If there is anything that gets me hyped up for a new series of anime, it's the opening. Lets face it, anime with dull, boring openings are less attractive to us, so we need a good dose of awesome to keep us watching. What really gets me though is how it is becoming a common trend to reveal plot devices in these openings. Sure, it's cool when you look back at them, but with the exception of perhaps the new Haruhi opening revealing that Endless Eight will be eight episodes long and to go book a long holiday, it's pretty unnecessary. What I've done is found five of my favorite openings that unfortunately harbor spoilers. Watch what you are reading folks, ironically this piece contains spoilers too!

1. One Piece 1st Opening - We Are by Hiroshi Kitadani (Episodes 1 to 47)



Video can be found here.

I'd just like to remind you all that I'm picking these based on their spoilers, this doesn't mean I hate the opening! In fact 'We Are' and its two other varients are possibly my favourite openings to One Piece, and with a huge amount of them of high standard it's saying something. Now, the spoiler in this piece is obviously how it reveals crew members 2 to 5. Some of you may be saying that it's fine because they are 'the original crew' of sorts, but you have to remember that all of the members, especially Zoro and Nami, have solid reasons why they wouldn't join the crew. In fact Namis inclusion in the opening can be considered a spoiler to the Arlong arc if you look at it that way. But even I can understand that a new anime, one with so much potential as shown by it's ever growing episode count, needs an opening good enough to rake in a large audience. So I'll give you the benefit of the doubt OP 1, but this brings me onto the third opening...

Hikari E by The Babystars (Episodes 116 to 168)

Video can be found here

This opening marks a memorable day in my One Piece catch up career. Episodes were approaching the 400's before I caught up, so while watching my way through it all I made sure not to spoil anything about the show. The most exciting thing about One Piece is meeting the weird and wonderful characters, and it's even more fun to try and work out which ones will ultimately join the crew. Watching Chopper join the crew with no opening to spoil it for me was great, however the main reason I have a problem with this opening is that the seventh member is shown whilst she is currently a bad guy. Oh lawd, that annoyed me. I mean it's one thing if the episode that opening started on revealed her joining, but it was quite a while longer until she was even able to join, let alone finding out she isn't as bad as she seems!

2. D.Grayman 4th Opening - Gekidou by UVERworld (Episodes 77 to 103)



Video can be found here

I love D.Grayman. I love UVERworld. I love this opening. What I don't love, is one of the most irritating spoilers I have ever seen. In fact this opening harbours two. The first one you see Is Chaoji going all hulk on a rock using innocence, something he doesn't have when the opening is first shown. The second and most important one is the revealing of Allens Crowned Clown, a pretty major spoiler if you ask me. Especially with all the build up and the eventual reveal that the anime went through, it's a shame that we already knew what was going to happen. On a different note, I really want another series of anime for this! I know the manga is at a snail pace, but I need my fix darn it!

3. Black Cat - Daia no Hana by Yorico (Episodes 1 to 23)



Video can be found here

I must say I'm not the greatest fan of this opening, as the music itself gets on my nerves a bit. Anyway, the opening introduces some of the upcoming bad guys, which is fine in itself as they are pretty minor characters. What is strange is showing Train and Sven getting along. If you remember the first episode involving the rescue of Eve, those two couldn't get along at all, and had no reason to either. Another thing that gets me (and a few of my friends that have also seen this) is Trains sudden friendliness in the anime itself. It was almost as if we missed an episode or something! Anyway Black Cat, at least in my opinion, should have kept Train as an anti-hero instead of the goof he becomes after making friends with everybody...

4. Valkyria Chronicles - Kanashimi Rensa by Maria (Episodes 14 to 26)



Video can be found here

Here's a currently airing anime for you! The second opening started during episode 14. So far we are at episode 20 and according to a friend of mine (I'm currently playing catch up at episode 15) we still haven't had all of the revelations about Alicia explained. Followers of the anime will be quick to point out that Alicia is glowing, meaning she is Valkyrur, which has not yet been revealed. Saying that it is arguably obvious in that she openly announces she is an orphan and it would serve as a convenient plot device. The second point is where in the good hell did both Alicia and Selvaria find those awesome lances and shields? That fire laser beams no less! This is the kind of thing that I want to be surprised about! Believe me, Valkyria Chronicles turning from a war anime into Sengoku Basara is absolutely fine with me, just keep it in the anime!

5. Aoi Hana - Aoi Hana by Kukikodan (Episodes 1 to 11)



Video can be found here

It is no secret that I am a sucker for a good yuri themed anime, hell its why I picked up Kanamemo this season (though I undoubtedly love it for an entirely different reason!). Now this opening is great, the song fits the anime perfectly and it's one you'll want to watch each week rather than skipping it. Now readers of the manga will have to forgive me if I'm misunderstanding this, as of course the anime is still airing and I don't know what is coming up, but did that brilliant opening just spoil the entire series? I think it did! Of course we get to see the build up of relationships and what not, that is what we watch this for after all (at least I should hope so!), but considering we are at episode 8 and we have only just got the inkling that Fumi even likes Akira that way it's a bit disappointing. Also it's a shame to see Yasuko left behind in the dust, as she is pretty awesome :3 On a slightly unrelated note, yuri fans go watch this!

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So yeah, it does indeed seem to be increasingly popular to reveal major plot elements in the openings these days, and I'm very sad to see it happen. Still, as the above openings show, they can at least be darn awesome at the same time. A shout out also to the epileptic-horror-come-awesome-show GaoGaiGar, revealing AND using the best attack in the first episode :3 Or at least I assume so, that's what they say but I have only watched a few episodes...

Have you guys been wound up by spoilers in openings as much as I have? Noticed any endings that have done it? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this :)

EuricaeriS