Anime Intros That Rock Your Socks Off

Throughout our relationship, I've introduced Rachel to anime, which was met with reluctant enthusiasm in the beginning.  Fortunately, she has grown to love it and even seek out new stories on her own.  We've been working our way through a few different series' and always discuss what we like/dislike about each.  In case you couldn't tell from her previous article, Ten Reasons to Watch Sword Art Online, SAO is the most recent story we have seen through to completion.  We are also well on our way to the end of Attack on Titan, which Tom wrote about a little while ago.

At the risk of over-saturating ABoG with anime-related articles, I've decided to take a break from video game commentary and, instead, list a couple of my favorite anime intros.  Check 'em!

Honorable Mentions

Limiting myself to five is hard, man.  I guess I have Toonami to blame for giving me a good chunk of material to work with.  There are so many intros I have enjoyed over the years, it's hard to narrow it down.  I thought at least I could extend it a bit by listing a couple that didn't make the theoretical cut.

Full Metal Alchemist







Sword Art Online







Outlaw Star







THE MAIN EVENT!

Alright, now we can move forward into the meat of the meal, the best of the best...

 

The CREAM of the CROP!

5: Big-O

This show answers the question on every mind everywhere: "What if Batman had a gundam?"  Simplicity prevails here with black silhouettes overlaying psychedelic splashes of color and one-word introductions for the main characters.  Not to mention the phrase "Big-O" being the only lyric.  Also, the obvious inspiration from Queen's "Flash" is a bonus.







4: Attack on Titan

Attack on Titan is an action-packed montage about humanity's seemingly hopeless fight against giant beings whose only purpose appears to be eating humans (what a mouthful (no pun intended (sort of))).  The tone of the music, along with the (roughly translated) lyric "Are you the prey? No, we are the hunter!" give you a great first look into what dire straits humanity is in, and at the same time, the relentless survival instinct of human nature.







3: Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne

Rin is a series that I looked into on a whim, and I'm so glad I did.  It follows the life (or lives) of Rin, an immortal private detective.  The show is very gritty and gets incredibly supernatural.  Definitely a lot of adult-oriented content and blood, though, so keep that in mind.  Also, I'd have to say this intro is probably NSFW material.  The lyrics are sung in English by obviously native-Japanese speakers.  While they are spoken brilliantly, they do take some deciphering, which I find a bit fun.  Hot damn, I love me some power metal.







2: Cowboy Bebop

The jazzy rock tune "Tank!" performed by the Japanese band Seatbelts accompanies this story of a group of space bounty hunters.  Jazz is always an excellent tool to convey badassery, and there is no shortage of it in Cowboy Bebop.  The imagery presented evokes memories of film noir, and there is no more fitting a scene for Spike Spiegel and the gang.  Take a listen, space cowboy.







1: Trigun

The Ballad of Vash the Stampede is my absolute favorite anime, so it makes perfect sense that "Humanoid Typhoon" rests in the number one slot.  The story of Trigun revolves around Vash, a man with a sixty-billion double dollar bounty on his head.  You would think that, because of this bounty, he's probably a terrible person.  As it turns out, the death and destruction that is attributed to him is the fault of others.  For a guy who tries to avoid trouble at all costs, he can't seem to stay out of it.  The intro sequence is a whirlwind of activity, changing slightly for every episode and revealing relevant bits.  It also shows a fair amount of Vash and what kind of person he is.  All he wants is donuts, and to not get shot (pretty relatable for Rachel and Miranda), but he will also do what he needs to in order to survive.  Oh, and of course the music gets you PUMPED UP, BRO, SO SWOLE.  (Rachel even knows it's my favorite, so she's got it as her ringtone when I call her.)







I highly recommend that you take a look at each of these shows if you haven't already.  They're all good in their own way, and each is different from the next, but they are all a blast to watch.

So for everyone reading everywhere, what is your favorite intro?  How about your least favorite?  What anime did you love or hate, or what is one that I should look into and why?  Let's talk about it sometime!  We'll do lunch.

Zach

Header image courtesy of Wallpaper Panda and Clip Art Best.  Preview image courtesy of, well, the internet.

Posted in: anime,Article,attack on titan,big-o,cowboy bebop,daughters of mnemosyne,full metal alchemist,outlaw star,rin,sao,Sword Art Online,toonami,trigun,Zach