From Action to Emotion: The Openings of Durarara!! and FMA: Brotherhood

Directors are the ones who really know where a series is going and where they want to take it. Openings always play an important part in putting across the series, it’s characters, events, emotions and a whole host of other things that the directors want us to know. Or it just gives the director a chance to be crazy as hell. But with the former, as a series moves into its second or third opening, the change in the music, tone and style easily helps us understand where the series is going from now on. As such, although the second opening of Durarara and the fourth opening of FMA don’t get me as excited as the previous ones, they convey well  the directional shift for both series.

What’s prevalent in both openings is the colour grey. My knee-jerk reaction to something like this is “emo”, but again I think this is mostly in comparison to the colourful tones of the previous openings. There’s no denying the energy that you get from Uragiri no Yuuyake. It worked the same way as Guns ‘n’ Roses did for Baccano! There’s a sense of wildness and excitement that’s created – you’re going to listen to the story of this city, these characters and these events and get swept up whether you like it or not. In contrast, while you still get the trademark character mentions in the second opening, there’s less energy and excitement. From the very outset, you get Kida, Mikado and Anri, looking down aat the ground surrounded by a grey landscape. And throughout the rest of the credits, the way the characters act is the similar to before but a bit different, a little more subdued. It’s definitely a good thing, as we can see that the show will move in a more introspective and emotional direction than it did before. It acts as a good bridge between episodes 12 and 13, considering the time skip and the events of episode 12. It may not be as kickass as Uragiri no Yuuyake, but it’s pretty fitting.

Again, my knee-jerk reaction to FMA’s opening was that it was the worst one of them all. I’m constantly drawing comparisons between Brotherhood and the original series (even though Brotherhood is far and away its own, similarly amazing, show), so I couldn’t help but be disappointed with the (likely) final opening. Rewrite was another opening that got the heart pumping – a fantastic combination of reflection, action, and defiance that was completely what the show was about at that point. Rain conveys notes of despair and hope. Even in comparison to the other openings in both the original series and Brotherhood, one aspect is notably absent: the action. The second half that’s normally filled with chaotic battle scenes is instead showing the entirety of Amestris, every race, city and people, united under a single downpour. There’s a brief respite in the middst of battle with the fighters wounded and scarred, on the brink of defeat. But when all seems lost, rays of light appear and the opening ends with the comforting image of Ed and Winry at the once place they could always call home. There’s no doubting the positivity at the end there. As much as an absolute actionfag, I can appreciate good directing when I see it, and I think this rather sedate and reflective ending is for the best.

With such high quality shows as Durarara and FMA, anything less than great is a disappointment. When I first watched both openings, the unexpectedly calmer and more emotional nature of both surprised me, in a negative way. But rewatching them and looking at them again, they both help me appreciate the series more and make me look forward to the final arcs of both shows.