What's in an opening: Guren no Yumiya

 

There are several ingredients to a successful or popular Anime franchise; Compelling characters, a good story, crazy fight sequences…all vital aspects for many viewers. Another crucial element, I would argue, is a memorable opening. Oftentimes, these sequences are the hook for their given series, and much like a film trailer, they help sell to an audience what they will experience. And among the most recognizable OP’s of modern Anime, few took the world by storm more than Guren no Yumiya from “Attack on Titan''. The song was initially performed by Linked Horizon, and is also known in German as “feurroter pfeil und bogen”, or “crimson bow and arrow”. As of me writing this post, Cruncyroll’s Youtube publication of the scene has an incredible forty four million views. Why did this sequence make such a splash, and why has it continued to be so regarded? Well, I think there are a few reasons.

Let’s start with the titular track, and how influential it became among fans and fellow musicians. Unsurprisingly, there have been several cover artists that have given their own take on Linked Horizon’s original hit. Jonathan Young’s version is expectedly heavy on the guitar riffs, and his vocal performance is similarly energetic and forceful. Amalee’s cover, meanwhile, begins with a foreboding chorus and retains the German phrase found in its opening line. The rest of her song plays with a fast tempo based around synth and piano instrumentals, and Lee’s voice projects the sombreness of the lyrics well. At the end of the day, I enjoy both covers, even though Amalee’s version is more faithful to the original’s structure. Of course, that’s mostly referring to the sound of these songs, not their actual lyrics. 

Naturally, the exact words of each version changes with each artist’s interpretation. That shouldn’t be too surprising, considering the multiple translations I’ve seen, but also the need to match lyrics with musical rhythm. There are also German versions of the lyrics available online, which again makes sense given the strong German influence of the Anime itself (and one of the language’s most known words being said in the first line). The consistency in these various translations, though, is with the core sentiment expressed in the first few sentences - desperation. It frames the people in this world as having lost their security. They’re beaten down and weakened, yet still refuse to submit any further. They are even compared to caged, starving wolves in the original english lyrics. Their counter-attack is thus reflected in the song’s climax, and described with fiery passion and precisely aimed projectiles of some sort. Simply put, the overall narrative of the song follows an effective three part formula - background, preparation and dramatic rise. It matches the general tone of the show’s first season, and is also just a very fitting template for this kind of song.

What about the animation itself? Well, the opening also makes some vivid choices there, the first involving the Japanese title surrounded in flames and chains. It then cuts to a low angle shot of our main cast, looking despondent yet reserved on the field of battle. We can’t clearly see their fallen comrades, but we can assume they're present with all the scattered gear and weapons. The colour palate for this shot is muted, composed mostly of monochromatic shades - fitting for such a bleak environment, I would say. This is contrasted by the following shots of the titans, where primary colours such as red and yellow are far more prominent. Similar to the lyrics, the imbalance of power between our protagonists and their opponents is expressed with these illustrative choices. We then transition to a high angle shot of a soldier squad. They line up in formation, saluting their cause and promptly arm themselves for an engagement. Fittingly enough, this is where the most dynamic portion of the sequence occurs. The mid-way point of the opening shows a tracking shot of the team dispatching some titans, and an intense cannon barrage atop their defensive wall. The blazing speed and agility of these human combatants is shown clearly, as one literally encircles a titan to set up the perfect strike. And unlike their introduction, our crew is shown in more saturated lighting, which matches their newly found spirit and rage.

Above everything else, Guren no Yumiya works for me because it does two crucial things - it gets my blood pumping, and instantly boosts my resolve. The song has an active pace and strong peak, and therefore is rather fitting for a series involving humans fighting against impossible odds. As a representation of its show, the OP also does a good job of alluding to some of the season’s plot points. The most obvious of these features a team barricading themselves in a wooden structure, and Eren staring down the colossal titan. Both are important events in the early story, and the audience gets a little hint of them here. So to avoid rambling on much further, I believe this opening is well conceived, well executed, and well deserving of its status. It conveys the general premise of the season’s first half, one of tenacity fueled by tragedy, and should I wish to discuss more OPs in the future, I’m glad I started with this one.

Video links and other sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OkpRK2_gVs&ab_channel=CrunchyrollDubs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B6nj38AdD0&ab_channel=LinkedHorizon-Topic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-IzvO-F5QA&ab_channel=JonathanYoung

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czam1dKjoCc&ab_channel=LeeandLie%28AmaLee%29

https://attackontitan.fandom.com/wiki/Feuerroter_Pfeil_und_Bogen

https://lyricsgem.com/attack-on-titan-theme-song-lyrics/