‘And if I die, let it be
But when it come for me, Bury me a G’
-Tupac – Bury Me A G
Yusuke Urameshi lived and died like a G. He committed the most selfless act that anyone human could done – sacrificing his life to save a child, a truly gangsta act indeed. Even his Principal, Takanaka (who didn’t have the best history with Yusuke), was surprise and moved by his late student’s out-of-character action. Yusuke (who was watching his own wake in spirit form) himself was equally surprised by Takanaka respect.
At that moment of realization (from seeing his friend Keiko, rival Kurabawa, and his mother grieving his death) Yusuke discovered that people gave a damn about him – despite believing otherwise. People whom he assumed were happy at his death were reacting on the contrary.
What make Yusuke’s Wake sorrowful are the raw emotions felt by people he touched and encountered in his life. Yes, Yusuke was a street punk. Yes, Yusuke gave people isssues. However, at the end of the day, Yusuke, and his presence, made an impact on their lives.
“Yusuke….Yusuke…No! Yusukeeeee!”
A friend’s grief.
“Who am I gonna fight now? You’re supposed to be here…for me.”
A rival’s pain.
“Yusuke I don’t know why I don’t feel like speaking well of you. Why didn’t you stay? You could had made something out of your life!”
A hardass principal’s respect.
“Mommy, do you think it’ll be okay if I play with that boy tomorrow? I don’t know why those people were crying like that, it was probably because they wanted to play with him too.”
A child’s innocence.
Each one’s grief. The pain of loss. This is what makes Yusuke’s Wake the most saddest scene in anime for me.
Thanks for reading ya’ll! I’m currently in Chicago, IL (in the Rosemont area )for the anime convention Anime Midwest. If you see me feel free to tell me how much my work has impacted your life. My ego needs feeding.
Well, thank God for the saying “A picture is worth a thousands words” because I suck at describing visuals. And I want to finish editing the grammar errors of my next post that is coming very soon so I’m going to leave you guys with some pretty anime pictures.
I’ve been looking forward to Days 5 and 6 of this list. I love music. I love anime. This will be a challenge indeed. There are far too many opening songs I love that I can not possibly just choose one as my favorite. I’m going to do ten songs, five opening and five ending themes for each day and let you in on why I love them so much.
Keep in mind that there’s order to this list (although number one is based off personal bias)
Dan Dan Korko Hikareteku (lit. Bit bv Bit My Heart is Charmed)
Dragon Ball GT OP
By Field of View
There are only three good things about Dragon Ball GT – the animation, the new ideas presented (that were poorly executed sadly), and the music. When I’m talking about GT’s music, I am not speaking of the horrible American original soundtrack (OST). And I’m especially not talking about horrible attempt at hip-hop that is “STEP INTO THE GRAND TOUR” trash (still to this day I cringe every time I hear that shit).
I’m talking about the superior Japanese OST, mainly GT’s opening theme song “Dan Dan Kokoro Hikareteku” or “Bit by Bit My Heart is Charmed”.
There’s a certain, nostalgic charm with this song, setting it apart from other Dragon Ball opening themes. To start, Dan Dan Kokoro Hikareteku is actually a love ballad. The character iit reminiscing on the first time he first met the one he fell in love with . On the surface, it seems out of place to have a long song in the Dragon Ball series, but if you dig a little bit, it make sense (plus, original Dragon Ball had a few romantic ending themes and as of recently with the Tournament of Power Arc , “Boogie Back” [the second ending theme of that arc] also carries that romantic feeling of longing).
Dragon Ball as a whole, is a charming series of adventure with unique and lovable diverse characters. Plus, I can promise you that we Dragon Ball fans can remember the first time when we first watched Dragon Ball and fell in love – our hearts charmed by the show bit-by-by. It works.
Finally, the best thing about the song is how it was used in the final episode of Dragon Ball as we relive main character Son Goku’s life, trails, and victories from Dragon Ball, Z, and GT.
‘You see, when I met you
I remembered the view which I had treasured when I was a child’
Smile Bomb
Yuu Yuu Hakusho OP 1
Sung By Sara White
Another intro that gives me a sense of nostalgia. Maybe it’s how the English version still kept that 90s Shonen anime vibe with the lyrics, instrumental arrangement, and singing. Maybe it’s the lyrics and it reflection on friends supporting you on your journey. That’s probably it.
The Hero!!
One Punch Man OP 1
Performed by JAM Project
Have you ever listen to an anime song that you just knew it fit just right with the series? The lyrics fit perfectly with the series’s tone, or the song was just full of so much energy that it felt just right using it as a theme song? That’s “The Hero!!” to me. I don’t think words can even describe the emotion in it, so I’ll just provide the full version below.
‘I wanna be the strongest HERO’
Seriously any version of the iconic Lupin the 3rd Theme
Lupin the III
Composed by Yuji Ohno
Do I really have to explain why I love this song? Seriously I kinda don’t wanna because I have to go to a friend’s house soon. Fine, I’ll explain why. Ready? 70s acid jazz in an anime with a charming thief, the OG Femme Fatale, the stoic wandering samurai, and a smooth gunman. This song makes me want to go out and do some high level criminal things with my crew.
The moment when I first heard the horns section blaring in the first bar of Tank, I knew Cowboy Bebop would be dissimilar to any anime series I’ve watched prior. Cowboy Bebop’s opening combined two of my loves: jazz music and anime. Never would I imagine that somebody in the world would put those two things together and make it work. Let me tell you something, It was at that moment in the year 2001 at the age of 12 that I knew Cowboy Bebop would be a game changer in the American anime fanbase.
With that, those were my favorite anime opening theme. Stay tuned in the future when I’ll drop my top 5 anime ending themes! In the comments, please tell me some of your favorite anime theme songs of all time!
Lupin the 3rd (1971). One of my favorites anime series of all time.
Everyone has an opinion on what makes an anime great. Some people love storytelling. Others enjoy aesthetics and art direction.
I love storytelling and music personally. I love direction synergy between art and music tones.
We all bring in our own personal bias and taste when viewing anime, considering what will make or break an anime.
Anime is a visual medium. I like anime series that can play off the aesthetics of the series. Visuals are narrative. It gives aids the story’s tone.
Directors can use visual tones to emote viewers’ emotional reaction.
Example: The conclusion of Yusuke and Suzuki’s fight (Yu Yu Hakusho).
Series animation director AkiyukiShinbo uses vibrant surrounding white light transiting into black and. dark shading on Yusuke. It sets a depressing feeling; that Yusuke died putting his life energy to defeat Suzaku.
Yu Yu Hakusho (1992)
Along with visual tone, a great anime needs a convincing story. The story needs interesting written characters with motivation. I like characters that are written in a way that can relate to naturally.
Son Gohan of Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn (1994). I love his goofy and carefree nature as Great Saiyaman.
Most of my favorite anime characters are written like this. If I relate to a character, I care for them. I root for them to overcome their issues and improve overtime. This factor makes the character seem more human.
Mob from the 2016 anime series “Mob Psycho 100” is a character that fits this.
Despite blessed with everlasting psychic power, Mob wants to improve in other accepts in his school life. Rather than joining his school’s supernatural club, he joins the athletic Body Improvement club.
He aims to nurture his weak psychical strength and body.
Mob and Musashi. Mob Pyscho 100 (2016)
He wants to improve his weak body by strengthen it. He could have easily joined a club suited to natural skills. However, Mob wants something more in life than just relying on his natural gifts.
This makes him feel human. This makes me relate to him because I want to improve in life. We all do.
Finally, a great anime needs a prominent music. Similar to visual, music sets tone. Music is narrative. Music is expressive. Music should reflect the mood of the scene.
I want to experience the same shock and amazement of Kyon, a normal teenager, as he was spectating reality wrapping aliens Yuki and Ryoko fighting inside a data field. Hell, I want the music to make me believe that I am Kyon.
Ryoko vs. Yuki from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2007)
I believe music can do this to my emotions. The right usage of a background song can impact and trigger the emotional accepts of my core. This enhances the anime for me.
As diverse individuals, we have our ideas on what make a great anime. We bring in our own taste and ideas that reflects what we want in an anime. Visual, sound, character story and tone. We use those factors to build standard of quality.
REFERENCES:
Ryoko vs. Yuki Fight Theme .
Love the song’s usage of of techno-like percussion, violins, cellos, and synths to create an alien sound.
Yuki The Snowman 