Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic Opening 1 (Lyrics on CC) – YouTube

This is the opening of the first season of the TV anime “Magi”. To be honest, I haven’t read the original manga all the way through, but this is one of my top five favorite anime openings I’ve ever seen.
First of all, the overall rhythm of the images and the music is so well matched that it makes me feel good just watching it. There is another opening with the same characteristics, “Neon Genesis Evangelion”, but it is less informative and more pleasant to watch than that one.
In the A melody, the three main characters of this anime are shown. At 0:27, we see a close-up of the shackles, a symbol of slavery, and at 0:31, we see her feet without shackles in a scene change. The two of them run around freely on the ground together. This series of scenes emphasizes that her encounter with the two men was a major turning point in her life, and that she is now free.
I also love the battle scene that starts at 1:02. Especially in the scene from 1:04 onwards where she does a flying kick from the upper right corner, the camera is ahead of her movement, though it is easy to see if you slow down the playback speed. This adds to the sense of speed.
This is my favorite opening that makes me feel excited and comfortable no matter how many times I watch it.