Hello and welcome to Project Nitsuj. In keeping with my promise from last week this week we’re looking at the top 11 anime endings of 2016. Why top 11? Because just like someone else I too like to go one step beyond. Also, I really do love music. Surprisingly, I actually liked the openings more from 2016 than the endings. Which is ironic. It’s usually the other way around. I usually favor the endings over the openings. Just goes to show life is full of surprises. Get ready to add more music to your library. These are the top 11 anime endings of 2016.
#11. Chiisana Boukensha from KonoSuba
https://youtu.be/JLpJPzKy6fY (full)
I’ve talked about this ending in my KonoSuba review so I’ll try to keep this one short. This ending is just so relaxing to listen to. Like I said before it’s like I’m coming home from a long and tiring day at work and all I want to do is relax and unwind. That’s what this song does for people. It relaxes them and reminds them yeah today was hard but it’s over now and you can relax. The visuals also stimulate an atmosphere of peace. Like despite all the craziness we see in the anime the town is actually quite peaceful and tranquil, we just never get a chance to see it because we’re so focus on our main cast. At the end of the day it’s always nice to come home and listen to this song to put you into a relaxing mode.
#10. Snow Drop from Food Wars Season 2
https://youtu.be/7agtn-bK_to (full)
While a little disappointing that the second season only got 12 episodes it’s understandable why it did. Anyway, moving on to the ending the first note instantly gets you hype. I do think a male voice would of worked out better for this song though. The female voice is okay but it’s clear this was meant to be a hype song and the female is trying but she’s just not feeling it. But still the song is good to listen to and is quite symbolic as if Souma is trying to re-invent himself as a cook just like he was at the end of the season until he finally finds what he’s looking for and re-emerges as his new self ready to take on the world. A few problems but a good song to listen to nonetheless.
#9. Ai no Uta from The Asterisk War
Just like the first ending this song is beautiful and relaxing to listen to. I still prefer the first ending but this ending is good and this season of the anime actually earns this great song. The visuals are also amazing to look at. The transitions are smooth and match up wonderfully with the song. I know A1 gets knocked a lot for their animation but when they really put effort into their work like they do here they can create some pretty amazing stuff that’s up there with Madhouse, Ghibli, Bones, and Trigger.
#8. Rain or Shine from 91 Days
This ending took a different approach from all the other endings on this list. It has no lyrics. Unless you count la la la which I don’t. The whole ending is allowing you to let everything sink in. Each episode showed us stuff that either shocked or surprised us and for good reason. This is the anime’s way of letting it all sink in and give you a break from what you just watched. The visuals also let you sink it in. All we see is a gun being fired in slow motion as if time is standing still for the person being shot at and this song will be the last thing he hears. It matches the theme, tone, and setting of the anime, it’s the perfect ending for this anime.
#7. Double from Joker Game
https://youtu.be/hliVh5vZJwA (full)
Not only did Joker Game have a great opening but also had a great ending which honestly I liked more than the opening. This whole ending just feels you up with nostalgia. I don’t know why it just does. I really like the drums and guitar in this song. They’re in perfect unison with each other and they sound great. The visuals just show each spy walking in a crowd of people blending into the group like a spy is supposed to. Even though they’re the only characters with full designs it still looks as if they’re blending into their surroundings perfectly. Whatever your opinion of this anime may be the music for both the opening and ending were on point.
#6. Tabidachi no Uta from Naruto Shippuden
Ahh~ the final ending in the Naruto series (if I’m not mistaken) and definitely a good song to end the series with. The whole song feels you up with nostalgia and happiness. Yes, it’s sad that the series that a majority of us grew up with is coming to an end but this isn’t a time for us to feel sad. It’s time for us to feel happy and remember all the good times we had with these characters and watching them grow up to become the characters they are today. Just like DBZ got me into anime Naruto got a lot of people into anime as well so you can understand why people get so emotional when it comes to this anime. To them this was their childhood and they won’t let anyone badmouth it. Some of the things I like about this ending visually is the hand-drawn animation and seeing Jiraiya who was hands down one of my favorite characters from the series. While Naruto didn’t leave much of an impact on me it was a great series that helped me get into anime and one that I as well as many others won’t forget.
#5. Vermillion from Drifters
Speaking of hand drawn animation check out the animation for Drifter’s ending. It’s beautiful. When I first saw this I honestly thought this was going to be the opening for the series and I was all for it. But no, it’s instead the ending and unlike the opening which only got used a few times this ending was always used and after listening to it at the end of each episode I can understand why. It’s a damn good song filled with passion, emotion, and the soul of a warrior fighting for survival on the battlefield. The whole ending is basically our main characters fighting and the visuals tell the story of what’s going on while the singer captures the emotion and thoughts of our characters. Definitely a great ending but it still can’t beat the na na na na na na na na na na. Everybody.
#4. Refrain Boy from Mob Psycho 100
//youtu.be/lZLEXj52lcc (full)
Out of all the openings and endings that came out this year Mob Psycho 100 had the best visuals to go with their songs. The song in this ending is very powerful but it’s the animation that really brings out the charm and heart of the song. The whole ending just follows Reigen doing his morning routine where we get an idea of what he’s like as a character and then he leaves to meet up with Mob where he sees this young boy who was lost has finally become a young man who he respects and can walk side by side with him. That’s the one thing that really stands out for me in this ending. Mob doesn’t walk behind Reigen nor does Reigen walk in front of him. They walk side by side each other indicating that even though they’re relationship is student and teacher they stand as equal. They’re learning from each other and making each other better.
#3. 1 & 1 from Fune wo Amu
//youtu.be/jxfb4nYDpjc (band cover. Really good, please subscribe to their channel)
Boy was this an anime that a lot of people underrated and one that I had doubts going into but ultimately really found myself enjoying it for its characters, story, and amazing ending song. I’m not familiar with the singer of the song who is Leola but after listening to this song I might need to check her out as she’s amazing. The ending is just a shot of the beach which yes, that’s what I picture when I hear this song. Walking on the beach early in the morning while watching the sun rise. It’s a beautiful image to see and just like this song it’s amazing.
#2. Namae wo Yobu yo from Bungou Stray Dogs
//youtu.be/rYiuJmuQNF4 (full)
Well we’re back with Bungou Stray Dogs and this time I actually choose the first ending over the second ending. This was a very tough choice. Not only were both endings great but they were both sung by the same group and the singer hits it out of the park on both songs. But ultimately, I choose the first opening because it actually made me cry. Not because it was a sad song but because of how beautiful it was. The ending describes the relationship between Atsushi and Dazai perfectly. Atsushi was a guy abandoned by everyone around him but here comes Dazai who offers his hand to Atsushi to let him know he has a place in this world and a friend. I do like how all the characters are colorless in the ending and seem to be maintaining that air of peace the song has going. Probably the one moment that stands out the most for me is when Dazai pats Atsushi on the head and we see a smile appear on Atsushi’s face as you can tell how much that means to him. After listening to this ending I really might need to check out this anime and see what Mira and Shizuku are talking about.
And the number 1 ending of 2016 is. . .
#1. Eien Dake Ga Futari Wo Kakeru from Sailor Moon Crystal S3
//youtu.be/jSTfLD86aAo (full)
The newest season of Sailor Moon Crystal definitely improved in all aspects with the arrival of a new director and people who actually gave a crap about this series. We got 3 endings for this 12 episode season. The first was a duet sung by Uranus and Neptune which was alright in my opinion. The second one was sung by Chibi-Usa which while not bad was definitely the weakest one of the group. Finally, we got Tuxedo Mask himself singing the third ending where he lets it all hang out. This was quite surprising as Tuxedo Mask for the most part was only serving as a side character this season. He rarely has any scenes so I guess it only seems fitting to have him do something to let everyone know he’s still around and a vital part of the anime. The song is amazing as Kenji just owns this song. I knew he could sing but damn he just killed it here. The whole song reminds me of Mystic Eyes from Escaflowne and if your reminding me of one of my favorite endings of all time you’re doing something right. The animation also matches up well with the song. It starts off silly with Tuxedo Mask spinning into a spotlight but then we see Mamuo standing in the rain with a see through shirt and all of sudden this ending just got hot and fangirls are passing out from massive blood lost. Plus, it ends satisfyingly with Mamuro and Usagi kissing under the moon for all the fangirls to see and fantasize. It’s because of all this that the third opening of Sailor Moon is my favorite ending of 2016.
Well that’s my list. Do you have a favorite ending from 2016? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj.
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