Category: Video

Weekend OP: “ROAR”

Kurosaki Maon has handled the vocals for all of the Index OPs, and the new song “ROAR” unveiled for the Russia arc is one of the best yet, combined with visuals that kick up the urgency and gravity, thus hyping up the episode to come. There’s Accelerator fighting Worst (which hey, actually happens in the show!); there’s Misaka jumping from jet to jet; and there’s Touma running towards the next battle, this time with a game Lessar in tow.

Weekly ED: “Sayonara gokko”

With all the best OPs of Winter shows we’re watching out of the way, here’s one of the best EDs of the season: a much slower and more contemplative sequence than the vibrant minecart ride that is the OP (as befits most EDs). The extreme closeups hand-drawn in charcoal fit the bittersweet song by Amazarashi, and the first time I saw it it had me guessing which expressions Dororo would make next. It’s a very pretty and haunting way to close the book on an episode.

Weekend OP: Love is War!!

Singer Masayuki “Martin” Suzuki is apparently known as “Japan’s King of Love Songs”, so he’s the perfect choice to croon out the opening theme “Love Dramatic” for the very love-centric Kaguya-sama: Love is War.

Combine it’s somewhat vintage sound of the vocals and instrumentation with some slightly hypnotic/hallucinatory visuals, and once Chika shows up gogo dancing it’s official: this almost feels like the opening to a James Bond film!

That’s also apropos, since both Kaguya and Miyuki often act like Agent 007, whose M.O. is winning over the hearts of women without letting them win his…or at least not letting them believe they have. Happy Friday, and stay warm out there! —sesameacrylic

Weekend OP: “shadowgraph”

MYTH&ROID is one of those fun, weird bands that merge the old and new (hence their name) into haunting tracks that sound like they might’ve come from another world. It’s why they’re so well-suited to providing the opening and ending themes to Re:Zero and OverLord II/III.

Boogiepop and Others doesn’t necessarily take place in another world, but it is very weird, and as the first Winter 2019 show I watched I liked how this opening really effectively wraps you in that bizarre, mysterious aura. It presents a number of instances of Miyashita Touka interacting with her alter-ego Boogiepop (something that hasn’t happened in the show yet), who while definitely strange and a little creepy, is still less creepy than the foes they’re up against.

By the end of the OP it seems Touka has fully embraced her supernatural half (depicted by a passionate kiss), while Kirima Nagi blasts onto the scene, scaling a building and running right at the camera as a sitar crescendos to the end. That’s another nice aspect to the OP: it reflects the show’s penchant for suddenly cutting off music, adding to the disorientation and questioning of what exactly is going on.

Enjoy the weekend!—Braverade

Weekend OP: “Touch off”

So far, the alternate title to this show could be Those Poor Kids, but officially it’s The Promised Neverland. And the OP matches the intensity of the lofty task of escape and survival before them.

Whenever an OP breaks out the saxophones, you know some serious shit is about to go down! UVERworld provides that epic sax, as well as a super catchy beat and a “Nanananananana” refrain with rich bass-y tones.

Have a good weekend…or at least a better weekend than these poor kids!

Weekend OP: “Kaen (Flame)”

This opening, so far the best of the Winter and an immediate personal favorite, just gets so many things right. It achieves a perfect synergy of music and visuals, utilizing a eclectic mix of layers, textures, and scale, calling to other classic OPs such as House of Five Leaves, Un-Go and Samurai Champloo.

Ziyoou-vachi’s fusion of traditional Japanese orchestration/vocals and modern hip-hop really brings the OP alive, and features the non-annoying use of English lyrics (even Iwasaki and Sawano sometimes have issues with this point).

It’s an opening that proudly and confidently announces that Dororo has finally arrived in the 21st century after a five-decade hiatus, and it has my full attention. It’s a minute and thirty seconds of which I highly doubt I’ll ever tire, not matter how many times I watch it.

Happy Friday!
—Braverade

(Note: As always, since this YT video is not from an official channel, it may not last long.)

Weekly ED: “HALF”

T * G * I * F

Song: “HALF” by Ziyoou-Vachi

This ED features a very catchy rock theme while the visuals encapsulate the Quinx Squad’s downtime throughout the seasons, with particular attention to Saiko looking exhausted as she rests her head on the coffee table while the other members sit on the couch reading or drinking tea. She also proudly displays a framed photo of her squad in her room.

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