As Marvel begins to realize that blending wacky humor with superhero hijinks makes for the big bucks, we get great movies like Guardians of the Galaxy or Thor: Ragnarok. And now we’ve been gifted with this: An anime opening spoof on the Norse god himself.
Created by the “no name Animation” channel on YouTube, the opening is set to a typically jaunty J-rock song that feels like it could have fit in Sword Art Online or whatever shonen floats your boat.
I’m particularly fond of the Japanese credits over each individual character and a few non-action scenes. It even comes complete with a title track listing of the song and artist. And yes, even the Thor: Ragnarok title card gets translated into Japanese.
I guess I shouldn’t be so stunned. Thor: Ragnarok is a huge divergence from the two grittier, more Shakespearean films that came before it. With Ragnarok’s brighter color palette, goofy action sequences, and larger-than-life characters, I’m not sure how it couldn’t work as an anime. Cate Blanchett as Hela is particularly great, as she really captures that aloof, slimy vibe so many good anime villains need, plotting their machinations from miles away while the heroes are busy off defending the peace elsewhere.
The song is “Rising Hope” by LiSA, a female-fronted J-rock band, and comes with its own original music video that’s actually pretty solid.
If you want more details on the latest and coolest anime to watch, check out our review of My Hero Academia, or maybe you’re just curious why anime is so dang popular these days. If you can afford the price, we’ve also got a rundown of the best anime on Amazon Prime. Maybe you’re just hoping for Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie and Thor to get together, so here’s a primer on anime’s cutest couples.