It has been 1 month since the season of summer anime 2021 started.

Not only the main episodes of the TV anime, the theme songs, which condense the world-view into a minute and a half, are also part of the great charm. The latest summer anime features many songs that faithfully recreate the world-view well.

Therefore, Anime!Anime! conducted a reader survey titled “Among theme anime songs of titles released in the summer of 2021, which one is your favorite?”. During the survey period from August 3 to 10, a total of 259 responses were received. For the gender ratio, the females were the majority with about 70% while the males were about 30%. For the age distribution, we received the majority of responses from the young readers: about 50% were from teens, and 30% were from those in their 20s.

In this article, we will introduce the result for the OP theme ver.

■”Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan” topped the list as a shout “ABC” is really addictive!

1st Place

1st place went to “Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan”. The support rating was about 16%.

The opening theme is “ABC Taisou” sung by Iketeru Oniisan (CV: Miyano Mamoru) and Utano Onee-san (CV: Mizuki Nana). This song is inspired by a singing corner of an educational program, and the readers seem to be attracted by its nice beat. The received comments include, “The singing voice of Miyano-san and Mizuki-san are so beautiful that I can keep listening to it for hours! It is like a song to cheer up the people that are making an effort”, “The cheerful song with a nice beat and its unique lyrics make me happy. I do exercise with ABC Taisou every day instead of radio calisthenics during summer vacation”.

Some readers mentioned the opening anime that gives a glimpse of the dark storyline, saying “The dead smile of Uramichi Oniisan and others well represent the story!”.

2nd Place

2nd place went to “Idolish7: Third Beat!”. The support rating was about 12%.

The opening theme is “THE POLiCY” by IDOLiSH7. The received comments include, “The opening theme has finally revealed in episode 4! I was moved by the lyrics about the members of IDOLiSH7 hugging Yamato-san, who is finally overcoming his own problem in season 3. The heart-warming video, featuring the members enjoying jumping rope and playing trains, is so adorable”, and “I was expecting that the theme song would be made with a serious melody, but it was actually cheerful and cute just as the usual IDOLiSH7, and I almost cried”. The heart-warming song contrary to the heavy story attracts the fans.

3rd Place

3rd place went to “Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid”. The support rating was about 8%.

The opening theme is “Ai no Supreme! (lit. Love Supreme!)” by fhana continuing on from season 1. The received comments include, “In this song, kevin-san who usually handles acoustic effect performs rapping as well as towana-san as vocal, and the energetic vibes of ‘Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid’ is well expressed”. Moreover, the opening anime by Kyoto Animation attract the fans, receiving comments like, “The characters dancing in cosplay perfectly match the rapping. They are too cute”.

For the votes from male readers only, 1st place went to “Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid”, and 2nd place was shared between “Kageki Shoujo!”, “The Detective Is Already Dead”, and “The Detective Is Already Dead”. For the female readers only, 1st place went to “Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan”, 2nd to “Idolish7: Third Beat!”, and 3rd to “Re-Main”.

■Let’s introduce other comments!!
“Kageki Shoujo!” / “Hoshi no Orchestra” by saji
“The lyrics about the protagonist aiming for her dream with an upbeat melody are pleasant. It is funny that some tempo terminology such as Allegro and Andante is included in the lyrics.”

“The Duke of Death and His Maid” / “Mangetsu to Silhouette​ no Yoru” by Duke of Death (CV. Hanae Natsuki) &Alice (CV. Mano Ayumi)
“The harmony between Alice and the Duke is beautiful, and I love it! The song well expresses their feeling that they want to be closer to each other but they cannot.”

“NIGHT HEAD 2041” / “Icy Ivy” by Who-ya
“The world-view depicting the near future, their unique style of singing, and the vibes are perfectly match. I get very excited at the point where the serenity comes right before the main part, and then the climax follows that.”

“Aquatope of White Sand” / “Tayutae, Nanairo” by ARCANA PROJECT
“Since the performance of the animals in the aquarium flying in the sky was so beautiful that I almost cried. This is my favorite opening theme including its video.”
The original title got some votes as well.

We will introduce the result for the ending theme songs soon. Please look forward to it!

■Ranking Top 20

[Among theme anime songs of titles released in the summer of 2021, which one is your favorite? OP Theme Ver.]
1. “Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan”
2. “Idolish7: Third Beat!”
3. “Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid”
4. “Re-Main”
5. “The Case Study of Vanitas”
5. “Heaven Official’s Blessing”
7. “My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! X”
7. “The Duke of Death and His Maid”
7. “The Honor Student at Magic High School”
10. “Kageki Shoujo!”
11. “The Detective Is Already Dead”
11. “Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy”
11. “Love Live! Superstar!!”
14. “Girlfriend, Girlfriend”
14. “Aquatope of White Sand”
14. “NIGHT HEAD 2041”
17. “Sonny Boy”
17. “TSUKIPRO THE ANIMATION 2”
17. “That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime 2nd Season 2nd Cour”
17. “Higurashi When They Cry – Sotsu”

（Survey Period: August 3 – 10, 2021）

*This survey is intended to research the readers’ “interest in anime and characters today”. It is not intended to discuss the relative merits of each character nor work. I would be glad if this article can help you develop an understanding and interest in the anime and characters.