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katranatHappy 2023 everyone!
Welcome also to my new space on Dreamwidth where I shall hopefully be posting from now on. Wordpress was slightly clunky for me, in addition I want to try some new things so I felt it was a good time for a change.
As I'm quite new to this site, I may have some teething issues with formatting/styles etc. Hopefully things will be tightened up as I get used to posting.
I'm continuing my tradition of creating a list for all of the AMV's I enjoyed which I found via reddit during the previous year. In 2020 this list had 22 videos, in 2021 there were 29, and now for 2022 there are 35!
The purpose of this list is to try and shine a light on AMV's and creators who might not get much attention otherwise. Reddit can be a fickle place to post AMV's and it would be a shame for them to not have many eyes on them due to something as nonsensical as a lack of upvotes.
I only consider AMV’s for this list if they meet the following conditions:
- The AMV was posted to Reddit.
- I do not naturally come across the AMV on any other website at any point in the year.
- The editor is not someone I’m already subscribed to on YouTube.
As per usual you will find the videos on this list to be a mix of all sorts of AMV types and editing styles. The editors also vary wildly in experience, from some where it’s their first video, to veterans of the hobby.
To be clear, with this list I am simply showcasing these AMV’s and talking a bit about why I like them. These are posted in date order of when I discovered them on Reddit.
Video title: EL-EE
Editor: CykoMelody
Anime: Various
Song & Artist: The Dark - Boom Jinx & Meredith Call
Comments: “EL-EE” was a fascinating mystery to me when I first saw it, so much so that I wrote a blog post especially for it in early 2022. Since then the editor of the AMV CykoMelody has kindly commented on the post and given some behind the scenes knowledge for the video. I would recommend reading both of these if you find yourself enjoying this AMV.
VPR: Flashes to white, fades to black, rapid camera movement, red emphasis scenes, possible strobe at 1:52 - 1:55 (vertical black bars go rapidly across the screen).
Video title: Blue Skied An' Clear
Editor: 000TragicSolitude
Anime: Sky Crawlers
Song & Artist: Blue Skied An' Clear - Slowdive
Comments: “Blue Skied An' Clear” is a very long, slow and moody AMV. Hardly anything happens in this video, and several scenes play out for a considerable amount of time without any cuts. Sometimes though, that’s exactly the kind of video you need. I hesitate to call this relaxing, as there is some underlying drama, overall though there is an overarching feeling of peace that comes with watching “Blue Skied An' Clear” all the way through.
VPR: Minor motion
Video title: Hyperdrive
Editor: F-Zero TV
Anime: Space Cobra
Song & Artist: Hyperdrive - Devin Townsend
Comments: I was hyped when I first watched “Hyperdrive”, it has all the hallmarks of an editor trying out things and figuring out their own unique style - and I was right! Since making “Hyperdrive” F-Zero TV has continued to create a lot of very interesting, unique and downright fun AMV’s to watch. “Hyperdrive” has remained one of my favourites of theirs, the anime/song combo works so well, and there’s a lot of sync I find satisfying.
VPR: All
CW: Nudity
Video title: MAMMAMIA
Editor: TRUCK-KUN
Anime: Yuri on Ice
Song & Artist: MAMMAMIA - Måneskin
Comments: I’ve come across TRUCK-KUN on reddit many times before, however they’d not yet made anything I enjoyed so I never subscribed to them or followed their work. This has now changed with the creation of “MAMMAMIA”. I will never not love match cut heavy Yuri on Ice skating videos and “MAMMAMIA” is possibly the ultimate form of this.
VPR: Major all
Video title: Starships
Editor: Zeta Lizard
Anime: Various
Song & Artist: DavZ - Off To Mars
Comments: “Starships” is a cool, atmospheric video composed entirely of clips of starships exactly how the title implies. I love how Zeta Lizard takes on this journey through space using all of these different sci fi anime from several time periods.
VPR: Flickering, motion, red/explosions, flashes to white
Video title: Castles
Editor: galuh ismi
Anime: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Song & Artist: Castles - Sealab2012
Comments: “Castles” is a very small snapshot of Evangelion. I have a feeling this was made mostly as a way to match some visuals to the mood of the song, and it succeeds in that. There’s no overarching concept here that I can discern, “Castles” is simply a 1 minute mood piece that hits the spot every now and then.
VPR: Red emphasis scenes, flashes to white
Video title: SLAVES OF FEAR
Editor: f27
Anime: Jin-Roh
Song & Artist: SLAVES OF FEAR - HEALTH
Comments: “SLAVES OF FEAR” is not the kind of thing I would expect to come across on reddit at all. I guess that’s why I make these lists, because every now and then I get to find videos like this.
f27 has edited “SLAVES OF FEAR” very loosely, the focus is mostly on matching the lyrics and mood of the song to visuals, occasionally throwing in some devastating internal sync to keep everything neatly together. The video showcases some of the more horrific aspects of Jin-Roh, and watching this is a very haunting experience.
VPR: Fire & explosions, major flashes to white
CW: Violence, gore, disturbing scenes
Video title: Losing You
Editor: ArquetAMV☂
Anime: Paripi Koumei
Song & Artist: Losing You - MRLN & Robbie Hutton
Comments: ArquetAMV is a type of trend editor I’ve been seeing more of recently - as soon as a new anime comes out, they make an AMV with the first episode. Mileage will vary on these types of videos, there’s only so much an editor can do with only 1 episode of an anime (there are always exceptions though). In this case ArquetAMV appears to simply go through the main story of the first episode of this anime, and it’s this approach that I enjoy about this video. “Losing You” was my first exposure to Paripi Koumei, and ArquetAMV has edited this in such a way that I instantly knew what was happening. The way the video advances through the episode is synced so charmingly with the music, I can’t help but fall in love a little bit every time I watch it.
VPR: Flickering, flashes to black, minor motion
Video title: shine forever
Editor: Sweet Shinigami
Anime: Nekomonogatari
Song & Artist: Shine Forever - Kuru
Comments: “shine forever” is an example of an AMV style I typically don’t enjoy but for this I make an exception. It also helps that Sweet Shinigami is on point with their editing, none of the shaky transitions/filters/whatever else is going on here, ever feel over the top, it’s all very tightly controlled and well thought out. Overall this video is an excellent Monogatari eye candy vid, which I am slightly addicted to watching over and over again.
VPR: All
Video title: never+
Editor: tay
Anime: Serial Experiments Lain
Song & Artist: Unknown - soundcloud link no longer works.
Comments: From one type of AMV I typically don’t enjoy to another. “never+” is a major assault on the senses in the form of visual effects. tay makes all of it work though, the usage of Lain definitely helps to ease it all along as the anime lends itself nicely to computer glitch style effects. I’ve watched this video many times over, and each time I see something I hadn’t noticed previously. “never+” is guaranteed to keep your eyes entertained for weeks.
VPR: Major All
Video title: Aimless
Editor: Pablo Shoe
Anime: Various
Song & Artist: Tokyo Lounge - Karmawin
Comments: “Aimless” is such a neat idea for an AMV, and Pablo Shoe pulls it off elegantly. You really get a sense for going towards nothing in particular, and if that sounds like a boring premise for an AMV? Well I don’t think so at least, watching all these different characters' lost wanderings being interwoven like this is surprisingly cathartic.
VPR: All
Video title: Sing me to Sleep
Editor: AMV Kawa
Anime: Grave of the Fireflies
Song & Artist: Sing me to Sleep - Alan Walker
Comments: Sometimes editors will surprise you with anime/song combinations that no one else would ever think of because they wouldn’t obviously work together. Here we have AMV Kawa putting an upbeat dance song to Grave of the Fireflies - even the editing style chosen is not something I would ever previously associate with this anime. Grave of the Fireflies AMV’s are supposed to be serious and sombre right? Well, “Sing me to Sleep'' is still serious and sombre, however because of the song and the editing style, I feel the tone is not quite as severe as other Grave of the Fireflies AMV’s tend to be. I’m still not quite sure exactly how I feel about that, but overall I do enjoy this video immensely.
VPR: Major motion, red emphasis scenes, fades to black, flashes to red/orange from 02:40 - end
Video title: Lain
Editor: TipperTwo
Anime: Serial Experiments Lain
Song & Artist: Foundations - Kate Nash (Matt Neux DnB Bootleg)
Comments: TipperTwo has stated in their YouTube description: “The story I'm trying to tell here is of my own struggle with the toxic relationship that is me and the internet. I want to let go but I can't.” And yeah, I kinda feel that as well, and definitely empathise with what’s happening in this video. I’m going to make a wild guess and state that a lot of people will see some of themselves in this video also.
An additional note that I was very pleasantly surprised to come across an AMV edited with Kate Nash. It’s been many years since I last thought of any of her music, so to stumble across a Lain AMV with it was honestly amazing.
VPR: Major All
Video title: Hot Wings
Editor: Artorian Films
Anime: Various
Song & Artist: Hot Wings (I Wanna Party) - will.i.am, Jamie Foxx, Anne Hathaway
Comments: I have no idea what’s going on in this song. I think it’s from a movie - which might explain all the random bird noises. In any case, “Hot Wings” is a fun upbeat dance AMV. Nothing crazy here, just good vibes and a good time.
VPR: Flashes to white, red emphasis scenes, high contrast, flickering
Video title: 【Ｖａｍｐｉｒｅ Ｈｕｎｔｅｒ Ｄ ＡＭＶ】
Editor: Xezberzs
Anime: Vampire Hunter D - Bloodlust
Song & Artist: Seer - Holy Fawn
Comments: I found it really neat to come across an AMV in the wild where the editor states the source of their inspiration as Truth Crab. As someone who is a Truth Crab fan, I was immediately intrigued. Watching this video, you can definitely see the influence Truth Crab has had on Xezberzs - the video focuses mostly on matching the mood of the music with the visuals, with some occasional internal sync which is hard to tell if it’s intentional or not. Personally I find the whole 7:35 of this AMV mesmerising.
VPR: Major red emphasis scenes, motion, flickering
CW: Violence
Video title: SAEED
Editor: BoxJoe
Anime: Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Song & Artist: SAEED - Infected Mushroom
Comments: BoxJoe is an incredibly considerate editor. They’ve pre-empted dinosaurs like myself and have offered an alternative link to a version of this AMV without the sounds from the anime. I am eternally grateful! For those of you who enjoy anime audio with your AMV’s the link below will be just fine, for everyone else, the link to the music only version is in the YouTube description.
I am very biased towards enjoying this video simply because it uses an Infected Mushroom song. Overall though, “SAEED” is also a great action AMV.
VPR: All
Video title: "whatwasthat?"
Editor: STVND OR DIE
Anime: JIN-ROH
Song & Artist: "WHATWASTHAT?" - BONES
Comments: This video was created in 2019, however I found it posted on reddit in 2022, so it’s still eligible for this list.
"whatwasthat?" is an AMV that has been created with the intention of being a music video for the song. It’s always interesting seeing videos like these, as the creators often have a different mindset to more traditional AMV editors. There are several elements in this video which I don’t enjoy, however in contrast to this, there are other elements and ideas within the video being used in interesting ways, so overall I do enjoy the whole experience.
VPR: All
CW: Violence, gore
Video title: Mov. II
Editor: oreodog
Anime: Weathering With You
Song & Artist: Piano Concerto No. 2 - Rachmaninoff
Comments: Every now and then I wonder to myself if it’s still worth trawling reddit for new AMV’s every day. The amount of content the past couple of years is increasing at an outrageous pace and finding videos I enjoy among so many others I do not is becoming more and more frustrating. And then I remember that I found this AMV because of reddit, and all the effort becomes worth it.
VPR: Flickering, motion, fades to white
Video title: Out Of Time x I Feel It Coming
Editor: Saikoro
Anime: Various
Song & Artist: Out Of Time, I Feel It Coming - The Weeknd
Comments: Strap yourselves in for a double AMV extravaganza here! Saikoro has edited not one but two Weeknd songs in one video! There’s a lot going on in this video. I’m pretty sure most of the clips are twixtored to some degree (not an expert on this though!), as well as multitudes of colour correction and I have no idea what else. I can’t help but admire the effort though - especially for a whole 8 minutes of video. It definitely would have been a fine AMV without all the extra bells and whistles, but Saikoro seems to have been determined in making this follow a specific aesthetic and they made it all work.
VPR: All
Video title: Priss Asagiri - FM
Editor: Lupin X
Anime: Bubblegum Crisis
Song & Artist: FM - The Mountain Goats
Comments: Lupin X seems to be a Mountain Goats AMV aficionado - seriously check out the playlists they’ve compiled. I feel “FM” is not a typical choice of song to make an AMV with, there’s not much musicality to sync to at all, simply a guy singing while playing guitar and some tape static. Despite the barebones nature of the music, Lupin X matches the mood excellently with Bubblegum Crisis.
VPR: Major flashing to white, black and red
Video title: Through this Night
Editor: ruì | 睿
Anime: Call of the Night
Song & Artist: Through this Night - Wolf Saga
Comments: This is one of those AMV’s where the editor has used only the first episode of the anime. It’s also a style of editing I don’t often enjoy. ruì has gone all out though, they’ve added several small touches here and there that give “Through this Night” a lot of heart and keeps me engaged.
VPR: All
Video title: Flashlight [MEP]
Editor: Various
Anime: Various
Song & Artist: Flashlight - DJ Fresh, Ellie Goulding
Comments: There’s a long story behind this one being on this list. It was posted to reddit in 2022 by a YouTuber who had recently uploaded it to their channel, giving little information in the description. I felt it was a very enjoyable video, but I had a nagging feeling that it seemed more like a MEP than an AMV edited by only one person. So I did some digging and lo and behold, it was actually a MEP created in 2017 which this person had re-uploaded. Since I’d never come across it before, and I only found it because of the reddit post, I felt it was still eligible for inclusion on this list. Also I really love Ellie Goulding, and this is a cool MEP.
VPR: All
Video title: Get Got
Editor: CTOAFN
Anime: Azumanga Daioh
Song & Artist: Get Got - Death Grip
Comments: “Get Got” is the kind of Azumanga Daioh AMV that reminds me of videos from around 15 years ago or so. It’s super fun seeing this in 2022 though. I’m not sure what drove CTOAFN to make this, but I’m happy they did.
VPR: Quick cuts, motion
Video title: ZOMBIE
Editor: Godmode
Anime: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Song & Artist: Zombie - The Cranberries
Comments: Whenever I try and write about Evangelion AMV’s I feel like they’re a hard sell because there’s hardly anything new anymore - Evangelion has been AMV’d to death many times over. Heck, there are even loads of Evangelion AMV’s which use this same song. That doesn’t mean this AMV isn’t worth watching though. Seeing others’ interpretation of art is always worthwhile, and Evangelion at least is an Anime I have yet to tire of seeing. One of the things I particularly enjoy about “ZOMBIE” is how Godmode has chosen to let some scenes play out for longer than a lot of editors might - especially during some high intensity portions of the song.
VPR: All
Video title: Written in Reverse
Editor: Blue Blizzard
Anime: Kingdom Hearts
Song & Artist: Written in Reverse - Dj Tiesto feat. Hardwell
Comments: Yes this is a GMV - Squarenix stuff I tend to lump in my mind with AMV’s so I’ve included this on the list. It’s honestly quite rare that anyone posts GMV’s to reddit so I felt it was worthwhile sharing.
I haven’t played any Kingdom Hearts so I don’t know for sure as I haven’t seen these cutscenes naturally, but I get the impression that “Written in Reverse” is very loosely edited. There’s nothing wrong with this, in fact I really love videos like this, especially in combination with this type of music.
VPR: Flashes to white, flickering, motion
Video title: All Eyes On You
Editor: ParanormalBeluga
Anime: Drifters
Song & Artist: All Eyes On You - Smash Into Pieces
Comments: I don’t come across Drifters AMV’s very often. Several years back there was a spate of takedowns from YouTube of Drifters content and it was seemingly random which ones survived. None seem to have disappeared in a while, so fingers crossed this one will stick around.
VPR: Red emphasis scenes, flashes to white, fades to black, motion, fire
CW: Violence
Video title: Endless
Editor: 【noise】
Anime: The End of Evangelion
Song & Artist: §E▲ - I Fall, Windows 96 - Endless Wave
Comments: Something that I feel has been missing in Psyche AMV’s recently is psychedelia. The majority of AMV’s in the Psyche category are purely psychological rather than psychedelic. “Endless” manages to be both -【noise】uses proper psychedelic imagery to embellish the psychological aspects here, and I’m so happy to see it.
VPR: Major All
Video title: afraid of what's inside...
Editor: Balance
Anime: Various
Song & Artist: Inside - Chris Avantgarde & Red Rosamond
Comments: From one psyche AMV to another. “afraid of what's inside…” is heavily on the psychological side of things, using some juggernauts of anime to showcase the story battling with your inner demons.
VPR: Major All
CW: Violence, gore, nudity
Video title: Typhoid
Editor: Dragonair88
Anime: Sailor Moon
Song & Artist: Typhoid - Christophe Beck
Comments: Dragonair88 has what I feel to be a daunting amount of Sailor Moon vids on their channel. One day I will go through and watch them all, but for now I’m very satisfied watching “Typhoid” over and over again. It’s unlike any other Sailor Moon AMV I’ve ever seen. The very narrow focus on one particular aspect of the anime plus the intense instrumental music make “Typhoid” feel otherworldly.
VPR: Red emphasis scenes, high contrast, flashes to white
Video title: Constant Paranoia
Editor: IsshoLee
Anime: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Song & Artist: DOG BOY - Swansea Skag
Comments: This is the second time now I’ve come across an Evangelion AMV set to completely unknown British music on reddit. Last time was 6 years ago now, but it’s cool it happened twice! I really love this video, there’s something quite raw about the emotions from the song which match Evangelion very well.
VPR: Major All
Video title: The Good Part
Editor: AshIsCooler
Anime: Dr Stone
Song & Artist: The Good Part - AJR
Comments: “The Good Part” is quite simply, a good time. AshIsCooler is definitely having fun experimenting with all sorts of different types of editing and it’s awesome to see.
VPR: Water ripple at the very beginning, peripherals, quick cuts/black wipes, fades to black, flickering, flashes to white, motion, flashes to black (this is basically VPR All, but it doesn’t feel like it because it’s not super flashy).
Video title: Trip Like Meteion
Editor: Previously Delicious
Anime: FFXIV
Song & Artist: Trip like I Do - The Crystal Method
Comments: Yep, another GMV. After stating it’s rare for me to find them from reddit, I get two in one year. This time we’re treated to a FFXIV extravaganza. “Trip Like Meteion” is also a video that includes audio snippets from the game, however, the song itself also contains audio snippets and Previously Delicious does a very good job at weaving these together - I honestly can’t tell which bits of talking are from the game and which are from the song. It probably helps that I haven’t played FFXIV.
VPR: All
Video title: This Fffire
Editor: Atlus
Anime: Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Song & Artist: This Fire - Franz Ferdinard
Comments: Near the end of the year, Cyberpunk: Edgrunners was released, and everyone decided to edit with it of course. I’m assuming “This Fire” was a song used in the soundtrack of the show, no one has cared about Franz Ferdinand in a very long time, and since first seeing this AMV, several others have also appeared with this anime song combo. I really enjoy Atlus’ simplistic and stylistic approach here.
VPR: All
CW: Violence
Video title: Livin' La Vida Loca
Editor: Dawnlight
Anime: Madoka Magica
Song & Artist: Livin' La Vida Loca - Ricky Martin
Comments: I had a moment of deja vu while watching this, and I suspect other senior members of the AMV community will also. Yes, there was another AMV using this same anime song combo that was highly acclaimed several years ago. Thankfully, while there are some similar ideas, Dawnlight’s take on this combo is very different in form to the older AMV.
Dawnlight has stated that this is their first AMV, I find that astonishing - they’re on point with so many different types of sync throughout this, it’s an absolute blast to watch!
VPR: All
Video title: WAR
Editor: En quête de sens
Anime: Madoka Magica
Song & Artist: The Four Seasons: Winter - Vivaldi
Comments: And finally we conclude this list with yet another Madoka AMV. This time though, we get classical music, and wow, what an excellent choice En quête de sens has made here. “War” is perhaps one of my favourite types of AMV, letting the motion from the anime and emotion from the music mingle beautifully. It’s a shame I came across this one too late for consideration in my top 50 of the year. Ah well, there’s always next year!
VPR: All
