The first thing that gets me psyched about watching a new animated TV show from Japan is always the opening credits. See the opening theme song and accompanying animation is the first impression I’ll get of a show. If I really like the opening I hunt the song down and listen to it until my ears bleed. This being said there are some really fantastic opening songs out there. In all honesty I’ve never really come across an opening I’ve hated. There are some I like less than others but for the most part an opening song would have to be the anime equivalent of “Revolution #9” for me to completely loathe it.

Now with this information in mind I present to you the DVDAR “Top 25 Anime Opening Songs” by preference of the DVDAR founder (me you shnooks!). Take heed these apply to TV Series ONLY!
 

1. “Gatchaman No Uta” from Scientific Ninja Team Gatchaman – Ok, for the record Gatchaman is my all time favorite show. It is also my all time favorite soundatrack as the heavy 70’s funk vibe. But let’s stick to the song, it has those 70’s backbeat guitar soundsand those opening horns are freakin’ awesome. It’s one of those songs I know by heart and adore. Hell even the Animetal version is awesome.

2. “Bari! Bari! Saikyou No.1” from Jigoku Sensei Nube – My favorite Japanese band without out a doubt is the awesome FEEL SO BAD. They bring the diverse progressive metal/glam goods to the table on every song I’ve heard them do. Well this little ditty was the first FSB song I’d ever heard by them and when I got done listening to it in all it’s 5 minute+ glory I knew I was onto something. The lyrics alone are great ending with the line “Oh Yes I will be #1 and the best! Number 1!”. Any song that is that boastful deserves my praise!

3. “Ao o Tomidase (You Are Shock)” from Hokuto No Ken - “It’s like some punk song gone horribly awry” my friend Bill Wrigley once said of this stripped down tune. One review in an old anime fanzine compared it to “every song you’ve ever heard by The Ramones”. Now, I don’t know if I’d say that, but the song is packed with energy. The lyrics read like a Celine Dion song, reminding you that “Hokuto No Ken” is at its core, a love story, despite its anime as punk opening, complete with exploding heads in the animation sequence. A true classic.

4. “Yuusha-Ou Tanjou” from Yuusha-Ou Gaogaigar – Hey did I mention that Gaogaigar fuckin’ rocks? No? Well it does! And it has one kick ass opening song. It’s a throw back to what opening songs used to be before J-Pop became the norm. It’s about the show, talking up how great Gaogaigar is, yelling out the different finishing blows between choruses. Damn this song is great, full of energy like a giant robot show should be.

5. “Tank” from Cowboy Bebop – Yoko Kanno is on the short list for anime sainthood. I’ve never listened to soundtrack composed by her and not thought “Man that was incredible”. “Tank” is wordless, it just blasts the listener with its hot horns and jazz influences. It’s like Kanno created the bastard child of themes from “Mission Impossible” and “Johnny Quest” and gave us this thoroughly kinetic opening. The full version of the “Tank” is even better as the horns build with every new movement, getting louder and brassier. When the sax comes in for its laid back solo something clicks all over. “Tank” is Kanno working on all cylinders to give the listener and viewer of the show the vibe the creators are trying to convey through this great great music.

6. “Cha-la Head Cha-la” from Dragonball Z – Forget the huge backlash against DBZ that has cropped up over the last 4 years. Forgetthat DBZ show the show an be long and drawn out, sucking the joy oout of Toriyama’s earlier Dagon Ball work. Forget all that and sit back and listen to “Cha-la”, the song that captures that sense of wonder and joy to be a child. Sure the song makes no damn sense, talking about teaching a dinosaur to ride a ball (WTF?), but it gets across the vibe of how simple it is to think like a child when you want to. God I love this song.

7. “Uchu Senkan Yamato” from Uchu Senken Yamato TV Series – All right all you Star Blazers fans you know the damn words, it doesn’t matter if you sing it Japanese or English because the heart and soul of the song is the same. It gets the point that the Yamato/Argo and her crew are off to save mother earth from a terrible fate. “We must be strong and brave, our home we gotta save! If We don’t in just one year Mother Earth will disappear!” That’s a desperate song my man and that’s why Yamato’s opening song is sung in Karaoke bars all over Japan!

8. “Yakusoke wa Iranai” from Tenkuu No Escaflowne – Not many shows open with mid-paced love songs, though the practice is happening with more shojo anime. But Escaflowne is a shonen anime, mind you with shojo elements. Still this beautiful song composed by Yoko Kanno and performed by Maya Sakamoto is tender ballad of a girl asking the question “Is this what love is like? Isit always painful? Is it always lonely? Does it get better?”. The girls asking the questions knows the answers by the end of the song and knows what she wants out of being in love. Not your typical opening but then again Escaflowne wasn’t your typical anime

9. “Dunbine Tobu” from Aura Battler Dunbine – Here it is, the simple explanation of why the opening to Dunbine kicks so much ass. It’;s all in the chorus… “Aura Battlah Dun-bi-eene! Aura Shootah Dun-bi-eene! ATTACK! ATTACK! ATTACK! Aura wa senshi”. Ok so it isn’t a short explanation but there is something about a classic anime tune sung by MIO (Queen of Anime Songs) that always makes that song stick in your head. You can not the rest of the song but when MIO sings the chorus… brother you will being screaming “ATTACK! ATTACK! ATTACK!” like Patton!

10. “Just Think Of Tomorrow” from Irresponsible Captain Tylor – The case with a lot of songs in anime is that they tend to be sprinkled with liberal use of the English language. Such is the case with “Just Think Of Tomorrow”. An upbeat song that is light and poppy and goes along in Japanese until it tells you one simple thing… “Don’t worry baby it’s gonna be alright”. It does it several times with a few other lines later on and in the chorus as it tells everyone to “Come together, just think of tomorrow”. Hell yeah, how very Scarlett O’Hara, and when you watch Captain Tylor you realize just how well the song fits the lead character. Don’t worry, tomorrow is always another day.

11. “Zankoku No Tenshi No TEZE (The Cruel Angel’s Thesis)” from Neon Genesis Evangelion – A song that will suck you in, no matter if you like the show or not. Designed to be a danceable song from the outset with its beats, people tend to overlook the fact that the lyrics for this song are royally screwed up! Hideaki Anno explained one of the reasons the song was used is because each verse can be construed as being sung to Shinji by one or more of the relevant characters. Verse 1 is supposedly Shinji’s Mother (aka EVA-01) being the reassuring voice that we all want our mother’s to be. All right I’m spending more time talking Eva than I want to…

12. “Give A Reason” from Slayers NEXT – WARNING! This is the obligatory Megumi Hayashibara entry. It is like some unwritten rule that every anime related list must have at least one reference to Uber-seiyuu Megumi Hayashibara (or as she is now simply known… MEGUMI). This is probably my fave Hayashibara anime song because it she sings in a soft voice for the verses and then goes into a full high pitched frenzy for the chorus. One of the best songs from the entire Slayers series.

13. “Angel Night” from Cityhunter 2 – This is a downright beautiful song. Performed by the great Japanese duo PSY*S “Angel Night” is a song I can listen to over and over again. Chaka’s vocals are almost otherworldly at times as she sings about the first time she saw her lover and how when she sees him now so many incredible sensations flash through her mind. Odd that this song is played while Cityhunter main character Ryo Saeba shoots down an Apache helicopter with his revolver.

14. “Anthem no Cutey Honey” from Cutey Honey – Did I mention I love the work of Go Nagai? No? Well I do. Did I mention that Nagai actually wrote the song for Cutey Honey? No? Well he did. How many other songs include the lyrics” And her breasts are the nicest that we know of”? God bless you Go-sensei… you old pervert you!

15. “Ultra Relax” from Kodomo No Omacha – Hey kids, Koocha is the crack of the anime world. Nothing proves this further than it’s adrenaline, sugar and caffeine induced spaz of an opening than “Ultra Relax”, which by the way is not a “Relaxing” song by any means. A non-stop barrage of energetic Japanese is spewed forth at an insane rate till it builds to the climax when everything explodes… LITERALLY! The dancing in the animation rivals that of the original opening sequence for Tokio’s “19 o’clock News” another sugar induced clusterfuck that is just so insane you gotta laugh. Long Live Da Babbit!

16. “1/2” from Rurouni Kenshin – Another love song. Most RK fans prefer the original opening “Sobakasu” performed by Judy & Mary. “1/2” uses the vocals of Iwato Makoto revels in telling about how wonderful the love of a person can make her feel. A jazzy little tune at times it is at its best with it’s heartbeat like rythms building to the chorus. The animation used for that part is fantastic as it uses the light of a flickering candle to show and hide the faces of the Juppon Gatana, the chief rivals of he beloved “Kyoto Arc”. An excellent and honest song.

17. “Believe” from One Piece – FEAR FOLDER 5! That’s right run in terror as these teenage Japanese darlings will put their insanely fun song in your head. It’s perfectly poppy eurobeat tune, with lyrics denoting a crush on a boy (or series of boys as there are 5 members of Folder 5). Used for the 2nd season opening for One Piece, the animation opens with the crew of “The Going Merry” entering Grand Line for their big adventure. A fun song that will get stuck in your head whether you want it there or not.

18. “Y’know” from Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 – I am not a fan of BGC 2040. It’s idiotic plot and cardboard cutout characters pale in comparison to the real BGC. However the music for BGC 2040 is incredible. Using elements of industrial and garage rock Akira Sudou whips out some damn nice songs including the opening “Y’know”. Spitting images of the future through the lyrics is an interesting approach to get vision of Tokyo 2040 across. Using those images as a way to pick up guys is even more odd and that is exactly what Sudou doesin the song. A Good rock song.

19. “Russian Roulette” from The Dirty Pair – A lost classic that only die hard DP fans even bother to remember. Any song that talks about loading up a gun and playing Russian Roulette while encouraging the listener to “Dance Dance” is something special.

20. “Driver’s High” from GTO – It’s all about blazing your path of glory and going out with a bang. That’s what L’Arc En Ciel would have us believe. It is fitting that this song embodies Great Teacher Onizuka, the story of luckless ex-biker who vos to become the greatest high school teacher in Japan! It meshes so well with both e character of Onizuka and the animation, which relies mainly on strict black and whites for shading. It gives the song and show a style that befits it and Onizuka-sensei.

21. “Jajauma No Sasenaide” from Ranma 1/2 – Ah the infamous 1st Ranma song. The song that actually gets he point of the show across through its double entendred title of “Don’t Make Me A Shrew”. Ranam hates it when he becomes a girl and Akane, his tomboyish fiancée is afraid that the more she likes the more of pervert she herself will become. Forget DoCo’s opening songs after this, they aren’t nearly as clever with their words like this song is.

22. “Pegasus Fantasy” from Saint Seiya – Since Seiya is all about the testosterone laden male it is only fitting that the opening theme somehow mimics the cockrock ofthat era. Yet somehow Saint Seiya will strive to be more than the Metallica of anime, it so desperately wants to be the Motorhead of the genre but knows that as long as Hokuto No Ken is around it will just have to setle for second best.

23. “Sakura Saku” from Love Hina – OH NO! She’s back! Entry #2 from MEGUMI as her insanely fast paced opening to Love Hina breaks down my door in all its energetic frenzy and demands that I love it. I concur, just please don’t make me watch the show again.

24. “Dream Shift” from Zettai Muteki Raijin-Ou - I’ve been pretty critical of Kinuko oomori in the past, probably to critical of her. Yes she came to fame through her seiyuu work in Bubblegum Crisis. Yes she had semi-successful singing gig with her band SILK. Maybe she wasn’t meant to dominate the charts. Isn’t it enough that she’ll let you know “You’re not alone, when you’re sad, I’ll support you when your down. In times to come we will always be heroes. That feeling can’t be matched Raijin-Ou!”

25. “Tell Me Why” from Kenpuu Denki Berserk – A rarity, an opening song entirely in English. Sung by the group PENPALS, “Tell Me Why” that is rather an optimistic given the show it goes to, the woefully dark world of Berserk. It has a similar theme to #10 (Just Think Of Tomorrow) only it is telling the listener that it is their choice to let tomorrow be another day or you can keep struggling against today and no one will really care.