Melv's Anime Awards Part 2 : Best OP, ED and OST of 2017

Here's a GIF from one of my favourite music anime series

Two is the number of the day as we have reached the second part of the anime awards tour. Today we'll be focusing on one of the most overlooked part of anime, the music.

The awards will be given to the best OP , ED and OST of 2017. This was a very hard choice for me, personally as 2017 was a great year in terms of music. It had its share of great music ranging from the usual catchy anime opening themes to melancholic orchestral sounds accompanying emotional scenes.

I am one that does not skip openings or endings so no anime that I've watched will be unfairly judged. But in all honesty, I don't think there's any openings or endings that warranted a skip since I enjoyed plenty of the music in each anime I watched in 2017.

Without further ado, let's open this award ceremony with of course, best opening of 2017.


BEST OPs OF 2017 

OPs are generally more popular than EDs. This is prevalent among binge-watchers who would skip EDs to go to the next episode. Another important reason would be that OPs are a decent indicator on how the anime series was going to pan out. Great anime series usually have great OPs as the same hard work invested into the show can really be seen through the animation, art and music in these OPs.

Thus, my pick of the best OPs will not be based on the songs alone but also the video that comes along with it. Because honestly, every goddamn OP I heard in 2017 was really good in its own way.

So without further ado, here are my top 3 OPs of 2017 added in with two OPs that didn't quite made the cut but deserved a mention anyway.

Honorable mentions :

• "Flag wo Tatero" by YUKI from 3-gatsu no Lion 2nd Season

- YUKI's OP for the first season was great but I think this OP topped it in every way, musically and visually. I love how Rei and the Kawamoto sisters are portrayed here as Rei is constantly chasing after them as the bright light in his dreary life. 

• "Aozora no Rhapsody" by fhána from Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon

- Such a catchy OP with a somewhat trippy and non-sensical visuals that I adore. It gives off a comfy feel which is very representative of the whole 12 episode run of this great show. Chu-chu yeah!



And the best of the lot are :


3. "Saturday Night Question" by Megumi Nakajima from Net-juu no Susume

- Honestly loved every single part of this OP. The beginning beat that shows the customization of our beloved characters is all so satisfying, the middle part of our protagonist with her tired working lifestyle and the end where she finds happiness in the MMO world. All around stellar opening.


2. "Deal with the Devil" by Tia from Kakegurui

- I'm a sucker for jazzy anime OPs and this is no exception. The anime might not have done so well but this OP took my breath away. Very pretty visuals with the right amount of sexiness and the jazzy track made this OP worthy of second place.


1.  "Nasugamama, Sawagumama" by milktub from Uchouten Kazoku 2

- It was honestly a no contest in my mind as I couldn't think of an OP as great as Uchouten Kazoku 2's . There's something beautiful about OPs that combine animated characters with real life scenes. It is done so perfectly in this OP that I instantly need to rewatch it to see things I had missed. With the emphatically loud vocals of milktub, I find myself instantly hyped for another episode. Season 3 when?



BEST OSTs of 2017

Something not too talked about when talking about music in anime is the overall soundtrack of the anime. Usually they are in the form of instrumental music made by world class composers and musicians. This music is important because it helps to elevate a scene in an anime by tenfold.

Therefore, I shall be giving my gratitude to these 3 anime series composers that made their individual shows just that more special. Thanks for the music!


3. Yoshiaki Fujisawa from Uchouten Kazoku 2

- This anime is simply too much fun and the OST seems to fit this mood. With such a unique world set up, the variety of tracks used in this OST always seems to be just right. The Nidaime track is hilariously ominous and I absolutely love it. It's melancholic and happy when it needs to be - unfortunately bested by two other amazing soundtracks.


(Note : Video links to a track from the first season which was also used in the second season. Couldn't find a video on Youtube so trust me on this one, eh?)


2. Yoshiaki Fujisawa from Houseki no Kuni

- Man, I get chills from listening to some of the tracks in this soundtrack. There seems to always be a foreboding sense of danger when watching this anime despite our blissfully cheerful protagonist and the tracks really help emphasize that feeling. The track, Sunspot is a masterpiece in conveying the fear of one of the most unorthodox villains in anime ever. It's fucking good and I love it.


1. Kevin Penkin from Made in Abyss

- The praises this anime has gotten since its release in summer 2017 was overflowing and well deserved. I do have some gripes about it but the soundtrack for the series is something I have no complaints about. The moment this anime ended, I was listening to its tracks on Youtube daily - reminiscing the memorable scenes I had enjoyed. Touching, impactful and even catchy at times, it was a close but deserved victor of the best OST of 2017.




BEST EDs of 2017


And we have now reached the end of our journey with the only award left to give for now is the best ED of 2017. EDs while not as popular as OPs as more people skip them to watch the next episode when binge watching are still in my opinion as important as OPs. When played right, it can leave a painfully powerful mark on any anime watcher. There were certainly many great EDs in 2017 but alas, we only have so much time to cover them all.


Honourable mentions :

• "Good Luck Lilac (グッドラック ライラック)" by GATALIS [Minoa Asagaya (Kaede Hondo), Arisu Kamiigusa (Sayaka Senbongi), Miko Kouienji (Hisako Tojo)] from Animegataris

- An anime that didn't do well sales wise and didn't grab the fascination of many in 2017, it however had the catchiest ED in 2017. I personally enjoyed the anime and one of its highest points were definitely the ED. It has the Love Live CGI animation that I find quite endearing and like many things in this anime, it was also quite meta as I soon found out. Very satisfying.

•  ''Isshuukan Communication'' by Chorogonzu [Tooru (Yuuki Kuwahara), Kanna (Maria Naganawa), Elma (Yuuki Takada) & Lucoa (Minami Takahashi)] from Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid

- It's catchy and it's cute. Of course, it had to make the list. Visuals wise, there really is nothing too special that it could have bumped this ED to my top 3. Yet, the use of communication bubbles does drive home the title of the track in a very smart way. Like the show, it leaves a very happy feeling inside from when it starts till all the way to the end.




3. ''Kafune'' by Brian The Sun from 3gatsu no Lion Season 2

- There was always going to be one from 3gatsu no Lion as all their endings have been spectacularly enchanting but I went with the first ED of the second season. Entering one of the biggest arc in the series, this ending song served to be a truly powerful message for the series. Shaft worked their magic yet again as the visuals looked something out of a children's storybook coming to life. The depiction of Rei as this sullen and hurt angel is magical and the powerful vocals from Brian The Sun made this ED unforgettable.



2. "Kirameku Hamabe by Yuiko Ohara from Houseki no Kuni

- This ED's brilliant, dark and largely symbolic visual style mainly focuses on Phos and Cinnabar's relationship. Nearly the whole ED is in black which symbolizes the world in the eyes of Cinnabar who is akin to an angel of death - shunned by all. And then we see our first bright colours in the ED in the form of Phos. One who is determined to change Cinnabar's fate despite being a failure himself. With the unforgettable vocals of Yuiko Ohara, I find myself lost in the world of Houseki no Kuni whenever listening to this track.

1. "Heikousen " by Sayuri from Kuzu no Honkai

-  In one of the most haunting and dark depictions of love, Kuzu no Honkai delivers a chilling ED which can only be described as iconic. Iconic in the sense that this ED managed to transition itself seamlessly into the final parts of most episodes in the series which left me jaw dropped throughout the whole ED sequence. Its visual style too is one that elevates the anime series to one of the most impressive romance/ drama series I've watched in a while. It does not shy away from the explicit nature of the series and clearly emphasizes the fact that every character in this anime are truly scums with their own unsettling and disgusting desires. I found this anime unsettlingly beautiful in portraying the dark natures of people in love and the ED simply became a proud torchbearer of that theme.





And that's a wrap. I had fun doing this so feel free to agree or disagree with my choices. Thanks for reading and I wish you a good day.





Further note, I just watched Girls' Last Tour this year so it disqualifies itself from the list but you bet it would have been in nearly all of the lists music-wise.