Any other themes this shockingly funny/great?
March 30, 2022 10:26 PM Subscribe
A young person I know has been enjoying the Japanese anime show, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Today I happened to be there as the end credits rolled and I was absolutely blown away by the closing theme. Any other shows do this kind of thing? Unexpected theme songs, I guess?
Best answer: I still remember fondly the OP for Gankutsuou, which is an adaptation of The Count of Montecristo IN SPACE, with aliens. The music is by Jean-Jacques Burnel from The Stranglers, who also does some piano playing for the anime.
But the best unexpected genre theme is Samurai Champloo's OP by the late nujabes.
More recently, Heike Monogatari chronicles Japan's most famous narrative epic of hubris and war in the 13th century, so of course the ED is a moody lo-fi song.
posted by sukeban at 12:12 AM on March 31, 2022 [3 favorites]
But the best unexpected genre theme is Samurai Champloo's OP by the late nujabes.
More recently, Heike Monogatari chronicles Japan's most famous narrative epic of hubris and war in the 13th century, so of course the ED is a moody lo-fi song.
posted by sukeban at 12:12 AM on March 31, 2022 [3 favorites]
Best answer: And I also have to mention the bonkers OP for Mononoke, not the Ghibli movie but an anime series about a weirdo "medicine seller" who investigates hauntings by yokai and it's as cool and weird as the OP hints at.
posted by sukeban at 12:35 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by sukeban at 12:35 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Bit of a recursive answer, but Jojo does that at least twice a season. The first season credits led to a vine meme.
posted by Snijglau at 4:41 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Snijglau at 4:41 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I mean, the canonical anime example is the opening theme from Cowboy Bebop. Arguably the most perfect 90 seconds of music in anime. The closing theme (The Real Folk Blues) is pretty amazing as well.
posted by The Bellman at 6:59 AM on March 31, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by The Bellman at 6:59 AM on March 31, 2022 [7 favorites]
Best answer: Yakitate Japan had this song as it’s closing credits for a while and I will never forget it. Soul’d Out - To All Tha Dreamers
posted by itesser at 7:06 AM on March 31, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by itesser at 7:06 AM on March 31, 2022 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Classic anime Neon Genesis Evangelion had a different cover of Fly Me To The Moon (yes, that one) every episode as its outro music.
posted by Rock Steady at 7:12 AM on March 31, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by Rock Steady at 7:12 AM on March 31, 2022 [3 favorites]
Best answer: You might also like the ending credits from a previous JoJo season (Diamond is Unbreakable) - I'm currently watching the entire series with my adult kids.
In the unexpected category, a personal favorite is the opening to Eden of the East, with "Falling Down" by Oasis. The DVDs have a different generic song, probably for licensing reasons.
posted by sencha at 7:48 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
In the unexpected category, a personal favorite is the opening to Eden of the East, with "Falling Down" by Oasis. The DVDs have a different generic song, probably for licensing reasons.
posted by sencha at 7:48 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I like the opening to Arcane by Imagine Dragons.
posted by SPrintF at 7:56 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by SPrintF at 7:56 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I have watched my son, now 17, grow up as we've watched anime together, and I'm here to say that the OP might not have meant "unexpectedly good" by the question.
My kid loves JoJo, but will absolutely wither and die when I sing along to:
"Every time I close my eyes
wake up feelin' so hor-nee..."
because, well, he's 17.
Having watched a lot of anime together, we kind of dance around the subject of the more "horny" elements, by referring to them as "fanservice".
Gurren Lagann, and Kill La Kill, for instance, have a lot of this, whereas JoJo, kinda doesn't, beyond that song.
So, to perhaps answer that element of the question: In my experience, no other anime has an adult themed outro that might be inappropriate for kids, but lots of action anime that kids ultimately get to have questionable depictions of female characters, as they were largely drawn to please horny teenaged boys. this subject has been widely discussed.
posted by OHenryPacey at 8:55 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
My kid loves JoJo, but will absolutely wither and die when I sing along to:
"Every time I close my eyes
wake up feelin' so hor-nee..."
because, well, he's 17.
Having watched a lot of anime together, we kind of dance around the subject of the more "horny" elements, by referring to them as "fanservice".
Gurren Lagann, and Kill La Kill, for instance, have a lot of this, whereas JoJo, kinda doesn't, beyond that song.
So, to perhaps answer that element of the question: In my experience, no other anime has an adult themed outro that might be inappropriate for kids, but lots of action anime that kids ultimately get to have questionable depictions of female characters, as they were largely drawn to please horny teenaged boys. this subject has been widely discussed.
posted by OHenryPacey at 8:55 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
oops. i have titles repressed, and actually missed that the title of this question actually does mean unexpectedly great, so disregard my answer in that regard.
posted by OHenryPacey at 8:57 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by OHenryPacey at 8:57 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: The title sequence for the Peacemaker TV show is, well, unexpected.
posted by dudekiller at 9:09 AM on March 31, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by dudekiller at 9:09 AM on March 31, 2022 [4 favorites]
Best answer: Bob's Burgers has surprisingly good outros, I believe usually tied in theme/style to the episode. They're just way better than they need to be...
posted by Bron at 9:13 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Bron at 9:13 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I see Eden of the East was already mentioned.
Somewhat older anime:
Ergo Proxy - Paranoid Android by Radiohead (and the Ergo Proxy opening)
Speed Grapher (potentially NSFW) - Girls on Film by Duran Duran
And some opening and ending sequences I just like:
Death Parade Flyers by BRADIO
Psycho-Pass Out of Control by Nothing's Carved in Stone
Blood Blockade Battlefront & Beyond - Step Up LOVE by DAOKO x Yasuyuki Okamura
posted by needled at 1:11 PM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
Somewhat older anime:
Ergo Proxy - Paranoid Android by Radiohead (and the Ergo Proxy opening)
Speed Grapher (potentially NSFW) - Girls on Film by Duran Duran
And some opening and ending sequences I just like:
Death Parade Flyers by BRADIO
Psycho-Pass Out of Control by Nothing's Carved in Stone
Blood Blockade Battlefront & Beyond - Step Up LOVE by DAOKO x Yasuyuki Okamura
posted by needled at 1:11 PM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks to everyone who responded, this has been a lot of fun!
posted by circular at 1:37 PM on March 31, 2022
posted by circular at 1:37 PM on March 31, 2022
Nee nande by Rie Yoshizawa - The ending theme for an incredibly silly romcom anime, Trouble Chocolate, which I've never even watched. I don't how I heard this song in the first place, but it's a wonderful example of 90s pop.
posted by airmail at 6:48 PM on March 31, 2022
posted by airmail at 6:48 PM on March 31, 2022
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posted by Didnt_do_enough at 10:52 PM on March 30, 2022 [1 favorite]