I think there's a difference between a good opening and an opening that gets you in the mood to watch the anime. Its a subtle difference but it exists. Sometimes you like the song but you don't really have that connection to why you like the show.
I think the DBZ opening (cha-la head cha-la) for example is an opening that gets you in the mood to watch DBZ (even though I have technically not seen that opening very much since almost always I find that its cut out). It might sound like a stupid reason but even just that opening shot of gliding over water with what sounds like a jet engine humming is just so dragonball. I don't know why exactly, but somehow it just encapsulates the feeling of dragonball well.
Other examples for me are the first opening of Naruto shippuden (hero's comeback), the gantz opening and the opening to ike! Ina-chuu takkyuubu. For the naruto one I think its a little bit of nostalgia, but moreso I think this opening just captures the anticipation and hype of wanting the anime to finally return, and for a now older naruto to do greater and better things (I mean, I think they called it Hero's comeback for a reason). The gantz anime was not terribly good imo, but the gantz manga is amazing, and somehow this opening manages to remind me of the manga more than the anime. For the last one I think the song is actually kinda meh but the whole thing just has this insane energy that fits the show so well, the nonsensical visuals, that stupid dance with one leg raised up and doing "chops" with both hands, and the lyrics also sell the whole thing. It's a silly opening that is perfect for a silly show. (I could bring up many more, like the first steins gate opening, many of the shingeki no kyojin openings, binary star from GED etc. but you get the idea)
Examples of openings that I think are still good but don't really get me excited to watch the anime are something like Renai circulation (Monogatari), inferno (enen shouboutai), Hitori no yoru (GTO). For the first, I could also put a lot of other monogatari openings but I chose this one as a representative, basically this song feels like nadeko's daydream or something, it doesn't really capture why I like monogatari, I think the only reason you would like this opening is if you like nadeko or you like the song, for me at least it does not get me in a "monogatari mood". The second one I just find is so much more hype than the actual show that its kinda anticlimactic lol XD The energy level in the opening is like Jujutsu kaisen Shibuya arc levels and yet the show does not pay off those expectations. Once again, I think there is a disconect here between what the opening is projecting and what it actually feels like watching the show. For the last one its more of the same, the song is good and there are some visual elements that make you think GTO but this opening has like this pseudo-narrative of onizuka rescuing a phantom woman that resembles fuyutsuki, which doesn't really have anything to do with GTO and never happens in the anime.
So what about you? What openings make you excited to watch the anime? |