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Who Deserves the Best Anime Opening of 2017 at the Anime Awards?

Anime openings have always been a highlight of what makes the medium so wondrous. They’re a sweet spot of great music and visuals; sometimes angsty music videos, built to hype up a particular arc or character development, others, a slow and meditative exploration of the themes that encompass an entire show. While many anime openings can share trends of dramatic backgrounds and poses, or similar artists performing the songs, no two anime openings are exactly the same. 2017 was a fantastic year to explore how diverse anime openings could be, and the candidates for The Anime Awards are a clear example. Let’s run through them and see what qualities really make for an outstanding anime opening!

ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept.: “Shadow and Truth”

ACCA is an example of how you don’t necessarily need flashy animation to make a flashy opening; Shingo Natsume, the director behind One Punch Man, did the direction and storyboarding for this opening, which really highlights how creativity can make an opening special. There's no stunning heap of animation, but what we do have are beautiful transitions and colorful layouts depicting the large cast in striking backgrounds. It doesn’t hurt that the opening is aided by an excellent, jazz-like song that pairs up well with the transitions, all to create a very smooth opening that sets the tone for the laid back, but "cool" atmosphere of the show.

Attack on Titan Season 2: “SHINZOU WO SASAGEYO!”

When Attack on Titan aired in 2013, it blew the worldwide community away with blockbuster action, intense drama, and creative worldbuilding. What really took the internet by storm, however, was the first opening: fans recreated it, played it over other anime openings, danced to it, made remixes of it – Linked Horizon’s "Guren no Yumiya" resonated with the world, and it only begged the question: could the band live up to its first two songs in the second season?

Attack on Titan Season 2 crushes any doubt with an equally intense and vivid opening. Every inch of this 1 minute and 30 second sequence screams dramatic – the highlighting, the coloring, the action, the music – and yet, it's a similar tonal anthem to the one that made us all cheer on our heroes in the show's first season. Not to mention that there’s some glorious animation in the middle that makes us remember what is so frightening but addictive about the series! This opening functions as an intense dose of what we’re to expect in the second season, and it does an exceptional job at that.

Princess Principal: “The Other Side of the Wall”

The title seems suggestive of one thing, but the opening makes for a completely different statement: Princess Principal is all about making a stylish entrance starring four girls and one heck of a thriller plot. This opening was directed and storyboarded by Kazuya Nomura, who was in charge of the equally thrilling and intense Joker Game. You can notice the similarities: soft shadows and wallpaper-like backgrounds to really bring out the spy-like duality in these characters. What really rocks the sequences of character introduction to the fun action, however, is the incredibly catchy song performed by VoidChords featuring MARU on vocals; it sounds like something I could have heard on the Persona 5 soundtrack, and fits perfectly here. I’ve got no guilt in saying this is an opening I’ve watched again and again!

The Ancient Magus’ Bride: “Here”

When you’ve got a rich setting paired with intricate character designs, all wrapped in a high fantasy show, it’s easy to already start off strong in an anime opening. We’ve seen it in shows like Eureka Seven or Xam’d: Lost Memories, and The Ancient Magus’ Bride is no stranger to it here. It’s not as inventive as the others, but it doesn’t necessarily need to be, as it already speaks volumes about itself by using footage from the actual show. I do personally think Studio WIT could have gone a little above and made some original scenes for the anime opening alone – especially when it’s aided by a gorgeous song performed by JUNNA – but even then, The Ancient Magus’ Bride opening is still beautiful, showcasing the loneliness of its main character and the magic in her world.

My Hero Academia Season 2: “Peace Sign”

Usually, when looking at an action-packed shounen show like My Hero Academia, we expect an adrenaline boost of an opening: fast cuts, well-animated fights, and dramatic character focus. Interestingly enough, though, the first opening of the second season takes a literal break from that as we step back and focus on the school festival arc instead. In this opening, our heroes are away from any frenzied action, and instead are stretching, preparing themselves for the next battle ahead. It’s a very creative move to take a look at the varied cast that occupies our favorite classroom in the show, while also pacing smoothly with the song performed by Kenshi Yonezu. This isn’t to say that we don’t get our little dose of action: There’s a great bit at the end as we see our heroes get right to it and compete against each other. This opening sets itself apart with its positive vibe and relaxing atmosphere – the right kind of feeling we need before things start acting up again in the hero world!

Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju Season 2: “Imawa no Shinigami”

How do you capture the essence of a character drama in an anime opening? These are usually the toughest types: action doesn’t necessarily work, and still shots of characters, if done ineffectively, can come across as boring or unimaginative. The key is to create a sequence that is evocative and represents that characters' journey. It’s something we can see in March comes in like a lion, for instance: we witness Rei Kiriyami’s mindset progress across subsequent openings. Rakugo Shinju goes about this a different way – making it my personal pick for best opening of the year: beautifully heartbreaking symbolism that embodies the main character’s tragic journey of guilt and despair. The first season of Rakugo Shinju was almost entirely a flashback, and the second season’s opening does a fantastic job of linking the past to the present as we watch Kikuhiko’s relationships with the next generation unfold. Paired with an equally heartbreaking song, the opening is determined to give any viewer a great deal of emotion by the time it finishes.

Who do you think should win Best Anime Opening and why? Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comment section and tune in for The Anime Awards on Feb. 24th!

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When not finding ways to doom all her ships, Natasha can often be found on her twitter as @illegenes, or writing more about anime on the blog Isn’t It Electrifying! Feel free to swing by and say hi.

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