Even though I am so in love with the Charlotte ED, I have to go for the best, Song for Friends. It made a huge impact on me for my experience of Little Busters!, and I just love the song to death.
(I watched the anime first too and it was used heavily in the later episodes of Refrain lmao)
This was REALLY hard, but in the end I had to go with Regret. It was a big toss-up between that and Chiisana Te no Hira. While I will say that the scene where Chiisana plays in the anime makes me tear up every time, Regret really just hit me. It’s different in every way from everything else on the LitBus soundtrack and the “I just royally fucked up” feeling I got in my gut when it strarted created an awesome lead-in for the Refrain Route.
A lil off topic, but my favorite ED ever is Close Your Eyes from the Akabeisoft2 VN G Senjou no Maou. It’s another very emotional one with perfect timing. I read that VN after Clannad and Little Busters hoping to give my emotions a break. That didn’t really work out haha
Give it up for Song for Friends, woop woop.
I’d say give it up for Little Busters all together… Forty percent of the votes as of me typing this are of Little Busters. (Followed by the next thirty percent being Rewrite…)
Not Yuki No Hane, Toki No Kaze?
It’s unfair to bring up G-Senjou though. That VN actually had a large focus on the ost.
But with EDs, most of the time stills or minor animations are all you get. Hell, all that happens when Song for Friends, which is winning this poll right now, plays is scrolling credits. Anything beyond that is really just a bonus.
In terms of both OPs and EDs, of course the best song may not have the best video/art to go with it, and the one with the best video/art might not have the best song. So if all you really care about in an OP/ED is the music, then you’ll choose the one with the best song. If you’re some weird psycho who doesnt care about music, then you’ll choose the one with the best video/art.
But I at least consider both when Im deciding this, and whichever OP/ED I end up choosing as being “the best” might not be the one that I think has the best song or the one that I think has the best video/art. It’ll be the one that I think uses the best combination of both to either open or end the route, episode, story, etc.
I’m quite surprised at Chiisana Tenohira not even getting a single vote so far. It’s a pretty solid second place for me.
When I decided on Brave Song I took both the song and visuals into account, out of all Key EDs it had the most impact on me. If I were to choose only based on visuals I’d actually have to with farewell song, I really love the simple ocean landscape and the sudden transition to sky were Kana is flying, it’s absolutely stunning. The song is ok, in fact I like it quite a bit but it’s nothing on brave song.
Being second doesn’t get you a vote.
I also considered both, the one who had both good visuals and song, still not the best of those individually, but overall the best OP imo.
And not that I think like this, but it’s wrong to call someone who gives much more value to visuals a psycho. People have different opinions, this doesn’t make them psychos. The same way some people can give little value to visuals, others can give little value to music too. Both are forms of art, none of them is superior; everyone identifies him/herself better with one (or the two) of those.
This is why I love to see AMVs: they combine special visual moments with great songs. The two complete each other. If I saw the video mute, I could like it, but not the same with the song. Same thing applies to the song. I feel a lot of things when I listen to a song I like, but the exact same thing can be said when I look at a beautiful picture. If you think otherwise, I respect your opinion, and I understand people can have different perceptions when it comes to art. But please don’t ignore that other people can think differently from you unless they are psychos…
I’ll go for Yami no kanata e. I love the instrumentals and its jazzy sound. Next would be Koibumi, 'cause dem feels.
I feel like I need to be the douche to point out how dominating Dango Daikazoku is.
11. Dango Daikazoku (CLANNAD anime)
1 vote (2%)
I don’t think I can give just one song for my favorite. Alicemagic, Little Jumper, Song for friends, and Brave Song are all fantastic songs that I still get sentimental when I hear.
I think Brave Song should be first 
The lyrics to Brave Song just hits home for me, so the combination between AB! feels and personal feels makes Brave Song special. I love the lines “itsuka hito wa hitori ni natte” and “mou nanimo kowakunai” because they’re so simple yet so powerful.
Similarly I love the “mou nakanai” in Last Regrets.
Koibumi is a MUST for me. I think Koibumi has it all. The beautiful lyrics that express Shizuru’s route. The beautiful calming voice of YanagiNagi. The beautiful violins that play during the end of the pre-chorus, leading up to the blossoming chorus.
Koibumi has it all. The composition, voice, lyrics, and arrangement.
I also love the Rewrite Harvest Festa ED. It sounds like a ED you’d hear for a slice-of-life romantic anime. (Of course, most ED’s/OP’s are trash for slice-of-life anime’s and romance anime’s, Rewrite Harvest Festa’s ED would be the better one). It gives you a sense of happiness from Runa Mizutani’s voice in the chorus. It has like a catchy instrumental, and a great chorus.
There’s then, also the Tomoyo After ED, which is downright gorgeous. Everything about it is great. The lyrics, the composition, and especially, Lia’s voice. The chorus is something that I love too, cause it’s something that you’ve never heard before. The Tomoyo After ED is definitely, one of Key’s best ED’s. Gives you a Nostalgia feel.
Let’s not forget Dango… In After story, when Dango is playing in the background and Ushio asks Tomoya to sing Dango for her, and he does, it’s sweet. He talks about how he found the one thing that he can protect. Then it ends with his tears falling while he sleeps. Beautiful.
There’s also Ichiban No Takaramono Yui. ver.
I love this song for many reasons. Though Angel Beats! has a lot of flaws, you can’t deny that Ichiban No Takaramono was probably Key’s most emotional song. Especially in episode 10 when Yui talks about how she would never get married because of her disability. How she can’t have kids and how she can’t even do anything but be a waste of life. Then Hinata comes and says that he would marry her no matter what, with Ichiban No Takaramono playing in the background. Then it shows pictures of how a life with Hinata and Yui would be.
That scene was definitely, one of the most touching scenes in Key history.
Then there’s Canoe. Canoe is very self explanatory as to why it’s good. Just listening to it gives you a nostalgic feel, remembering the JOURNEY (pun intended) that you went through.
We then have “Song For Friends” which is hands down, beautiful. The piano in the background. The soothing voice. The beautiful lyrics. And the great chorus ! Song for Friends is definitely LB’s best ED. Ahh, just remembering it play during Kurugaya’s route and Refrain gives me so much feels.
Key has too many beautiful ED’s. It’s hard to decide honestly. Though Koibumi is the song that sticks out to me the most (mostly because I’m practicing it on the piano, and the song on the piano sounds beautiful). Not only that, but YanagiNagi’s voice in that song sounds calming and beautiful. I can’t really imagine anyone else singing this song but YanagiNagi.
Ayyy the Discourse poll works now! Everyone make sure to vote again! :kyogrin:
I’ve had a little more time to think about my favorite Key ending theme, and now that the poll has been reset, I think I’ll cast my vote for Yake Ochinai Tsubasa instead.
Last time, I remarked that Kaze no Tadori Tsuku Basho was my personal favorite because it felt like the perfect ending theme for a VN. I still like the song, but Ayana and English rap have absolutely nothing on Aoi Tada’s angelic voice. Yake Ochinai Tsubasa is a joy to listen to, not just because of Aoi Tada but also because it’s a hopeful song, one that urges the listener to keep going despite the hardships they’re experiencing. Jun Maeda is a master of emotion when it comes to composing music, and this particular piece feels so uplifting it makes me feel like I can still keep watching Charlotte even though I’m dying inside… D:
Even the How-Low-Hello version is awesome! Although there are plenty of chances for the folks at Key’s sound team to outdo themselves, I don’t know if there will ever be an ending theme to trump this one. Kudos to Maeda for this beautiful gem in the midst of scattered debris. 
DANGO DAIKAZOKU!!! Man I would have a lot more to say about CLANNAD in bookclub if dango daikazoku was in the original vn. It’s the only song that has not gotten old for me since I first got it.
EDIT: tfw you realize that there was a typo from an entire year ago
Brave Song (AB! anime ending) for me. I absolutely love it. Love it to death. (ahahaha)
But seriously, I like it. Mainly because of how it ties into everything.
