Good Opening and Ending Songs: Does it really add anything to a show?

[teja208]

No matter which anime series you watched, there will always be opening and ending. Not just the OP/ED music itself; lyric, singer, and animation that accompany the music are prerequisite for an anime to be recognized as anime. Long running anime like big 3 shounen have countless OP/ED songs. Compare to other media such as films like Star Wars or Harry Potter have opening theme but no lyrics, Western TV series like CSI series also has OP/ED without lyrics, Cartoons like SpongeBob never change OP. Korean, Japanese, and Taiwanese dramas are mostly inconstant about OP; while some has OP with lyrics others don’t have them.

I have few questions about anime OP/ED.

1. Openings and Endings seems like a serious business in anime. Is there a reason to it? If so, how important is it?

2. What makes a good anime OP/ED? Is there a formula to it? How much does it contributes to the anime you watched?

3. For most anime you watched, do you usually get sick of OP/ED after watching once or twice and decided to skip them, or would you rather watch them all the way?

[RRW]

1. Anime pretty much Gate for new singer to gain Quick fame. and OP music is the best way show you skill. not to mention OP music tend to sell a lot and allow Studio to use it as advert.

2. dunno, pretty much people have different taste. cannot nail that one. if the music is good then is good OP i guess

3. usually i watch OP once or twice then skip it unleash something is new

[fanty]

Originally Posted by teja208

For most anime you watched, do you usually get sick of OP/ED after watching once or twice and decided to skip them, or would you rather watch them all the way?

I can't say I "get sick" of them, but after watching the opening once, I don't tend to watch it ever again. I make an exception if the opening song is particularly awesome, but that doesn't happen very often.

When it comes to the endings, I almost never listen to them. The only times when I ended up listening to the ending was when I went away from the computer after the episode ended and, for one reason or another, left the episode running. Which doesn't happen very often.

I just don't really much care about OPs/EDs. I watch anime for the story and characters, not for the frills.

[Gamer_2k4]

OPs I watch every time:
RahXephon (makes me feel like I'm watching something awesome)
Angel Beats! (I love the music and the episode teasers)

OPs I like but don't watch:
Haruhi Suzumiya
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Samurai Champloo

OPs I don't like:
Elfen Lied (nudity)
Azumanga Daioh (hate the music)
Madoka (hate the music)

OPs I don't remember:
Eureka Seven
Gurren Lagann
Code Geass
FLCL

I almost never watch EDs, so that part doesn't really apply to me. Madoka's was pretty good, though. Haruhi's was good once or twice. The rest were forgettable.

[Eragon]

In my opinion opening/s and ending/s are there to set and maintain the mood of the anime and also - the obvious - to introduce us to the characters involved in it. Like when see Elfen Lied's opening you know what to expect. Or when you watch Lucky Stars opening you know you're in for a joy ride.
The one anime ending theme that holds a special place in my heart is "Dango Daikazoku" from Clannad. When I first watched that ending I was alright with it but then it started to get on my nerves(can't believe I'm saying this). So I skipped watching the ending till the first the end of season 1. I did not recognize its significance until I had watched 2/3 of the second season. I mean its got so much meaning to it. Its filled with so much happiness yet its so sad.
I guess a good OP/ED is one which captures the essence of a show like the one I mentioned.

[MisaoFan]

1. The opening theme usually has wild tone, while the ending have calm tone. Despite this, they have a wide range of song.

2. Many animes has opening themes that fit the feel of the story, but there's some exceptions of course (like some noitaminA shows). As for the ending themes, it doesn't really matter the feel of each series (unlike the opening themes which I said above), they just have their own styles. These days, I usually feels like that endings have more variation than openings.

3. For the opening themes, I used to listen in every episode in order to memorize them (since I'm a big fan of music), but even though I still do nowadays, I skip opening themes usually after episode 3-5. Same applies for the ending themes, but I am not a big fan of them.

[Flower]

For me personally the OP and ED are part and parcel of the entire experience of a series, and I treat them as such. (I know I may be among the minority here though.) For me they are very important.

Whether or no I get sick of them or not is entirely dependent for me on the pieces themselves, whether they lend anything to the series overall, and other such considerations. On re-watches I might skip them from time to time, though - all depends.

Hafta agree with Gamer 24k that the OP and ED (esp the ED) of Angel Beats were very, very good, and were a direct reflection of the story at times, helping to emphasize what was going on.

Of course, for me it was an OP that hooked me into anime in general, so maybe my emphasis on them may not come as a big surprise....

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

Originally Posted by teja208

I have few questions about anime OP/ED.

1. Openings and Endings seems like a serious business in anime. Is there a reason to it? If so, how important is it?

2. What makes a good anime OP/ED? Is there a formula to it? How much does it contributes to the anime you watched?

3. For most anime you watched, do you usually get sick of OP/ED after watching once or twice and decided to skip them, or would you rather watch them all the way?

1. By "serious business" did you mean promotion and making money for the singer? If it's so, my answer is basically the same with what RRW said. I don’t know the details though. I believe someone else can explain it to you much better. If the "serious business" is what OP & ED means for an anime then it's much like what Eragon said.
   
2. First, the song must be good and pleasant to the ears no matter what genre the songs are. Then, synchronized the animation with the beat of the song. For example, you can’t show a full action scene when the song is mellow, that will be weird. Two examples of OP songs done well are the OP of Sengoku Basara and Sengoku Basara 2. They really get you going.
   
3. It really depends on the OP & ED themselves. If they are actually good/great (for me), I don’t mind watching them again and again and again like the two examples I mentioned above.

[Paranoid Android]

Yes, it does A LOT for me.

1. Advertisement for artists; helps set the mood for the series for people who are starting the series.

2. Song choice in terms of appropriateness. Emotional tone of the OP/ED (Gundam SEED is one of the series that I would continue watching for the ED lol). And also original elements or style. I can't stand super cliche elements like people running in random directions or people turning around. I think grasping the theme and having a song and animation matching it is most important. Other would be character focus. There should be either a clear lack of focus on character, or focus on 1~2 characters, or equally balance them. And not some back and forth random flashing.

Good examples as in:
ED of FMA: Brotherhood - Shunkan Sentimental (?), just random transmutation tunnel, no characters at all. It's more focused on the core of the series (the amestris giant transmutation circle and the plan to control kami) rather than petty characters.
OP of Baccano! and Durarara! Everyone gets pretty much same intro, it really has a equal-attention-whore drama feel to it. It's gives the impression of a sophisticated drama of many subplots into one.

3. I get sick of most. Only ones I remember I'd stay to watch every time are:
- DTB: Howling
- DTB2: Tsukiakari no Michirube
- Gundam SEED destiny: Reason
- Air Gear: Chain
- Bleach: Arigatou! (This is a big exception, The anime was way more of a mistake than many of the OP/ED)
- RahXephon: Hemisphere
- Ghost in the Shell: Inner Universe
- .Hack//Sign: Obsession <<<<<<<<<<< I LOVE THIS ONE, still listen to it after a billion years.

There's something about those that make me watch the whole thing. It really triggers some vivid emotions about the anime, and it's something I'm okay with repeating each episode.

There's plenty of OP/ED i like but they don't last more than 3~4 plays.
- Black Lagoon's Red Fraction opening gets tired really fast, it's too much repetitive bass.
- Karas' Selenite is nice but it puts me to sleep.
- Air's Tori no Uta is sweet but again, gets bored of watching after a few times.

Then there's the ones that are -good- but it's almost irrelevant to the anime or totally off.
- Gintama's Yuki no Tsubasa
- Samurai Champloo's Battlecry
- Eureka Seven's Canvas

They don't make the anime better or worse, but it makes a huge difference in the first impressions.

[KholdStare]

1. For me personally, it's a chance to be exposed to new music. I like J-pop/rock/rap, but I don't really go out of my way to search the web for them. Second, you may get to hear a song from your favorite seiyuu, which makes you feel more of a connection between the song and the anime. Third, some OPs are simply cool to watch -- for example shounen action anime OPs are usually a compilation of action scenes, which are fast-paced and fun.

2. It's just really a combination of good music and good editing. It's basically a short AMV which introduces the show/current arc, so you can think of what makes you like your favorite AMVs.

3. I usually skip OPs after I watch them 2-3 times, EDs I rarely watch just because they are usually slower and I want to get to the next episode/anime right away. There are some exceptions, such as Fairy Tail EDs are known to be "character profiles" and are simply just eye-candy if you like that character. Also, Fairy Tail OPs are amazingly spoilerish so I unfortunately have begun to skip them without looking at them even once. Some anime like Nodame Cantabile really transitions to the ED well and gets you into the mood to watch the ED more. Some anime has extra scenes (not episode previews) after the ED/credits like Unlimited Blade Works so you might want to at least know of this and see if there's something else after the ED. Some OPs serve as episode recaps so maybe it's so your benefit to refresh your memory. And finally, some EDs serve as continuation of the episode without dialog, like in Ore no Imouto.

[Chiibi]

Originally Posted by Flower

For me personally the OP and ED are part and parcel of the entire experience of a series, and I treat them as such. (I know I may be among the minority here though.) For me they are very important.

This!!

I don't think a mediocre or bad opening can affect an anime all that much. But a good one really adds to it for some reason!

I never skip the ones I really like (mostly because I'll be trying to learn the lyrics) unless I'm REALLY anxious to see the continuing scene if there's a cliff hanger. Or if I'm pressed for time, I may skip. Same goes for endings.

[Flower]

Originally Posted by Chiibi

This!!

I don't think a mediocre or bad opening can affect an anime all that much. But a good one really adds to it for some reason!

I never skip the ones I really like (mostly because I'll be trying to learn the lyrics) unless I'm REALLY anxious to see the continuing scene if there's a cliff hanger. Or if I'm pressed for time, I may skip. Same goes for endings.

I knew you and I agreed on SOMETHING.

I totally agree, and also agree with the qualification/examples Khold Star made here:

Originally Posted by Khold Stare

....Some OPs serve as episode recaps so maybe it's so your benefit to refresh your memory. And finally, some EDs serve as continuation of the episode without dialog, like in Ore no Imouto.

Sometimes some OP or ED also serve as unexpected "summaries" of the series itself ... and by the last ep or 2 you suddenly realize "Wow. So THAT'S why those images and/or lyrics were there...."

[Chiibi]

Originally Posted by Flower

I knew you and I agreed on SOMETHING.

LOL you mean you and I have never agreed on anything before?
let's both agree that your signature is cute
Yes, anime OPs and EDs have been enchanting me for probably a decade and a half now. I have dozens of burned audio CDs of nothing but.
I'd like to make a "My Favorites" video on Youtube but I'm really paranoid of losing my account again. THANK YOU, TOEI.

Sometimes some OP or ED also serve as unexpected "summaries" of the series itself ... and by the last ep or 2 you suddenly realize "Wow. So THAT'S why those images and/or lyrics were there...."

Spoiler:

KANNAZUKI NO MIKO

[KholdStare]

Flower is correct, one example would be Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight ED2, which for me invokes a strong nostalgic memory of the series.

[Triple_R]

I pretty much agree with Chiibi here.

The best OPs tend to do a good job of helping to set the mood and tone of the anime. Watching them/listening to them can really help get you pumped up, or simply in the right frame of mind, for the anime episode that is to come.

This doesn't necessarily mean a fast-paced and up-tempo OP, either - The most important thing, imo, is for the OP to match and showcase the mood/tone of the anime its being used for.

With this in mind, I thoroughly enjoyed the soft and melodic Tamaurya ~Hitotose~ OP, as well as the fairly unique Usagi Drop OP, because I felt that they both did a great job of putting me in the right mood for what I was about to watch.


Good-to-great OPs I make a point of watching almost every time I watch the show (only exceptions being if I'm really pressed for time). OPs that I'm more "meh" about I'll usually skip after the first few episodes.

[SeijiSensei]

From a business perspective, it's valuable to remember that anime series are made by a "production committee" which usually includes the manga publisher, the studio, and a music company, among others. The choice of song and singer is often driven by the desire of the music company to give exposure to particular artists.

As Misao mentioned, some noitaminA OP/ED pieces seem remarkably out-of-place; the OP by Puffy for Genji Monogatari Sennenki (starts around 2:00) comes to mind. (I grew to like the rap-flavored OP for Ayakashi Samurai Horror Tales despite how discordant it is. Sorry to include the dub, but I can't find a subtitled version.) There are some excellent songs in other noitaminA shows like Nodame Cantabile. I always loved how the orchestration of "Konna ni Chikaku De" would swell up in the background during the transition to the closing credits.

Like Flower I consider a show as an organic whole, with the OP and ED included along with the actual story content. I've listened to "Kituna" by Saito Yuki which ends Hyouge Mono after each episode, sometimes twice. I've listened to "Sign of Love" by Immi, which opens House of Five Leaves, countless times. That's a good example of a song where the short-form version for the OP is, in my mind, preferable to the full-length version. I even enjoyed the OP for Kurenai, "Love Jump" by Kuribayashi Minami, because of its use of the Phil Spector-like "wall-of-sound" approach, though other folks haven't looked as kindly upon that piece.

I also think the animated sequences during the OP and ED credits offer some of the best artwork in a show, oftentimes much more interesting visually than the show itself. Surprisingly the EDs display this more often than the OPs since the latter usually have to include all the main characters in the show. The EDs can dispense with that and just focus on the artwork.

There's only one OP that I can say I've never liked -- "Shine" by L'Arc-en-Ciel," the opening to Seirei no Moribito.

I'd no sooner have the OP and ED removed from a show than it have no soundtrack.

[Kameruka]

If it's not for Tsunagu Kizuna, I would have ignored Yosuga no Sora as a lame, fanservicey harem show which is a poor carbon copy of School Days except better production qualities. Thanks to that song, I found YnS is exact opposite of that claim except for the production quality part which is true.

[Kyuu]

I didn't like Lucky Star, but I like its opening. It's quite catchy. However, it wasn't enough to get me to watch the thing.

[Goshin]

I believe that much like a book covers, or Icing on Pastries, the Opening and Endings songs serve to Draw in a lot of watchers, When the anime is great like FMA, Gundam it works really well for the anime, but when the OP is too awesome for the Show, it sets your expectations too high and you won't be able to the mediocre anime. nevertheless its main function its too attract watchers

Personally from listening anime Radio Nook, (before i discovered Anime-Planet, or Myanimelist) I would decide which anime to watch based on songs I liked,

Naruto --> Wind + Haruka Kanata
Bleach ->Harigato
Gundam -> Anna issho Datta no ni
Noir ->Canta Per me
.hack/sign -->In The Land of Twilight
FLCL --> Ride on a Shooting Star\
Wolf's Rain --> Gravity

[ahelo]

The OP is suppose to be the hook for getting viewers into watching the series while the ED is supposed to be the mood settler, it either encompasses the feel of the series or is just plain relaxing.

Either way while I don't consider bad OP's or ED's to get in the way of my watching experience, having good ones though does add a lot. Examples would be those segue moments between the flustered cliffhanger of a Toradora episode to its ED. I first thought the 2nd ED to Toradora was terrible, but after these segue moments kept repeating and repeating, I can't help myself but fall in love with the ED.

Other recent OPs and EDs that I consider good are Aquarion EVOL's (mainly the song itself), Mirai Nikki OP1, Ano Natsu's ED, Kamisama Dolls' OP, Ben-to's OP etc. etc.

I usually never skip the OPs though I do skip the ED sometimes.