▍1. Uchiage Hanabi (打上花火) – DAOKO ft. Kenshi Yonezu
The anthem of 2017. It is the theme song of animation movie Fireworks, Should We See It from the Side or the Bottom?, which was said to be on a par with the phenomenal Your Name even before it premiered. The film’s global release has made the song a hit even overseas, while the collaboration between two of the most shining rising stars has made it a must-know to the Japanese – not just anime lover but also the reajyu. Believe it or not, it is played constantly in a lot of Japanese retail shops and even restaurants.
▍2. Peace Sign (ピースサイン)- Kenshi Yonezu
Again, it’s the magic of Kenshi Yonezu. The lyrics he wrote and the tune he created for Peace Sign best serves My Hero Academia, an encouraging and fiery shonen manga. When life is such a drag, this upbeat song can cheer you up in just three minutes. No wonder the single ranked second on Oricon right after its release. What an achievement for an anisong!
▍3. Catch the Moment – LiSA
Seriously, there’s no need for any explanation. Everything related to Sword Art Online is a hit. This theme song of Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale is of course a hit. There are just too many die hard fans for it to be unnoticed.
▍4. Fake Town Baby – UNISON SQUARE GARDEN
Kekkai Sensen’s opening Sugar Song & Bitter Step by UNISON SQUARE GARDEN is still the second most popular song among Japanese Karaoke lounges. This year, the band tried to outdo themselves with another opening for the anime’s second season, Kekkai Sensen & Beyond. Fake Town Baby is less catchy and jazzy compared to Sugar Song & Bitter Step, but it still maintains the upbeat-ness and pace. Even if it can’t take over the legend of its predecessor, it is still a phenomenal anisong in 2017.
▍5. Aoisora no Rhapsody (青空のラプソディ) – fhána
The opening for TV anime Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid. The animation is made by Kyoto Animation – high quality. The genre is comedy with slight Yuri – refreshing. And this bouncy song by fhána adds a crucial touch to the entire series, which makes all those short 25 minute episodes even more of a lighthearted and relaxing journey. Somehow, the song catches more attention than the show for how catchy the beat is, as well as how “chu chu yeah” sounds almost like a tag line.
▍6. There Is a Reason – Konomi Suzuki
The theme song of another anime movie that made it global. No Game No Life Zero carries a sadder tone compared to the series’ other works, and therefore this song is destined to be a slow moody song that has poetic lyrics difficult to be memorised. The movie itself has already brought tears to many eyes, but the song could bring even more.
▍7. Hitorigoto (ヒトリゴト) – ClariS
A duo famed for releasing anisong and the opening for Oreimo, Hitorigoto for Eromanga Sensei (from the same writer of Oreimo) has brought ClariS to a new peak. This song is just as kawaii as Sagiri Izumi – pretty much the reason why it’s such a big hit.
▍8. Hana no Uta (花の唄) – Aimer
Similar to Sword Art Online, the Fate series promises good anisongs that must be a hit, especially when the song is performed by Aimer who has previously performed the opening for Fate/stay night Unlimited Blade Works. Anime movie Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] I.presage flower focuses on Sakura’s story, which is known for its heavy and gloomy atmosphere compared to Rin’s and Saber’s line. Hana no Uta has successfully created the same feeling that drags audience into infinite sorrow.
▍9. Hikari Tatsu Ame (ヒカリ断ツ雨) – Saito Soma
Katsugeki Touken Ranbu is a new peak for Touken Ranbu. This serious anime about history, how each katana copes with his previous master’s ideal, and splendid katana fights has attracted not only female but also male fans. The song is boiling and flaming, while at the same time quite heavy in terms of emotion. Look perfect together with the beautifully animated opening scenes by Ufotable. Considering the song is sung by a seiyuu new to the singing business instead of a pop star, it is quite phenomenal that it got popular worldwide!
▍10. Eiyu Unmei no Uta (英雄 運命の詩) – EGOIST
Unfortunately, Fate/Apocrypha comes off as a slightly outshone spin-off work – it lacks the unique style, “the Fate style”, that only the original writer Kinoko Nasu possesses. The song, exactly like its name “the poem of a hero’s destiny”, carries the sense of epic poetry – which may be a little off the taste of young audience. As a result, both the song and the anime didn’t catch as much attention as expected.
But it’s Fate. Even if it didn’t catch as much attention as expected, the amount of attention it got is already ten folds of other series. So it still is one of the most iconic anisong of 2017.
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