Top 10 OPs and EDs of 2024

It's that time of the year again. I may have watched less anime on average than on many previous years, but I think the amount I did watch was perfect since selecting the 10 best openings and endings presented no difficulty. So here they are! A bit more laconic descriptions this time due to poor planning leading to very little time - truly the way of the modern anime industry. 

Top 10 OPs:

10. Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary OP "Sweet Memory"

Quite stylized and sometimes very symbolic, but it does get across the most important things: sweets, and that Yuki Osanai is cute but also scary. The song is one of Eve's better ones. 

9. Spice and Wolf OP2 "Sign"

The Spice and Wolf remake didn't exactly have the best of luck in its animation department - serviceable but not remarkable in any fashion - but this OP makes the best of its circumstances with very effective imagery that doesn't need flashy animation to leave an impression. 

8. Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian OP "1-ban Kagayaku Hoshi"

Speaking of effective imagery, the team at Doga Kobo did a great job - only outdone by the same season's Oshi no Ko - at stuffing this opening full of meaningful (and most importantly, pretty) visual representations of the characters' feelings and relationships. The song's not an all-timer but I really like how well it works together with the visuals, especially towards the end. 

7. The Elusive Samurai OP "Plan A"

I don't think there's a better word to describe this OP than "fun". Fun song, fun animation, fun colors. Mixes the medieval and modern vibes quite well, but I'll have more to say about that with the ED. 

6. The Apothecary Diaries OP2 "Ambivalent"

Song-wise it's difficult to follow up a banger like "Hana ni Natte", but "Ambivalent" is by no means bad. And where it does shine and even surpass it is the visuals - the transitions in the first half are cool and the sequence of match cuts in the chorus was a part I always looked forward to. 

5. Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation II Part 2 OP "on the front line"

Mushoku Tensei continues to prove why switching from S1's overlaid openings to S2's more traditional ones was not a downgrade by any means - the visuals are pretty and there's even some nice action too. I wasn't impressed by Hitorie's opening song for Eighty-Six but this one is much better. 

4. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End OP2 "Haru"

Frieren's second cour wasn't quite on the level of the first, but the new opening was a constant joy - such a bright and energetic song, fitting for its name, and I in particular remember fondly how much strength it gave me during military service. 

3. Sound! Euphonium 3 OP "ReCoda"

The first (and last?) Eupho opening of the post-arson era was in many ways a tribute to the very first one, as the series came to its end. The most distinctive thing about it was probably the focus on Kumiko and Reina in their own stylish scenes - ah, KyoAni, teasing us all the way to the end... 

2. Re:Zero Season 3 OP "Reweave"

One of the better OP songs this series has seen, together with striking and exciting visuals, make this the perfect opening to welcome a long-awaited new season of Re:Zero. The thing that stood out to me the most was the cool way they visually represent Subaru's Return by Death ability at the very end - making the whole opening like a microcosm of the entire Re:Zero concept. 

1. Oshi no Ko Season 2 OP "Fatale"

When I first saw this opening, I was downright shocked by its information density - there's stuff happening all the time all over the screen at an incredible pace, requiring multiple rewatches to catch most of it and even then you'll still miss something. But that might be for the better, since many of the details are foreshadowing for later developments. Song took a while to grow on me - it's no "Idol", but good enough. 

Shikanoko Nokonoko Koshitantan. Shikanoko Nokonoko Koshitantan Shikanoko Nokonoko Koshitantan "Shikanoko Nokonoko Koshitantan" 

SHIKANOKO NOKONOKO KOSHITANTAN SHIKANOKO NOKONOKO KOSHITANTAN SHIKANOKO NOKONOKO KOSHITANTAN SHIKANOKO NOKONOKO KOSHITANTAN 

Top 10 EDs:

10. Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation II Part 2 ED "Mamoritai Mono"

Not Mushoku Tensei's most memorable ED, but still damn good. A very nostalgic feel, fitting for its focus on the relationship of Sylphie and Rudeus. 

9. Re:Zero Season 3 ED "NOX LUX"

Myth&Roid's Re:Zero songs aren't them at their best (hot take, I know) but still a perfectly serviceable song works well with some of the best ED visuals the series has seen. The way the antagonists are presented is ominous but also cool, and the imagery of Subaru being supported by all of his friends and allies is powerful. 

8. Dandadan ED "Taidada"

Turbo Granny in her cat form is inherently funny, which makes her a perfect subject for this ending. Like, there's no way to not smile at least once during it. (My personal favourite part being her dramatically banging her head to the rhythm of the song.) Song is a certified Zutomayo banger as expected. 

7. The Elusive Samurai ED "Kamakura STYLE"

Somehow manages to outdo the opening in just how fun it is. I don't usually listen to this kind of music but I really vibe with this song. While the opening was more subtle in combining elements from different eras, here it's more obvious with the buses and school uniforms. And yet, there's an undercurrent of sadness - because the audience remembers that these fun scenes are not something afforded to the characters of the anime itself... 

6. You Are Ms. Servant ED "Hyoujou Sabun"

The visuals in this one are nothing special, but the song is just incredibly catchy. The lyrics feel fitting for the anime too, but general enough to not be too specific. 

5. Oshi no Ko Season 2 ED "Burning"

It's great to see Hitsujibungaku making more anime songs and becoming more popular. Following up season 1's amazing ED was always going to be hard, but they manage to pull it off. 

4. Sound! Euphonium 3 ED "Neiro no Kanata"

As Eupho's final opening tied up the motifs established in the previous ones, so does the final ending. And it's just generally very nostalgic, focusing on the journeys that took the main four to where they are in season 3. 

3.-1. Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! ED1-3 "LOVE 2000", "CRAZY FOR YOU" and "feel my soul"

I can't even put the three endings of Makeine in any kind of order of preference, because they're all just so good in their own different ways. From the film cel aesthetic of "LOVE 2000" and the Western comics -like style of "CRAZY FOR YOU" to the beautiful watercolors of "feel my soul", there's a lot of variance in the visuals, while the songs are nostalgic but still exciting (and emotional) J-rock covers. 

No honorary mentions this year either due to time constraints (deer? what are you talking about?). Next week, I'll look back at the best anime I watched this year.