Top 20 anime opening and ending songs 2017

There was a huge amount of superb anime music to choose from this year! Although it was really hard to narrow it down to a somewhat small list, we still think we did a good job getting the top 20 best Jrock anime songs from this year. In no particular order, let’s explore!

Boku no Hero Academia 2
Peace Sign by Kenshi Yonezu

Kenshi Yonezu is undoubtedly one of the most popular talented artists to break out of the indie scene in recent time. His song Peace Sign has already garnered over 48 million views in the six months that it has been out. His particular voice and captivating melodies speak well with Japanese pop rock listeners, and he can proudly boast about having written the music himself while also providing the vocals. Pretty much all of his music videos are fated to receive millions of views without fail, whether the song features himself on vocals or a Vocaloid.

Peace Sign Buy at CDJapan

Ousama Game The Animation
FEED THE FIRE by coldrain

This is probably the heaviest pick out of all the featured songs on this list! We’re sure many of you are very familiar with coldrain by now. With their latest album FATELESS, they’ve shown the world that they’re taking back their primitive metal sound! FEED THE FIRE delivers just that and is without a doubt able to quench your thirst for heavy music!

FATELESS Buy at CDJapan

Shoukoku no Altair
Akairo by Civilian

Akairo is a really lively song with a very heroic and adventurous sound, it even adds some funk to it as well. Ironically, it is combined mellow vocals which however still fits perfectly! By the middle eastern inspired intermezzo, it is made especially apparent that the song is accommodated to Shoukoko no Altair (unfortunately this part isn’t included in the short trailer above).

CIVILIAN was formerly known as Lyu:Lyu and has Koyama Hidekazu as the front-man. He first started getting recognition for his Vocaloid work under the name HoehoeP.

The official music video can be found here, although, it is not available outside of Japan.

Akairo Buy at CDJapan

Clockwork Planet
Anti Clockwise by After the Rain

Not only is Anti Clockwise a dynamic and interesting pop-rock song with its fast pace and wacky piano, but also a song where we can hear mafumafu’s inhumanly pitched (well, at least for most males) shine in the choruses. After the rain’s other vocalist, Soraru, keeps a fairly low key in Anti Clockwise to allow mafumafu’s vocals gleam timely which results in an ideal harmonizing balance.

Anti Clockwise Buy at CDJapan

Rokudenashi Majutsu Koushi to Akashic Records
Blow out by Konomi Suzuki

It was impossible to leave out Konomi Suzuki from this list, one of the most popular artists on the anime scene right now! Her song Blow out is explosively catchy and leaves a strong impression after just one listen! Even though the song follows a very traditional “anime rock” sound, it still manages to punch a fresh and magnetizing take!

Blow out Buy at CDJapan

Gintama°
Kagerou by ReaL

I would not be mad to say that many of the best Japanese music is affiliated with Gintama, and the song which ReaL provided—Kagerou—is no exception! Along the super catchy and rocking guitars melodies, and the enticing drums, ReaL pairs the song with high pitched vocals that without a doubt lifts the energetic intensity by heaps!

The official music video can be found here, although, it is not available outside of Japan.

Kagerou Buy at CDJapan

Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon
Aozora no Rhapsody by fhána

fhana’s song Aozora no Rhapsody has been incredibly well received ever since it popped up on the anime Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon. It’s super upbeat and has the potential to swing anyone’s bad mood into dancing mode! Watch the video and dance along! “Chu Chu Yeah”!

Aozora no Rhapsody Buy at CDJapan

ChaoS;Child
Uncontrollable by Ito Kanako

Combining classical piano, electronic synth, and rock guitars, not forgetting to mention Ito Kanako’s unique voice! Uncontrollable is quite an engaging song as it is fast paced! It is also quite hard to pinpoint the right words to describe Ito’s unique voice, but one thing is for sure, the anime community loves her work! She a veteran in the field and Uncontrollable shows that she’s still going strong!

Uncontrollable Buy at CDJapan

Chain Chronicle: Haecceitas no Hikari
MY LIBERATION by nano

nano is a master when it comes to producing rock music! MY LIBERATION offers super catchy melodies and a symphonic backing, along with nano’s intense and dramatic vocals!

nano first received recognition on niconico, mainly uploading Vocaloid vocal covers. Ever since then, nano’s music has spread all over the general Jrock scene. As a trivia, nano grew up in America which explains the perfect English pronunciation.

My Liberation / Paraiso Buy at CDJapan

Jikan no Shihaisha
RULER GAME by Fo’xTails

Fo’xTails’ RULER GAME provides an awesome and fast-paced power metal song for the shounen anime Jikan no Shihaisha (Chronos Ruler). RULER GAME is accented with subtle synths and classical piano, it also comes with a charismatic guitar solo by the end of the song.

RULER GAME Buy at CDJapan

Shokugeki no Souma: San no Sara
BRAVER by ZAQ

ZAQ is going strong with her latest intense song BRAVER, accommodated for the food cooking anime, Shokugeki no Soma! While ZAQ’s powerful vocals easily stand out, the instrumentals in this song are powerful too, in the way it grabs you by the collar and forces you to headbang involuntarily.

BRAVER Buy at CDJapan

Kujira no Kora wa Sajou ni Utau
Hashitairo by rionos

Unlike most of the picks in this list, rionos’ song Hashitairo is very calming and soothing. Close your eyes while listening to rionos’ dreamy and relaxing voice to take yourself far away from the chaotic world we call “reality”.

Hashitairo Buy at CDJapan

ēlDLIVE
Our sympathy by Alfakyun.

The most prominent part of Our Sympathy is without a doubt Alfakyun.’s strong and fierce vocals which go really well with the hectic rock instrumentals! Despite her strong vocals, she’s able to switch to a lighter, more feminine voice on demand, as demonstrated in this song.

Starting out in the Vocaloid doujin community, Alfakyun. finally expanded and made her way to the anime scene, with Our sympathy being her anime debut song.

Our Sympathy Buy at CDJapan

Saiyuki Reload Blast
Refrain by Luck Life

Luck Life excels when it comes to guitar licks and it shows well in the intro and the solo part of Refrain. Even though they have a fairly traditional pop-rock sound, in Refrain, the band makes themselves stand out with their stimulating and entertaining guitars.

Refrain Buy at CDJapan

Eromanga-sensei
Adrenaline!!! by TrySail

This song by TrySail is super uplifting as you probably already guessed by its name, Adrenaline!!!. It’s a sweet and fun song, smacking lively trumpets throughout the entire song, as well as packing tons of the anime pop sound for you to indulge yourself in. The three-unit group TrySail is composed of voice actresses: Momo Asakura, Sora Amamiya, and Shiina Natsukawa.

ADRENALINE!!! Buy at CDJapan

Atom: The beginning
Kaidoku Funou by After the Rain

We have After the Rain mentioned twice on this list, that is not (only) because of favoritism but because of how exceptional and captivating their sound is! The two vocalists, mafumafu, and Soraru are in excellent harmonizing balance in this vigorous rock song!

Kaidoku Funou Buy at CDJapan

Boku no Hero Academia 2
Sora ni Utaeba by amazarashi

To keep up with the Boku no Hero Academia theme, amazarashi composed an emotional song that radiates the feeling of determination and courage. This is almost a U-turn compared to their recent more depressing sounding work. However, it doesn’t take away that this is still an excellent song which the Boku no Hero Academia fans seem to agree on!

Sora Ni Utaeba Buy at CDJapan

Re:creators
Sh0ut by Sawano Hiroyuki

The song Sh0ut—like all of Sawano’s music—has the signature sound that only Sawano seem to be able to offer. Specifically here, Sh0ut offers futuristic electronics, faint rock guitars, paired with vocals by Tielle and Gemie. As Re:Creators is predominantly a somewhat cryptic anime, the vocals follow the same cryptic direction in terms of feel, which both Tielle and Gemie truly captured!

Sawano Hiroyuki is probably one of the best-known anime music composers; with big titles backing him up, such as Attack on Titan, Gundam, Kill la Kill and many more!

gravityWall / sh0ut Buy at CDJapan

Black Clover
Haruka Mirai by Kankaku Piero

Unlike many of Kankaku Piero reckless pop-rock music, Haruka Mirai is slightly more sophisticated to match the theme of the anime Black Clover. Other prominent parts include the little rap part by the beginning of the song which certainly spices up the song!

#HAL Buy at CDJapan

Inuyashiki
My Hero by MAN WITH A MISSION

Needless to say, the song My Hero keeps a heroic theme, but interestingly enough, the band decided to include a small orchestra in the song—which is always a pleasant addition! It is worth mentioning that lead vocalist Tanaka and rapper Johnny sport some interesting voices, so don’t be shy and have a listen in case this is your first contact with this band.

Find You Buy at CDJapan

Fukumenkei Noise
FALLING SILENT by SILENT BLACK KITTY

SILENT BLACK KITTY’s song FALLING SILENT features an alternative rock sound that is reminding of TK from ling tosite sigure’s guitar, fused with vocals reminiscence of supercell’s typical vocals. Translation: Very smooth guitar which is mixed with exquisitely executed effect pedals, making the song never stale! The vocals are nasal and at the same time, sweet and mysterious that melts in with the instrumentals gracefully.

Unfortunately, this song was never featured as the opening, nor ending theme song for Fukumenkei Noise, but as an insert song (also known as “incidental music”, a song which can be heard during the body of the anime). For that reason, we feature this as a bonus song.

FALLING SILENT Buy at CDJapan

So that was it! The top 20 songs from this year compiled into a single article! Do you agree with our picks, or would you suggest other songs instead? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below!

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