OP/ED song being an insert in the anime. Do you like it?

[Arturia Polaris]

I recently rewatched White Album 2 and I saw how the final song they played in the anime was also the opening, which made me think about this.

I've seen it a couple of times, AKB0048 Next Stage (Greatly done by the way) and I think Tari Tari did it as well.

What are your thoughts on it? Are they recycling the OP or ED simply because of budget cuts or some other reason? I quite like to think that it's for the added punch of it being the OP of the anime you followed for 1 or 2 cours and it kind of signals the end of that, like a bittersweet ending or something.

I'm just interested in what you feel about this "Trope" if you will.

Cheers

[Frontier]

I feel like there's already a thread for this, though I'm not sure .

[Akito Kinomoto]

What do you want us to say? A great show doing this makes it feel like it's come full circle. A bad show doing this feels extremely cheap. I liked it when Sakurasou did it at the end, but I loved the show regardless.

[AnimeFangirl]

I really liked it when they played the Ippo ending theme when he

Spoiler for old but just in case:

won the rookie king title.

It just fit the moment perfectly.

[Archon_Wing]

In reality it doesn't matter, but it's typically a plus when the OP is related to the show like say Madoka.

[relentlessflame]

Basically, I like any time a show does anything to step outside of the typical "Optional Teaser, OP, Part A, Break, Part B, ED, Preview" pattern. So if they skip the OP to use it later in the episode, or delay the OP to call to it in a particularly key moment, or if they do a lead-in to the OP (like the music starts playing before it cuts to the start of the OP)... all these sorts of things are cool to me. It breaks it up and makes the show feel more dynamic/interesting, and not just a repeated pattern. I also like it when they do similar things with the ED, including having thematic EDs, changes in the animation, integrating the preview into it, and so on. Basically I like it when the staff consider the OP/ED to be part of the show, and not just "obligations" or "throwaways".

So anyway, I would say that using the OP song as a well-placed insert song during the story climax can be a good callback, if done properly.

[Frontier]

I've always been particularly fond of when, in an action-oriented anime (which includes action-adventure, fantasy, harem, even Mecha), they play the original or first opening during the final fight of that series. It puts more emphasis on that fight, getting me (and potentially other viewers) more invested in it and overall making it all that much more exciting to watch .

I also think it's nice in general when an anime uses the opening as an insert during the final episode as a sort of book-end to the series, or to really carry a big, potentially emotional or romantic, moment in it .

There've also been cases where anime's have used orchestral versions of their openings during certain poignant scenes, which I thought were cool...when I notice them that is .

I'd also say that this is pulled off best when the opening is cut out during that specific episode, making its reappearance as an insert that much more noticeable and memorable .

[aohige]

When done right, it can have extremely dramatic effect.
Whoever invented the idea must have been an awesome enshutsu director.

[frivolity]

Kokoro Connect did this very well by interspersing the preview with the ED, which conveniently had a very long and ominous lead-in, followed by an explosion of dramatic sound. The overall effect was that it created a buildup and caused the viewer to anticipate the drama that would come after the preview. The best example of this was the NAGASEEEEE!!! scene that was matched with said character doing something completely out of left field. Watching it made me want to throw my laptop against the wall when the preview ended and the credits began

Black Rock Shooter was a slightly more unconventional example because the whole anime was literally based on the song. As a vocaloid fan, I really got the chills when the first episode ended and Miku's voice came on.

Moshidora did it with the ED in the last episode, and it was also very well done. The anime was about a girl who tried to apply management concepts to her school baseball club, and up until the last episode, I had no idea how a romance song actually fitted into the whole scheme. After the last episode finished, however, it all completely hit me and I finally saw the significance of the song.

Of course, there's no need to elaborate on Madoka, with the iconic CONNECT tying it all together in a manner that few saw coming.