(L) Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko

[Kaoru Chujo]

On the other hand, I think this is one of the great OPs of all time. I have probably watched it upwards of 30 times.

Shinsei Kamatte-chan's music is hard to listen to for me mainly because of their lead singer. With Oogame Asuka doing something more normal there (but still weird enough to fit their style), and with more professional production from Starchild, I think we get the punk energy that has made the band so popular with their fans over the past year, but toned down to exactly the right level. The swinging punctuation of the drums is terrific.

And the images are not just images, but mixed and timed in a very artistic way, for me. The colored thunderbolts. The way things vibrate every so often. The slow starfield rolling toward us behind Shinbou's credit.

And of course the super-moe of Nishida Asako's character design, especially the way it is used in the final sequence, where Erio looks sideways in a kind of panic. Brilliant, as far as I'm concerned.

Just to demonstrate a bit of what Shinsei Kamatte-chan sounds like on their own, here is a slightly toned-down version of their best-known song "Rock-n-Roll wa Nari Yamanai" ("Rock and Roll Never Stops Sounding") from NHK's Music Japan a little over a year ago. The OP song was written by the lead singer and arranged by the band. If you don't like the OP, be thankful you're not getting the band's usual music, lol.

Spoiler for Shinsei Kamatte-chan video:

The subtitles are in English, Japanese, and Hungarian. To tell you the truth, the more I watch this, the more I get it. The lyrics help.

[Gohan78]

At first I totally disliked the OP (Oogame Asuka's vocals just didn't work for me) but after repeated listenings I actually started liking it. It must contain some kind of subliminal conditioning.

[Shimapan]

Originally Posted by Cosmic Eagle

Erio faces her old foes again....it's sad she has to be forced to go back to the society that hates her.

She's not forced, she actually wanted to go back on her own accord (although Makoto helped her there). This is quite courageous, as I'm quite sure she's not stupid and knows herself how society sees her.

Originally Posted by ID555

I've actually grown to like the OP - it's absolutely tailored to Erio's voice (as well as Mario Holic's OP - to that manic VA's voice ). Shaft's really good at this.

Yes, the OP is tailored very well to Erio.

[Endless Soul]

At first I thought the OP was a bit strange, but then it grew on me as well. It certainly does have a sort of power.

[omimon]

Prepare to an orgasm of the ear.

[Greenish Growth]

Are there any videos out there of someone playing the drums for the Opening song?

[Kaoru Chujo]

Originally Posted by Greenish Growth

Are there any videos out there of someone playing the drums for the Opening song?

Here's a live performance from the Shaft Matsuri in late April. The video is awful, the singing is awful, the sound is awful, the mixing is awful, you can't see much of the drumming.... What more can I say, lol? Being an anime audience rather than a rock audience, the crowd is stunned. To make the OP what it is, a lot of production was required.

But I do think that is the band's regular drummer, Misako, in the final product. She was the last member to join the group, a few years ago, and apparently came up to them at a live and wanted to join. It was either that or continue working in a life-insurance company.... I love her combination of relaxed smiles, heavy drumming, and calm and collected way-outness, which you can see in the many candid videos available on YouTube (search 神聖かまってちゃん).

Here is a fan doing the drumming.

[Greenish Growth]

Thanks for the links! I wonder why that drummer guy is wearing a mask?

Is that to hide his hobby from someone who might recognize his face?

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by Greenish Growth

Thanks for the links! I wonder why that drummer guy is wearing a mask?

Is that to hide his hobby from someone who might recognize his face?

Answer: yes. You'll OFTEN see men and women covering their faces to protect their careers when doing anything related to this hobby. Its still that sketchy. In other 10 or 20 years, most middle-upper management may be more tolerant but we've still got gits that think like Ishihara in important career crunching positions.

[monir]

Originally Posted by omimon

Prepare to an orgasm of the ear.

I'm caught up to episode 2 at the moment and WOW..... at this amazing ending song. I don't know how many times I've replayed the ending song. The OP song sounded so weird at first, but by episode two it has become addictive. Yes, it has cause why else would it sound better than the previous every time I'm listening to it.

Oh and Mazui fansub: Do NOT let this editor/translator go. Keep him/her anyway you can so he/she can work on this series to its entirety. Show em' your nipple if you have to. Good work!

[DragoZERO]

I like the OP and the ED as well. The singing in the OP is a little high pitched but everything else balances it out, unlike Hanasaku Iroha's (which grew on me anyway). The ED is great because it starts out slow and then the tempo increases. I think the best thing about Shaft OPs & EDs is that the music and video flow so well. Sometimes it feels as if other companies just chop it up to fit the OP length.

[Flower]

To be honest the OP does not do much for me. I don't think it is "unfitting" or such, just not my cup of tea. I like the EP a little more, but as someone already noted it wouldn't go into my playlist.

Well - I like the show itself (the characters are engaging and I like where the story is going) but as someone else also said it is not particularly "life changing".

[Itlandm]

The full ending was so beautiful, I ordered the CD straight away. That is a rare thing for me, buying CDs ... I think the last time may have been the ending for Kannagi. I guess I have a soft spot for vaguely lullaby-like songs...

[omimon]

Spoiler for yandere:

[Miraluka]

Ryuuko stole part of the episode at the last scenes!

EDIT:
Who is this girl?

[Kaoru Chujo]

Some truly horrifying sakuga in ep7, but another excellent episode nonetheless. Four points at least, Niwa-kun. I want to see Fuchigami Mai (Maekawa-san) in more and more shows, please. And Katou Emiri (Ryuuko) for a seiyuu award. Not that Irino Miyu isn't totally outstanding as the protagonists in both this and AnoHana right now.

[tsunade666]

nice episode

Niwa-kun can't calculate the adolescents points when the girls barge in or rather Ryuko barge in complaining while in bath towel

Ryuushi is winning me more and more and I can't decide which on the 3 girls are my favorite. But man ... she should at least keep that kitchen knife pointed somewhere.

I see the relationship as Erio daughter, Niwa-kun doting father and Ryuuko the jealous mother. But what about Maekawa-san?

At the end of the episode it shows Meme-san in front of the store where Erio do her part time job. And the atmosphere there are serious and she is serious too. It's unlike her for that part.

[karuroso]

Why Shaft? Why the scene with Ryuuko and Maekawa wearing only a bath towel had to be chibi? Why...BDs I guess, or I hope so.

[mysterious]

Oh lol, the scene where ryuuko is waving the knife in correspondence to Niwa's hand movement cracks me up. Though she still has a lot to learn before she can call herself a full fledged yandere.

[omimon]

Originally Posted by karuroso

Why Shaft? Why the scene with Ryuuko and Maekawa wearing only a bath towel had to be chibi? Why...BDs I guess, or I hope so.

Probably because they realized the fans' hearts will explode if they went with it.