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So I’ve decided to cover every single OP/ED this season and provide some first impressions. I will be doing the impressions in parts because new shows come in waves. It also makes posts more manageable. Impressions are in relative chronological order from when the show was aired.
For each OP/ED I will post a screenshot (if available) and provide a YouTube link for viewing, along with my impressions. I apologize for the picture quality, since it will vary from blurry to crystal clear. This turned out be more time consuming than I expected, but I always find it fun to look through OP/EDs, even of shows I’m not watching.
Queen’s Blade: Gyokuza no Tsugumono OP
“Ochinai Sora” – ENA
YouTube link [Audio only]
The beginning is fairly subdued and slow, with classical instruments (violin, piano) and ENA’s voice. Vocals are above average, as ENA is a pleasant listen. She doesn’t have an annoyingly high voice and stays within her limits. It picks up full orchestral force about a minute in, which is also its chorus. The orchestral sound and rather majestic chorus is fitting for this “fantasy” show. Ochinai Sora is a strong OP in a show that probably doesn’t deserve it. However Queen’s Blade has provided some good themes despite its status as a lowbrow anime.
Bottom Line: An OP above the show it serves, worth a full version listen.
Queen’s Blade: Gyokuza no Tsugumono ED
“buddy-body” – Rie Kugiyama, Yoko Goto, Kanae Ito
This was more what I expecting from Queen’s Blade, a seiyuu-based theme not really worth listening to. The start is useless, with all the voice actresses saying something in character. In the background is generic jazz music, which is upbeat but it sounds like something that’s played in a seedy casino or club. Even once the singing begins, the vocals are uneven and rarely in-sync with the music. I get nothing out of this, and don’t plan on listening to the full version, which can only be worse.
The animation sequence is also quite average. All of the characters get their own walking sequence with a background straight out of the Windows Media Player visualization feature. Throwaway animation for a throwaway song.
Bottom Line: Forgettable theme for a forgettable show. I will also forget (for my sake) to listen to the full version.
Nyan Koi! OP
“Nyanderful!” – Yui Sakakibara
The song is uplifting and upbeat, even though it’s composed of generic synthesizers. I like it, because I find it catchy and fitting for the light-hearted show. The melody does change a bit, building up from the verses to a more full-blast chorus. Vocals might be annoying to some, since it has this nasal quality to it, but it doesn’t bother me much. This may be change if I listen to it more. I will give the full song a try, but I think the TV-size captures its best.
The OP sequence contains quality animation, even though it has the cliché hallmarks of a school comedy (like cherry blossoms). It follows the main character through a day in his life, while providing a run through of the characters. There were also cute cats everywhere. All in all, an entertaining sequence that actually makes me want to check out the show.
Bottom Line: A surprisingly addictive OP despite its generic underpinnings.
Nyan Koi! ED
“Strawberry ~Amaku Setsunai Namida~” – Asami Imai
Another generic synth track, it’s more bland than the OP. It’s not particularly memorable, and the song sounds the same throughout. It defines average. The chorus changes things up a tiny bit, but I don’t think this is worth a full listen.
The animation sequence is a somewhat boring as well. I like the cute character walking sequence, but the background slideshow of characters isn’t interesting. Overall, better than a single image ED, but nothing attention grabbing.
Bottom Line: The theme serves as the ED, nothing more, nothing less.
Kampfer OP
“Unreal Paradise” – Minami Kuribayashi
I’ve been a fan of Minami Kuribayashi since her Kimi ga Nozomu Eien work. However this song is fairly average and nothing special. It’s a fast-paced synthesizer song that could be considered catchy. However I also find it really boring, probably because the synth is going all out for most of the song. It’s repetitive.
The anime sequence has below average animation. There is little detail, and even the characters look simple. I don’t find anything that sticks out as above average. The second half of the OP is better than the first, when they introduce the Kampfer and animate some fight scenes.
Bottom Line: The song is nothing more than “business as usual,” not good enough for praise, not bad enough for attention.
Kampfer ED
“One Way Ryouomoi” – Marina Inoue, Megumi Nakajima
Another bland theme full of synthesizers. The song has some moments, particularly when the synth slows down, but for the most part I would put it as average to above-average. The vocals serve their purpose, although I was expecting more with Nakajima in tow. I like the starts and stop of the vocals and the melody. The chorus is boring, although the verses are decent.
The animation incorporates the Caramelldansen meme, and there’s a slideshow of the characters in provocative outfits and poses. I can’t say that I’m complaining, but it’s nothing new.
Bottom Line: This could be worth a full listen, but I could as easily forget about it.
Asura Cryin’ 2 OP [Recommended]
“Alternative” – angela
The song starts off very slow, with only the vocals. However, once it picks up I like its energy. It’s fast and catchy. Vocal work has a wailing quality to it, but I find it different in a good way. The “rapping” vocals are less appealing. It sounds like the vocalist is trying to keep up with the pace. A slow opening gives off this surreal feeling until the full song kicks up to bring everything back to reality. I’m a big angela fan, and they haven’t disappointed.
The anime OP starts off slow with the song, with all the characters floating through nothingness. Once the song picks up, the animation does too. It has battle scenes, and flashes through the characters. Not a bad OP, although with so many people to follow, I’d probably get lost in this show.
Bottom Line: One of angela’s better works, I’m looking forward to the full OP.
Asura Cryin’ 2 ED
“Kanata no delight” – angela
Medium-paced and less hectic than the OP, I like how this song sounds like it’s building to some sort of climax. However, I feel like that climax isn’t met through the chorus. The latter part of the song is appealing though, as angela brings her voice high to close out the song. There’s an slight intensity to the song, punctuated with pensive moments near the beginning.
The animation sequence isn’t too shabby either. It features the two main characters wandering through various locales, trying to find one another. I like how it emphasizes how the two are in different places, and the difficulty is reconnecting. It isn’t particularly exciting, but it’s not boring either.
Bottom Line: Not as attention grabbing as the OP, but in the upper tier of themes this season.
Tatakau Shisho – The Book of Bantorra OP
“Datengoku Sensen” – ALI PROJECT
I don’t like ALI PROJECT. This song does nothing to change that position. The song sounds disjointed, like the vocals and the melody are on different pages. I don’t like how the vocals seem to go from high to low like going up and down stairs. ALI PROJECT’s music usually sounds like something I’d hear at a twisted circus, but I would say this song isn’t completely horrible, as it’s coherently in places. The end to the TV-size them is also abrupt.
The opening animation is plain, with a bunch of shaped boxes making patterns on a black background. There are also silhouettes of the characters. I think the OP fits the “secret agent” nature of the show and it’s focus on intrigue. The style was reminiscent of the Big O and some early James Bond movie intros. The style is distinct, but the OP is lacking because it remains minimal.
Bottom Line: Animation is ok. ALI PROJECT is not as bad as I expected, but not worth a full listen.
Tatakau Shisho – The Book of Bantorra ED [Recommended]
“Light of Dawn” – Annabel
I liked this song immediately after I heard it. The techno melody isn’t dynamic, but it is addicting. Annabel’s vocals are consistent and complement the song well. There’s an old school feel to the song, like it belongs in the synth heavy 1980s. It’s reminiscent of the style of Yoko Takahashi (Shana ED1, Evangelion OP).
The ending animation is as boring as the OP. It consists of scrolling through full body portraits of the characters in the show over a textured background. It has almost no replay value. The portraits do look good though.
Bottom Line: This is one of my favorites of the season so far and I expect to review the full version.
Conclusions
This first batch of OP/EDs was ranged from bad to forgettable to awesome. The two that stand out most to me are Bantorra’s ED and Asura Cryin’ 2’s OP, both of which I look forward for the full versions. Do any of these songs compare to something like Bakemonogatari’s ED? At this point, no. Some are quality themes, but nothing has blown me away yet.
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Topspin on 
Considering most of the series I picked up this fall are sequels there aren’t many OP/ED I like from ur list thus far but “Unreal Paradise” – Minami Kuribayashi is a nice one.
I like many of Minami Kuribayashi singles from many series and I find she’s one of a better singers for OP/ED tracks out there.
Still the OP animation for this single suxs.
Optic´s last blog…My Fall 2009 Line up
Unreal Paradise somehow sucked compared to Kuribayashi’s earlier work, I am a fan of hers too but only since Blassreiter’s OP2.
angela’s songs I will give a listen to, and probably QB2’s OP since the first OP was also above the first series. Nyan Koi’s, as I mentioned, are both generic average shit.
Kampfer is getting a lot of talk in the cloud and it has an acceptable OP.
phossil´s last blog…TCG-CON 2009
@Optic: As Panther noted, Unreal Paradise doesn’t really stand out compared to Kuribayashi’s past work (I’m fond of some of her relatively older stuff for Kimi ga Nozumu Eien and Chrno Crusade). Actually a lot of her recent stuff is generic and forgettable (Kurokami OP was decent).
@Panther: I’m surprised at Queen Blade provides in terms of its OPs. They are a good listen. Nyan Koi’s OP may be generic, but it’s good generic in my opinion.
@phossil: I agree that it is acceptable, but probably something I have no issue skipping over if I continue watching Kampfer.
Most of the OP/EDs thus far are decent in terms of the music – the animation/presentation on some of them need working on though.
Time to go listen to Railgun’s OP/ED or whatever. It’s at the end of the episode, but seems more like an OP.
I won’t be able to keep up with any series this fall, I’ll just watch them all at once after! Once I get this degree I plan on drowning myself in video games/anime/manga on nights and weekends once more! I can’t wait! I haven’t been able to watch a series at the same pace as Japan since I started this program!
lovelyduckie´s last blog…Haul Post and the Megahouse Challenge!
@Reltair: I believe for the first episode they decided to show Railgun’s OP as the ED. It’s definately one of my favorites, which I will detail whenever the next part of this series comes.
@lovelyduckie: I haven’t been able to keep up with fall season either,and that’s because of college. It’s gets way too time-consuming. Unfortunately for me, I have a few more years left before a degree, but only two months until winter break!
Shadow´s last blog…BoA – BUMP BUMP! feat.VERBAL (m-flo)
Railgun OP and ED = win =D
Kazearashi´s last blog…BLACK★ROCK SHOOTER PILOT Edition