July 2014 Anime OP/ED Worth a Listen Worth a Watch

This month, there are some promising animes worth watching and I think it's good to see that the music used lived up to its expectations. At the end of this post, I have an honorable mention and a shout out to a band I respect very much. Depending on the genres I suppose, I noticed a certain musical trend this year. A lot of the dark and more violent action themed animes like to use electronic based rock. I'm not too sure if there's a name for it, but that's what I'll call it for now. It's very harsh sounding, but still recognized as mainstream. Some of these opening and ending animations are very fun to watch. Typical openings/endings feature a stationary pose for the entire cast of characters making it very boring to watch over and over again. The new trend I suppose is using more motion and fluidity in presentation in terms of colors and graphic design.

Opening: Dried Up Youthful Fame by OLDCODEX

OLDCODEX has performed Rage On as Free's opening for season one. Dried Up Youthful Fame has a lot of energy and the opening has a lot to do with each character's acceleration in the waters. The theme is speed for the most part. For the girls, there's still a lot of shirtless moments and splashing water. The fanservice is strong, but the story is still ok to watch.

Ending: FUTURE FISH by STYLE FIVE

FUTURE FISH didn't have the same attraction as SPLASH FREE in season one. I mean, it's still funny and nonsensical. Haruka is dressed as a merman for goodness sake. Then there are a few shots that are like Pulp Fiction references or something. I'm still not taken in the music for this one though.

Opening: Ignite by Eir Aoi

I never really enjoyed SAO songs that much and this one wasn't that much different in both animation and sound. Ignite is a bit more favorable to me at the moment because it has the nostalgia of typical anime songs.Maybe because it's a little more edgier than the previous songs?

Tokyo ESP

Ending: Kyusei Argyros by Yousei Teikoku

They haven't shown an animation for the first episode and once I watch the second episode I'll know how the opening sounds like as well. Yousei Teikoku is known for their gothic heavy metal sound and this ending is not free from it. It features Yui Itsuki's famous high pitched vocals set along with dark wave music.

Opening: Trigger by Yuki Ozaki

With an interesting original story, Terror in Resonance has a very nice opening animation. It's like I said in the intro, there's a lot of motion in it. Even the title, Zankyou no Terror, is never fully shown and always obscured in some way. It reflects how the story may be set in, a quick flowing of time where the truth is obscured. Music wise, I found it quite easy to listen to. Even for a fast paced song, it is very gentle.

Ending: Dare ka, umi o. by Aimer

The drawing has a hand drawn quality to it evoking a sense of nostalgia. The song is a bit ominous due to its rises in pitch and the strings that rock back and forth like a pendulum. Like the opening, it's very easy to listen to.

Kuroshitsuji Book of Circus

Opening: ENAMEL by SID

SID has done it once again. In the first installment, SID had performed Monochrome no Kiss which drew many fans. ENAMEL is another very catchy rock song that gets your head a bit bobbing. I liked the camera moving through the various rooms and the elaborate designs that went into the modeling of the rooms. It was like creating picturesque scenery to be viewed in glimpses.

Opening: unravel by TK from Ling Toshite Shigure

I heard of Ling Toshite Shigure from watching Psycho-Pass and thought the vocalist had a very unique voice. In unravel, I find that it adds to the atmosphere of confusion and fear in the lyrics. I think the logo for Tokyo Ghoul was well done. The colors and the effects make it creepy.

Ending: Seijatachi by People in the Box

Yo, the bass is so good in this one. It has a very laid back tone to it overall. This one didn't have any moving animation, but features very well drawn and painted images of the characters that will appear in the series.

Opening: heavenly blue by Kalafina

I've been a fan of Kalafina for some time and their voices are great. In heavenly blue, the three women unleash their harmony once again in the form of music.  Urobuchi Gen did the story for this anime so I think I might try it. Though Suisei no Gargantia really wasn't my cup of tea and I quit after three episodes.

Opening: Fukagyaku Replace by MY FIRST STORY

I think their use of 3D in their opening is pretty nice and doesn't seem like poorly done CG. This rock song is fast and upbeat with some English in its lyrics. It kind of feels like Spyair mixed with a bit of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (not the movie, the Japanese band). I was hesitating to watch this anime, but maybe I'll give it a try. I can't leave the Sengoku dramas alone.

Sengoku Basara Judge End

 Opening: Thunderclap by Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

ARE YOU READY, GUYS?! Sengoku Basara is always over the top and that's why we love it. I thought they would find TM Revolution to do their opening again, but Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a very refreshing idea. It looks like the drawing style changed a bit. I kinda liked the older versions better though.

edit 7/21/14 ---

I had forgotten to mention that I wanted to recommend a band at the end of this post. Girugamesh's Live Best album is a compilation and re-recording of past hit songs. They've all been remastered in some way or another and I think it's worth a listen to see what you can do with the same song.