2009 in Review: Top 12 Anime Theme Songs
It’s that time of the year again! Errr not quite Christmas, I was thinking more that December is the time when people start waxing lyrical and reminiscing about their favourite favourites and generally stroking their own lovely egos and shouting ‘Screw you, my faves are better than your faves!!’. I’m not gonna pretend to be any different so expect a series of these over the next month or so.
Right! Kicking things off is a look at my favourite anime theme songs in 2009.
Overall, 2009 was a pretty good year in terms of memorable themes or at least it seemed so cos I bought a good damn sight more anime CDs than I have in past years (or could it be I just earned more money in 2009?)
Aoi Hana. Kukikodan (Aoi Hana OP)
This song was the only thing that kept me awake past the 2-minute mark every time I fired up an episode of Aoi Hana (I’m still stuck on ep 4). So wistful…and it’s such a pity that the full version clocks in below 3 minutes, the song is over before I’ve started to enjoy it. Oh well, the repeat button is always useful for that kind of thing.
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Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari. Supercell (Bakemonogatari ED)
It would be criminal to compile any sort of Best Anisong 2009 list and not put this song on it. To put it simply, Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari is the simply the most breathtaking, exhilarating pieces of piano pop I’ve heard in my brief 25 year existence on this planet so far. To not like it is to not like life itself, or something like that. One of the best anime songs ever, not just in 2009.
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violet. marble (Umi Monogatari OP)
Without an ARIA this year I feared I would be deprived of an iyashikei anime theme, but marble (of all people) stepped up to the plate and gave me what I wanted – a song to wash away all my troubles and set my mind at ease. Some other people may read that as ’slow and boring’.
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Orange. Kugimiya Rie, Horie Yui & Kitamura Eri (Toradora! ED2)
The most under-rated of the Toradora! themes…or rather, I think the other three are vastly over-rated. I find that Orange has a quaint little charm to it, it does try to bring together the three vastly different voices of its leads without beating the song to death by autotune after all.
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Kanjite Knight. ULTIMATE LAZY for MAZINGER (Shin Mazinger Shogeki! Z-hen OP)
One of the few instances I find myself liking something Jam PROJECT is involved in. An unexpected super collaboration with J-rockers Okuda Tamio and Saito Kazuyoshi, Kanjite Knight is the sort of song I imagine the GAR ‘concept’ projects with its wild wailing vocals backed by blazing guitar riffs. At least there’s no constant shouting of MAZINGER(!!!) here.
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Free and Dream. Suara (Tears to Tiara OP)
One of the main criticisms leveled at Suara is her seeming inability to do uptempo (wait, doesn’t Musouka qualify?) but with Free and Dream she sticks two fingers up at her detractors and gives them what they want, and more. You can sway (like a tree) to a Suara song at last!! I have to admit I was rather captivated by that apple in the Tears to Tiara OP and it made me go watch the anime… and that, was something I regret.
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mind as Judgment. Faylan (CANAAN OP)
What I said in July:
Although mind as Judgment is not quite as good as AROUSING SOUL, it still does kick quite a lot of ass, from the countdown at the start to the rushing guitar/strings combination throughout the song, culminating in an explosive chorus
I think I may not quite agree with myself anymore, I would put mind as Judgment and AROUSING SOUL on the same pedestal now. There’s so many layers and parts to its arrangement; again, the countdown parts, the rapid-fire vocals etc. I do acknowledge that watching Faylan perform the song live may have influenced my opinion somewhat. It’s also pretty versatile, check out the excellent ballad version on the CANAAN Inspired Album.
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Kimi ni Todoke. Tanizawa Tomofumi (Kimi ni Todoke OP)
The song mirorrs the anime perfectly – it’s a cheerful pop-rock ballad that evokes the kind of feelings you get when you take a walk through the park on a breezy autumn day with the sunshine streaming through the trees, just as Sadako does in the opening animation. A neat combination of a gentle piano line and Tanizawa’s earnest, soaring vocal reminds me of some of Spitz’s finer moments.
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Sokujin no Pandora. Nogawa Sakura (Slap-Up Party -Arad Senki- OP2)
Slap-Up Party dished up some of the more ‘traditional’ anisong offerings this year – both this and the first opening PARTY PLAY are songs that hark back to late ’90s anime themes though it’s kind of typical of (songwriter) Shikura Chiyomaru’s ‘epic’ style.
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Sky chord ~Otona ni naru Kimi e~. Tsuji Shion (Bleach ED18)
SHHHH don’t mention the similarity to YUI. This is a HAPPY song okay?
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only my railgun. fripSide (Toaru Kagaku no Railgun OP)
I barely had time to mourn Nao’s departure from the fripSide project when Sat announced that Nanjo Yoshino was on board as new vocalist and that they would be launching with the theme song for Railgun. And what an explosive start they’ve made. From the word go only my railgun is pulsating and electrifying, in-your-face catchy and terribly, terribly addictive. 44,000 people agree – aren’t you one of them too?
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Atashi dake ni Kakete. Omokage Lucky Hole (Natsu no Arashi! OP)
Fun retro-rock is made even more fun when accompanied by images of an animated silhouette touching itself.
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Honorary mention
Light Infection. Prague (Gintama OP8, ep 183 version)
BEST ANIMATION EVAH, WHO CARES ABOUT THE SONG.
Other personal faves from this year: Kimi e to Tsunagu Kokoro by Toyosaki Aki, Mizuhara Kaoru & Kugimiya Rie (Kanamemo), HANAJI by Kobayashi Yu (Maria†Holic), Hotaru no Hikari by Ikimonogakari (Naruto Shippuuden), Shin Ai by Mizuki Nana (White Album) and etc.
My favs are pretty similar to yours, surprise surprise…
Why is Musouka sometimes spelled Musouka and sometimes Musou uta? IMHO Musou uta looks and sounds better.
>omgwtfbbq
Technically it is because the kanji 歌 has two readings: ka or uta. In 99% of the cases when it is a compound kanji, it should be read “ka” because it actually flows better when you say it (yes, sorry to say you are wrong, musouka just rolls off the tongue, whereas musou uta has an unnatural break between the two due to the transition of having to say the two u’s. Also using the English alphabet to comment on how well it “looks” is not an issue because it doesn’t apply in the original language).
The people who mis-romanized it as Musou Uta just got it wrong probably because they could only find “musou” and “uta” separately in a dictionary and don’t know the rule to read 歌 as “ka” – which is actually a very elementary Japanese language rule that serious learners of the language should know.
Videos like that one up there remind me I should go past episode 11 of Gintama sometime.
Also, no Oyasumi Paradox?
I was wondering where Nana’s White Album song was and I’d noticed you tucked it under the Other Faves. That’s a pretty complete list and I don’t disagree with any of those picks.
Tsuji Shion is YUI copy. There, I said it.
Oh wow, 90% of the list consists of songs I’ve not listened to cos they come from shows I didn’t bother to watch. Looks like 2009 is really my out of the loop year -_-”
Agreed. Orange is by far my favorite song in Toradora. The lyrics are just so sublime and cute it makes me so happy.
What? no Future Stream – Sphere, Charge – Takagaki Ayahi & Fukuhara Kaori
? I loved these :p. I agree with most of your list by the way, except for the canaan op.
I’ve always wondered if the kimi ni todoke op guy is the same as suneohaire?
I haven’t been watching that much new anime since school started, but I can honestly say that mind as judgement is the best anisong I’ve heard all year. That song has me at the opening guitar lick and doesn’t let me go until it’s done. Violet is really soothing and, surprisingly, I like it more than the ending theme to Umi Monogatari. The one song that caught me by surprise was ryo/supercell’s song from Bakemonogatari. I just discovered that song last week through the Vocaloid MEGPOID/Gumi version that he posted on Nico Nico Douga last week. I didn’t think it was from an anime; I thought it was an original composition (well, it kind of is, but you get the idea). This might sound strange, but the version you posted sounds almost exactly like the MEGPOID version to me. That’s how realistic the latter version of that song is. I’m glad ryo is able to work on other projects while making his contributions to the Vocaloid fan community. I’m really fond of his compositions.
I do stalk your blog ever so randomly, and every so often, I’d go through your old post, because your stuff is just that amusing to read.
Though I noticed Hanaji is a personal fave now? LOL, I was just checking, and it just doesn’t seem that way in your February Highlights post. XD; Someone had a change of heart?
When I first heard Kimi ni Todoke, I thought it was Suga Shikao. Love the way you describe the song, j1m0ne-san!
I won’t agree with everything,it is a matter of choice after all. But by God, you have missed the slice of life endings. Kourin’s Aihiteru,Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou ED not to mention the score of Ristorante Paradiso which was absolutely caramel to my ears and the OP & ED themes did not disappoint.
But I agree emphatically with Kimi ni Todoke. Now that’s a mellow ballad.
Pre-parade and Vanilla Salt imo weren’t overrated so much as the accompanying animation were so awesome that it made the impression of both songs better. However, I agree with your opinion on Orange. It’s probably the most underrated Toradora song (also the only one I still play). The citrus mix of it imo is also worth checking out if you haven’t already done so.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK3DuhHnKqc&feature=related <– Orange Citrus mix.
@Shiny
Oh I do like Oyasumi Paradox, but maybe not that much.
@selo
Haha Sphere ummmm no comment. Let’s just say I watch their PVs on mute.
@Aniki
lol I have a short memory and fickle tastes xd
@Does it matter
Aishiteru is OK, but not one of Callin’s best songs imho. Ditto for the Komine and Orange Pekoe stuff, heard much better from them before.
Uhh, I guess the OP/ED of the 2009 anime that I’ve watched were okay. (I watched Macross F late. If you have a 2008 list J1m, I’d like to know if you added maybe “Triangular” or the 1st ED?).
I did watch Mazinger! But I don’t think I liked the JAM PROJECT OP as MUCH as I wanted to. Nice Animation though.
Dunno where the FMA: B EDs fall in either. “let it all out” is nice though.
Nice list!
I also think that Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari is one of the best anime songs ever, hands down. All the elements just blends in together so perfectly in this song~
I liked Kimi ni Todoke and Sky Chord too, while Light Infection is climbing up my playlist.
Some songs in my top 5 of the year that didn’t make your year-end list include Sofa and Hajimari no Hi (Suga Shikao), Ano Hi Time Machine (Long Shot Party), and Perfect World (Rocky Chack). The Cross Game OP and EDs were nice too.