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

[Paranoid Android]

Originally Posted by 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.

I particularly liked the Lucky Star OP video with the Death note OP version of What's Up People?

[warita]

It can compliment the show, but really, I dont watch an anime for the OP and ED.

In fact, I often even skip it.

[Archon_Wing]

You can sell the songs and associate them with a series for more cash! And usually I watch them so I guess it matters as it is part of a show's idendity to me. Just like the theme to the Simpsons or Futurama.

[Echoes]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

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.

My thoughts exactly. Not only did I dislike that opening (which is fair enough, openings can't always be pleasers), but it did not fit the tone of the show at all. I always skipped it. For an adaptation of such a classic piece of literature, you would think they would have chosen something very different.

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

Like Flower I consider a show as an organic whole, with the OP and ED included along with the actual story content.

That's how I view things as well. Openings and endings can contribute a great deal to my enjoyment of a series. However, echoing the sentiments of several other posters, I don't necessarily think that a bad opening or ending takes anything away if the show itself has merit. I can simply skip them (which I often choose to do), after all. But when they're good, that organism can evolve and become greater than the sum of its parts; a truly memorable experience.

Another way that I find openings and endings to be important is in cementing the memory of a series in my mind. When I think back to a series, I often remember the general atmosphere, the feelings it evoked, rather than concrete events. This can often include the opening and/or ending, and when that music starts playing in my head, all those (hopefully positive) emotions come flooding back. It can be a powerful tool, especially once you've seen a good deal of shows, to make something stay fresh in your mind. The Aria trilogy's openings can still put me into a trance-like, tranquil state, and Claymore's ending still sends chills of awe down my spine.

[TurkeyPotPie]

I don't think I would have watched High School DxD all the way through if not for the ED.

[Kameruka]

In some cases good OP/ED don't always make good anime. This one is personal but Manyuu Hikenchou have good OP for me but the show itself is much like uglier and retarded cousin of Seikon no Qwaser. Even saying that is too generous.

[Flower]

Originally Posted by Kameruka

In some cases good OP/ED don't always make good anime. This one is personal but Manyuu Hikenchou have good OP for me but the show itself is much like uglier and retarded cousin of Seikon no Qwaser. Even saying that is too generous.

So true ... a huge example of this for me is ... yep ... Fractale. I loved the OP and the ED. But then ... *sigh*

[relentlessflame]

Count me in the crowd for whom the OP and ED are an essential part of the experience that I very rarely skip. The only time I might be tempted to skip (as others mentioned) is if I'm marathoning a show and it ends on a cliffhanger that I'm to impatient to wait for... but even then I'll usually force myself to wait and follow the pace of the episode, OP/ED and all. For what it's worth, I'm also a person who always sits to the very end of the credits in a movie theatre, since I consider that part of the movie too (and a sign of respect of the people who made it).

As SeijiSensei said, the reason OPs and EDs are so prominent in anime is because almost all shows are funded in part by music labels who are hoping to make back their investment through music sales, concerts, and general artist promotion. Sometimes CD sales end up making up a substantial portion of the revenue generated for the show, so it's definitely important from a business perspective.

In terms of what makes a good OP/ED, I guess I'd say that an OP should catch your attention and set the tone for what follows. Generally speaking, an ED song is more reflective, pensive, or emotional to re-center things after what happened. I particularly like it when shows experiment with the timing of the OP and the ED to be part of the episode flow, whether that's by having the music start early, or just carefully editing the episode so that it hits at just the right moment to have the most impact. I also really like when a show will have a special ED song for special episodes, or even sometimes skip the OP to make that something important is happening -- basically, whenever they treat it is an integral part of the show and not just a formula they blindly follow (even though it is in a way -- it's a sort of directorial awareness of the formula and a willingness to mess with it a bit that I enjoy). When done well, it can make a huge contribution to the anime I watch, as much as any other element (but I'd say that music is hugely important to me overall).

[Forsaken_Infinity]

I am one of those that watches every single frame in a show - for the same reason as relentlessflame and many others. I consider the whole thing a package and even if it means nothing, I wish to watch it all. Even when I decide to drop a show, I watch the episode I had started all through. I also stay until a movie's credits is completely over. My friends don't like that very much especially when we screen a movie during a meet or something. But yeah, the whole package ideal is one I strictly follow. And so, OPs and EDs are very very important as far as I am concerned.

OPs set the mood for what is to come, which is perhaps their most important function.

EDs usually are less remarkable from personal experience but they are still very important to me to provide proper outro. Good EDs also leave a haunting feeling that I am a sucker for.

I really hope there never comes a day when anime stop having awesome OP and ED.

[Chiibi]

So um....do we have any audience here who....well...sings along to the songs when watching?

What?

I-I'm just curious!! I-I-it's not like I do it or anything!! (T\\\\T)

[Flower]

Originally Posted by Chiibi

So um....do we have any audience here who....well...sings along to the songs when watching?

What?

I-I'm just curious!! I-I-it's not like I do it or anything!! (T\\\\T)

*Raises his hand!* I admit it! I do!

Not many ... but when one really gets to me I sure do - some examples off the top of head? Tamayura Hitotose OVA OP, Natsume Yuuchinjou S1 ED, Tamayura Hitotose OP, and Idolm@ster OP2.

What?

[Morisato]

Dragon Crisis had a good OP.

The anime itself was terrible though.

Hare Hare Yukai was one of the reasons why Haruhi became such a hit. I think it started the whole ED Dancing Sequence craze that so many animes have now.

[Master_Yoma]

The only that make a good op & ed is the song as long if its catchy it make it good

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

Originally Posted by Chiibi

So um....do we have any audience here who....well...sings along to the songs when watching?

What?

I-I'm just curious!! I-I-it's not like I do it or anything!! (T\\\\T)

So far, I only did that for one OP song only. "Pegasus Fantasy" from Saint Seiya when I saw that OP appeared again in Hades: Sanctuary. It's the power of nostalgia, I guess .

[Coldlight]

A lot of things have already been mentioned here that I agree with. Instead of simply restating what the others already said, I'll just add my take on their points that I agree with.

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.

Agreed. To me, those are integral parts of the entire viewing experience. And that is also one reason why I never skip OPs and EDs.

Originally Posted by KholdStare

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.

This is true. This is also another reason why I don't skip OPs and EDs. Aside from containing recaps as mentioned, OPs can also contain previews of the current episode, as in the case of the OP for Angel Beats!. I've also been seeing increasing cases of the episode continuing even as the ED is playing, with Shakugan no Shana Final's case as an example. I thought that the EDs for that show really worked well for those extra scenes.

Originally Posted by Triple_R

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.

I think so too. These songs, if good, usually set the mood for the show. And I think that's one of the main purposes of the OP, to set the mood. If it's really great or aligns with the taste of the viewer, then all the better.

Originally Posted by 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.

Same here, I didn't like it either, but I thought the OP was at least catchy. Except I actually finished watching it... after several months of stalling.

Originally Posted by Echoes

That's how I view things as well. Openings and endings can contribute a great deal to my enjoyment of a series. But when they're good, that organism can evolve and become greater than the sum of its parts; a truly memorable experience.

I agree with this. Especially for EDs more so than OPs for adding enjoyment for a series. Part of my fondness for the Monogatari series is due not only to the good OPs but also to the EDs which I really loved. Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari and Naisho no Hanashi in particular. Memorably good songs will cause the series to be memorable as well.

Originally Posted by Chiibi

So um....do we have any audience here who....well...sings along to the songs when watching?

I do. Well, if I like the songs enough, that is. Even if the singer was female and some of my family members are around.

Not a problem for me. I watch all anime at home, anyway, and nobody (so far) has complained to me about it.

Vidro Moyou from Ano Natsu de Matteru as an example. Love that song, and it's highly likely to get my nomination and vote for best ED come AnimeSuki Choice Awards time...

[HasuMasu]

1. It is important for advertising, and it's extra merchandise to sell.

2. I don't think there's a formula but yes, it is an important part of anime for me--though I'd rather have no OP/ED than have bad ones. Still, I rarely skip unless they're really really bad. My image of a series is greatly affected, but not totally decided by the OP/ED.

3. I usually like them the more I watch, unless I really don't like it--in which case no ammount of exposure will change that.


As an example, I've never skipped a single Naruto OP/ED--even for the fillers.

[SilverSyko]

I pretty much always skip OP's and ED's for anime. There's the odd few that I do give my full attention towards but that's only because my interest is already devoted to the series they are a part of.

They're usually the only part of a show I find where aesthetics are actually important, as they serve no real purpose other than to hype the viewer, which is the main reason I tend to skip them.

As for the songs, my musical tastes tend to lean towards a preference for English lyrics and vocals opposed to Japanese ones. I think almost every English OP and ED theme I've come across in an anime I've enjoyed quite a bit. Japanese...not so much. Sometimes I'd get one I like but it doesn't happen as often as you would think. Heck, I even prefer a couple of dubbed opening songs as opposed to the original Japanese versions.

So I guess in a nutshell, I often pay little mind to OP/ED's but every now and then there arises one I will enjoy. Most likely because of the song in it.

[Soliloquy]

I also used to skip most op's for anime until I watched Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni. After that I started to actually listen to the music for some of the anime because music was adding to the theme the anime. If I have to add one more thing, I usually skip the OP for comedy unless it's Shaft or if the music label is King record or Starchild record.

Another time I don't skip the OP or ED would be when the singer I like is singing the song. I'd be just listening to the song than watching the video.

I didn't really care for Spice and Wolf but both OP and ED were very good. Especially opening song is the one I keep coming back to listen to. The song itself just sends a chill and the singer's voice made the song more atmospheric and dreamy.

[mecharobot]

I'm watching Brain Powerd solely because of the OP song. Seriously speaking, I'd say of course it adds to the anime if done well. It is especially great if they can set a theme of which the show uses variations of, and has lyrics that match the spirit of the anime.

Then again, it is a total failure for me if it is just obviously a song inserted because the song is from a popular artist and can even detract from the anime.

[GreatTeacherKen]

I don't consider them to be that important to the anime viewing experience, but ideally they'll have a nice song and animation that's appropriate for the series. But even if the OP and ED are awful, I wouldn't consider that to be a significant flaw as I much more concerned with everything that's between the OP and ED.

From the perspective of the animators, I suppose it would be more important for the OP to be good so the show would give off a good first impression and not make people flip the channel.