There are many different reasons to be drawn to anime, and its diverse genres of storytelling is one of them. There’s often just as much to celebrate in terms of the aesthetics of productions as there is with the plot and characters.
A triumphant and fitting musical score can make or break an anime series, and the opening and ending themes are usually the first and last things that are seen. Sometimes an anime will conclude with a song that’s snappy and full of grandeur, but it’s just completely contrary to everything that the series represents.
10 “Torch” From Clannad: After Story Becomes A Spiteful Serenade
Clannad: After Story is Clannad‘s follow-up, and it looks at the dangers of exploring what happens after “happily ever after.” The series begins with Nagisa’s proclamation of love to Tomoya and the earnest relationship that follows. Clannad: After Story gradually becomes a devastating tale about the harsh realities of life. The upbeat and cheerful ending theme, “Torch,” depicts many blissful possibilities. “Torch” feels inappropriate from its initial use, but it becomes borderline disrespectful when it plays after the series’ 16th episode and Tomoya’s family suffers a terrible tragedy. It’s not just tonally jarring, but it seems to actively upset people.
9 Elfen Lied’s “Be Your Girl” Trivializes Lucy’s Pain
Elfen Lied is a pitch-black anime series that doesn’t shy away from a nihilistic message and an ending that’s steeped in loss. Lucy is perpetually viewed as a dangerous weapon, and while this may technically be accurate, she’s never been given a real chance at anything else. Elfen Lied’s ending theme, “Be Your Girl,” is very catchy, but it sounds like an Avril Lavigne pop number, which always results in an awkward transition when the series rolls to credits. The comforting image of Lucy sleeping almost mocks the fact that she’s never given an opportunity for peace.
8 “Meowth’s Song” From Pokémon Lets A Villain Sing To Their Heart’s Content
The Pokémon anime has become such a mainstay of the industry that there are collectively more than 1000 episodes across the different seasons and series in the franchise, accumulating more than 50 different ending themes over the years. The anime’s second ending theme, “Meowth’s Song,” puts Team Rocket’s mischievous Pokémon member under the spotlight as he performs a moonlit serenade.
Team Rocket may not be truly intimidating villains, but it’s still strange to give an antagonist an emotional ending song. It sets a strange precedent even if Meowth is a popular character.
7 Outlaw Star’s “House Of The Moon” Becomes Too Operatic
“House of the Moon” is unquestionably a song that’s hauntingly beautiful, and it’s powerful enough to make anyone become a fan of its performer, Akino Arai. That being said, this ending song is a melodic string number that’s graceful, and it feels like the appropriate ending song for an anime that’s based on 2001: A Space Odyssey, not a relatively lighthearted series about a surly space pirate and his crew. Outlaw Star functions like a pulpy action series about gruff mercenaries, and it’s mainstream fare where a loud and fast ending song is the expectation, not this delicate song that might evoke tears.
6 “Motherland” Is An Oddly Playful Detour In Fullmetal Alchemist
2003’s Fullmetal Alchemist is far from a bad anime series, but it’s a cautionary tale of what happens when an anime gets ahead of the manga’s source material and fumbles the execution of what’s next. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood rights many of the original series’ wrongs, but the 2003 anime still has some excellent music. There are four ending songs in Fullmetal Alchemist, all of which feel appropriate in different ways except for the third number, “Motherland.” “Motherland” is a melancholy lullaby that’s set to visuals of Winry Rockbell and her dog. It’s a strange decision for this action anime.
5 1996’s Berserk Croons A Graceful Farewell In “Waiting So Long”
There are several Berserk anime adaptations, and the 1990s version is one of the better takes on the dark fantasy series. However, the anime’s ending theme hits in a seriously strange way with the folksy ballad, “Waiting So Long.” It’s possible that the desired effect with Berserk‘s ending sequence is to create the type of respectable visuals that someone would find in a history textbook.
Guts and the rest of Berserk‘s cast are preserved as proud heroes and the eternal figures of legends, but it’s an idea that doesn’t fully come together and still feels tonally off for such a dark and violent anime.
4 Gintama Gets Ready For A Wedding In “Resistance Declaration”
With more than 350 episodes under its belt, Gintama has a wealth of entertaining opening and ending themes that all reflect the many different sides of this layered shonen classic. Gintama’s ending numbers are usually more thematic exercises that can be so surreal that they feel like they must take place in an alternate reality. Gintama’s 28th ending theme, “Resistance Declaration,” leans into a wedding motif where all of the anime’s female characters are in wedding dresses, with the precocious Kagura as a head bride. This reflects Gintama’s playful side, but it’s hard to picture many of these characters getting married, especially Kagura.
3 JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Raises Eyebrows With “Freek’n You” In Golden Wind
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is an anime that strays from the norm in many ways, and it always embraces music in a creative fashion. One of the running trends in JoJo’s is that all of the series’ ending themes make use of existing music from outside of Japan. “Walk Like An Egyptian,” “Roundabout,” “Last Train Home,” and even Savage Garden’s “I Want You” have all felt like appropriate ending numbers that also reflect the current season’s subject matter and atmosphere. Golden Wind’s “Freek’n You,” by Jodeci comes as a very strange choice, as well as the somewhat stilted visuals to accompany it. Audiences either love it or hate it. Stone Ocean’s “Distant Dreamer” is equally subdued.
2 One-Punch Man’s Ending Theme, “I’ll Find You Before The Stars Do,” Is A ‘90s Throwback
One-Punch Man stands out as both a faithful example of a shonen series and superhero story, yet also a perfect parody of the many tropes that fill these genres. Saitama takes on progressively powerful demons, with often a single punch being more than enough to extinguish these threats. One-Punch Man’s opening threat is a bombastic riot that properly gets the audience’s adrenaline pumping for the imminent action. The anime’s first ending theme, “I’ll Find You Before the Stars Do,” feels like it belongs in a cheerful school series from the ‘90s. It’s a good song, but both its tone and the accompanying visuals don’t fit.
1 Ghost Stories Goes For Broke With The Surreal “Sexy Sexy”
Ghost Stories has proven itself to be an anomaly among anime series in many odd ways, and the series has gained a mythic reputation largely because of its ridiculous English dub that takes some serious liberties with the source material. Oddly, “Sexy Sexy” is incredibly out of place in the moody supernatural series, but it somehow feels relevant in the chaotic mess that is the English dub. “Sexy Sexy” is certainly catchy, but both its upbeat tempo and lyrics are completely in contrast to the anime’s spooky nature. This ending song makes people want to dance, not recoil in fear from the paranormal.
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