We’ve already featured GaoGaiGar’s famously bombastic opening here on OP/ED Op-Eds, but this time round we’re going to go in the opposite direction and take a look at its ending. Whereas ‘Yuusha-Oh Tanjou!’ embodies the headlong dumb rush that the show so loved, ‘Itsuka Hoshi no Umi de’ (‘Someday in the Sea of Stars’) is pretty much the antithesis of that.

The ‘loud OP, soft ED’ is a pretty well established anime show trope at this point but it’s rarely been done better than here, aided by the gentle beauty of the closing song. It so strongly contrasts the bombast and brashness of the actual narrative it makes for a nice gentle come-down after all the action that’s been onscreen. There’s also some great imagery on display, from the iconic ‘G-Stone Angel’ opening frame to the final shot of Mamoru’s parents standing under the night sky, and the entire sequence conveys a feeling of warmth and familial tenderness. In a wonderful touch, the song itself is actually something of a spoiler, though you’d need to have finished the show to understand why. It just adds that little extra edge to it when you go back and watch it again.

There’s also a character version of the song memorably used as the ending of the last episode of GaoGaiGar FINAL. If you know someone who’s seen the show and want them to tear up uncontrollably, this is the one to show them. Truly one of the greatest finales in anime history. Perhaps one day we’ll meet our heroes again. Hey, it worked when I asked for Rozen Maiden!