Look, a lot of these I’m going to intellectualize to rationalize my choices. The Vampire Dies in No Time is an often funny and sadly not-infrequently problematic/hokey gag comedy. Yeah, they are still doing jokes about gay leather daddies and trying to get girls to strip. But for its faults, its still often pretty enjoyable and this intro captures the series better energy. But really, I like watching people dance to music. And the song is good and reminds me of similarly good openings from 20 and (oh god!) 30 years prior. But yeah, it's a show I am hesitant to completely recommend but I like it.
Were people running to demonstrate desperation or drive?
Nah, they dancing.
Jujutsu Kaisen
I feel like Jujutsu Kaisen’s second half was stronger than the first but the OP/ED was a slight step down. But only slightly. Still, the animation is gorgeous, the song is great and it all looks amazing.
Were people running to demonstrate desperation or drive?
Sorta. They were running at people to beat up.
Komi Can’t Communicate
Till my #6 came along, this one was in the #10 spot. I don’t like this series as much as a lot of people seem to. I find it works best in feel-good mode and not so much in gag manga mode. Not even that the gag manga version is bad, but it doesn’t really make me laugh. It’s mostly harmless, save that two of the main character’s friends are aggressively horny towards her, which probably isn’t the best for a series about a character with serious social anxiety trying to reach out and get connection. Also, one is full-on a stalker. The intro of this very gorgeous series also knows that the feel good angle is the one to take, presenting us with a sweet little pop confection where our heroine slowly amasses more friends. She is separated from people who “love” her because most of them deify her but here them seem like legit connections and it’s sweet. Though in the show… a lot of them still deify her. Messaging needs work maybe.
Were people running to demonstrate desperation or drive?
If you want that, this intro has you covered!
10.
Shadows House
Shadows House is a show about performance, both in lying to stay safe and the fact that even the more guileless characters learning to have to put on a proper face for their dark masters. I mean, it’s also about imprisonment, servitude and oppression but they go together terribly well, don’t they? Anyway, appropriately, this one starts with curtains raising to our quasi-identical leads and features dancing, performance and, as MUST happen in a show about dopplegangers, some good old compare and contrast. The romantic Eastern European-style music sets the proper mood of being imposing and amps up to desperation at the half-way point as our protagonists find each other in a mirror. On the nose? Sure, but this isn’t a subtle show and it works. I to most evocative images are the “doll” and the shadow being smeared with shadow and sinking into shadow respectively, metaphorically hinting at the dark fates that await them should they not play savvy enough as well as what they might need to do to complete their mission; find out how to become part of the system to dismantle it. Here’s hoping for season 2!
Were people running to demonstrate desperation or drive?
Yep. And they even give us some in the end credits for good measure.
9.
The Heike Story
The Heike Story is what I’m sure is one of many retellings of an old historical epic and I can’t make assumptions on how the other ones handle it but this version makes sure to take a lot of time to ground things, as does the intro. The Taira clan of the series aren’t *wholly* evil but they sure do evil stuff/let evil stuff happen as a result of their action. Still, they are also people and the series focuses on the tragedy of seeding your own destruction and the destruction of the people you love. We have Biwa, the character created for this series who acts as reluctant observer and Greek Chorus. We are introduced to the people she loves, even though she has good reason to despise them and hints of the war that it to come for them by looking with an eye that sees the future. But these scenes of war also end up giving way to some good and joyful memories and when we cut back to her, she is using the eye that sees ghosts of the past. At what exact point did she switch, we don’t know but it seems like this is actually representative of the length of the series and now within her is the knowledge of Taira’s downfall and all that it entails. The poppy score actually works and really, the entire series makes some great musical choices, but this opening is pretty good stuff.
Were people running to demonstrate desperation or drive?
Oh, she’s runnin’ baby!
8.
Dr. Stone: Stone Wars
The animation in Dr. Stone is a bit on the weaker side compared to some of the other major Shonen Jump shows, but man, they always have banger intros. It never quite topped “Good Morning, World”, which got stuck in my head forever but Stone Wars is the arc the series was leading to since the second episode or so and manages to finish it off in a satisfying way. You’d expect something epic and operatic but instead the show goes smooooooooth. For the most part, you get what you expect from a lot of similar shows these days; contextless shots of stuff that basically spells out the entire season but isn’t too spoilery. And it’s good, but mostly the killer-diller song is doing the work. But the best bits are the second half, when we have Gen lip-syncing the song, which also plays into the arcs story and dips into the pasts of the shows antagonists, many of which don’t remain that way. I also appreciate that the first and last shots are also alluding to the next season’s exciting new direction. So I feel like some of the lower tiered entries my be technically better, this one definitely gets me pumped more and frankly denying that lizard brain instinct just to sound smarter is one billion percent pointless.
Were people running to demonstrate desperation or drive?
Why run when you can tank?
7.
To Your Eternity
To Your Eternity was a strong revelation this season and though the last arc faltered a bit by comparison, I eagerly anticipate more. It also has a pretty good intro doing what I mentioned last time: lots of shots of important stuff. Unfortunately, this time is gets perhaps a little too spoilery in spots, implying some fates for characters we haven’t yet met. At the same time, once the show gets going you can see the formula and yet the brilliance is that while you know each story climaxes in some sort of tragedy, that’s not all there is. And the opening is a college of the life and triumphs of our unusual protagonist. We actually do and don’t see a lot of him, in a way, and that makes sense. The series has a very big scope and while he becomes a well rounded character, the show is about how that only happens because of taking in all kinds of experiences. The music is by Kingdom Hearts lady Hikaru Utada who probably did lots of other stuff but to me is always Kingdom Hearts lady. I think having a kind of JRPG emotionally filled pop song works for this one, even though it’s a different kind of fantasy series than anime has often slumped into. The series is an emotional ride and I think the we get to capture the scope of what is experienced over 20 episodes to make it feel quite large.
Were people running to demonstrate desperation or drive?
Not really.
6.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 6: Stone Ocean
If there is a season with a new Jojo, of course they are going to make it in. Now perhaps the fact that I’ve been holding off on watching the new season to watch it with JBear hurts sit because the context of watching the show always helps but I did read the manga… shit, that was nearly a decade before. That was the Summer I shotgunned all the Jojo there was while getting a ESL teaching certificate in Manitoba, so strong association from chilling out from my writing marathons with it (and also often reading too fast and getting confused because… Jojo is always something you need time to absorb a little). Anyway, I love that each Jojo series is not only a new setting and characters but a new tone building on the last and one thing I remember (and hope holds true) is that Araki finally cracked writing better female characters (yeah Lisa Lisa and Trish were cool but after 13 years of manga, that’s not a lot) and it’s mostly making them like their male counterparts; tough ridiculous weirdo friends. Anyway, this one goes with a wonderfully brash riot grrl meets bubblegum pop banger with a sense of chaos as it zips from set piece to set piece, laying out the story. And beyond that, it also has the fun visual decision to have Jolyne’s power guide us through each scene. There’s only a few moments where Stone Free isn’t present and I like using the power to take us on a tour of the prison. Also cool, Kamikaze Douga is back doing the opening and rightly calls back several times to Stardust Crusaders, though an ending that’s less “I’ma punch you” and more “Yeah, I’m stuck in here… for now.” Even though it’s the 2nd or 3rd endings that really get to play with the intro format, I suspect this one will also have some pay off once we get to the final battle…
Were people running to demonstrate desperation or drive?
Of course, it's Jojo
5.
Blue Period
For a show about artistic freedom, Blue Period has a standard, if handsome, look (at least compared to other shows about the creative process like Eizoken). Nonetheless, the opening does capture the creative process of the main character which involved learning from teachers and peers, some relaxing with them, doing the work and most importantly lots of food fuel. There’s a lot of pack days that are rewarding in their way but don’t come to fruition till that moment the paint brush really burns in your hand and that’s the narrative of the opening, being free from a fairly standard life path and choosing the hard but important road of artistic expression that allows you to communicate in new ways. “Everblue” has sort of a light pop sound but it also has a sense of propulsiveness that works for a hard work montage and captures the tone of the show.
Were people running to demonstrate desperation or drive?
Mostly walking and floating.
4.
Case Study of Vanitas
Case Study of Vanitas is a show that I ended up finishing the first series of but mostly kind of fell out of favour for me. It took a big hit when early on the title character gives a non-consensual deep mouth kiss to a woman to make her fall in love with him. The title character didn’t really get more interesting with all the more interesting beats going to his co-star and frankly the mythology of the series became increasingly uninteresting. But more than anything, I just wish the show was what is promised in the intro. The show as is a vampire teaming up with a magic human doctor to solve vampire woes and are involved in a deep conspiracy in alternate universe Paris and an alternate alternate universe Paris as well. But the show in the intro is a more interesting two hander with a man taking in the sights of Paris, filling his own days with joy as a little gremlin friend tries to badger him into the adventure the day. It does a much better job setting up an interesting dynamic than the show itself and seems to be about the joy of stopping and smelling the roses.
Were people running to demonstrate desperation or drive?
It's more of a walking tour.
3.
Zombieland Saga Revenge
I’ve never been quite as enamored with Zombieland Saga as Talking Time in general but it is definitely the finest idol show I’ve seen. Yes, like all of the others it exists in part to be part of a “mixed media project” but I actually find the characters and general attitude to be a lot of fun, with a lot of heart and can genuinely be surprising (like this season having a sober flashback two-parter with everyone’s favourite courtesan). This intro doesn’t break the mold, it does what an idol song should do: pump up the listeners, this time with a defiant comeback song. I love the use of street sign/map/infrastructure imagery throughout and much like the first season’s tokusatsu fight, it has a gorgeously animated fight that in no way reflects the content but does the headspace of our heroes. Here’s hoping that they stick to their guns with a completely out-of-left field coda when they come back.
Were people running to demonstrate desperation or drive?
Walking, biking, driving, jetting, pretty much anything they can to propel themselves.
2.
Ranking of Kings
Ranking of Kings has been an absolute delight. To a certain extent, there’s a desire to get to the fireworks factory but unlike that reference, everything in the way of what I really want has also been completely engrossing and emotionally satisfying. But even when he’s spending a lot of the series not present, Prince Bojji, the goodest boy there ever was, is the nucleus of these character’s world, whether they want him to be or not. As such, we have him marching onward to adventure to King Gnu’s absolute pop banger “Boy”, that works perfectly (as JBear noted for some characters taking shortcuts really ISN’T fun and is downright tragic). Like my favourite openings it alludes to the big beats without giving much away, as characters look onward, pondering their kingdom’s future and presumably their decisions (it’s interesting because in one case a character looking into the sky… well, who is he?). But Bojji is marching forward, leading his kingdom into a more empathetic and understanding future from a cast of well-intentioned characters lead astray by bad judgment and misplaced priorities. My working theory is
Bojji leading the characters might be literal if Bosse’s mysterious decisions prove so disastrous the kingdom falls and the entire population might migrate and start a new kingdom from the bottom ranking.
Oh, also the music video for Boy is also an awesome, optimistic little street fairy tale. Check it out.
Were people running to demonstrate desperation or drive?
Some light sprinting but mostly confident marching.
1.
Odd Taxi
Odd Taxi, like Ranking of Kings, is a big cast of characters orbiting one but it is much more up front that this really is an ensemble show, with lots of seemingly unconnected threads coming together for a completely airtight plot. It tends to have a positive view of humanity and a love of it’s characters but the show is also about weakness and vulnerability. People let their guards down with Odokawa a bit but never completely and never even completely with themselves either. Characters are delusional and in denial and each character is clearly defined even if their motivations aren’t always. This show, which I would call “noir lite” shows begins with a smooth, chill song and we are taken through the headspace and trials of various characters who we live with, some with metaphor others not as much. And I love how this one starts ironically revealing one of the show’s big mysteries, a fact that doesn’t become clear until the finale. Characters are scrambling for meaning and while it would have been easy to make this a commentary on the ills of the information age (gacha games, influencers, online dating), it feels like these are characters would find other paths to delusion and need some real help that Odokawa often provides (sometimes on purpose, sometimes by coincidence). Odd Taxi hooked me from the get and when I watched the engrossing yet calming opening, I knew I was in very good hands.
Were people running to demonstrate desperation or drive?
Mostly just the baboon.
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