Even though I haven’t watched anime in years, the opening themes of anime I used to love have stayed with me.
Music is a huge inspiration source for my writing, and seeing a well orchestrated song paired with an anime opening does all kinds of things for me in terms of inspiration.
So today, I wanted to create a list of my top ten anime openings of all time.
Rank 10 | Ano Hana Op 1 (Season One)
I think this was my first *proper* anime (aside from any English dubs I’d watched as a kid) and I remember the song was so fitting with the video. This song is a little too slow and sad for my personal taste, but it gives me a huge hit of nostalgia paired with memories of how depressing this anime was–making it perfect when I’m writing a sad scene.
Song Name: Blue Bookmark by Galileo Galilei
Rank 9 | Sailor Moon Op 1 (Season Three)
It’s not exactly a secret that I used to be a huge Sailor Moon nut. Don’t get me wrong, I always will be! But I think my days of binge watching all 200 classic episodes are well and truly behind me.
That being said, the classic anime is a masterpiece and if you are going to dive into it, season three’s opening is by far the best in terms of animation. The song is the same from season one through to four though, so be prepared for that.
Also, the dubbed version of classic plus the cheesy English opening song is what nightmares are made of. Please do yourself a favour and treat yourself to the original Japanese version with subtitles. You will not be disappointed.
Song Name: Moonlight Densetsu by Dali
Rank: 8 | Fairy Tail Op 15 (Season Seven)
I think I made it halfway through season one of Fairy Tail before I gave up, not because I wasn’t enjoying the anime, but because it’s so freaking loooong. That being said, I stumbled upon the opening for season fifteen at one point and it always stuck with me for some reason.
Fairy tail (from what I’ve seen) is a really good anime. It’s lighthearted but also has serious, heartfelt moments.
Song Name: Masayume Chasing by BoA
Rank: 7 | Black Butler Op 1 (Season Three)
I love how creative this opening theme is. The song is amazing and the animation is angsty, just the way I like my media (lol).
This season is all about a circus (obviously from the title) and the animation does not disappoint in delivering on this fact. Just trust me and watch it.
Song Name: Enamel by SID
Rank: 6 | Free! Op 1 (Season One)
I remember being recommended this anime by a friend and thinking… “so, it’s about a bunch of guys who just swim? How is this any interesting?”
Oh boy, you’d be surprised. This anime was really good and so far from something I’d usually pick up, yet I enjoyed every moment of it. The opening song is what sold me though. The first time I heard it, I could sense the angst and I knew I had to keep watching.
Sidenote: Season Two’s theme song is just as good.
Song Name: Race On by Old Codex
Rank: 5 | Guilty Crown Op 2 (Season One)
I was so obsessed with this song for years after I watched thie anime. The guitar gets me every single time (and I even tried to learn this one of piano. Sadly, I was not quite skilled enough at the time).
Theme song aside, this is also a really great anime! It’s so interesting, and I thuroughly enjoyed watching it. But I enjoy this song even more–especially when I’m writing a really intense scene in one of my novels.
Song Name: The Everlasting Guilty Crown by EGOIST
Rank: 4 | Attack On Titan Op 1 (Season One)
Okay, I know everyone was obsessed with this one, but the first time I heard it I had to stop the anime, and replay it about a dozen more times because it was that good.
Not to mention the animation gave me all the feels. You know the part where they’re standing on the battlefield looking all solem? Yeah, that’s the stuff that gets my inspiration flowing. I’m not having fun unless my characters are unhappy.
Song Name: Guren No Yumiya by Linked Horizon
Rank: 3 | Parasyte Op 1 (Season One)
I have never seen this anime but I love the song (it’s right up my alley in terms of personal taste). The weird thing, though, is that it’s actually in English, but you may not realise that at first due to the accent. Personally, I found it kind of distracting, so I found an alternative cover version with clearer English (which you can listen to here).
Song Name: Let Me Hear by Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas
Rank: 2 | Blue Exorcist Op 2 (First Season)
This opening is so good!
The guitars really sell it for me again (notice a pattern?) but it also fits so perfectly with the anime itself. It’s rare that I find a song where I like every single part of the song, because usually it’s just the introduction, chorus or verse. But with this song? That is definitely not the case!
I really enjoyed this anime and if you like demons, you probably will too.
Song Name: In My World by Rookiez is Punk’d
Rank: 1 | Tokyo Ghoul Op 1 (First Season)
OMG, okay, so this opening.
It’s not just the song. When I first watched this, I got literal chills.
Every part of this animation is perfection. The animation is so clever, the song is paced perfectly, and if I could give this opening a rating out of 10 I’d give it 100.
You have to watch it to truly understand, so don’t let me keep you waiting:
Song Name: Unravel by TK
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