Opening and ending sequences, when done right, are among the best parts of an anime series. Aside from hyping audiences up for the episode or providing a welcome cooldown period after a brutal cliffhanger, these mini music video-like experiences can sometimes provide a fascinating alternate take or visual interpretation of the show’s content and characters.
Since the Anime Trending Awards currently lacks a Best Opening/Ending Animation category, I decided to whip up a listicle of the Winter 2023 opening and ending sequences that I was most impressed by (in no particular order). If you’ve got your own candidates for best opening and ending sequences of the season, feel free to mention them in the comments.
Tsurune: The Linking Shot OP Animation
Storyboard artist: Takuya Yamamura (the show’s director)
Unit director: Takuya Yamamura
I’m not enough of a Tsurune fan to be able to claim that I felt smitten with the sight of the ribbon-heavy opening shots that represent the bonds — or should I say, given the second season’s title, links — between the Kazemai High School kyudo members. That said, the use of the ribbons is both thematically and visually neat, and I like that the visual motif also extends to rival kyudo practitioners Shuu Fujiwara and Eisuke Nikaido, as well as Kazemai coach Masaki Takigawa.
What appealed to me most from this opening was the compositing, which has a heavier presence than the show itself but not to the point of being overdone, and the archery sequence during the chorus. The dynamic camerawork and impressive sense of depth in the latter make for an engrossing experience.
An official YouTube upload of the OP was available when I was writing this, but the video has now been made private, unfortunately.
My Hero Academia Season 6 2nd cour OP Animation
Storyboard artist: Naomi Nakayama (KoiKimo director), Yutaka Nakamura
Unit director: Tsuyoshi Tobita (1st cour OP director)
The opening for the second cour of My Hero Academia Season 6 comes with satisfyingly moody visuals and is also chock-full of great action and character animation. It’s hard to decide what the best part of the sequence is, although the incredible rotating shot around the 0:56 mark is certainly a strong contender.
Onimai: I’m Now Your Sister ED Animation
I wasn’t sure what to make of Onimai’s wild opening sequence, so I thought I’d feature its cuter (although still a tad too fanservice-heavy) ending sequence instead. One of the big highlights is the montage of cat whisker-filter shots of Mahiro and the supporting cast, thanks to the former’s cute and varied expressions and the almost-tangible sense of bodily squishiness conveyed by the animation. Another is the dance that plays out during the chorus, namely due to the sense of spatial depth provided by the positioning of the constantly moving characters that makes for a pleasing and impressive unbroken sequence.
The credits for Onimai’s ending animation lack any mention of a director, storyboarder, or even key animator(s), but the sequence is believed to be the latest non-credited work by Norimitsu Suzuki, the person behind Soul Eater’s EDs. Another Soul Eater ED link comes in the form of sole-credited compositing staff Chappy/Yoshiyuki Takei, who had the same role in the second Soul Eater ending sequence.
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations ED Animation 23
Storyboard artist: Chengxi Huang, jay1jay1jay1
Unit director: Chengxi Huang
I haven’t watched much Boruto since the movie and first episode, so I’m mostly clueless as to how close the story is now to reaching the teased confrontation between its titular protagonist and his foster brother Kawaki. This ending sequence doesn’t answer that question, but it does provide a beautifully directed experience centered on these two characters. The shadows (0:21’s my favourite), lighting, and other compositing aspects are a consistent strength throughout the ED, and the tilted shot of Boruto standing on the surface of an ocean, with his reflection later replaced by Momoshiki’s, is just one of its many nicely framed and effortlessly eye-catching cuts.
Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be an official upload that I can link here, but it’s an ending sequence that justifies the slight effort of heading to a streaming site like Crunchyroll or Bilibili and skipping to the end of one of the relevant episodes. After all, even Kazutaka Sugiyama, the character designer of Chainsaw Man and Mushoku Tensei, was very impressed by it.
CARDFIGHT!! VANGUARD will+Dress S2 ED Animation
Illustration/animation/photography: mebachi (Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club Season 2 ED animation), Kai Ikarashi (Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Ep 6 storyboard artist), Nazo no Anime Dan
Although I find it a bit jarring to see both illustrator mebachi’s and animator/illustrator Kou Yoshinari’s distinctive character art/visual styles in the same ending sequence, I can’t hold that against this ED too much given how nice the drawings are to look at. Snappy editing and some animated transitions ensure that the still image-heavy moments unfold in a lively enough manner to match the song’s pace, while the bursts of impressive animation, especially the ones within the montage that play during the song’s pre-chorus, add some sakuga flair to the overall sequence. The neat integration of real-life photos rounds out the package.
Apparently, Disillusioned Adventurers Will Save the World ED Animation
Staff: Itsuki Imazaki (the show’s director)
Apparently, Disillusioned Adventurers Will Save the World’s main band of adventurers get an alternate life as a band on modern-day Earth in this surprisingly charming ending animation, which features an indie-like charm and the unexpected appearance of cute puppets. The cherry on top is the adorable sight of dragon girl Curran sitting around in a dragon onesie.
Honourable mentions
Bungo Stray Dogs Season 4 OP and ED Animation
OP storyboard artist and director: Nobutaka Yoda (Golden Kamuy Season 4 OP director, Mob Psycho 100 III storyboard artist)
ED unit director, storyboard artist, and key animator: Tomoyo Kamoi
Bungo Stray Dogs Season 4’s opening offers some sumptuous visuals that solidify my newfound appreciation for Bones’ photography department. However, it’s the (also good-looking) ending that I’m more partial to, thanks to its cute and characterful portrayal of the Armed Detective Agency’s day at work.
The Fire Hunter OP Animation
Storyboard artist and unit director: Kenichi Kutsuna (Vlad Love OP “Mitsugu” Version)
Another honourable mention goes to The Fire Hunter’s opening. It has a tad too many shots of characters standing around for my liking, but I can’t deny how good those shots look. The beams of light bursting through the sketch-like clouds, Koshi’s rain-drenched figure with the dense industrial urbanscape in the background, and the palpable heat haze of the desert are just instances that stick in the mind. The powerful bursts of action animation towards the end are also a joy to behold.
