I’ve noticed when a couple things happen, you get consistency. One, one of the Japanese dub voice actors is in the band (or is the singer). Two, when an anime reuses artists/bands who work well with their brand and the message they’re trying to convey.

Two that do both of these things are Sword Art Online, and Bungo Stray Dogs. I’m less sure who from the Japanese cast is in which bands, but it’s mostly Granrodeo, Screen Mode, and Luck Life doing the openings and endings. And they’re all bangers, though the first ending is a bit weak, comparatively. In a vacuum it’s good. In most series it would stand out, but in Bungo, it feels less special, just because the others are so great. Bungo has ran for five seasons, so you have ten songs, plus the theme sfrom the movie Dead Apple as well (which also wasn’t quite as good — the themes, I mean, not the movie — all of Bungo is excellent).

I can speak more authoritatively about SAO — the Japanese actor for Asuna (the main girl/love interest) is Haruka Tomatsu, and she does a few of the themes. She does the first ending (Yume Sekai, lit. “dream world”), she does the fourth season first opener (Resolution), and she does the second season’s second opening (Courage, the Japanese word being yuuki, which is also the name of the main character in that arc). LiSA did the first opening, and she also opened the third season, and a few others. Eir Aoi and Luna Haruna did the openings/endings in the second half of the first season, and the first half of the second season. The third season brought ASCA and ReoNa into the mix, and the quality has always been top-notch.

As far as quality of the anime, Bungo is like My Hero Academia for (and with) adults. I don’t mean it’s pornographic; it’s not. I mean the characters are mostly adults, and they aren’t high school students (well, aside from a couple of them). SAO is popular with gamers, but women/feminists don’t like its portrayal of women and their use as leverage against the main guy. Others criticise the harem element while not realising the main guy only has eyes for the main girl. Another girl is his sister. Another girl is his girlfriend’s/fiance’s best friend. Another one is his best friend, a woman he considers his equal in combat. Then, invariably, there’s the loli — a middle school girl he used as bait one time and tags along, she’s kind of the group’s little sister. So it’s not a harem, it’s just a friend group that leans heavily toward female.

For something that is more universally loved and has outstanding themes, you want Your Lie in April. And it’s going to do exactly what you think it’s going to do, but you’re going to enjoy the ride, and it’s still gonna break you when it’s over. When we talk about TV shows and “the best ending” comes up, it almost always comes up Six Feet Under. Live-action show that aired on HBO 25 years ago with a rather unique ending that still has people talking. But when anime enters the chat, a lot of people point to Your Lie in April. Because what you know is gonna happen, definitely does happen, but that’s not what breaks you. It’s when the meaning behind the title is explained. And it’s worth it to get to that point.