Hello and welcome to Project Nitsuj. It’s time to lay to rest 2020 by taking a look at the top 11 endings of 2020. Now normally, I do the top 11 openings first, but I decided to change it up this year just for the fun of it. This surprisingly was an easy list to make as there were a lot of good endings that really stood out this year. Well, here they are, the Top 11 Anime Endings of 2020.
#11. Ookami Blues from Seton Academy
https://youtu.be/jVFcNTh-sAI (full song)
This song made the list for its cute presentation. The off key singing which sounds like a child in a school play just adds to the charm of this song and makes it all the cuter. The soft melody gives me “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from Toy Story vibes and the VA of Ranka really goes all out here to make this song work.
#10. Ready from Akudama Drive
https://youtu.be/0l65xNWerG4 (full song)
This is a really chill song that I really wasn’t expecting. To be honest, I don’t know what I was expecting from a series like this. The opening was such an intense rush and the anime is so wild and crazy that I was kind of expecting the ending to be the same way. But no, the ending gives a very chill experience that just soothes my mind. Whenever I hear this song I just imagine this group in an alternate reality chilling with each other and having a good time in each other’s company. For a series as wild and crazy as this, a chilled song like this was the right choice and works wonderfully here.
#9. Yusetsu from Golden Kamuy S3
https://youtu.be/ilVvR0meoyE (full song)
The Sixth Lie returns to Golden Kamuy to deliver another fantastic song. While Hibana is the better song in my opinion, this song is a good follow up to it and one that I liked more then the second ending. I really can’t get over just how beautiful and atmospheric the song is. The song starts off silently pulling you into the song and then half way through the song it picks up and gives you an experience that’s awe-inspiring and moving. While Hibana may be the better song, Yusetsu delivers a better experience.
#8. Alive by Darwin’s Game
https://youtu.be/tJsIHYhSdSc (full song)
The first ending from 2020 that I heard and I liked. The song is epic and carries a hint of sadness and determination as we focus on our main character forced to leave his normal life and become a different person to stay alive in the harsh world that he has entered. The ending perfectly conveys everything the main character has lost but gained in his pursuit to stay alive and continue living in memory of the friends he lost. Definitely a song for an underrated series that I think everyone should check out.
#7. The Great Pretender from Great Pretender
https://youtu.be/mLRjFWDGs1g (full song)
Do what you want to my music, just don’t make it boring. The words of Freddie Mercury at his finest. While granted this was a song he covered, I can think of no other song more fitting for this series and no other man perfect to sing it. This is a perfect representation of the characters throughout the anime. On the surface they seem like they have everything together and that everything is going well for them in their life. However, as the anime goes on we see how deep down they have someone or something from their past troubling them and they have to face it. This song is also a pretty big contrast from the opening which was vibrant and jazzy and was a choice so obvious that a lot of people overlooked it, but in my opinion it’s a classic ending for an anime that’s an instant classic.
#6. ID from Fire Force S2
https://youtu.be/fVHIbeBpLl8 (full song)
One thing I’ve noticed with Fire Force is that I find myself liking the first opening and ending of each season over the second opening and ending. The song is catchy and even gives off vibes of Sugar Song to Bitter Step. I especially like the drums and the singer who sounds similar to Eve. In fact, I thought this was Eve until the band’s song, the voice was just that good to listen. This song really gives you a chill vibe and the animation is nice and plays out like a mobile game. While Veil is still the best, this ending is definitely my second favorite in the series.
#5. Night Surfing from Dorohedoro
https://youtu.be/fxZFP4e8VaA (full song)
One of the unique things about Dorohedoro is that it had a different ending song for each episode. The only other anime I can think of that did something like this is Highschool of the Dead. Anyway, out of all the songs I heard, Night Surfing was by far my favorite of the bunch. This song is such a banger to listen to in your car, especially if you’re driving at night. The anime has this cool, violent and industrial look and this song gives off a joyful beat that’s full of life and perfectly matches all the colorful and interesting characters we see throughout the anime. This song may have only stuck around for one episode but it left an impact on me and it’s one I wish they would have kept.
#4. Night Running from BNA
https://youtu.be/ea-ThJDGJ1Y (full song)
Despite the lackluster story of BNA one thing I can say this anime did extremely well was the ending theme. Just like Night Surfing this song was a banger to listen to and I did like how they incorporated the song in some episodes. The song is also a perfect representation of our main character and the relationship with her best friend, how it’s falling apart, and how she has no idea where it’s heading. It’s a banger of a song and one I still come back to listen to from time to time.
#3. Tiny Light from Hanako-san Toilet Spirit
https://youtu.be/8sdyomxakZg (full song)
There are just some endings out there that you always stick around to listen to no matter what. Tiny Light was definitely one of them. With the piano in the background and the vocals of Akari Kitou, you just know this song is going to be a good one. I really don’t know what to say about this song other than the fact that it’s beautiful to listen to and after you hear it you’ll be sticking around to listen to it as well.
#2. Kizuna from Hypnosis Mic
https://youtu.be/mwOgwQ5VJ8c (MTC version)
https://youtu.be/3akEXPIsyu8 (Buster Bros. version)
https://youtu.be/lsrdtfZPf3s (Fling Posse version)
https://youtu.be/3d4-Ud_SnmY (Matenro version)
The ending for Hypnosis Mic is a very chill song that gives that 90s early 2000s vibes that I love. Each team gets their version of the ending giving us a total of four versions of the song. I personally liked MTC’s version the most because it had a better use of the bass and drums, and Samatoki was spitting rhymes like no tomorrow. The VA was really feeling it here. The other versions of this song are also good and worth listening to as well. So be sure to check them out and see which one was your favorite. As for me, I’ve got to give the point to MTC this round.
And number one. . .
#1. Lost in Paradise from Jujustu Kaisen
https://youtu.be/ceKkCXkjfMU (full version)
Yeah, there’s no competition. This was hands down the best ending of 2020. As soon as I heard this song I knew right then and there that this one was the best ending of 2020. The song is just oozing with swagger and makes you want to get up and dance along with the characters throughout the ending (Gojou being the best of them all). The ending was unexpected but at the same time enjoyable to listen to at the end of every episode. Will this ending remain for the second course? I really hope so, but past experience says no. Even so, this ending was great, catchy, and fun to listen to. Just what you’d expect from the guys who did the first opening of Beastars.
Well that’s my list. If I left any out let me know in the comes below. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj.
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