Summary
- Anime openings can deceive viewers: intros like Narutaru and School-Live! Mislead before revealing darker themes.
- Misleading anime openings add depth: Death Parade's deceptive intro enhances the true story.
- Attack on Titan and Jujutsu Kaisen have epic openings that foreshadow events but mislead creatively.
Anime openings tend to not only be a tease but also a gateway into the world of the anime that fans are about to watch, building anticipation for characters, themes, and even conquering battles well before they happen. However, there are rare and brilliant exceptions to such self-contradictory openings: they are deliberately misleading. They trick the audience, disguise the real mood of the show or hint at something that will become apparent only a long way through. It's not some cheap trick the creators do to create more hype, but a deliberate red herring to add class to the proceedings.
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Be it an optimistic montage, which is actually a cover-up for a psychological horror, or a hero shot of characters who barely make it past the first arc, these introductions create the wrong expectations in the right way. Below are eight examples of anime where the opening was a lie (and the show was better off because of it).
1 Narutaru (Shadow Star) - Opening 1
A Pastel Daydream Hiding a Nightmare
Shadow Star Narutaru
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2003 - 2003-00-00
- Network
- Kids Station
- Directors
- Toshiaki Iino
- Cast
- Satsuki Yukino, Asami Sanada, Mamiko Noto, Sakura Nogawa, Akira Ishida, Eiji Miyashita, Hideki Tasaka, Hisayoshi Suganuma, Kaori Tanaka, Kohki Akaishi, Nobuo Tobita, Yuki Matsuzawa, Chafurin, Megumi Kojima, Naoko Suzuki
- Seasons
- 1
The first impression upon watching Narutaru would be that it is a light-hearted magical girl series. Its intro has an atmosphere of childlike amazement with harmonious music and frivolous images. It introduces easily likable animal companions and glittering skies to give the impression of a slice-of-the-life fantasy.
Then the show breaks that illusion. Narutaru is not just psychologically bleak but harsh, even physically. The themes that are explored are abuse, suicide, and human cruelty. Violence is constant and the mascots wielding cuteness are soon transformed into weapons. It is a straight misdirect by the opening, and it makes the experience of the show darker and much more shocking.
2 Your Lie In April - Opening 1
Warm Melodies Hiding Bittersweet Goodbyes
Your Lie in April
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2014 - 2015
WHERE TO WATCH
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- A-1 Pictures
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator(s)
- Naoshi Arakawa
- Number of Episodes
- 22
The first opening of Your Lie in April is shown as lively, vibrant, and with lots of decisions about the future. The use of smooth lighting, bright colors, and duets by the two leads create the illusion of a romantic journey where music plays the dominant role and helps the characters improve themselves.
However, wrapped inside the shining piano keys is a heartbreaking story. The story touches upon trauma, loss, and the burden of memories that cannot be taken back. The deception in the intro is like a last note that never closes. The opening does not lie in vain, but it wears a mask that hides how painful the music will be the moment it ends.
3 Elfen Lied - Opening 1
Angelic Artistic Imagery That Cloaks Carnage
Elfen Lied
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2004 - 2004
- Network
- AT-X
- Directors
- Keizo Kusakawa
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- Arms, Studio Guts
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator(s)
- Takao Yoshioka, Lynn Okamoto
- Number of Episodes
- 13
The opening sequence of Elfen Lied is an stylish, haunting moment, featuring calm choir music and visuals reminiscent of Gustav Klimt, hinting at a highly symbolic and poetic story. Its tone is devout, gentle, and almost sorrowful, and it causes the viewer to believe that it will be a slowly paced drama or an arthouse TV series.
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The reality? Blood, cruelty and people losing limbs a few minutes into the first episode. Elfen Lied is infamous for its unabashed and violent story and dramatic content. The classical beauty of the opening and the horror of the show itself is one of the most shocking, and at the same time, most successful bait-and-switches in the anime world.
4 Death Parade - Opening 1
Party Vibes, But Everyone's Already Dead
Death Parade
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2015 - 2015
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- Madhouse
- Creator(s)
- Yuzuru Tachikawa
- Number of Episodes
- 12
The opening of Death Parade is among the most lively and vivid openings to any anime series. The upbeat J-rock track and the characters dancing and laughing in rhythm seem to suggest weird comedy amidst the supernatural environment of a bar.
The reality is that Death Parade is a psychological drama that analyses the moral value of the human soul. Every episode discusses themes of regret, trauma, and death in unsettling detail. Not only is the opening misleading, it is ironically intentional and not serious in nature, but playing around to hide the true nature of human suffering that is targeted in the series.
5 Jujutsu Kaisen – Opening 1
Welcoming A New Friend Who Never Stays
Jujutsu Kaisen
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 3, 2020
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- MAPPA
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Gege Akutami
- Number of Episodes
- 47
The opening of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 introduces Junpei as a member of the main crew, as he hangs out, walks to the school, and even laughs with the core cast. His appearance creates the impression of a looming arc of redemption and friendship.
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Instead, a depressing tragedy develops. Junpei does not really become a part of the crew, but his collapse breaks his heart and leads to his death shortly after meeting Yuji. The misleading of his arc with a false promise given by the intro is a gut-punch in itself, which makes this one of the most impressive misdirections in recent shonen history.
6 School-Live! (Gakkou Gurashi!) - Episode 1 OP
Bubbly And Cute - Until It Isn’t
School-Live!
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2015 - 2015-00-00
- Network
- AT-X
- Directors
- Fumio Itou, Yuu Kinome, Takanori Yano, Hitomi Ezoe
- Studio
- Lerche
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Norimitsu Kaihō
- Number of Episodes
- 12
The introduction to School-Live!'s the first episode is a sweet and cute one, with high-pitched voices, chibi characters, and all the comical routine of school life. To a new viewer, it offers a heartwarming slice-of-life comedy featuring four chirpy girls.
Then the last turn of the episode comes along. Not only does it include a zombie-ridden post-apocalypse, but it also exposes the broken mind of the main character. This mismatch between the tone of the opening and the harsh reality of the series itself is a work of genius that makes this ultimate revelation that much more powerful.
7 Attack On Titan - Season 2 Opening
Dinosaurs? Whales? What Timeline Is This?
Attack On Titan
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2013 - 2023-00-00
- Seasons
- 4
- Studio
- Wit Studio, MAPPA
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Hajime Isayama
- Number of Episodes
- 94
The Season 2 intro to Attack on Titan seems more epic than normal, with a touch of religious insinuation and shots of impossibly big animals, dinosaurs, whales, and extinct creatures stampeding through the scenery.
However, none of these creatures ever appear in the real story. Rather, they are visual metaphors that predict the greater mythos and evolutionary context of the series as well as an aspect of memory. Although some of it is misleading (literally), this is an intentional and stylistic deception to provide some depth and interest in subsequent viewings.
8 Made In Abyss - Opening 1
Adventure Beckons, But The Abyss Devours
Made in Abyss
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2017 - 2022-00-00
- Network
- AT-X
- Directors
- Hitoshi Haga, Shunsuke Takarai, Satoshi Mori, Motoki Nakanishi
- Seasons
- 2
- Studio
- Kinema Citrus
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Akihito Tsukushi
- Number of Episodes
- 25
The opening of Made in Abyss is a sales pitch for a huge adventure. Broad scenery, uplifting sounds, and two resourceful children going out on an adventure preclude exploration and discovery in an unknown environment.
Beneath all that lies the horror. The Abyss is inhumane and surrounded by grotesque monsters, body horror, and psychological trauma. The layers are darker compared to other anime series. The cheerful nature of the opening seems malevolent in retrospect—a masterclass in misdirection that entices the audience to be swayed into a near-emotionally numbing watch, the likes of which very few anime have accomplished in recent history.
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