top 5 anime opening scenes
the first few moments of any medium of entertainment are crucial, and anime is no exception! Below is a lift of my 5 favorite opening scenes in anime.
5. Fate/Zero
This show kicks things off with a somber tone and an extremely question provoking conversation between a statue like man gazing out a window at a raging blizzard, and a pale lady with white hair and red eyes, holding their new born baby in her arms. the man states that he has no right to hold the baby, because he will be the death of the woman. to which the lady replies by telling him not to worry, because she always knew that day would come. she also tells the man to look to the future with hope because the Holy grail would soon grant his wish. sound wild? yeah. I had to keep watching.
4. Attack on Titan
I believe I was about twenty years old when I sat down in my dark apartment to start watching this show. I made it a few minutes into the first episode before i had to pause it and walk around for a bit. This opening leans heavily into the shock and awe tactic of horror. I couldn’t believe what I was watching, but at the same time I couldn’t stop myself from pressing play again. I was completely sucked in because of this buck wild opening scene.
3. Demon Slayer
This one starts with the sound of heavy panting and feet trudging through thick snow. first the winter frozen forest is shown, followed by the feet of the person hiking through the snow and then a trail of foot steps sprinkled with blood. When the view returns to the person walking, it starts at the feet again then climbs up to reveal that the person walking is just a teenage boy carrying a wounded, unconscious girl. Promising that he will not let his sister die, the view drifts above the tree line and zooms out. This is super different from other shonen anime, and an amazing opening scene.
2. Full Metal Alchemist
This opening is one of the few reasons why I tell people to actually watch this show before they watch FMA Brotherhood. it’s just that good. fun Fact, I tried watching this anime when I was about twelve years old and got so scared during the opening scene that I shut off my computer and did not attempt to watch it again for about four years.
1. Megalobox
the scene opens with a tight shot of a worm lying motionless on a desert terrain while a scorpion approaches. the screen is flashing between animation and completely black. a young gruff voice is heard over the top of all this, comparing the actions of staying down, staying safe, and being a coward, to the possibility of fighting back. The voice finishes by posing a question and a motorcycle wheel crashes through frame, running over the worm in the process. The internal stresses of the voice raises along with the bass of the soundtrack and the speed of the motorcycle. there is a quick flashback to the man riding the motorcycle getting knocked out in a dirty boxing ring right before the man and the motorcycle launch off of a cliff. If that all doesn’t make you want to keep watch, then i don’t know what will. the scene is beautifully directed and perfectly primes the viewer for the gritty show of self discovery that they are about to enjoy.
