Thread: How important is the opening and ending music to the anime overall?

The music isn't near as important to me as the actual show. I'm not going to stop watching a show just because the music isn't great. There have been a few shows were I've thought that the music doesn't fit like the opening and closing songs to "Special A" but I like the show. Actual most of the time if I am watching the DVD I skip the song then after I have watched it all and I'm watching the special features that is when I watch the textless opening and closing.

Grumble Grumble Grumble

There are also examples of Anime series with great music, but absolutely stank... (e.g. 'Brain Powered' with music composed by Yokko Kanno) If done correctly, the opening theme can set the tone for the rest of the episode, with the ending theme leading up to the next episode preview... But good music can't overcome bad writing...

I fully agree. I loved the opening music to Dancougar. It set the tone for the whole thing. I also loved the opening for Gundam 0080: War In The Pocket, but I really didn't like the story all that much. After the intro, I had been expecting something really goo and exciting. That's not what I got.

To be honest, I don't really put much thought into the opening and closing themes to anime, since I normally only listen to them once, then hit the forward button on my dvd player for any other episodes, unless the music changes.

There are a few exceptions though, which are all of the Opening themes to NANA (I own the soundtracks to the anime and listen to them in my car), the 3rd season opening to Eureka Seven (I use it as a ring tone on my phone), the Third season opening Blood+, and Azumanga Daioh

to me it's varey inportant to have the anime in full contex cuz it just not right to cut suff out of anime beside the endig ain't all that grate when you cut them.

We can't deny its aesthetic and functional importance.

A lot of popular Japanese musicians' songs have graced the opening and ending credits of numerous anime series. It's not really a plus for me but we can't deny the fact that they can greatly affect a show's popularity. I personally know a lot of people that'll auto-love an anime just because their favorite musician's song is included in the soundtrack especially if it's in the opening or the ending credits.

Like in our society, thankfully, music has changed and evolved in anime too. If you listen to the opening and ending songs of the classics, most of those songs are somewhat jingle-like with lyrics that say the protagonist's or the show's name over and over again. Those songs are catchy alright but can they do well today? With most titles, i don't think so because those jingles can sound kiddie or silly by today's standards. If the music in anime never moved on, i bet that anime itself wouldn't have been as popular and as accepted as it is today both in and outside Japan.

See how important it is?

Personally, I don't really care much about opening and ending credits, whether i like the music that comes with them or not it's not too much of a bother. But it's always a plus for me if the music on the opening/ending credits has some sort of melodic or lyrical connection with the series itself rather than being JUST an add-on or a blatant means of advertising.

Depends on the anime but most 'serialized' type anime it's vital to the plot and story itself sometimes. Just like ya gotta know your history on a lot of animes like InuYasha, Samurai Deeper Kyo and Rurouni Kenshin. Almost forgot Peacemaker Kurogane- the Shinsengumi. And Basilisk too. All of them have cool theme music too. By the way- ever notice that English translated lyrics usually don't make much (if any) sense but they sound awesome in Japanese? I love to DL anime theme music and songs and 'burn' CDs from them. Anime music is getting easier to find thanks to Amazon and other like sites. Very affordable too. Gotta split but have a cool day and arigatou for a sensible question for once. Toodles-K&K