10 Greatest Anime Openings Of All Time
5. Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Of the many anime openings to 3D animation, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex may just take the cake. Serving as an exceptionally well-crafted sci fi short, the intro is livened up by the always handy tachikomas and the charms of their AI personalities. The 3D animations render them as gleaming warriors and a shader is employed to provide them with a more hand drawn aesthetic.
The great Yoko Kanno resurgaces here with her techno-pop composition of Inner Universe, a track further enhanced by the vocals of the widely lauded Origa.
Primary character Major Motoko Kusanagi is (of course) a force to be reckoned with throughout the intro. Her ferocious fighting skills and action heroine credentials are nicely showcased, as is a poignant aspect of her early life. We are briefly introduced to Motoko’s childhood and those complicated days where she was yet to fully master her cybernetically enhanced body.
Her childhood images provide an emotional counter to the awe-inspiring antics of her present life. From single-handedly obliterating tanks to leaping out of buildings, the opening forewarns the viewer of the action-packed madness to follow. The 2 timelines also provide a nice, introductory short to the character and the tone of the show.