I’ve gone over the change in episode previews recently, and now it’s time for another quick post on another thing we take for granted in anime: the opening sequences.

Opening sequences is featured in pretty much every episode of every anime, ever, excluding intro episodes and extremely epic episodes (that need every second of screentime). The animation is usually canned, with the intro being the same every time after time after time – occasionally an anime will mix it up a bit with the final episode’s opening (see: DNAngel, and on a lesser note, Cardcaptor Sakura), but in most cases the last episode looks exactly the same as the first.

Usually there’s not a lot of content per se in the opening sequence. Each character, depending on the scope of the series, will get anything from a quick flash in the intro to maybe a 15 second piece of things. Some spoiler content may be inherent in either the pictures, or, in special cases, the lyrics, but you probably won’t get it until it’s too late.

Oh, and there’s somebody singing in the background, of course. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a fully instrumental OP sequence, although feel free to prove me wrong.

So, again, the question is raised about OP sequences. Are they necessary? Or would it be better to have another minute of animation, and perhaps just have a still frame or the like of the title at the beginning?
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A bit of a light topic today, but still one I’ve taken note of.

Remember when previews used to tell you something about next episode? When the characters used to discuss what would happen next time? I do.

Cardcaptor Sakura was an example of this ‘old’ style of episode previews. Sakura would talk on and on and ask all sorts of entertaining rhetorical questions about what Clow Card hijinks she would get into the next time around. It was nice and informative.

Azumanga Daioh was on the good side as well. It’s preview corner was a bit random at times, but frequently correlated, if not only in a vague manner, to some form of event in the next episode. It often was a discussion between a group of characters as well, which I admit added to the amusement.

But somewhere, things began to change. Frequently the preview section became less of a story about next time and more of an omake corner for the characters.
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When in doubt… list! I’m sure most of you have noticed by now just how run-into-the-ground some ideas are, even if you don’t watch a lot of anime.

Is this a dancing anime?
Oh look, another mecha anime.
An ordinary guy? With non-ordinary lovers? Shocking!

But, there arises another typically vague question that I like to ask – is this necessary? Can cliches work? Is it possible to take these stereotypes and turn it into something good? Sometimes these can be good starting points – many good anime can garner interest by taking, well, a ‘trope’ as it can be called and putting spin on it, breaking the mold.

Of course, it would be better, perhaps, to start with a completely fresh premise, but in this day and age what IS fresh? Just about everything, if you look closely, can be considered a homage/rip-off/subversion/alteration/spin-off of something else, essentially. Although, perhaps, the major details can overwhelm the minor.

Well, on that horribly serious note I’m going to kick into the list after the jump, of 10 anime cliches that you probably know far too well by now.

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Now I’m sure you’d like a nice fluffy rankings post where I rank Kanon girls using numbers with extreme prejudice, or maybe a nice sugary post with heart-meltingly adorable Tsukasa Stop-Motion ™, and I suppose, so would I at this rate.

But those are saved for times where the internet actually allows me to upload pictures at a speed faster at which North America is moving away from Europe, so for now, it’s time for another discussion post.

Well, there’s Yuki in a ponytail in any rate, for the Obligatory Picture.

Although, I must say, these are very interesting posts to read and write. The deep posts that blogs like That’s Not Kanon and Cruel Angel Theses (not paid advertisement, but might as well build up a blogroll, hehehe) are always a refreshing change from the usual moe-fest. Or is it? Both are good in its own way.

But the topic for today comes from a forum I visit that’s normally associated with racing games like Gran Turismo. There’s a small anime community there too, just one giant thread but it’s still there. Recently the question came up, “What anime era are we in today?”

It’s an interesting question, perhaps because I don’t really know the answer myself; if there is one straight answer. Of course, I’ll do my best after the jump to give my view on the situation; or at least go wildly off topic with interesting observations.
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