Favorite Anime ED, Part One

If you don’t like the Dango Daikazoku, you must be a commie.

Actually, if you think about it, one could potentially twist Dango Daikazoku into a communist song – not as much as, say, Communist Christmas, but it is a bit hard to beat that.

Many moons ago, I did a multi-part post on my favorite OP’s. Theoretically, I could update that, having seen a lot of anime in the interim I hadn’t viewed previously, but instead I figured I’d go with my favorite ED’s since I haven’t done that yet, and I think I probably have liked more ED’s for shows than OP’s.

Sans further ado…

Bleach ED 3

Bleach’s third ending, Houki Boshi, was actually pretty ambitious – the version I’ve linked to is only one of thirteen. Houki Boshi was the ED for a half season, thirteen episodes, and every single one of these episodes, the accompanying animation changed completely. How many other anime can you think of that have done something like that? I myself can’t, and I was especially impressed by the fact that a Shounen Jump show made such an effort, since they don’t tend to be known for their production values (admittedly, a bunch of the ‘animation’ consists of stills, but this was still more expensive than simply using the same sequence each time).

I can’t say I have a particular favorite amongst the thirteen, although I do like some more than others. I’ve linked to the one for the 3rd Division, since that was the one which popped up first on the Youtube search, although I do like the moment where Gin opens his eyes, revealing for all what a creepy fucker he is (as if we didn’t know!).

Clannad ED

Not liking Dango Daikazoku may not have any correlation with communism, but it is correlated with being a cold, mean bastard. This ED is heartwarming and melting, as it is undeniable that it is both adorable and endearing. The way it ties in with the show itself is a neat trick, too; I hope Nagisa was able to see this! It served to further establish the theme of family that Clannad had, and manages to do so in a way that, while obvious, is never obtrusive.

Inu-Yasha ED 1

Inu-Yasha was a pretty lackluster show, but it did possess a pretty good soundtrack, especially when it came to ending songs. But ‘My Will’ is easily my favorite of that batch – snow, ferris wheels, and trains? Its like they animated that thing for me! Of course, it does help that the song itself is good, having made its way onto my CD player years ago (y’know, back when everyone had clunky portable CD players instead of little mp3 devices). I also do like the symbolism in the form of Kikyo breaking the flower’s (red spider lily – symbolizes  abandonment or lost memories in Japan) stem. Buuut mostly I like the lit-up ferris wheel.

Le Chevalier D’Eon ED

Well, this essentially makes the list for having a really good song, but the animation here is a little bit of fun too (otherwise I couldn’t’ve included it), as it reveals which characters are historical and which are not – it also gives away which ones the show kills prematurely! Amusingly enough, D’Eon’s portrait doesn’t seem definitive on gender, reflecting the fact that the real life D’Eon spent the second half of his life claiming to have always been a woman (a post mortem revealed otherwise).

Maria-sama ga Miteru ED

Classical music befitting of the series itself. Its a bit rare for me to actually enjoy instrumental-only pieces when used for ED music, but here it not only works, but I like how it works. Despite meaning to multiple times, I never actually fast-forwaded through MariMite’s ED, watching it week in and week out because of a fondness for both music and animation. Maybe its because Yumi looks like she’s having fun. Maybe its because of the gingko leaves. Or maybe its because its one more reminder that the White Rose Family is an angst machine. Or, y’know, maybe its because of the fact that the artwork is pleasing to the eye period. Whatever the reason, I loved this ED the first time I saw it and still do.

Maze~The Megaburst of Space~ ED 1

‘Junk Boy’ is a catchy, if absurdly named, song (yes, they do use the phrase ‘Junk Boy’ in it, but the hell is a junk boy, anyway?). Of course, this would be neither here or there is the animation itself wasn’t AWESOME. And by AWESOME, I mean ridiculously 90’s, complete with flashing lights and excessive color bars. The dancing chibi forms of the cast are also quite cute, but it really is the datedness of some the animation techniques that makes the first Maze ED so much fun, something unsurprising considering that the show itself in many ways exemplifies anime of the mid-90’s.