Top 10 Anime OPs of 2021

I bet you thought we were done with Best Of month! Well we were, but then my partner and I got to thinking; we watch a good amount of seasonal anime a year and a lot of the times the opening songs are pretty forgettable, but sometimes they’re hits. A lot of people make anime and video game soundtracks their primary source of listening and I wish to present you the top fifty among every single show that aired this year, with a bit more of an in depth look at the top ten. We didn’t know all these shows but now we know their incredible soundtracks.

#10: SK8 The Infinity (“Paradise” by Rude-α)

“Paradise” gets you moving before you’re even moving. It has a lot of energy and pulls from quite a few musical influences. There’s a jazz sensibility, there’s some hip hop vocal stylings and a huge pop punk chorus. All these genres and the DIY spaces they usually find their homes in are synonymous with skateboarding culture so it makes sense they’d find their way to this series.

#9: Cells at Work! Code Black (“Hashire! with Yamasaki Seiya (Kyūso Nekokami)” by Polysics)

While on a lot of these there is a heavy language barrier stopping me from really grasping the meaning of the songs I think this track matches this show perfectly. Punk rock comes from a place of calling out ways in which the system fails us and the system is failing everyone in Cells at Work! Code Black. In this series, the human body is used as a metaphor for the system itself. It is toxic because the body is being abused by outside forces and the abuse becomes internal. This causes abuse toward the workers running it until they’re too burnt out to keep working properly and the system itself, the human body, nearly collapses onto itself repeatedly. The workers that are being treated poorly are left to fix the issues that upper management have caused and never have time to to reset themselves. The body in this Cells at Work is a capitalist analogy, both in killing itself in the name of hardwork caused from the post WW2 beliefs which helped to create black-companies.

Sonically the song has a fantastic post-intro, just when you thought you were into the swing of things, it pulls you deeper in. The slow-burning synth is ever present and goes absolutely wild toward the climax. My only complaint is while I’m fine with auto-tune, the lead vocals here pull into them a little too hard and use them too often in the song.

#8: Welcome to the Demon School! Iruma-kun 2 (“No! No! Satisfaction!” by Da Pump)

We get some Rocky Horror vibes on this Nintendo-core and disco fusion. It’s a very exciting track but there’s not much I can relate to having never seen any episodes of this series. It has some Rosario + Vampire vibes without the harem.

#7: Attack on Titan: The Final Season (“My War” by Shinsei Kamattechan)

Every single Attack on Titan opening sounds like a war cry, however, this one is a bit different. The first season’s opening, well known as it is for example, sonically uses a sense of pride to mirror the excitement in the recruits that the story focuses on. These recruits are experienced now and have seen harrowing abuse through being on the front lines causing a looming sense of dread, which is represented in the sound of the track. The majority of this one is in english and it almost sounds like the politicians in the background are promising that this will be the end for its citizens and the vocal delivery is very insidious. Instrumentally, this song uses keys like falling rain to imply something awful is coming which many atrocities already have occurred. The string sections almost mimic the piper coming to collect his due.

#6: BEASTARS 2 (“Kaibutsu” by Yoasobi)

Something that strikes me about this particular track is that sonically it gives, then takes, then gives just a bit more than it took before, then it leaves you with even less. What I mean by this is the entire track builds, layer by layer, but then changing in parts actually takes some layers away. I feel this is a representation of the mystery aspect of the story. The series itself will build toward information then leave you with more questions than you had before once you arrive at the answer you were looking forward to. It also has an incredible electronic outro.

#5: ODDTAXI (“Odd Taxi” by Skirt & DJ PUNPEE)

PUNPEE helped score this entire series and did a really good job of representing the laid back yet isolated and somber atmosphere. When I listen to the title theme it paints the entire picture of the setting in my mind. I can see the smokey club, the whiskey glasses, the low rising stage that centers the view for the small round tables. I can see a small band, the guitarist strumming with his eyes closed like he’s the coolest guy in the world, the cat playing the sax solo, a guy rapping but with a nice tailored suit on. The entire thing makes you feel like you’ve been transported somewhere to relax but also where someone can tell you something that really tugs at their emotions.

#4: Digimon Ghost Game (“FACTION” by Weinners)

Just like any Digimon opening should be, this has a futuristic and fun vibe to it while having elements of horror in there, rightfully so, as well. What I like here is it manages to catch all these elements while not having it sound like a kid’s band yet still being spooky in a fun way.

#3: To Your Eternity (“Pink Blood” by Hikaru Utada)

To Your Eternity is a series about meeting people from all walks of life and empathizing with them by spending time with them through struggling times. It’s about getting to know them and coming to understand that although you may empathize with a person you can also recognize and acknowledge they can still behave in ways you find questionable. Utada really emphasizes and reflects on these lessons in their own life in their single “Pink Blood”. The chorus roughly translated to english;

“I don't need to show it to anyone, For something beautiful to be beautiful, I already know it is”

Really hones in on the idea that the main character Fushi remembers every interaction with someone he’s spent much time with and doesn’t need to prove to anyone how valuable the experiences and lessons they gained from knowing those people. By the time this piece is released, the record this song (as well as the Evangelion movie theme from the same year) is on, BAD MODE, will have been put out into the world. I highly recommend you check the whole record out. This song was in my running for general singles of the year, it’s a really great one.

#2: Heaven’s Design Team (“Give It Up?” by 96Neko)

As soon as you turn on Heaven’s Design Team you’re presented with this track that’s cute and hyper-focused in energy. This is likely to get you in the creative spirit as you join this corporate team in their assignment to create the animals that will fill the world by the world’s boss God. Despite being a hyperpop track, a genre usually so filled with influence in technology, the entire thing sounds so in tune with nature. The slow burn instrumental over the rapping sounds like chasing a small woodland creature. The chilled out groove sounds like taking a relaxing dive to see the sea creatures. The song takes you on as much a journey through nature as the show does, it’s a perfect fit.

#1: Build/Divide: Code Black (“BANG!!!” by Egoist)

So, in full transparency, we didn’t watch every anime of the season but we did screen every opening and this song makes me so glad we did. This track is jam packed with influences. It takes Middle Eastern influence in its core beat, layers that with K-Pop inspired vocals, sequences it like an American club banger and yet still manages to be a J-Pop track too! It also has what may be the top bass drop of all time. This song takes so many twists and turns, about as much as your opponent would take you on a card game match up.

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See our full list of top 50 anime OPs of '21

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