The Best Anime Openings of 2012

This post got way too many videos.

With the “12 Days of Christmas” posts finished, let us get started with the 2012 year-end lists! To kick it off, I will show you some of my favorite anime openings from this year!

To tell you the truth, it was a huge pain to create this list since there are so many good anime openings out there. To solve the problem I did not put too much thought into the lower placements, since it is so hard to argue why one opening is better than the other. I also included an “Honorable Mentions” section for the openings that almost made it into the top list.

Now, time to start!

Honorable Mentions

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (2012) OP1
“JoJo ~Sono Chi no Sadame~ (ジョジョ～その血の運命～)” by
Hiroaki TOMMY Tominaga

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (2012) OP2
“BLOODY STREAM” by Coda

Let the power of GAR flow into you as you listen to these songs.

Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo OP1
“Kimi ga Yume wo Tsuretekita (君が夢を連れてきた)” by
Pet na Kanojotachi (Ai Kayano, Mariko Nakatsu, Natsumi Takamori)

This opening really makes me happy and nostalgic. The only reason this did not make it into the top list is that it visually screams “lazy”

Space Brothers OP1
“Feel So Moon” by
Unicorn

Colorful opening is colorful, but I never truly love it despite enjoying it a lot. It does not really… make me feel anything

Joshiraku OP
“Oato ga Yoroshikutte… yo! (お後がよろしくって…よ!)” by
Nozomi Yamamoto, Ayane Sakura, Yoshino Nanjo, Kotori Koiwai, Saori Gotou

Cute rakugo girls doing cute references and stuff. Lively, colorful and catchy. What more can you ask?

Mysterious Girlfriend X OP
“Koi no Orchestra (恋のオーケストラ)” by
Ayako Yoshitani

This opening makes me think of old and classic anime, but visually it does not really fit the playful and charming song

Binbougami ga! OP
“Make My Day!” by
Piko

1way, 2way, 3way, 4way… heck this song gets stuck in my mind. It becomes even cooler when you realize it is a man singing. Too bad this opening features way too much running for me to like it.

Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere II OP
“ZONE//ALONE” by
Minori Chihara

In the middle of the humongous boobs there is a chorus I love.

Best Openings of 2012

12. Chouyaku Hyakuninisshu: Uta Koi OP
“Love Letter from Nanika? (ラブレター・フロム・何か？)” by
ecosystem

The more I listen to this, the more I like it. I like how it musically has distinct parts, each with their own flavor. I really love the bridge and chorus myself (not to mention the singer). Somewhat boring visually, however, with basically only still-images.

11. Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun OP
“Q&A Recital! (Q&A リサイタル!)” by
Haruka Tomatsu

Energy, energy, energy! And lots of color. While it may go a bit overboard with the colors, I still like it a lot. It really grabs your attention.

10. Kimi to Boku 2 OP
“Zutto (ずっと)” by
Tomohisa Sakou

Before you wonder what the hell is wrong with me, let me tell you that I am aware of how painfully lazy this opening is visually. It really is god-awful in its simplicity. But what makes me love this is the song. It fills me with warmth and a wonderful feeling of friendship, which also is a perfect fit for the series itself. But the guy who animated this needs to be taught a lesson or two.

9. Inu x Boku SS OP
“Nirvana” by
MUCC

This may be a rather traditional anime opening, but the song itself has a sense of urgency that I like. It is also rather interesting visually. This opening reminds me that I need to watch the series.

8. Psycho-Pass OP
“abnormalize” by
Ling Tosite Sigure

This opening definitely tries its hardest to look and sound cool and… it actually succeeds. I only wish the anime itself could mirror this.

7. Space Brothers OP2
“Eureka (ユリーカ)” by
Sukima Switch

While the second opening is not as whacky as the first one featured earlier in this post, it actually makes me feel. It makes me sentimental, remembering my childhood (in this case, me loving space (this being a space anime and all)), and dreams. I really think of my future when I hear this. The silly dancing is just a bonus. I am in for the song in this case.

6. Sukitte ii na yo OP
“Friendship ~ for Sukitte Ii na yo. (Friendship～for 好きっていいなよ。)” by
Ritsuko Okazaki

Calming and washes away every problem in the world. This particular song is originally from Love Hina and the singer Okazaki passed away in 2004. She has a gorgeous voice.

5. Tsuritama OP
“Tsurezure Monochrome (徒然モノクローム)” by
Fujifabric

A fun and cheerful song with quirky visuals. It also has a weird dance that has way too few real-life imitations for my liking. I almost want to do one myself for fun, even though I hate dancing. Love it.

4. Hyouka OP1
“Yasashisa no Riyuu (優しさの理由)” by
Choucho

A generic anime opening I love because it does it so well. Every part, from the song to the visuals and everything in-between, is top-notch.

As a side-note, it is sad we did not have moments from the opening in the anime itself. You know, those casual moments not focusing on mysteries.

3. Rinne no Lagrange OP1
“TRY Unite!” by
Megumi Nakajima

Watch.

Repeat.

Forever.

2. Sakamichi no Apollon OP
“Sakamichi no Melody (坂道のメロディ)” by
YUKI

No wonder an anime about music got a wonderful opening. I cannot really put my thoughts into words, but I can say that this is lovely. It only bothers me that Yurika’s head is the only one not to slightly tilt upwards in the beginning.

1. Nisemonogatari OP1
“Futakotome (二言目)” by
Chiwa Saito

1. Nisemonogatari OP2
“marshmallow justice” by
Eri Kitamura

1. Nisemonogatari OP3
“Platinum Disco (白金ディスコ)” by
Yuka Iguchi

Shaft and anime openings? Best thing to ever happen. It was impossible to pick a winner of these three, so I decided to choose them all.

Am I wrong?