Kicking the year off with a bang!

Yes it’s back!

After the success of the Spring OP Charts last year I couldn’t resist doing it all over again, hopefully this will become a regular event each season.

For those of you that don’t get the premise from the title, this is where I’ll watch almost every Anime OP of the season and rate them against each other to see which one is the best/worst/most surprising.

As with last year a big thanks to Youtube and AnimeNewsNetwork who make this event possible (even if they don’t know it exists).

I have tried to include all of the new shows this season as there aren’t a huge amount, if one is missing then I probably don’t know it exists or couldn’t find a video of it yet. I’ll make sure to keep this post updated each week as videos often get taken down and new ones go up. As usual if anyone has any requests or comments please make yourself heard below.

Last years version wasn’t actually a Chart (best to last in numerical order) but this years will be. I’ll still do the awards bit at the bottom as well and I’ll even try embedding the top 5 videos, what more can you ask for? Now, on to the rules!

The Rules

1.  The show has to have started airing in January 2008 or have a new OP first airing in January 2008
2.  The show has to have a streaming video of the OP on the web (that i can find without learning kanji)
3.  The judge (me) has to be vaguely aware of the show

Criteria

The OP’s will be judged on the Animation, Music and how they have been Combined overall (what I’ll call fusion). Quality of the version watched will be taken in to account as I don’t have time to download a perfect copy of each show. If there is a full version of the song it will not be taken in to account when judging. This is purely my personal opinion, it is not in anyway impartial, scientific, philosophical or based on any professional music training.

Rating

The OP’s will be listed from best to worst, 1st to 17th. They will also be rated on the criteria above from 0.0 to 5.0, 0 being the worst and 5 being the best.

The Contestants

Sisters of Wellber Zwei
Rosario to Vampire
H2O ~Footprints In The Sand~
Hatenkou Yuugi
Major 4th season
Persona – trinity soul -
Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
true tears
Shigofumi
Kimi ga Aruji de Shitsuji ga Ore de
Minami-ke ~Okawari~
Aria The Origination
Gunslinger Girl -Il Teatrino-
Ookami to Koushinryou (Spice & Wolf)
Noramimi
Hakaba Kitarou
Yatterman

The Positions

01.  Aria The Origination – Spirale by Yui Makino (video)

I have a confession to make, I’m in love with this song. From the first time I heard it I was enchanted, I had to hear it again and again. Even more astonishing I wanted to watch Aria even though this was the 3rd series and I’ve never seen any before. The music is so soft and soothing as is Yui Makino’s voice and the small bass kick just brings it in to this century. The animation is simple but attractive, the characters are cute yet complex. I could go on for days…..

Animation – 4.6 / Music – 4.8 / Fusion – 4.5

2.  true tears - Reflectia by eufonius (video)

Now that’s how you do an opening to a high school dating show. Starts slow and gets better, the singer has a really cute voice and the song really becomes catchy. The animation seems really nice quality and the characters doesn’t feel as generic as some of the other shows on this page. The OP gives me the impression that this series is really fun and fresh, in fact I like it so much that I’m gonna have to watch episode one now.

Animation – 4.0 / Music – 4.1 / Fusion – 4.4

03.  Hakaba Kitarou - Mononoke Dance by Denki Groove (video)

Once again I have no idea what the show is about, however this OP really intrigues me, I just might check this out if it gets subbed. The animation isn’t really to my liking but it’s definitely striking and a little retro. The song is excellent, a really good electro/dance piece that seems to pair with the animation perfectly. Mononoke Dance is simple but effective, I want to listen to it again!

Animation – 4.2 / Music – 4.4 / Fusion – 4.2

04.  Persona – trinity soul - Breakin’ Through by Shuhei Kita (video)

Ah the first anime of the new season with random feathers falling from the sky. On a serious note the songs really catchy, the singer has a great voice, the guitar riffs good and it gives me a positive feeling about the show. The animation seems pretty good as well but the character designs seem a bit bland, a man falls in some garbage though which gives it more points. Overall a nice OP, still on the fence about whether to watch the show or not.

Animation – 3.9 / Music – 4.3 / Fusion – 4.0

05.  Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - kuso Rumba by Kenji Ohtsuki and Zetsubo Shojo-tachi (video)

The show that dares to be different returns with another good OP. If you don’t want to do the Rumba after this song then there’s no life in you! Ok the music is a bit ‘harsh’ but I think it fits the mental state of the show perfectly, the female voice actresses really pull it together as well. Not much can be said about the animation as it seems to change each episode. In the first episode there really wasn’t any, but I won’t mark it down to much on that. Overall great OP.

Animation – 3.5 / Music – 4.2 / Fusion – 3.9

06.  Ookami to Koushinryou (Spice & Wolf) - Tabi no Tochu by Natsumi Kiyoura (video)

While this show doesn’t really interest me the OP seems polite and inoffensive. The music seems to suit the pacing and style of the show while the animation seems varied and detailed. The nudity is a bit odd but I guess that’s part of the show. While the OP didn’t really make me want to watch the show it did give a good impression of itself, the music and animation complemented each other well.

Animation – 4.0 / Music – 3.7 / Fusion – 4.2

07.  Hatenkou Yuugi - Heartbreaking Romance by Kanako Ito (video)

I’m a little torn about this OP, it starts well, gets worse and then gets better at the end. The song is quite nice apart from the chorus and the animation is quite nice apart from the lazy character design. Seems to be a show that’s nearly there, but would probably tend to be more bland than exciting. Still the OP does a reasonable job of selling it, music and animation go well together.

Animation – 3.4 / Music – 3.6 / Fusion – 3.8

08.  Gunslinger Girl -Il Teatrino- Tatta Hitotsu no Omoi by KOKIA (video)

Straight off the bat I have to say that i really love this song, its a powerful ballad that seems to fit the persona of the show, unfortunately I can’t say the same for the animation. The animated landscapes seem reasonably nice but the rasterized photos are a bit confusing, I’m not sure what they have to do with the show. Once again this didn’t really make me want to watch the show and it doesn’t really give you any indication what the shows about.

Animation – 3.0 / Music – 4.0 / Fusion – 3.6

09.  H2O ~Footprints In The Sand~ - Katayoku no Icarus by Yui Sakakibara (video)

This OP starts well and gets worse for me. It goes from nice moving animation to moving the camera about to simulate movement with girls that look like they are cut out of any random h-game. The song likewise starts off nice and softly then goes all shouty at the end, the woman’s voice just doesn’t sound shouting like that. Overall though the music and animation seem to compliment each other.

Animation – 3.4 / Music – 3.6 / Fusion – 3.8

10.  Noramimi – ????? (video)

Sorry but I couldn’t find the name of this song so if you know then please share. The main reason I even bothered putting this OP in is because of the watercolour style artwork, its absolutely lovely. While I can’t say the song is good, it definitely suits the show and has a playful air about it. Overall the OP put across a heart warming feeling and I’m sure the shows thoroughly enjoyable, if this is your sort of thing.

Animation – 4.0 / Music – 3.0 / Fusion – 3.8

11.  Minami-ke ~Okawari~ - Kokoro no Tsubasa by Rina Satou, Marina Inoue & Minori Chihara (video)

Oh dear, the people that animated Shuffle! strike again… The songs ok, but unless the shows completely changed from season 1 then its a bit out of place, to loud and excited. The animation is pretty poor, especially at the beginning, robot walking? flashing eyes? I’ll take the first seasons OP thanks. Not really sure what to say about the fusion, it wasn’t a mismatch but then they hardly went brilliantly.

Animation – 2.9 / Music – 3.3 / Fusion – 3.4

12.  Sisters of Wellber Zwei – Theme of Wellber by Dobashi (video)

The song so good they used it twice, well, not quite. While they have indeed used the song again I don’t think the animation fits the song as well this time, the action and over the top cgi just feel a bit out of place. There’s not really much you can say about the song, its quite grand and definitely has some grace about it, but using it again just feels like pure laziness. I heard the first season wasn’t that good so I’d expect the same this time round.

Animation – 3.6 / Music – 3.8 / Fusion – 3.2

13.  Yatterman – Yatterman’s Song by Saemon Onyakichi (video)

Hm. Yes… Yatterman. Well it’s not awful, I’ve seen far worse OP’s. Still there’s not much to go with here. The animation is bright and inoffensive and its hard to complain about a giant mecha dog, I’m not sold on the hats though… The song appears to involve a lot of barking and shouting “Yatterman”, its definitely retro but it has a certain charm about it. Overall at least it didn’t send me to sleep like the Kimi ga Aruji de Shitsuji ga Ore de OP.

Animation – 3.4 / Music – 3.2 / Fusion – 3.4

14.  Rosario to Vampire – COSMIC LOVE by Nana Mizuki (video)

Fanservice go! Right, the songs catchy and exciting but nothing ground breaking. It seems to me that it probably matches the mood of the show, a bit silly, a bit violent and very insubstantial. The animation is pretty much the same, generic looking characters, high school, pantsu, bright colours, weaselly males and nothing to get worked up over. Seems a rather average OP for an average show, still, its a bit of fun I suppose.

Animation – 3.0 / Music – 3.2 / Fusion – 3.4

15.  Kimi ga Aruji de Shitsuji ga Ore de – Hizamazuku Made 5 Byo Dake! by Miyuki Hashimoto (video)

Another game conversion. The OP is hardly anything to get excited about, cue cheery Jpop with bouncy bass and an average singer. Characters aren’t quite so generic but the setting seems enough to put me to sleep. Girls living in a house?! Wow that sounds….. like 500 other shows. Definitely a very average OP which leaves me wondering why so much VA talent is on board for it.

Animation – 3.0 / Music – 3.0 / Fusion – 3.0

16.  Shigofumi - Kotodama by ALI PROJECT (video)

I’m gonna come straight out and say it, I don’t like Ali Project. Their music is always over excited, confused and the lyrics are all over the place, this song is a perfect example of that. The animation is alright and that’s being a bit generous. Lots of black, ctrl-c and more generic characters. Oh and there were more feathers. I was going to watch this show but the OP has nearly put me off, never a good sign. Still, despite the boring OP I’ll give it a try.

Animation – 2.2 / Music – 2.4 / Fusion – 2.6

17.  Major 4th Season - Rise by Ootomo Kouhei (video)

The man singing this song seriously needs to clear his throat, god what an awful song. I wasn’t expecting much from the OP to Major season 4 and it definitely smashed my expectations out of the park, home run, as fast as possible away from this OP. Bland manly song with highly unoriginal animation. About the only positive thing I can say is that it was baseball animation for a baseball show, good job….

Animation – 2.5 / Music – 1.3 / Fusion – 2.8

Awards

Most Surprising OP – true tears (This OP convinced me to start watching the show, not much higher praise than that)

Most Surprising Song - Hakaba Kitarou (Wasn’t expecting anything from this OP but the song’s pretty good if you like electro music)

Most Surprising Artist - Persona – trinity soul - (I’d never heard of Shuhei Kita before but I’ll definitely look out for them/him in the future)

Most Surprising Animation - Noramimi (The watercolour style is really nice, makes the animation seem less childish)

Worst OP - Major Season 4 (Atrocious song, generic animation, no thanks)

Worst Song - Shigofumi (Give it up Ali Project you can’t sing)

Worst Animation - Minami-Ke ~Okawari~ (I really expected more from this OP…)

Best  OP – Aria the Origination (Probably just me on this one but its perfect)

Best  Song – Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (Was close between this and Persona but I had to give Zetsubou Sensei a nod)

Best  Animation - Persona - trinity soul - (The animation seems quite detailed and stylish)

Aftermath

Overall I was surprised by the quality of the OP’s this season as with no big name shows I wasn’t expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised by several of the songs and some solid animation. Persona, true tears and Hakaba Kitarou all did well with convincing animation and catchy songs. Minami-ke ~okawari~ disappointed me with an average song and awful animation while Major season 4 and Shigofumi were just plain bad.

It feels like I was more generous with the marks this time round, I’m not sure if the OP’s have gotten better or my standards have gotten lower. Overall the music was of better quality than the animation with nothing really memorable on that front. As usual most of the shows combined the music and animation together in a decent fashion.

Conclusion

Once again this was an enjoyable experience, other than watching episode one of every show I don’t think there’s a much better way to get a feel for the series on offer in any given season. Once again I messed up with the HTML and the spelling as always is atrocious, hopefully it didn’t spoil the experience to much. This seemed to take up more time than I’d bargained for but looking back over it, it still feels a bit basic. I’ll definitely have to think of a way to spice this up next time round.

Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope everyone finds it useful to have all the seasons OP’s in once place. I’ll also try and get some full version of the songs up on the box music player thing as they get released.

I’ve added one of those Box.net widgets to my page, it seems pretty useful and much more stable than similar offerings.

A few random jpop songs have been uploaded to try it out, i’ll probably add a bunch more if it works well.

Sorry for the lack of anime related posts but I have been dead busy the last few days, although i’m hoping to catch up with Hayate at least before I head off at the weekend. I’m also willing a.f.k. to finish subbing Lucky Star 3 as well.

There’s a mountain of Gurren Lagann to catch up with and i’m sure there will be Bleach and Naruto over the weekend to. Gah!

Oh well, hopefully i’ll come back and produce a post frenzy with my rested mind.

Goodnight.

PS. My suitcase is nearly packed!

Let the fight begin!

Welcome to the ActiveCore Spring 2007 Anime OP Charts

First of all a nod in the direction of Youtube and AnimeNewsNetwork whom this event couldn’t have taken place without!

Not all the shows from this season have been included as there are some I know nothing about and a few where I couldn’t find an online video to watch it. If you would like to submit a song to be included in this list please post the show title and a link to the video in the comments section.

The Rules

1.  The show has to have started airing in April 2007 or have a new OP first airing in April 2007
2.  The show has to have a streaming video of the OP on the web (that i can find without learning kanji)
3.  The judge (me) has to be vaguely aware of the show

Criteria

The OP’s will be judged on the Animation, Music and how they have been Combined overall (what I’ll call fusion). Quality of the version watched will be taken in to account as I don’t have time to download a perfect copy of each show. If there is a full version of the song it will not be taken in to account when judging. This is purely my personal opinion, it is not in anyway impartial, scientific, philosophical or based on any professional music training.

The Contestants

01.  Bleach – ALONES by Aqua Timez (link)

While this isn’t the best Bleach OP, I do like it. The song is catchy and upbeat while the animation is promising and stylish. It does however lose marks for the shaky camera at the beginning.

Animation – 3.5 / Music – 4 / Fusion – 4.5

02.  Blue Dragon – FRIEND by Keita Tachibana (link)

While i’m not actually watching this series the animation was instantly recognisable and very pleasing to my eye. Sadly the song was down right boring and unoriginal.

Animation – 4 / Music – 2.5 / Fusion – 3

03.  Bokurano – Uninstall by Chiaki Ishikawa (link)

An OP which actually made me want to watch the show! The animation seemed very good in places, although the CG mecha was a bit to much. The song was very pleasing to the ear, I would defiantly download it.

Animation – 4 / Music – 4 / Fusion – 4

04.  Claymore – Raison D’être by Nightmare (link)

I’m not a fan of Nightmare but this song really grabs me. The animation is really stylish and high quality although the arrangement of it isn’t as good. Sadly the fusion isn’t as good as the separate parts.

Animation – 4 / Music – 4.5 / Fusion – 3.5

05.  Darker than BLACK – HOWLING by abingdon boys school (link)

This was my front runner before I started this. I absolutely love the vocal on this song and the riffs are great to. The animation it breathtaking and atmospheric. This is how it should be done.

Animation – 4.5  / Music – 4.5 / Fusion – 4.5

06.  El Cazador de la Bruja - Hikari no Yukue by savage genius (link)

This OP has grown on me, the animation is nicely done and the song has seeded itself in my brain. The arrangement of the animation however works against it for me.

Animation – 3.5 / Music – 3.5 / Fusion 3.5

07.  Engage Planet Kiss Dum – Jikuu o Koete by II MIX DELTA (link)

In places this could have been an OP by Move (the band). I like the song, it’s not amazing but it has a classic feel to me. The animation is sadly lacking, why am I watching a case rolling around in the credits?

Animation – 2 / Music – 3.5 / Fusion – 3

08.  Heroic Age – gravitation by angela (link)

After seeing the first episode of this show I wasn’t even sure that this OP was from this show. A set of poor character close ups and bad CG don’t help this OP. The song is ok but nothing memorable.

Animation – 1.5 / Music – 2.5 / Fusion – 2

09.  Idolmaster Xenoglossia – Binetsu S.O.S!! by Miyuki Hashimoto (link)

It’s Sunrise, could you tell? Nice animation and points for the mecha not having over the top CG. Music was good, it fitted the animation well.

Animation – 3.5 / Music – 3 / Fusion – 3

10.  Kaze no Stigma – blast of wind by Saori Kiuji (link)

More Gonzo? Oh glee… This looked about the same as a million other OP’s. Animation was standard if lacking in detail. Song was nice enough while it played, but I barely remember it now. Meh.

Animation – 3 / Music – 3 / Fusion – 2.5

11.  Kono Aozora ni Yakusoku wo – Kono Aozora ni Yakusoku o by KAORI (link)

Very standard once again. Nice animation, bland characters, same old story. Music was fine, likable if forgettable. Good balance overall.

Animation – 3 / Music – 3 / Fusion – 3

12.  Koutetsu Sangokushi – Nostalgia by camino (link)

Is that two men, wait what? The animation seems pretty solid if a little generic fantasy. The song is pretty much the same, enjoyable to a degree but nothing i’ll remember in a days time. Overall not to bad.

Animation – 3 / Music – 3 / Fusion – 3.5

13.  Lovely Complex – Kimi + Boku = Love? by Tegomass (link)

Fast catchy song, lots of stars and a tall woman?! I actually like this much more than I should and want to watch the show now. Very enjoyable romance/comedy OP.

Animation – 3.5 / Music – 4 / Fusion – 4

14.  Lucky Star – Motteke! Sailor Fuku by Aya Hirano, Emiri Katou, Kaori Fukuhara & Aya Endo (link)

Oh Kami-sama! It’s growing on me and it takes a man to admit that. I like the animation and the comedy value of the song and overall package is undeniable.

Animation – 3.5 / Music – 3 / Fusion – 3.5

15.  Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS – SECRET AMBITION by Nana Mizuki (link)

This is something I may have liked 15 years ago. While I can appreciate some of the animation and design work, I don’t really like it. The song, I can’t even remember it and it just finished playing.

Animation – 2.5 / Music - 2 / Fusion – 2.5

16.  Nagasarete Airantou – Days by Yui Horie (link)

This OP actually gets better as it goes along, well the animation side at least. The song is generic and cheery all the way while the animation gets better and more comical.

Animation – 3.5 / Music - 2 / Fusion – 3

17.  Over Drive – WINDER ~Boku wa Koko ni Iru~ by Shonen Kamikaze (link)

While the actual show looks awful the animation seems to be quite good, although the character designs are dated. The song has grown on me, but doesn’t seem to suit the mood of the show.

Animation – 3.5 / Music – 3.5 / Fusion – 2

18.  Romeo × Juliet – Inori ~You Raise Me Up~ by Lena Park (link)

Gonzo, please stop it! This does absolutely nothing for me, although the animation isn’t bad. The song is something like torture for me, a bad cover of a bad song. The animation and music also seem totally out of touch.

Animation – 2.5 / Music - 1 / Fusion – 1

19.  Seirei no Moribito – Shine by L’Arc-en-Ciel (link)

Aside from the slight engrish and drab character designs this is actually quite appealing to me. The song doesn’t reach out and grab me but it’s nice. The animation seems to be of good quality and makes me want to find out more about the show.

Animation – 3.5 / Music – 3 / Fusion – 4

20.  Seto no Hanayome – Romantic summer by SUN&LUNAR (link)

This seems to be somewhat of a niche show but not quite as bad as I initially thought. The animation has a reasonably unique style and the song was energetic and fun.

Animation – 3 / Music – 3 / Fusion – 3

21.  Shining Tears X Wind – Shining Tears by Souichiro Hoshi (link)

Oh dear, just how far have Sega fallen from grace. If anyone is watching this you have my sympathy. I don’t have anything nice to say about this, it was just abysmal.

Animation - 1 / Music - 1 / Fusion - 1

22.  Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica – Apocrypha by eufonius (link)

All I saw were mecha instruments and boobs. The animation was passable, the song was bland. It got slightly better as it went on but falls far below average.

Animation - 2.5 / Music - 1.5 / Fusion – 2

23.  Sisters of Wellber – Theme of Wellber by Akio Dobashi (link)

Surely that should be the ED? Nice animation, stupidly out of place music. I’m a sucker for background animation and it seemed quite nice in that OP, although the characters once again seem very dull.

Animation – 3 / Music - 1.5 / Fusion – 1

24.  sola – colorless wind by Aira Yuki (link)

Going head to head with Shining Tears x Wind for most feathers in an OP! The animation was good but got worse towards the end. The song was standard but I enjoyed it. Plus points for a nice umbrella.

Animation – 3 / Music – 3.5 / Fusion – 3.5

25.  Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann – Sorairo Days by Shoko Nakagawa (link)

Saving the best for last? Definitely. Brilliant animation, both character and background design. Really good song, great riffs and nice vocal. Music and animation in harmony and portray the show very well.

Animation - 4.5 / Music - 4.5 / Fusion – 5

Awards

Most Surprising OP – Lovely Complex (Very enjoyable, I now want to see the show)

Most Surprising Song - Bokurano (Uninstall has lovely vocals and subtle backing music)

Most Surprising Artist - Claymore (I never liked a Nightmare song before but Raison D’être is just great )

Most Surprising Animation - Over Drive (Animated much better than I thought it would be)

Worst OP - Shining Tears X Wind (Poor animation, awful song. Nothing more to say)

Worst Song - Romeo x Juliet (Inori~You Raise Me Up~ Bad song, bad cover. Not my thing)

Worst Animation - Heroic Age (The first episode was ok, this OP looks nothing like the show)

Best  OP – Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (This OP captrues the atmosphere of the show more than any other)

Best  Song – Darker than BLACK (HOWLING, the song with the most variety and the one that sticks in your mind)

Best  Animation – Darker than BLACK (While I prefer GAINAX visual style, BONES is clearly better)

Aftermath

Not to many surprises for the best and worst awards but there were a few shows which were not even on my radar that now seem quite appealing. Noteworthy OP’s are Seirei no Moribito, sola and Lucky Star. None of those quite did enough for any kind of award but I enjoyed them all more than I thought I would.

The figures show that quality of animation was marginally better, overall, than the quality of the music. Lots of shows fell in to the mid range with very few standing out, either positively or negatively. Most shows fused the animation and music together well in order to represent the given show.

Conclusion

This was a fun little project which I am glad to have finished. I apologise if you read it half way through when I messed up the html or while there were some other mistakes. This was indeed far more work than I thought it would be, it may not look like much but most of my hours at the PC this weekend were absorbed by this.

Hopefully some of you will enjoy it, although i’m sure some won’t. If any of the facts are wrong please let me know and I will correct them. If you have an opinion about any of the OP’s or my views please share them in the comments. This was a valuable experience for me, if not for this feature I wouldn’t have bothered looking at 80% of these shows. I now feel like I know a little more about the series this season.

Looking back I would have liked to put more time and detail in to this. I would have been happier if I could watch each OP in downloaded form and take some screenshots. I would have liked to put in more detailed explanations and ratings. These will be things for me to take in to account if I attempt this again.

I’m also aware that it became more of an awards contest than a chart, I may go through each show later and number them in order to their success.

For now, I’m off to relax.