Anime OPs and EDs Everything you wanted to know

[r2vq]

I created this thread because I'm curious as to how many people actually watch Opening Themes and/or Ending Themes to different Anime.

This question is mostly directed to those who can fast-forward through OPs, but can be applied to anyone. Who watches OPs and EDs?

I myself tend to watch an Opening Theme if it will add clues and/or suggestions to the plot (ie. Gundam Seed - Pretty Much all of them) or is just cool and fun to watch (ie. Naruto - Haruka Kanata)!
I noticed I ddin't watch EDs for shows when they were too slow... and put me to sleep (ie. Yu-Gi-Oh! - Rakuen).

Another question is, do people prefer to listen to an OP or watch?

I like to listen to the OP or ED of a song seperately, but when I'm watching, I tend to rate an OP because of the Video and what's happening visually.

Favourite OPs
Cowboy Bebop Movie - ASK DNA
Naruto - Haruka Kanata (PS2 Version)
Card Captor Sakura - Purachina
Samuri Pizza Cats - Same Title!
Read or Die - OVA

-ArV

Edit: This thread was originally supposed to contain a poll, but the process crashed my computer somewhat, so I aporogize.

[Guest ScirosDarkblade]

It REALLY depends on the song, first of all. For instance, I think the Love Hina opening theme is not too bad, so I don't usually fast-forward through it. But Trigun, that thing is just too darn long and unbelievably repetitive.

Nearly every opening I've seen isn't really all that interesting, either, and reminds me of a poorly put-together music video. I often just skip the Trigun one, the Cowboy Bebop one, the Noir one, etc., because they're just not that well done. Now Batman the Animated Series, there was an opening theme for you. Same goes for the Batman/Superman Adventures. The music was just so good...

Ending themes... I skip every darn anime one, I swear. The Love Hina one is just horrendous, the Trigun one is sung by a friggin' drunk, and most others are just boring.

Mind you these are all my opinions, don't start defending anything please.

[Flashlight]

Unless I'm marathoning it, I usually watch the opening and ending themes (Unless they are really horrid). I love it when it's actually a song (And that's the only time I listen to it seperately), and not just an instramental. Not that instramentals are bad, oh no, I love em infact, just they don't make great OP songs. Maybe for an ED, but not opening. An OP has to get you hyped to watch the show, hook you before the real action starts.

May favorite OP and ED themes are, by far, anything on Slayers. Slayers has some of the most wonderful OSTs, and I absolutely love that most of the animation in them is not taken from the series in clips, but drawn just for this. I think Breeze or the Slayers Next one (Ugh, the name escapes me at the moment) would be my favorite. :)

[Godelsensei]

[COLOR=Gray][FONT=Courier New]I always watch the OP. I usually watch the ED, unless it's really boring, or the song just doesn't appeal to me (that is: Ayatsuri Sakon).

I love openings, especially, that are really, really, really weird. Some wonderful examples are Narutaru and Paranoia Agent. There's just something awesome about the way these shows are introduced.
Haruka Kanata is my favourite song; I am listening to it right now.

I think that having great music is one of the key parts to every amazing series.

And, dude...like...where is your poll?

o.o[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Monkey_Orange]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]I usually watch both OP and ED themes--unless I am on a watching binge, of course ^^;

I've notice that the OP themes are usually more energetic than the ED--usually, not ALL the times.

[QUOTE]I like to listen to the OP or ED of a song seperately, but when I'm watching, I tend to rate an OP because of the Video and what's happening visually.[/QUOTE]

When I am watching a show, I listen AND watch both the OP and ED. The best OP and ED are ones with BOTH great music and visuals. Of course, there are some pretty strange sounding themes. For themes such as those, I usually give them sometime until I get adjusted. Afterwards, it's all good ^^

So far, my favorite OP themes are [I can't remember some of the title, so I'll mark what season they are from ^^]:
[B]Pretear[/B] - White Destiny
[B]Saiyuki[/B] - For Real
[B]Saiyuki[/B] - Still Time
[B]Gravitation[/B] - Super Drive
[B]Cowboy Bebop[/B] - Tank!
[B]Fake[/B] - Everybody! Shake it buddy!
[B]Inuyasha[/B] - Change the World

Favorite ED themes:
[B]Pretear[/B] - ED #1
[B]Saiyuki[/B] - Tight Rope
[B]Saiyuki[/B] - Alone
[B]Getbackers[/B] - ED #2
[B]Inuyasha[/B] - My Will

Really, I could go on and on...
[/COLOR]

[Magnum Apex]

[color=darkblue][font=trebuchet ms]Since I'm a freak of nature, I try to get everything out of the anime I'm watching, and that includes paying attention each and every time an opening or closing animation begins. Sometimes I'll pay close attention to the animation itself, others to the music and lyrics, and less often I'd pay attention to the credits. That's how I assume TV Tokyo shows tons of anime.

However, as of late, I only pay attention to them when I simply like the music and/or animation, or when I'm watching it for the first time. Ending credits where there's no animation, like the Golden Boy and Ninja Scroll DVD series, I ignore after the second or third time. The ones I like are the ones that I subconsciously end up memorizing. I can, to my embarrassment, sing almost every Mexican-translated Dragon Ball Z and GT song, and I can sing the first part of Cruel Angel Thesis, from Evangelion, almost flawlessly (Even though I speak as much Japanese as a puppy from Canada).[/color][/font]

[pipopu]

Hmmm.... I usually watch the Opening Theme, cox they always seems much interesting (the songs, visuals...) but I normally skip the endings... (just hate those credits).

Personally, I used to record the Opening theme (sometimes ending theme as well) for later viewing. I found out it's sort of fun... till later I manage to buy those anime's that I like and still keep watching them...

[StarShine]

The themes are part of the whole experience. I don't know how you could skip them. :-p When it comes to themes, I usually will judge a series on how good the theme is. If the opening isn't appealing I won't watch it. That's just me, I'm so mean. My favorite themes are the opening and ending ones from Outlaw star, Cowboy Bebop, and Cardcaptor Sakura. Another one of my favorites is the theme from Turn A Gundam, it's called Moon...it's so beautiful, I always end up singing to it.

[yalborap]

Personally, I usually just ignore the OPs and EDs, unless they're really awesome(like the cowboy bebop OP and ED. Those will r0x0r your b0x0rs).

I think that's all there is to say about it.

[ElrickOtaku]

I tend to watch both - apart from when they're really irritating like the Excel Saga ending or if I'm watching loads at once and so it would just get repetative and take up too much time.

I actually prefer to listen to some when the music is really good, like Martian Successor Nadesico's OP and ED and the Bebop movie, so that the images don't distract me.

[Solo Tremaine]

[COLOR=#503F86]I really didn't like the Cowboy Bebop opening all that much when I saw it some time ago. But that was some time ago.

Usually I'll watch OPs and EDs if the song is one I really like, or if the picture adds something more to the actual episode. The Gundam Wing Endless Waltz OVA EDs actually continued the story in the episodes a little; I liked that. The Toonami version didn't have the credits rolling over them in theirs, though- they edited them out and put their own one at the end, which made it slightly easier to see everything.

Some OPs give hints as to what's to come later on- if a character's been bumped off and you see them for a frame or two in the OP in a pose you've never seen before then there's a chance you might see them again, heh. I analyse them fairly carefully when it gets to part way through the series to see if I've seen everything they show. That is, unless the OP is just artistic presentation that doesn't show clips from the main body.

I always watch the Outlaw Star opening- I love its style, pace and the song. There's also the introduction just before that too, so it's hard to ignore it when there's part of the episode already been shown, heh. The OS ED (too many abbreviations o_o; ) isn't one I often watch, though. I don't really like the illustration of the girl. She reminds me too much of the old science fiction art books my dad has. They're usually fairly pretentious stuff. Good-looking, but pretentious.

RahXephon's another one I'll watch the opening to but not the end. [i]Hemisphere[/i]'s a great song.

I listen to far more themes than I watch, though. I have a Starchild Theme Collection CD, heh ^_^ The main thing I like about the OP/EDs are the songs anyway; if they're ones I like I'll put them into my CD player rather than watch the series to it. If nothing else, I can imagine the images.[/COLOR]