By, Mari Apazidis
Anime lovers everywhere know the power of an iconic opening song. If you aren’t familiar with anime openings, they usually last about ninety seconds, which contrasts the 10-15 second openings of most Western cartoons. A song is overlaid with beautifully animated and visually stimulating scenes, serving as a perfect introduction for whatever is about to come.
Attack on Titan (AOT), an anime classic in the making, with a few opening songs that all have their individual merit. In order to keep this article spoiler-free, the basic gist of the anime is that humanity is faced with a lethal threat: humanoid giants, called “titans,” that eat people alive. The anime primarily follows three characters in their journey to fight these terrifying titans, infused with gory images of people being eaten alive and insane action sequences.
The opening songs from AOT range from sweeping, nostalgic harmonies to head-banging, energetic rhythms. Each opening song invokes specific emotions, simultaneously highlighting different themes in the anime depending on what’s currently happening in the plot. So, to showcase the lasting impact of these openings for real-life AOT watchers, I asked different Fordham students their opinions.
The opening songs that made it onto the workout playlist were “The Rumbling,” “Guren No Yumiya,” and “Shinzo Wo Sasageyo.” On the latter two, Willie Carlock comments “they were on my workout playlist cause they make me feel like I could rock someone’s shit.” In an interesting variation, Kevin Jang preferred “The Rumbling” for similar reasons, “When I feel like falling asleep while studying, I blast “The Rumbling” because it’s the moment the main character just lashes out. The song screams into your ear, but it’s also catchy! Add it to your workout playlist!” Mo Kranwinkel-Omisore would agree with Kevin, saying “The Rumbling” has “the most hype start to it, and it stands out from all the other openings since it’s pretty metal.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself. AOT is so engagingly hype that just the opening songs have me gearing up to fight titans and save humanity. It was cool to see how AOT has this similar effect on other people too and that different opening songs evoked the same emotion (despite each opening being completely different from one another).
Along with the contagious energy of AOT, its hidden beauty lies in the heart. AOT, at its core, is about camaraderie and the pursuit of truth. It challenges us to think about what it means to be free and the extent to which we will pursue our own freedom. The phrase “shinzo wo sasageyo,” means “give your hearts,” which is shouted by soldiers in the moments right before confronting death in a battle with titans.
Like Willie said, the opening song, “Shinzo wo Sasageyo,” has the potential to make the viewer feel powerful, but Maggie Peknic and Brinda Purimetla chose the same favorite song for completely different reasons. Brinda said, “I find “Shinzo Wo Sasageyo” most impactful because it highlights a key idea in the anime: that each character is dedicating their heart to something.” In the same vein, Maggie has the same favorite opening because “it just goes so hard & truly encapsulates the meaning of AOT. It also plays over a wholesome still of the 104th cadets before everything hits the fan.” Tugging at our heartstrings and making us feel strong, the opening “Shinzo Wo Sasageyo” is unarguably full of meaning that reaches AOT viewers in a profound way.
In an interesting turn of events, Christian DeJesus picked a different opening but for similar reasons as Maggie. Christian’s favorite opening is “Red Swan” because it “gives a feeling of nostalgia as we start to see Eren (one of the main characters) and the others learn more about what the hell is going on in the world.” If there’s one thing about AOT, it’s that our understanding of the central conflict changes drastically as the anime progresses. Going off from Maggie and Christian’s thoughts, I would say that the nostalgic love AOT watchers have for the main characters and the ever-changing craziness of AOT is what makes the anime stand out, and the opening songs help to encapsulate our complex feelings.
When I started AOT as a thirteen year old, I never imagined it as something I would bond over with people in real life, beyond the internet friends I made from an Instagram fan account. Looking back at the process of writing this article, I can’t help but feel grateful that AOT has not only reached so many people, but also invoked these same strong feelings about the opening songs and the show itself. I can picture my thirteen year old self, wearing my AOT shirt and fangirling over Eren, just so excited to talk about my favorite anime with other people at school.
