Introduction
Yeah, I'm posting the introduction a day early, 'cuz why not?
Anyway, before I start this list, let me say that this has literally been hours in the making. There are simply so many great openings and endings that deciding between them all is nearly impossible. I'm certain if I had worked on it even twenty minutes more, you'd have an almost completely different list before you. That being said, this list is not definite. Just because one op is 39 and another is 40, doesn't mean that I'll always think that number 39 is better than number 40, for example.
Also, because of the indefinite nature of this list, I'd like to present a list of honourable mentions (I don't know if that's allowed, but I'm doing it anyway) - anime that must be mentioned that didn't quite make the list, whether that's because I forgot about them until after I finalized the list, I didn't start watching it until I finalized the list, or because they just barely didn't make the list, here are some anime that simply cannot go without being mentioned:
- Deltora Quest OP 3 - "In This Life" - x
Deltora's original book series will always have a special place in my heart, considering the Deltora was what convinced me as a child to want to become an author. In the same vein, this opening will always have a special place in my heart as I've found that it's the only thing from the anime that matches the original books' dark, yet strong, tone.
- No Game No Life ED - "Oracion" - x
If there's two things I love in endings - watercolour paintings, and a change in the animation at a critical time in the anime. This ending does both.
- Welcome to the NHK ED - "Odoru Akachan Ningen" - x
This ending is so much fun. It is, and has always been, one of my favorites.
- Neon Genesis Evangelion ED - "Fly Me to the Moon" - x
Imagine my surprise when, when watching Evangelion for the first time, the ending was of a song I already knew. I've always loved this beautiful rendition of the jazz classic.
- Ranpo Kitan: Game of Laplace ED - "Mikazuki" - x
I literally only watched the first episode of this anime about an hour and a half ago, and I thought I simply had to put it in this honourable mention list.
Let me finish off by saying that, because of the incredible amount of great openings and endings out there, there might be a few that you might expect to be in this list, but aren't (Attack on Titan's first opening, for example). While there are a lot of openings and endings that deserve to be in this list, I simply can't fit them all, which means that I have to keep the ones that have stuck to me the most, even if that means leaving out great openings and endings like Guren no Yumiya.
That all being said, I hope you guys enjoy reading my list, because I sure enjoyed making it ^^ There are some placements that surprise you - there certainly were some that surprised me. I'm excited to post tomorrow, and I'm excited to see what you guys think ^^
