Maggie, the latter of whom actually gets more personality here, but both coming across as fully realized characters going about their daily routine. This is all a sharp contrast to the numerous animated intros where we see a barrage of characters in random scenes that make it difficult to differentiate them.

Finally, this is an iconic theme song for a reason, and its not just because the show wound up being so popular. Danny Elfman did a fantastic job creating a playful and memorable theme that brings the world of The Simpsons to life, which is timed perfectly with the visuals. And its impossible to even imagine the show opening with any other song.

Ouch, The Simpsons misses top 25. Thats a surprise.

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I didnt get into it much, but the animation score held it back. Its worth noting this nomination was for the first version of the intro before they redid everything in season two, and the difference in quality of the animation shows.

Originally I thought The Simpsons would place higher, but I forgot to take into account the animation score for it.

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25. Gargoyles - Pokewars
https://youtu.be/CjI0TdvVbqI

Unique: 5.25
Story: 6.75
Music: 8.75
Animation: 5.5
Personal: 7.75
Average: 6.8

A lot of intros fail when narrating a backstory, but this one nailed it. Rather than just explain about how the Gargoyles were turned to stone for 1,000 years, the intro shows how they were first betrayed. We see a human raising a weapon to shatter one of the Gargoyles in stone form, followed by Goliath howling in agony. This not only makes for a far more interesting story, but gives the viewer an emotional investment in the characters before the show even begins. Then in the present day, Goliath declares (with some fantastic voice acting) and we live again! What could have been a stale premise in the wrong hands feels like an interesting story.

But the best aspect of this intro has to be the epic theme song, which over the course of only one minute, has an astonishing amount of variation and depth. In fact, it sounds more to me like a cinematic soundtrack than a theme song to a kids cartoon. Its also timed perfectly with the visuals, down to the hands grasping the side of a building in rhythm with the music.

That being said, its not an extremely novel intro in presentation. The flashback segment near the start saves it from being just a series of clips, but the clips are still a good chunk of the intro. Of course, that doesnt stop it from being a fantastic and memorable intro.

Aww yeah! Gargoyles was the hype.

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One more for tonight and its a big one.

24. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - Player_0
https://youtu.be/Cy3PIwczyB0

Unique: 6.5
Story: 7.5
Music: 7.75
Animation: N/A
Personal: 5.5
Average: 6.8125

From the moment I decided to do this topic, I knew this one would be nominated. It would be a ridiculous omission if it wasnt. And I like it, but I confess Im not quite as big a fan as many people.

Perhaps one reason this intro is so fondly remembered is its novelty, particularly for a sitcom, which is hardly known as an inventive genre. Rather than giving us clips from the show or each of the characters posing for the camera, we get a backstory with comically exaggerated moments from the main characters perspective. And Will doesnt even arrive at the actual setting of the show until the final moments of the intro. This effectively conveys that Philly is just as important to Wills character, if not more so, as Bel-Air.

The intro also manages to avoid the cliche of using narration to tell a story by turning it into a rap song, which also happens to be genuinely catchy. In fact, its really hard to get in West Philadelphia, born and raised out of your head after hearing it. The music reinforces the importance of Wills upbringing on the streets as a contrast to the setting of the show, and obviously goes really well with the visuals.

And I cant wrap this up without mentioning the throne in the beginning, which is such a memorable image that nicely puts a visual to the lyric about Wills life being turned upside down. In my view, this is far and away the most interesting and effective portion of the intro, and I would have preferred to see more stuff like that, and less about Wills interactions with the inconsequential (and possibly smelly) cab driver. But yeah, its rightfully considered a classic intro.

That was actually one of the last ones I came up with, it nearly slipped my mind! I've always liked the part with his mom.

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One famous intro that it occurred to me actually did wind up getting forgotten or snubbed was The Sopranos. Im not the biggest fan of that one anyway, but it always seems to appear on lists of the best TV intros along with Fresh Prince.

And while on the subject of snubbed intros, one I think could have done really well with this scoring system is the intro for Westworld.

One intro I'd consider a snub (from my anime-centric perspective) is Yuri on Ice. I remember that one being pretty popular when it came out, and I probably would've nominated it myself had I actually watched the show.

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I kind of wish I nominated Justified but it probably would've ended up around Sons of Anarchy ranking.

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