Heyos Everyones!!
It’s that time again; time for Dowase to announce our favorite openings of the year! I know we’ve yet to really say much this year, but it really has been a big year for Dowase. Not only did we run our first panel at Anime Expo, but we attended and ran more panels this year than prior years! Of course, with that in consideration, we have all seen our fair share of anime this year, and plenty of openings and endings have caught our eye. While I’d like to say there will be more posts next year, I still cannot see into the future, but alas, that’s enough talk; Time to bring out our favorite openings of 2017!
Ace: I realized during my search for my favorite openings, that there really were only a handful of openings I thoroughly enjoyed this year. However, I must go back to the beginning of the year to bring you my first pick, Gabriel Dropout. This opening does more than get the viewer in the mood to watch a light-hearted comedic anime, but also does well to explain the characters, plot, and setting in a very fast paced and reasonable manner. I mean, it’s true there is not much to say about Gabriel Dropout, as it contains a very minimalistic story and the true essence lies in the character interaction and humor. Regardless, the opening does well as it begins with Gabriel proclaiming her decent to Earth, and her quest to “deliver peace and joy to the world.” This scene gets followed by a quick barrage of the main cast, delivering scenes similar to the content of the show. This offers a quick glimpse into each character’s personality. One of the best parts of the opening lie in the fact that the song is sung by the main cast, so each character gets to sing their respective part (or in Satania’s case, inability to sing her part due to a dog). After each character’s respective part, the group sings the simple plot in terms of “Hey, what do you get when angels, demons, and people all jumble together and go to school?”. The opening ends with the reminder that best girl Gab, is indeed, an angel. This opening brings entertainment, as well as sets the mood for the series, and I feel it’s a great fit for the show. Due to the reason previously listed, Gabriel Dropout gets my first pick of my favorite openings for 2017.
Mark: Hey guys! Oh man, it’s the end of the year and there have been so many shows that just went beyond my expectations! But! Out of the many dozen’s of shows, this particular one stood out as not only one of my top favorite anime of the year, but also had such a huge impact for me OP wise. And that would Made in Abyss’ Deep in Abyss. As we all know, I am HUGE sucker for songs that go with the the actual theme of the story. And after translating the lyrics..BOY does this do that. The overall theme of the show is exploring the unknown and pressing forward no matter what sacrifices they have to make. No spoilers here, but YES. Both Reg and Riko have to make such decision. There is just such a huge sense in wonder when I see this animation as well. Almost a burning/yearning feeling of going on adventure. And I LOVE IT. Please, if you get a chance to. Watch this anime!
Mickey:For my first entry this year, a preface is required: I didn’t end up watching a ton of 2017 anime, so I had to resort to a video mix of the year’s best openings to finish up my list. Out of that mix, the theme for Fuuka was the winner. I went ahead and watched the show for the full effect, and while I didn’t think it was more than alright at best, “Climber’s High” as a song is fantastic. The opening cinematics are also pretty damn sweet, not very reflective of the show itself, but impressive nonetheless. Unfortunately it can’t be said for the anime itself, but this OP is a real treat!
Danny: Being the least “anime” out of all of Dowase I end up not not watching nearly as much as the rest of my fellow members much less anything airing live, In any case one of the shows to really stick out to me was “Interviews with Monster Girls”. The opening is a simple sweet intro showing all four of the interviewees along with background visuals representing each of their monster identities. Cut then to the classic running through the hall holding hands with a slow motion jump ending the intro with and everybody laughs ending, it’s a simple but effective way to start a charming little show about women with essentially cute little birth defects