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Mar 13, 2017 12:47 AM
#1

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Feb 2016
799
I'm wondering what you people think about the opening theme and the credits theme. Do they thematically fit the anime?

Opening:





To me, the opening song is too fast-paced and too peppy for what's happening on the screen visually, as well as for the whole anime. Kuzu no Honkai is really light on action. It's slowly paced and it's dark. The opening song makes it feel like there should be quick and crisp actions going on, but it just doesn't translate to the screen.

Visually, I think the opening sequence is fine. It fits the style and it doesn't give away too much. Though I'm not a fan of including characters in opening themes before we actually meet them.




Credits:




The credits theme is actually really good, in my opinion. 0:00 to 0:28 are especially perfect. Visually and thematically, it fits the anime perfectly. Although after about 0:28, it does stray a little bit.




I haven't paid much attention to the lyrics of both themes, simply because I'm too lazy.



Does anybody else care about this?


Mar 13, 2017 5:37 AM
#2
Offline
Jul 2018
564089
Yes, and I think they both fit. I now like the opening exactly for the up-tempo approach - although it had to grow on me more than the ending - which I liked instantly.

For the opening, the following only applies now that the series has been ongoing for a while. It gives me the impression of "racing" ahead, of events transpiring without the protagonists being able regain some measure of control, take a mental breather and catch-up to the onslaught of uncontrollable feelings and impressions with which they are being bombarded.

Personally I think the ending echoes some of that as well. The first part you mentioned gives the, imo, misleading impression that a slow down has been achieved and reflection has taken effect ... before it all shifts back into high gear... reflecting changes in mental states - of the cast and perhaps also of the audience, reinforced by the imagery.

The lyrics echo the themes as well. The action is internal but feverish. A lot of the imagery is actually -perhaps surprisingly- very light in a lot of places, making the darker spots stand out in even starker contrast, and the darkness lingers more as the after image ... I think...

Alternative links - w. different visuals than in the series:
Uso no Hibana - Kuroneko's YouTube channel:


Heikousen - Sayuri's YouTube channel:



Might as well link to an other thread in which some comments about the music and performers were also posted. The following link is to my own comment in the thread titled "Satisfied with the anime?"
removed-userMar 13, 2017 5:50 AM
Mar 13, 2017 7:05 AM
#3

Offline
Mar 2015
650
For the OP:
-The lyrics of the OP definitely fit the themes of the show e.g. ("Those are words I can't say because I'm scared it will destroy what we have")
-The ton of rose (symbol of love) petals (symbol of deflowering = losing virginity or innocence)
-Splotches of black ink over white (Corruption, loss of innocence)
-Closed wardrobe (Repressed feelings)
-Shot of Akane with a piano looking empty (Loneliness)
-Hanabi falling downwards (Downward spiral)

I think the final shot of all the characters sleeping on a white bed is very interesting, possibly representing or hinting that they'll all return to being innocent or good people (and the characters in the anime currently are trying to better themselves). Even Akane seems to be at peace at the end of the OP.

For the ED:
-Lyrics are pretty fitting (Song is about parallel lines, lines that are close but will never cross AKA Hanabi's love for her brother and on a thematic level unrequited love)
-The visuals are... really weird. They fit, but just reflect that the show has sex in it and nothing much else.
“Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only, truth. But the world isn't perfect, and the law is incomplete..." -Alphonse Elric

"Then and now, what I protect has never changed!" -Sakata Gintoki

I'll take anything like The Pet Girl of Sakurasou. Anything as good as that.
Mar 13, 2017 8:09 AM
#4

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May 2014
1387
The OP is a generic, forgettable pop song.
The ED is 30s of beautiful emo poetry before it also devolves into a generic, forgettable pop song.
Mar 13, 2017 9:49 AM
#5

Offline
Feb 2016
799
VersoSciolto said:
Yes, and I think they both fit. I now like the opening exactly for the up-tempo approach - although it had to grow on me more than the ending - which I liked instantly.

For the opening, the following only applies now that the series has been ongoing for a while. It gives me the impression of "racing" ahead, of events transpiring without the protagonists being able regain some measure of control, take a mental breather and catch-up to the onslaught of uncontrollable feelings and impressions with which they are being bombarded.

Personally I think the ending echoes some of that as well. The first part you mentioned gives the, imo, misleading impression that a slow down has been achieved and reflection has taken effect ... before it all shifts back into high gear... reflecting changes in mental states - of the cast and perhaps also of the audience, reinforced by the imagery.

The lyrics echo the themes as well. The action is internal but feverish. A lot of the imagery is actually -perhaps surprisingly- very light in a lot of places, making the darker spots stand out in even starker contrast, and the darkness lingers more as the after image ... I think...

Alternative links - w. different visuals than in the series:
Uso no Hibana - Kuroneko's YouTube channel:


Heikousen - Sayuri's YouTube channel:



Might as well link to an other thread in which some comments about the music and performers were also posted. The following link is to my own comment in the thread titled "Satisfied with the anime?"



See, my problem with the fast pace is that it doesn't encompass the show. There's a similar problem with Death Parade, which I think has one of the best opening themes I've ever seen. It simply does not reflect what's inside. Kind of like a cover for a novel which depicts something that doesn't actually transpire.

I disagree that the fast pace really plays any reflective role for the series. The characters have plenty of time to act and ponder about their feelings, in fact, that's what the anime is about. It's about having strong internal feelings which slowly erode the soil beneath your feet. It's about cowardice, indecision, and internal struggle.

The anime severely lacks in heart-racing action. Any time we see action is in the form of sex or romance. Even then almost every character is reluctant and self-reflective in those moments, which really juxtaposes the quick pace of sex with the eternal self-reflection in those moments of doubt. Even for the scene at the cabin with Hanabi and Ecchan. It was intense, but it wasn't surprising. We all should have seen this coming and in those moments, I don't think fast tempo music would make sense either. Not to mention that there are multiple time lapses which indicate that nothing of importance is going on in the lives of these people.


Personally, I see the anime as very methodical and slow-paced, which is not compatible with the fast tempo and sound of the intro. To me, piano or acoustic guitar scores in minor would work really well. This is not a cheerful anime, yet the intro conveys a bit of peppy cheerfulness and it feels out of place.
SaucyMar 13, 2017 4:34 PM


Mar 13, 2017 10:52 AM
#6
Offline
Jul 2018
564089
... while I think both pieces of music accurately convey how frantically Hanabi's mind, in particular, tries to keep up but fails in coming to terms with what to an outsider may seem like slow erosion... that's the impression I get, in sound and vision. One leads me into the episodes and the other keeps me in the episode well after the actual scenes have stopped.
Unfortunate if it doesn't work like that for you.

Edit to expand.
Roses and petals shown in the opening sequence, as if swept by wind, have already been mentioned, with a brief note that the petals appear to change from rose to cherry blossom (sakura) - thus change from nearly universal to regionally symbolism...

Below is a link for the noitamina website, leading to a list of episode previews with their respective titles - something else to expand on, given the musical themes explored in this thread... Up to 12 retained for the anime. Copying only the episode titles and putting them behind spoiler tags, without the corresponding videos and lyrics. The list is updated with a new preview following the broadcast of each episode.
removed-userMar 23, 2017 11:19 AM
Mar 15, 2017 8:19 PM
#7
Offline
Jul 2018
564089
GaryMuffuginOak said:
For the ED:
-Lyrics are pretty fitting (Song is about parallel lines, lines that are close but will never cross AKA Hanabi's love for her brother and on a thematic level unrequited love)
-The visuals are... really weird. They fit, but just reflect that the show has sex in it and nothing much else.
I know of at least one other person who was reminded of Georgia O'Keeffe's work by the visuals in the ending sequence. The imagery also gives the impression of a colourful Rorschach test, while the kaleidoscopic impressions are the result of careful mirror placement. Whether all these mirrors are physical or virtual is immaterial. The animated ending gives the feeling that its reflections are as much about us as they are about the protagonists ... not unlike the series itself in that regard either.
Mar 15, 2017 9:08 PM
#8

Offline
Feb 2016
799
VersoSciolto said:
... while I think both pieces of music accurately convey how frantically Hanabi's mind, in particular, tries to keep up but fails in coming to terms with what to an outsider may seem like slow erosion... that's the impression I get, in sound and vision. One leads me into the episodes and the other keeps me in the episode well after the actual scenes have stopped.
Unfortunate if it doesn't work like that for you.

Edit to expand.
Roses and petals shown in the opening sequence, as if swept by wind, have already been mentioned, with a brief note that the petals appear to change from rose to cherry blossom (sakura) - thus change from nearly universal to regionally symbolism...

Below is a link for the noitamina website, leading to a list of episode previews with their respective titles - something else to expand on, given the musical themes explored in this thread... Up to 10 so far retained for the anime. Copying only the episode titles and putting them behind spoiler tags, without the corresponding videos and lyrics. The list is updated with a new preview following the broadcast of each episode.



Interesting. Thanks, I'll see what I can get out of that. I can't read Japanese, so it's pretty tough to grasp what's happening there.



VersoSciolto said:
GaryMuffuginOak said:
For the ED:
-Lyrics are pretty fitting (Song is about parallel lines, lines that are close but will never cross AKA Hanabi's love for her brother and on a thematic level unrequited love)
-The visuals are... really weird. They fit, but just reflect that the show has sex in it and nothing much else.


I know of at least one other person who was reminded of Georgia O'Keeffe's work by the visuals in the ending sequence. The imagery also gives the impression of a colourful Rorschach test, while the kaleidoscopic impressions are the result of careful mirror placement. Whether all these mirrors are physical or virtual is immaterial. The animated ending gives the feeling that its reflections are as much about us as they are about the protagonists ... not unlike the series itself in that regard either.


The mirror images, at least to me, show a sort of duality for some of the characters. Especially Hanabi. There are multiple times where we see Hanabi struggle between doing what she thinks is the right thing and what she thinks is the wrong thing. There are also at least two times we see a younger Hanabi appear as a sort of judgmental figure being a stark contrast to her maturity. A nice twist on childish naivete and adult petrification in indecision.

I believe Moca also has a moment where her younger self attacks the actions of the older self. A sort of callback to the innocence of youth, yet in both cases, the child is much less innocent, instead being very level-headed and harsh.

I actually find the fact that she imagines her younger self accosting her as being very interesting. There has to be a lot more there.


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