Ask John: What Anime Have the Most Inappropriate Openings?

Question:
For a while now you’ve been posting interesting and unique opening animation sequences which tend to have good animation coupled with solid music. However, there are certainly some very obnoxious opening themes which sound like nails on a chalk board (Denpa Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko, blargh), or the visuals are blander than those found in the show (Bakuman opening 1. Lame). So, which openings do you think are either disastrous, or utterly mediocre and do the show zero justice?

Answer:
Without trying to sound self-serving, I’ve watched a whole lot of anime and seen countless anime opening sequences, most of which I now only recall vague, if at all. I respect the consideration, artwork, and effort that goes into creating an anime opening animation sequence, but sometimes opening animations or opening songs don’t seem to compliment the shows they introduce. A handful of instances immediately leap to my mind.

The 1999 Betterman anime is a literally dark sci-fi horror adventure. So why does it have a new age opening theme song with soothing live-action footage of coral reef diving?

I like John Sykes’s song “Cautionary Warning,” and I think that the opening animation for the 1999 Kacho Ouji television series is very stylistic and evocative. However, it’s as stylistically and tonally distant from the style and tone of the actual show as can be.

Similarly, the 2003 Narutaru anime feels like it should be condemned for begining such a grim, violent, and simply unpleasant anime with a playful, childish opening animation sequence that feels more appropriate to a family-friendly anime like Chibi Maruko-chan or Azuki-chan.

The opening animation for the 2008 Kure-nai television anime is wonderfully stylish, distinctive, and memorable. It’s also practically completely different from the show it introduces. This opening feels far more appropriate to a lighthearted romantic comedy like Ouran High School Host Club than a relatively serious tragedy involving crime, violence, and sexual oppression.

The opening animation for the 2007 Yattokame Tanteidan TV anime is far more lively than the show itself is. The opening theme song by mama-Dee, though, is among the most cacophonous openings I’ve ever heard.

Also possibly to the benefit of anime fans everywhere, Showgate has prohibited online streams of the opening animation for the 2005 Petopeto-san television series. The opening animation sequence is just fine, but Isako Saneyoshi’s opening theme song “Shiranainai Sora” is one of the least pleasant I’ve ever heard attached to an anime.

The primary problem with the opening of the 1998 Weiss Kreuz anime is that apart from looking a bit dated now it’s far better than the show it introduces. The opening animation was produced by an entirely different staff than those who animated the actual show. So the Masami Obari directed opening doesn’t look the like the show and has a kinetic style, pace, and tone that are entirely different than the body of the show. It’s a cruel bait and switch that practically uses an entirely diffent anime as the opening credits sequence.