The ED Trinity For Fall 2K18
Fall of this year has been very kind. We were provided with
smooth hearbreakers and feels shows like Bunny Girl Senpai and big titans like
Jojo Golden Wind (p.s. I am not caught up with JoJo, so don’t crucify me). We have
40+ shows, and by my luck, I have picked up 7. So, my holy trinity of EDs would
be chosen amongst them. Please let me know how much of a pleb I am at the end
of my essay.
NOTE: I WILL INCLUDE ONE ED NOT FROM THIS SEASON, SIMPLY
BECAUSE I WAS CAUGHT UP WATCHING SOMETHING ELSE. SO BASICALLY, IT’S A LIST OF 2
EDS FROM FALL 2K18, AND THE THIRD PICK COULD BE ANYTHING FROM ANY YEAR.
The shows I picked for Fall 2K18
That Time I got Reincarnated as a slime
Zombieland Saga
Goblin Slayer
Bunny Girl Senpai
Skullface Bookseller Honda-San
Boarding School Juliet
Run with the Wind
Tokyo Ghoul re S2
[Recently, I did get to complete both seasons of
Steins;Gate, so that was a good experience]
I am not counting Tokyo Ghoul as official pick, because its a
continuing series from two seasons ago.
I am also going to notify that I started
watching RWBY Vol. 6, and it is lit. Definitely go watch it if you have not. First
5 Volumes are on YouTube, so you have no excuse. Now if I consider RWBY to be
an anime, is another discussion.
Lets start with two clear winners, because the third pick was
a hard one. I will talk about it when I get to it.
1.
Run with the Wind.
Run with the Wind was the show I was
putting off so that I could marathon it later as a whole. I had recently
completed my marathon of ‘Haikyu’, and I was in no mood to go back into a
sports anime. Well, that failed horribly. The cast that populates this show is
by god’s grace, not in a highschool. They are a group of people who have either
started their college life, or some whose college life is coming to an end. One
fourth year student drops the bombshell on the residents of Chikusei-So that
they have been living in track and fields club room/ quarters. Thus, begins
their goal to run into a relay marathon.
It’s a feel-good sports show
which highlights the best moments one can have in a hostel. Its not overloaded
with mind-fucks and strong storytelling. But you will stick around for the
characters.
Now, getting to the ED, lemme
tell you boi, this is a beautiful ED. It follows the main character Kageyama
running through the town as his daily practice. But he runs through the whole
day. From morning to morning. And no, the character’s name isn’t Kageyama, but
Kakeru. I just pointed that out because they look friggin identical.
However, Kakeru
starts his jog at dawn while it rains. He runs along the train lines while
passing some bushes while the sun shines overhead. Next scene is the beautiful
scene where he is standing limped, while the crowd (Which is NOT CGI) keeps on
moving around him. The warm sunlight shows the clear skies, but the next scene
is of Kakeru walking in the snow-covered track. He lays in the snow for some time
and rebuilds his confidence to run towards the bright light. At the end, he
reaches the Chikusei-So, where Nira waits for his arrival eagerly.
Now I can break down more of it
according to the metaphors, but that is not my job. What is my job is to
highlight that this ED is very kinetic. Its ever moving, and not another
tracking shot of character and . You can see the pain animators took
to make it a highlight. And they paired with a soft R&B-Rap track. If you
know anything about rap, this doesn’t sound like anything recent. Taichi Mukai’s
Reset is tailor made for the visuals it supports. It’s a show full of rowdy and
energetic young boys, which makes this song a calming blanket to rest your mind to.
So, if I had to give a crown to best ED of this Fall, it goes to Run with the
Wind.
VISUALLY: A
MUSICALLY: A
REPEATABILITY: A
2.
Zombieland Saga
Winter 2K16 had a show
called ‘KonoSuba’. It had one of the best Eds ever. If I ever make a top 10 ED
list, fully expect it to be on it. But you know who would be close second to
it? These pair of Eds belonging to Zombieland Saga and Bunny Girl Saga. Now I
am naming 2 Eds in one slop, but I promise, it wont happen many a times.
First lets talk about Zombieland
Saga ED. Major props to MAPPA for keeping us in dark for VA of Yamada Tae. I
love when companies can take a joke, and make a joke.
Getting to the ED, the visuals
are not much to talk about, smply because they are beautiful as heck. If I had
to compare them to another painting, I would compare it as a cute kid who is
done having his fun and is just napping under the sunlight. That warm fuzzy
feeling you get from listening this ED is precious, and I adore it. As a song, I
would compare it to a lullaby. You don’t want to understand the words, as long
as it hits your eardrums and your heart.
Visually, it doesn’t directly
relate to the show except some shots. One where the crew of girls dip their
feet in water while ditching their practice is really obvious. You can catch
other shots if you have a really keen eye. Maybe some of them relate to events
yet to come.
VISUALLY: A-
MUSICALLY: A
REPEATABILITY: B
3.
WILDCARD: ACTUALLY, I AM…
Let’s put another R&B- Hip
Hop song on it shall we?
Actually, I am… is yet another Harem
show. But, it’s a harem show done right. Sure, it does have its share of
tropes, but all of them are endearing in their own way. And this ED plays with
it.
The dunce of the group, their
neighbourhood Vampire Shiragami is lazing around in the empty classroom. Possibly
hungry, the expressions on her face suggest she is waiting for Asahi to show
up. The soft bass thumps and we see Shiragami sitting alone on the parking
bench. One thing I noticed in the ED is the focus on the character’s feet.
Shiragami has her feet playfully turned in an awkward position, which she
probably would do if she was lost in thought. Other female characters who show
up in the ED have no shoes on. All the female readers will agree that feet are
one of the important parts you can play around when you are ‘getting jiggy’. Which
can explain the undertone of sexuality Asahi feels towards other girls.
Nagisa chills on the bed, reading
manga. Mikan is lost in thought. She is probably sitting in the same classroom Shiragami
was. Shiho poses sexually over the table, while the song proceeds to show us
the back of Shiragami. When she turns, she expects Asahi, but she finds other
girls. They play around and eat food and whatnot, but the shoes are back on. I
know they aren’t in static poses and they need shoes to move around, but let me
rest my case.
Asahi’s friends note that he
might have fallen in love with Shiragami. That way, it is not just a crush. All
the affection he feels for her is totally respectful (implied). Thus, when he
sees anybody else after following in love, he sees them as someone who he cant
fall in love with, thus, all the factors of sexuality are covered up.
As for the ED itself, the visual
metaphor was amazing. The song pairs up like Peanut Butter and Jam. And I will
continue to Jam this song till the end of eternity.
VISUALLY: B+
MUSICALLY: A-
REPEATABILITY: A
And thats it for my Fall 2K18 ED Trinity. Please let me know if you like it or not by tweeting @rishabh_SSW
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