40 - 31
40. Steins;Gate OP - "Hacking to the Gate"
About two and a half years ago my favorite anime reviewer made a "Top 50 Anime Openings" list of his own, and this one landed at his top spot. Since then, while this opening has never stuck with me as it stuck with him, I've always been sure not to cheat it of whatever spot it deserved. After all, the music is catchy, the animation is great, and it is a wonderful piece overall. So I daresay it definitely deserves a spot on my own list.
39. Psycho-Pass OP 1 - "Abnormalize"
Honestly, I love Psycho-Pass's third opening. If I had chosen to do that one instead of this one, it probably would have still landed on this list. The difference is, though, that this opening is the one that pulled me into the show and made it stick with me. The thing that has struck me the most about this opening, though, are its lyrics - sometimes I'll find myself quoting them as I go about my day. For me, this is an opening that simply cannot go ignored.
38. Angel Beats! ED - "Brave Song"
Man, this ending is so emotional... but that aside, there are mostly two things that stuck with me: First of all, how they executed it in the last episode, and secondly, and most importantly, the lyrics. I never really gave this ED too much thought until I looked up the translated lyrics of the full version, and those lyrics have always stuck with me, and if you haven't done it already, I suggest you go and do it. You won't regret it.
37. Jigoku Shoujo OP 1 - "Sakasama no Chou"
I still have no idea why I love this opening so much. Maybe it's because it's so catchy. Maybe it's because it's the opening of an anime that's come to have a special place in my heart. Maybe it's because of the vaguely mysterious visuals. Whatever the reason, I've come to especially love this opening, and that's a fact.
36. Boogiepop Phantom OP - "Afternoon Shower"
If you were to ask who my favorite Japanese musical artist was, I would respond with Suga Shikao. I simply love his funk sound, his lyrics, his overall style. He's only done a few anime openings, and this opening is one of them. But it's not only his song that makes the opening - the dark, smooth visuals that reflect not only his song but the anime itself help make it to be one of my favorites.
35. Arslan Senki OP 1 - "These Are Not My Words, They're Our Words"
I used to hate it when a person would put an anime in a top list when that anime had just come out a season or two ago. Well, I'm doing exactly that, and, spoiler alert, it's not going to be the first time I do that in this list. Well, as for this opening, I suppose the biggest thing stuck me was the lyrics in relation with the anime itself - it's almost as of the singer is begging the listener to stay valiant and loyal rather than surrendering or turning into a traitor - which is exactly what Arslan would be needing from his comrades in the anime. Add in the catchy nature of the song and the beautiful lyrics, throw it in the oven, and you get a great opening such as this.
34. Psycho-Pass ED 1 - "Monster Without a Name"
I had completely forgotten how much I loved this ending until I started picking out endings and openings for this list, and I'm glad I thought of looking this one up again. I'd forgotten the feeling of its significance in relation to the anime, as well as its beautiful visuals and lyrics. Despite my having forgotten about it, this is definitely an ending I enjoy immensely.
33. Now and Then, Here and There OP - "Now and Then, Here and There"
A year and a half ago, I made my own Top 10 Openings list, and this opening took top spot. While it's not top spot anymore, it's still a great opening, despite its lack of animation or lyrics. It uses a simplistic nature, relying on the music to carry the excitement, and honestly, for this show, it works rather well.
32. Free! OP 1 - "Rage On"
I watch this opening and I get the overwhelming desire to go swimming. The combination of the upbeat, exciting music and the beautiful visuals give this opening an amazing quality that is hard to beat, and because of it (and this anime), I don't think I'll look at swimming the same way again.
31. Karneval OP - "Henai no Rondo"
To be honest, despite loving the visuals, I was never really a fan of the plot of this show. Luckily, however, this opening has nothing to do with the plot. Instead we got a beautiful visual treat with an exciting song attached to it. Plus, it has the word "Rondo" in the title, and, as a musician, this fact excites me.
