I Am A Pioneer

[Vermachtnis]

What's everyone's favorite anime openings and endings? Try to limit to five a piece.

My favorite opening is probably obvious :rolleyes2 it's "I Am A Pioneer" from Tenchi Muyo. In a distant second would probably be "Biggest Dreamer" from Digimon Tamers.

My favorite endings are prabably either "Happy People" from Bleach or "Viva Rock" from Naruto.

[scrumpleberry]

I like the Azumanga Daioh openings and ending. And that CCS one with Kero running across the planet.

[El Bandito]

I'm pretty sure nothing will ever beat "Tank!" for me.

[rubah]

Darker than black has a really gorgeous outro

[Shlup]

Tenjou Tenge and DNA² come to mind.

[starseeker]

I like the Texhnolyze and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex openings. The opening and ending for Zero no Tsukaima: Futatsuki no Kishi are funny.

[Karellen]

The opening to Evangelion just edges out the Azumanga Daioh opening as the best in my opinion. Haruhi's Hare Hare Yukai wins hands down for closings though.

[JKTrix]

My current opening obsession is for the anime Moyashimon. I can't YouTube at work, but definitely check it out. It involves this little dude.
http://inanemanga.free.fr/images/331397985_7e023acc8ev.jpg I would watch every episode of the show (which I am) just to see the opening again. It makes me grin just like the yellow dude in the pic. Dancing CG Microbes beats Dancing Hip-hop Martial Artists.

Other OPs:
-Escaflowne's "Yakusoku wa Iranai"
-RahXephon's "Hemisphere" (both actually composed and sung by the same people)
-Bebop's tank!
-Ghost in the Shell 2nd Gig's Rise
That's 5 OPs. Besides the first featured one they're all made by the same person.

EDs:
-'Moonlight' from Kurau: Phantom Memory. It's a very simple song and the video itself is very simple, but together they left a pretty striking impression on me. The song is somewhat haunting with a steady pulse to it, while the video starts with a close-up shot of the main character's eye as it slowly pans out to a full body view.
-'Hare Hare Yukai' for causing a phenomenon. The show itself is pretty good, but it's really the ED that made it so popular.
-'Konna ni chikaku de...' from the Nodame Cantabile anime. This has been in regular circulation on my iPod since I first heard it back in January.

...and that's about it. EDs for me tend to be not as memorable as OPs (since I usually skip both of them if they're not interesting enough), but if they are handled effectively it has a greater impact. Haruhi's 'Hare Hare Yukai' for example had a superbly animated dance sequence that made an otherwise standard jpop song enjoyable. In Kurau, I mentioned that the ED was kind of haunting. In the show, it actually sort of creeps up on you. Something intense or sad will be happening in the show while the extended introduction to the ED subtly fades in (sometimes for almost a minute), then BAM, the eye is in your face, effectively ending the episode in a striking cliffhanger. That's a well done ED. (I reccomend watching Kurau, it's finally starting to come out on DVD) Nodame Cantabile does something similar where it starts up before the show is actually over, but it's not as subtle. The song is pretty catchy, but what made me watch it is that they had the 'next episode previews' playing in the background of the credits.

I've heard lots of great OPs and pretty EDs, but the OP list was limited to 5 (I could have lots more) and EDs end up being forgettable. A gimmick that works is if they incorporate the themes into the show itself, which is easier to do in shorter running, more contained shows.

[nozkits]

What's everyone's favorite anime openings and endings? Try to limit to five a piece.

My favorite opening is probably obvious :rolleyes2 it's "I Am A Pioneer" from Tenchi Muyo. In a distant second would probably be "Biggest Dreamer" from Digimon Tamers.

My favorite endings are prabably either "Happy People" from Bleach or "Viva Rock" from Naruto.
I like the Ending theme of Ergo Proxy. I forgot the name of the song, but I know Radiohead does it.

Second season of Record of Lodoss War OP and Ending theme.

[Momiji]

I don't know the names of the songs, but I love the opening and ending songs of His and Her Circumstances. :)

[charliepanayi]

I'm pretty sure nothing will ever beat "Tank!" for me.

Exactly, the Cowboy Bebop opening is brilliant. I do like Excel Saga's opening too.