To be more specific, I’m talking about recurring scenes across different OPs from different anime series.
Like how so many anime openings feature a character running or a character wistfully staring off into the horizon or a character who is lying down and staring at the back of his or her hand as he or she stretches said hand towards the sky. That sort of stuff.
Of course, EDs can also share common scenes or sequences, too. But most people seem more into OPs in general!
At any rate, I personally like seeing the protagonist lying on the grass while being surrounded by his or her friends in an anime OP. The characters just look so picturesque and happy. It’s peaceful and iconic.
I personally would really struggle with doing something like that in real life, though. What if the back of my clothes are marked by grass stains? I also don’t know where to find nice, clean glass for me to lie down on. Well, public parks could work, I guess, but I would just feel overly self-conscious. Maybe I have to infiltrate some universities.
I would almost definitely need a blanket or some sort of protective layer between my clothes and the grass. I remember resting on the grass after my ex-girlfriend demonstrated keen foresight and pulled out a blanket she had brought from her car. Since I walked a lot the day before, being able to grant my feet some momentary relief was amazing. So was her giving me a lap pillow. The whole experience was probably one of the happiest moments in my life.
Returning back to relevant discussion, the protagonist is guaranteed to be in the center and towards the bottom of the “picture.” The characters’ eyes may be open or closed. Hand-holding may be involved. And all the characters must have really strong detergent back at home.
Anyways, that’s what I really like seeing in OPs. Now I want to know about your favorites. What sort of recurring/common scene do you like seeing in anime OPs? Leave behind a comment, question, or concern and make my day!
The Lily Garden 
Something that just occurred to me… What’s the turning point in Kirito and Asuna’s relationship in SAO? Sleeping in the grass.
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That is a good point.
The yuri shipping gets stronger.
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I can see why it’s a recurring scene, characters against a natural beautiful green and off course nature is attractive in animation.
I love laying on grass personally, usually not for too long, unless I have a blanket because I don’t like bugs. Short spur of the moment times in the grass are great though. I’ve also never gotten a grass stain from doing it. I don’t think just laying on grass is enough to disturb it to that point.
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Mmmm definitely good reasons why it’s so prominent.
Fair enough. Bugs are terrifying!
Ah, I see.
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That’s really neat. I’m also a big fan of seeing the main cast chilling on the grass together. It’s always heartwarming and super relaxing.
As for my favourite recurring thing in Openings, I’m a big fan of final shots that show a large cast of characters all together. This isn’t most common in Shounen series with gigantic casts, but seeing all the unique designs of so many characters together in the same shot is always really cool!
Hitman Reborn! has one of my favourite examples of this at the end of it’s final opening, where we see all the cast of main characters appear side by side as a quiet little piano melody plays. It always makes me feel emotional, particularly because the series is close to the end of it’s fairly lengthy journey by that point.
Anyhow! Very cool post!
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Is most common*
WordPress + Autocorrect are not friends it seems.
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That was kinda what I was thinking of in my comment…
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Such scenes are definitely really cool and emotional. The instrumentals usually add to the experience, too.
Thanks for sharing!
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Something that I like is when one of the characters extends their hand towards the TV screen and towards you, as if they’re inviting you to grab their hand and come join them. A few examples I can think of off the top of my head are the OPs for Twin Star Exorcists (OP 1) and A Good Librarian Like a Good Shepherd, and the second EDs for Love Live and K-On.
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Ohhh, I like that a lot, too. I’d totally join ’em if I could.
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Especially if it’s a cute girl brushing her hair behind her ear with the other hand…
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I guess I have a thing where the screen focuses on one character, showing him/her looking (somewhere), and then it changes to show another character (or group of characters) looking in the opposite direction to establish some kind of link between them.
– Or when characters give a weak sad smile, because that triggers me. 😛
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Some red string of fate stuff going on here!
Sad smiles are sad!
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I always like the character reaching their hand up toward the sun/sky for no apparent reason.
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That does show up fairly often. Perhaps the character wants to test their sunscreen.
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I always like the “characters gathered” scenes… Sometimes looking at the viewer, sometimes in profile looking at something offscreen.
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I do like that.
Strangely enough, this comment did not ping my notifications.
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Several folks are reporting problems with that over last couple of days… @#!@ WP acting up again.
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WordPissing me off.
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For openings, I really love seeing lots of characters run together without any real destination.
For endings, it’s got to be the panning shot of characters and their unique expressions. Good examples are ReLIFE and Carnival Phantasm.
(Check em out! Only 1 and a half min each).
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Both of those sequences are indeed lovely to see whenever they pop up!
Alrighty, will do!
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No screw that. Just watch them here!
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There’s a very distinct visual language to OPs that is designed to tell you in those two minutes or so what the show is all about. The scene you describe here, of course, says “friendship is important” — not an uncommon theme in a lot of anime, but shows that make use of this particular OP trope put a strong focus on it.
The running sequence Auri describes above is a favourite of mine too, particularly if it starts with just the protagonist and their friends gradually join them one by one. It’s the same idea, only with a bit of a stronger “feel” to it, perhaps referring to standing together against adversity or challenges.
I also love when the OP incorporates elements that relate to the thematic material rather than taking things literally. The OP for “Gamers!” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMKX9ETeJOw) is a good example, with the characters depicted in excellent recreations of a variety of popular video games. It sets the tone nicely for the show, suggesting the creators know what they are talking about, since the visual references are extremely accurate to their source material, and when combined with the chiptune-heavy OP song it makes it clear exactly who this show is for!
Switching lanes to EDs for a brief moment, I adore what the Neptunia series of games does, with lo-fi pixel art recreations of moments from the story as well as popular arcade games from history. Here’s Megadimension Neptunia V-II’s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBvoYt1gXtw I really want to play some of those!
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Very informative. Thank you!
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🙂
The grass scene is cool! And yes, strong detergent is a must XD
I personally like the running sequence as well~
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/k-on/images/5/5d/K-ON%21%21_OP_1_-_LMC_running.png/revision/latest?cb=20170416120023
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Yay, glad you agree.
Mmm seeing the characters run is always nice!
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