Hey everybody! We are well into the Winter 2024 season now and I hope you have gotten the chance to shop around different shows and pick a couple that connect with you. Feel free to talk about it like normal in this thread. However, I thought it might be fun to also ask people about their favorite OPs and EDs of the season. I picked my favorites out in the comments and I would love to see yours as well!
As always, remember to be mindful of spoilers. If you want to know more about how to handle spoilers in this community, check the guide here (also linked in the sidebar).
I have picked out a couple of my current favorite openings and endings for the season below. I should mention that I tend to pay more attention to the audio than the visuals for OP/EDs, so keep that in mind as you go through my list. I have split the list into a couple groups below.
From shows I am watching:
- Villainess Level 99 OP2 - LOVE or HATE? - I had originally written that this song reminds me of Myth & Roid, but then found out that this is sung by the former vocalist of the group. So, seems like my ear didn’t lead me astray.
- The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic OP - Cure - A decent punk anthem combined with some dramatically styled visuals makes a pretty fun OP. It helps that I have also really been enjoying the show.
- Delicious in Dungeon ED - Party!! - One large heap of big band instrumentation, a healthy portion of upbeat J-pop style and a sprinkling of Studio Trigger concept art mix together for the perfect digestif to each helping of this show.
- Metallic Rouge OP - Rouge - This song feels like a such a cool throwback and I love it. I just wish the whole show lived up to this OP.
From shows I am not watching:
- Bucchigiri?! ED - Love Je t’aime - I have no idea what this show is about, but I love this ED. It is a fun mishmash of music and playful visual styling. Just a great little jam.
- Mashle 2nd Season OP - Bling-Bang-Bang-Born - I don’t even know how to start describing this one. Some really impressive rapping combines with a catchy, eclectic mix of musical influences all paired with some really silly and creative animation make this an OP that I have really liked.
- Brave Bang Bravern! OP - Baban to Suisan! Bang Bravern - This song is an unapologetic throwback to shows of old - and it kicks total ass. I have no idea if the show lives up to this OP, but this OP is some S-tier stuff.
Some quick honorable mentions:
- 'Tis Time for Torture Princess OP - Massakasa Magic! - really fun and upbeat with a silly outro
- Kingdom 5th Season OP - Douka - A great J-rock song with dynamic animation. The ED is also pretty great.
- The Unwanted Undead Adventurer ED - Keep Your Fire Burning - A slow, soulful, acoustic ballad with some great vocals and stylized art.
- Tsukimichi 2nd Season ED1 - Aa Jinsei ni Namida Ari - Some rare, baritone male CV singing!
Just for fun, as I was going through a bunch of these to put the list together, I ran across a couple that I wanted to share, not because I liked them, but because I…well…didn’t know what to make of them for one reason or another.
WTF was that:
- Delusional Monthly Magazine OP - Overscientific! - I don’t even dislike how…experimental…the music here was, but the visuals just left me with way more questions than I want to spend time to find out answers to.
- Sasaki and Peeps ED - Aimai Girl - Again, I find the music inoffensive, but the animation is just…not to my taste. I at least give them credit for trying to experiment. I have been really enjoying this show so far otherwise.
- Snack Basue ED1 and ED2 - I know nothing about this show, but they seem to end their episodes with the CVs doing karaoke (you can even sing along with the words on the live-action video in the background!)…it is a bit weird without context.
- Brave Bang Bravern! ED - Souen no Shouzou - After highly recommending the OP earlier, the ED threw me for a total loop. I thought that this show was an action-oriented super robot story. Instead, the ED is like a fever dream in which the ship between Ice Man and Maverick set sail. I checked the AniList page for the series and got a chuckle at the tags Boy’s Love, Nudity, and Swordplay all listed for this show. I really like the ED, but was just surprised at how different an experience it was compared to the OP.
Brave Bang Bravern! ED - Souen no Shouzou - After highly recommending the OP earlier, the ED threw me for a total loop. I thought that this show was an action-oriented super robot story. Instead, the ED is like a fever dream in which the ship between Ice Man and Maverick set sail.
A little late but I finally sat down to watch the show and you hit bullseye there - there’s some pretty obvious Top Gun inspiration/parody in the series itself.
Watch Bravern, It’s as good as the opening. The first episode has a bit of a rough patch at the beginning, but it picks up.
After seeing the opening I’ll need to find time for that one too.
Edit: Wait, that’s an Obari series? Change of plans, need to see that TODAY.
It’s as good as the opening
I’m in! Will definitely try to find time sometime this week to check it out.
No mention of solo leveling? I’m watching most of your watch list and loving them, solo leveling is probably one of my tops for this season.
Solo Leveling is absolutely something I have been meaning to watch. I have heard only great things from the source readers for a long time. I just have had trouble finding time to fit another show in my schedule (and now need to try to fit Bravern in somewhere based on that OP). On the topic of OPs this season, the OP for Solo Leveling is pretty dang good. I haven’t really listened to TXT before, but I do think it is fitting to have a K-pop group do the opening for one of the most popular and influential manhwa to exist.
Tsukimichi 2nd Season ED1 - Aa Jinsei ni Namida Ari - Some rare, baritone male CV singing!
This is also a throwback to the first season, the same song was used in two occasions there.
These were also sung by the VAs, the first one is by Makoto’s (Natsuki Hanae), the second by Tomoe’s (Ayane Sakura) and Mio’s (Akari Kitou).
Thank you! I had completely forgotten that it was the same song. It is amazing seeing those two versions of the same song from last season and how different they feel with the different instrumentation. Also, just want to say that I love Mio and Tomoe strumming their air guitars to end the song. Only makes sense that Shiki gets his turn finally.
Myth & Roid, but then found out that this is sung by the former vocalist of the group.
Ahh, that’s why it sounded familiar
I haven’t watched enough to give a proper response, but shoutout to Frieren’s ED. It’s shaping up to be one of the best, if not the best, EDs I’ve seen yet.
Frieren’s ED is phenomenal. I was so glad that they didn’t change to a different song for the second cour (just a different verse). I didn’t include it with my list because it is a continuing series, but it is so, so good. I am sure I will still be listening to it for a long time to come. The only other ED I have liked like this in recent memory has been the ED for Lycoris Recoil, which I love an unhealthy amount.
I haven’t felt this sense of wonder that I had felt watching Frieren’s ED since A Place Further Than The Universe’s ED. The creditless version of this one by itself is better than some entire shows.
Favorites are easily the two from Mashle S2:
Honorable mentions:
The Bucchigiri OP was this close to making my list. The first 20 or so seconds of it are incredible and I wanted more of whatever that song was in the beginning.
Also, I love that the Mashle ED basically had a bunch of visuals like it was a street racing show or something, pretty silly and random. The Mashle OP is fantastic and absolutely one of the best in this season.
Watching the 4th ep of Metallic Rouge and I still have no idea what the plot is, what the characters want, and so much more. The only thing that’s known is that there’s Neans and an Immortal Nine that need to be killed by our protagonists for whatever reason. That all we know. It’s like I skipped season 1 and started the anime with season 2.
Also added 99 Level Villainess, The Witch and The Beast and Doctor Elise to my watching list for this season. They’re good fun. Am planning to pick up Delusional Monthly Magazine as well. Edit: watched 2 episodes. This is not it… Won’t continue.
I dropped Hokkaido Gals because I could’t stand Tsubasa in anime form. I’d much rather read the manga. Also dropped Foolish Angel Dances With The Devil. Not my thing.
Regarding favourite OP of the season: the new Frieren OP is such a banger. I like The Apothecary Diaries OP too.
I have yet to watch Metallic Rouge episode 4, but plan on doing so in the next couple hours. At this point, I think my expectations have been brought down to Earth (Mars?). The opening was just so cool with tons of style, but the story just isn’t there. I think I am going to be content to finish watching the season for the vibes more than anything else and I am not really going to try to hard to make sense of an incoherent story.
Hokkaido Gals
I have told myself for the past couple weeks that I will drop this and just read the manga instead. However, I have kept watching and also started reading the manga. I am really bad at dropping series once I get a couple episodes in :(
The Frieren OP is pretty darn good. I think it often gets overlooked because of how much of a standout the ED is.
OP
- Villainess Level 99 - LOVE or HATE?
- Instant Death - Killer Bars
ED
- Instant Death - Haze
- Gushing over Magical Girls - Toge Toge Sadistic
Seems like the Instant Death Ability’s Musical Prowess was overpowered when it came to your tastes! If you are watching the show, what are your thoughts? I have seen plenty of OP MC series in the past, but the series hadn’t really caught my eye for this season.
If you are watching the show, what are your thoughts?
Just a disclaimer, I have read the novel, so I am biased.
Personally, this story is the most satisfying power fantasy. Too many other series tried the same formula, but they degenerate into the same “battle shonen”-y stories anyway. This story takes overpowered-ness to the extreme, and stayed true to itself all the way.
novel spoiler
I also enjoyed how the author made fun of these other series when OP "MC"s get isekai-ed into this world, only to die to Yogiri right away.
I have seen plenty of OP MC series in the past, but the series hadn’t really caught my eye for this season.
That’s fine. Entertainment is subjective after all. Plus there’s too many decent / good shows this season.
Sounds like this might be interesting then. As somebody that loves The Eminence in Shadow LNs, taking OP to an extreme and never apologizing about it sounds worth checking out. Thanks for the recommendation!
