The Spring 2022 anime season has managed to bring us a great selection of opening theme songs that are great in their uniqueness. There are Jrock songs mixed with rapping and even heavy metal, grunge rock songs, Jpop songs that are fun and catchy, and some songs that are so jazzy they have us remembering Cowboy Bebop and its unforgettable opening theme song Tank!

The stories behind these songs are very interesting – from YouTubers being contacted with the unexpected opportunity to sing the opening song of an anime to interesting collaborations never heard before.

It was difficult to select just 10 songs for this list, but I decided to choose the most distinctive and original ones that are hard to forget, that have their own unique sound, and which made the biggest impression on me this season. If I miss one of your favorite opening songs from this spring anime season make sure to comment on it below!

10. Bring Back – MADKID

On February 9, 2022, it was revealed that the five-member vocal and dance group MADKID would be performing the new opening theme song Bring Back for The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2. MADKID has two rappers and three vocalists.

The new song debuted in the show this April 2022 and will be released as their 6^th single on May 18, 2022. On March 5, 2022, they performed the song for the first time at the release event.

MADKID will also perform the opening theme for the English version of the show that will be distributed across 200+ countries and territories (excluding Asia and Japan) by Crunchyroll.

The single that is now on sale will include the Japanese and English versions of Bring Back and include RISE and FAITH, the opening theme songs for the first season of the anime. RISE is a big hit overseas.

On June 4, 2022, the band will hold a solo concert at the Shinjuku ReNY in Japan where they will perform Bring Back! The show will also be streamed online. Tickets are now available for purchase at Lo-Ticket if you are fortunate enough to live in Japan don’t miss out!

MADKID’s hip rapping and powerful vocals make for a one-of-a-kind performance. In their official music video, you can see their awesome dance choreography.

9. Honey Jet Coaster – Nasuo

The YouTuber and singer Nasuo sings the opening theme song for the anime Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie entitled Honey Jet Coaster. Her official YouTube channel is in Japanese but make sure to check it out so that you can get to listen to her original songs.

Nasuo is rather mysterious when it comes to details about her personal life, but stay tuned here at australia business blog for when we dig up more dirt, er, I mean information about her!

We did manage to find a cute picture of the elusive singer, however, where she looks like an alien from outer space!

Overall, Honey Jet Coaster is catchy, addictive and the perfect Jpop song for this popular rom-com of the season.

8. The Unending Dream by PelleK

The 2^nd YouTuber tapped to sing the opening of an anime this season is the Norwegian YouTuber PelleK who is known for his heavy metal-esque covers of anime songs. (Make sure to check out his version of the opening theme song for One Punch Man!).

He was unexpectedly approached to sing the opening theme song for the anime Skeleton Knight in Another World, which is airing now. The pop Internet singer has almost 4 million subscribers on YouTube!

The Unending Dream was composed by Eba, who has a reputation for creating a fusion of rock and metal. Eba also works on the background music for the anime.

The lyrics were created by Hotaru who has a lot of experience being inspired by the different anime worlds she gets to work on. The song has a strong message but an innocent tone due to Hotaru’s delicate lyrics that she felt matched the hero’s story in the anime best.

The song features PelleK’s signature soprano/tenor voice, which is able to hit a four-octave vocal range. Wow! Down, boy. The result is a very unique heavy metal/rock fusion anime song that has an international vibe –a colliding of East and West.

“Hello, this is PelleK, I sing the opening theme song for the Anime “Skeleton Knight in Another World”. I was super surprised when I was approached by Pony Canyon, which is a Japanese record label, to sing the official opening in Japanese nonetheless. I have been singing for 15 years now and am a huge Anime fan, so this is a dream come true for me. I know how big an impact the opening has on an Anime franchise. So, I was so honored by this great opportunity and I’ve done my best. This song itself perfectly captures both the strength of the characters and the universe, but also how fragile everything is. I hope you like it and listen to it a lot!”

-PelleK

PelleK did a fabulous job creating a song so distinctive that you can’t get it out of your head. Who else wants to start headbanging and throwing the devil horns with their hands?

7. Hoshi Ga Oyogu – Macaroni Empitsu

The first opening theme song for the anime Summertime Rendering entitled Hoshi ga Oyogu (The Stars are Swimming) is performed by the pop-rock Japanese musical group Macaroni Empitsu from Kanagawa.

Not much is known about their awesome band that was apparently formed in 2012. Hoshi ga Oyogu made my Top 10 because it best embodies the macabre, dark plot of the anime. The story revolves around a young man, Yasuki Tanaki, who returns to his childhood home on an island to attend the funeral of a friend. Yasuki begins to realize that things aren’t what they seem and that a mystery lurks there.

The opening visual give it an 80s/90s vibe and has a grunge-rock feel to it, setting it apart from most of the other opening songs this season. The guitar riff gives the song a gritty, melancholic vibe.

6. Narihibuki Kagiri by YUKI

Narihibiku Kagiri is the 35the single by the prolific singer and former vocalist of JUDY AND MARY, YUKI. It will be released on May 11, 2022. The lead track Narihibuku Kagiri was used as the opening theme for the anime Dance Dance Danseur.

YUKI has a very distinctive sound, which is why her latest single made my Top 10 list. You may have another favorite anime song you don’t realize is sung by YUKI. Some of YUKI’s songs that come to mind are the following:

• 3-gatsu no Lion OP 2: Sayonara Bystander
• 3-gatsu no Lion 2nd Season OP 1: Flag wo Tatero
• Hachimitsu to Clover OP 1: Dramatic
• Hachimitsu to Clover II OP 1: Fugainaiya
• Naruto Movie 1: Dai Katsugeki!! Yuki Hime Ninpouchou Dattebayo! ED: Home Sweet Home
• Pokemon Movie 19: Volcanion to Karakuri no Magearna ED: Post ni Koe wo Nageirete
• Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan OP 1: Sobakasu by JUDY AND MARY
• Sakamichi no Apollon OP 1: Sakamichi no Melody by YUKI

The fresh, catchy pop song just invites you to dance, which is very fitting for an anime all about dance.

5. Shooting Star – Rakura

Shooting Star the opening theme song for Meitantei Conan Zero no Tea is sung by Rakura. Not much is known about the singer-songwriter Rakura but we did manage to find a picture of this cute singer where she is sporting pinkish hair!

Her song made it to my Top 10 list due to its unique jazzy feel that gave me Cowboy Bebop vibes. Listening to it again, I feel like it also has swing vibes that remind me of Cherry Poppin’ Daddy’s Zoot Suit Riot – must be those trumpets!

4. Double Shuffle – Nana Mizuki

Tomodachi Game’s opening theme is Double Shuffle sung by Nana Mizuki. Nana Mizuki is a singer and voice actress who is known for performing the themes of the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and Symphogear Franchise.

If her voice sounds familiar and makes you think of Naruto that’s because she voiced Hinata Hyuga! Her other voice acting roles include Moka Akashiya from Rosario to Vampire and Fate Testarossa from Magical Girl Nanoha.

The song’s rhythm is very catchy, but the atmosphere it creates is a smoky jazz club where Nana would be singing with her sultry voice.

3. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – QUEENDOM

The opening theme song Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for the anime Ya Boy Kongming and sung by QUEENDOM is actually a Japanese cover of the song Bulikiraly by Hungarian singer Jolly. In Japan, the song Bulikiraly is known as Chikichiki Banban.

Remember how when PSY’s song Gangnam Style (And no, my fellow otaku, the name of the song isn’t ‘Gundam Style’ like we all thought it was!) got popular back in 2012, and everyone started dancing the ‘horsey dance’ at nightclubs? I won’t be surprised if the next time I’m at a dance club I see people mimicking the dance routine from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Japanese animation studio PA Works did a great job with the dance’s choreography and animation in the opening sequence. If you watch very closely you can tell the characters aren’t dancing 100% in sync, which makes the characters’ dancing feel much more authentic.

Hibiki and Moka from the band LOL, Akina and Taki from FAKY, and Maria Kaneya from GENIC make up QUEENDOM. LOL is a dancing and singing group under the record label Avex Trax. The band debuted on Aug 12, 2015, with their song Fire!

The band wanted to make people smile with their music and lift their spirits, hence why they chose to name their band ‘LOL’ (short for ‘Laugh out loud’). The anime Tribe Cool Crew used their song Heartbeat for their opening song. The popular and well-known anime Fairy Tail used their song Power of the Dream as the 23^rd opening song.

Kamen Rider Heisei Generations:Dr. Pac-Man vs Ex-Aid and Ghost with Legend Rider anime used their single Hikari as the ending theme.

You may recognize Hibiki Kouketsu from her appearance as a contestant on Tokyo Girls Audition in 2014. Moka Asada was a member of the group LCM+, and also modeled for ‘Roni Girls Osaka’.

FAKY – the band that Akina and Taki are from is a five-person group that debuted in 2013 under Avex’s Rhythm Zone record label. Their band name is a play on the word ‘fake’, which they chose to remind them that their goal is to bring something ‘real’ to the Japanese music scene. The band name is also an acronym that means: Five Ass Kicking Youngsters. Akina made her solo debut on Nov 27 2020 with the single Touch.

Kaneya Maria, also under Avex management is not only a singer but also a model. The group GENIC which she is a part of is co-ed. She was crowned Miss World Japan on Sept 24, 2020.

If you haven’t gotten to listen to this catchy tune yet you can listen to it here:

Listen to the original song by the Hungarian Artist Jolly here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x10XFcR2U1c

One heck of a collaboration of singers had to take place to make this amazing song!

2. Mixed Nuts – Official Hige Dandsim

The opening theme song of Spy X Family entitled Mixed Nuts is sung by the band Official Hige Dandism – a Japanese band formed in Shimane, Japan, in 2012. Bandmates include:

• Satoshi Fujihara (lead vocals, piano)
• Daisuke Ozasa (lead guitar, backing vocals)
• Makoto Narazki (bass, saxophone, backing vocals)
• Masaki Matsura (drums, percussion, backing vocals)

Higedan roughly translates to ‘bearded man’ in English. They signed a record deal with the major label Pony Canyon in 2018 and soon after released their debut single No Doubt. In 2019 they released the single Pretender which ranked number 3 on the year-end chart of Billboard Japan Hot 100. Their debut studio album Traveler was released on October 9, 2019. The song spectacularly reached number 1 on the Japan Albums Chart.

And with adorable lyrics like these this song definitely deserves its #2 spot on my list!

In this world like nuts packed in a bag,

Everyone is snuggling up to someone they meet

We are mixed in there and smiling

By pretending we are all nuts like peanut

On the template of happiness,

Behind the surface which is literally picturesque

The amazing song has over 5 million views on YouTube right now!

1. Giri Giri – Masayuki Suzki

The opening theme song for Kaguya-Sama: Love is War season 3 is sung by Masayuki Suzuki feat. Suu.

Masayuki Suzuki is a Japanese singer best known as a former member of the group Rats and Star and for performing the opening themes for the anime Kaguya-sama. His fans have given him two nicknames. The first is ‘Japan’s King of Love Songs’ which makes it no surprise that his song is number 1 on my list for this fun and distinctive song that really emulates the romcom Kaguya-sama. The second nickname he has is ‘Martin’. Apparently, fans like to comment about his glasses and mustache a lot.

Suzuki was born in Tokyo on September 22, 1956. His sister Kiyomi Suzuki is also musically inclined. Suzuki gained fame as a member of the band Rats and Stars which debuted in 1975.

His first single Runaway was released in 1980. After Rats and Stars disbanded in 1996 he continued his musical career solo. Since 2019 Suzuki has performed the opening themes for Kaguya-sama.

In 2019 he sang Love Dramatic feat. Rikka Ihara, the opening theme song for season 1. In 2022, he sang Daddy! Daddy! Do! Feat. Airi Suzuki for the opening theme of season 2. In 2022, he sang Giri Giri with Suu from Silent Storm for the opening theme of season 3.

The song is catchy, fun, upbeat, flirty, and sexy – just like the anime that is the pop rom-com of this spring anime season hands down.

Honorable mentions:

• Kaleido Proud Festa – Union Square Garden (Tiger and Bunny anime)
• Silent Minority – Kashitaro Ito (Otome game sekai anime)
• Koi Wa Explosion – Masayoshi Ooishi (Love After World Domination anime)
• Ware, Bara ni Insu – Makoto Furukawa (Bara Rinbukyoku anime)
• 3 – Noilion (Ultraman anime)
• AO 100 Iro – Miku Itou (Komi-sama anime)
• Move the soul – J01 (Gunjou no fanfare anime)