Saturday, January 20, 2018

Imp's Top 10 Favorite Magical Girl Themes

Note, this doesn't really have anything to do with how good I find the series. While a lot of good Magical Girl shows have good themes, they are not directly proportional to how good they are. There are some Themes I think are just OK for series I really love like Panty and Stocking and Magic Knight Rayearth. Likewise there are some themes I think are really good for mediocre series.

Also this is just official versions of the theme. While I will take into account the fact that some theme songs have different officials versions I am not including things like covers. That might sound weird but a lot of MG series themes have really great covers.

With that said, kappa hope you like my list

10: The Heart's Egg (Shugo Chara)


Probably the least-well known on this list, I still love The Heart's Egg. It does the whole "happy peaceful sweet-sounding" song a lot of MG Themes, especially early on, making it very cheery and pleasant to listen too. That said it more then any of the others really talks about the specifics and nature of the show, about Amu's insecurity that she is not going to be able to live up to what others see her as and yet is still determined to realize her own dream. 

It's also got a lot more of a peppy beat to it and isn't as slow as some of the others which definitely helps.

9: Platinum (Cardcaptor Sakura)

 

I already loved the first two themes of CCS, but Platinum was able to surpass both of them to my surprise!

It is of a more energetic nature then the first two while still keeping the "lightness" and feel-good nature of the series. It really is a master of the art of giving what you are talking about gravitas and dignity without causing tension or stress to invade the subject matter.

8: Colorful (Puella Magi Madoka Magicka)



Despite only being played once, in the third movie, I love Colorful! If you take the hypothesis that a larger thematic plot, if not the main one in Madoka is the relation between humanity and divinities, then Colorful is the perfect expression of that.

Colorful expresses the sentiment of how our mundane world can seem gray but seeing the magical world we can be in awe at the color and emotion of the world.

7: Miraculous (Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir)


The only one on this list that is not in Japanese...it's in French. This is more so for the official extended version but still.

I don't speak French but this theme song makes me wish I did! It has such a magical....I don't know how to describe it but...atmosphere to it. I love the part where they invoke "lady magic and lady chance!"

I really love all the mystique the song has in it's lyrics and rhythm! It makes it sound really grandiose and draws you in.

6: Morning Grace (Princess Tutu)



I got told by so many people to watch Princess Tutu and yet I only started it recently and uh...they were totally right it's absolutely amazing. It's so beautiful and this theme song fits it perfectly.

Much like the series itself this song is just the absolutely most elegant and graceful thing you could imagine. It makes me want to cry in all the best ways. It's very different from the rest of this list and "anime openings" in general and quite refreshing in that regard. 

5: Stars and Flowers (Yuki Yuna is a Hero)



Bit of an unpopular opinion on how much I like this series and it's theme song but I still love this op. Stars and Flowers manages to somehow bridge the happy tranquil style of MG openings and the loud actiony types together, something I haven't seen anywhere else.

I also really like the imagery used in this op, though I imagine for English Speakers that is less something they can notice.

4: Moonlight Legend (Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon)



I CAN BE NOSTALGIC IF I WANT TO

No but seriously even without the nostalgia goggles I love Moonlight Densetsu. I love it's whispy atmosphere as if representing meeting a lover in the moonlight. I love it's procession and it's rhythm that are simple yet mysterious like a girl's emotions. I love it's romantic themes, that in this infinite universe, the singer and her beloved being born to the same world is truly a miracle romance. This song puts me in the romantic emotional mood. 

3: Honey Flash! (Cutey Honey)



They are all official versions of the same theme so it's totally not cheating riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight?

But yeah Honey Flash! is such a  hype theme, which explains why they make a new version of it for every Cutey Honey Anime. Full of energy, the song promises adventure and magic, as well as with it's breathy ONEGAIIIIIII (Onegai=Please) promises a bit of risque. It's such fun!

Also can I just say it's hilarious putting showing a stereotypical view of what magical girls are the cutey honey theme.

2: Eternal Blaze (Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's)

So uh, the official version gets hit with copyright on youtube so here is basically a cover with the intro images. 


If Nanoha is really the mecha in disguise as magical girls as some claim, then Eternal Blaze gives perfect credit to the idea. No theme song has captured the dignity and heart of the magical combat that Eternal Blaze has.

Eternal Blaze is a theme song that makes me want to henshin and soar through the sky with magic blasting the dark forces with my sparkly magic beam. 

1: We are Naria Girls! (Naria Girls!)



LOOK AT IT! JUST WITNESS THE PERFECTION! 

I had to, I mean got to watch this for 12 episodes! Look all the perfect details! Are you not excited to watch another freaking episode of Naria Girls yet?! 

Being serious, the music is the best part of Naria Girls but that is not saying much.




Real Number One Now. 

1: DANZEN! Futari was Pretty Cure! (Max Heart)



I already loved the original Futari wa Pretty Cure theme. I did not know they could make it better. This seems to be the most commonly cited best MG theme and uh....yeah I agree.

This op is like fanservice for women. There's cure small things, pretty flowers and jewelry, quasi-romantic friendships, wild flailing and monsters made of hatred and evil led by some kind of big evil overlord you know you will have to overcome with the power of your love, Hearts, Optimism, etc.

There's so much excitement and pomp put into this theme, it's like listening to a rainbow-colored supernova. This theme really is like if you took the MG genre and made it a theme song. 

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