katranat

Apologies for my brevity with some of these - I've been recovering from covid over the past couple of weeks and my brain feels like molasses but I just want to get these done.


20

Video title: Speed Demons

Editor: SFPhoenix AMV

Anime: Various

Song & Artist: Deja Vu - Dave Rodgers

VPR: All (major motion, major blurs)

Comments:

“Speed Demons” is criminally underrated. Seriously, this is the kind of high octane multi source editing I would expect to see in contest winning AMVs, and this video has hardly any attention whatsoever. SFPhoenix AMV has put so much effort into amazing sync, fun match cuts and just downright awesomeness everywhere in this video and it’s kind of heartbreaking that I’m basically the only person witnessing it. I’m aware Eurobeat is memed on a lot and can be a bit of an acquired taste, but even disregarding the music you cannot deny that “Speed Demons” is incredibly badass, and probably most importantly of all, it’s a whole lotta fun. 

19

Video title: FLY

Editor: Caribou-kun

Anime: Inu-Oh, Heike Monogatari

Song & Artist: Question! - System of a Down

VPR: All (major strobing and flashing) 

CW: Violence

Comments:

For the benefit of anyone unfamiliar with either of these sources, I’m just going to roughly explain both of them so you can understand what Caribou-kun is doing with this AMV. 

Inu-Oh is a movie about two people who use musical performances as a storytelling medium - specifically they are telling stories from the dead spirits of the Heike clan who perished in a famous battle (Inu-Oh is about a lot of other stuff as well, but for understanding this AMV, that’s the jist of it). Heike Monogatari, as you might have already guessed, is an anime about that same clan’s story. Caribou-Kun brings these two together to weave the tale of the Heike clan through the medium of Inu-Oh’s performances and Heike Monogatari’s striking scenes. 

It’s also somewhat of a surprise to hear a System of a Down song in an AMV in 2024 - and it works incredibly well considering the subject matter. I’ve heard this song so many times before, but I’m ashamed to say I’d never really paid attention to the lyrics - this video has rectified that. 

Caribou-kun’s editing is wonderful and experimental here. He’s someone who’s often trying new things when he edits, and that’s also the case here. There’s an abundance of overlays and masking and strobing, and it all comes together in a very gratifying way. 

When I was writing up the VPR’s and CW’s for these videos, I got to this one and I felt like this needed a “violence” warning but I couldn’t really pick out any particular clips that warranted the warning. Yes, there’s a lot of war and death in the story being told, but it’s very much on the sidelines and isn’t very explicit. Then I realised that the majority of the violent feeling I get from the video, is the video itself. It’s an assault on the senses, almost unpleasantly so. It’s an interesting, almost allegorical portrayal of the violence in the story, using harsh editing as a proxy for any actual visible bloodshed, and I think it’s incredibly clever of Caribou-kun to have put this together.    

18

Video title: The Phantom Cuts

Editor: JamesBlond

Anime: Noragami, Noragami Aragato

Song & Artist: Golden Touch - JAXSON GAMBLE

VPR: All

CW: Violence, blood

Comments:

“The Phantom Cuts” was one of the the darlings of the 2024 RICE contest, and for good reason. I’ve only seen a handful of Noragami AMVs before and none of them have ever made the anime appear awesome as “The Phantom Cuts” does. JamesBlond adheres to the syncing so tightly throughout the video, loading every moment with satisfying motion and cutting so precisely (heh). It’s an all around top tier showcase of editing and results in such a fun and adrenaline pumping video. 

17

Video title: Binary Superstars

Editor: Animetrash AMVs

Anime: Carole and Tuesday

Song & Artist: Cinderella (feat Magic Man) - The Knocks

VPR: Motion, light leaks, flashes, fire

Comments:

My thoughts on “Binary Superstars” can mostly be summed up as, these kids are just so gosh darn cute! Animetrash picked the perfect song to showcase these two adorable girls and their shared love for music - it’s so uplifting and carefree. Animetrash of course also packs in a lot of fun and satisfying sync, including the ever popular syncing with instruments which is always enjoyable to see. If I ever need a pick me up, I put this AMV on and it never fails to put a smile on my face.    

16

Video title: I Wanna Go

Editor: skrrt

Anime: Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt

Song & Artist: I Wanna Go - Britney Spears

VPR: All (major motion)

CW:  Sexual imagery

Comments:

Skrrt has made a lot of really good AMVs, including an amazing series of Utena AMVs set to songs off of Charli XCX’s album BRAT, but it’s their Panty and Stocking video “I Wanna Go” which I have personally found to be the most addictive. Not only is this an AMV which uses Panty and Stocking in 2024 it’s also using a Britney Spears song from 2011! The nostalgia factor is off the charts here and “I Wanna Go” feels like it would fit in perfectly with the AMVs from the early 2010’s. Where the video really shines for me, is during the pre-choruses and choruses, the way the song flows at these moments and how skrrt has matched this with the editing is utterly magical - it feels kinda like flying.  

15

Video title: 50 Shades of Blue

Editor: Speksi AMVs

Anime: Various

Song & Artist: Blue - Eiffel 65 (+ remix by AwesomiZer + Hatsune Miku)

VPR: All

Comments:

I will admit I am a person who very much enjoyed Blue by Eiffel 65 when it first came out (in my defense I was 10, so like, the perfect target audience), so I have a soft spot for the song and any remixes of it. Speksi appears to have created their own mix of the song for this AMV, using a combination of the original, plus a remix from an artist on Soundcloud, plus Hatsune Miku! It’s all put together really well and is a fun twist on simply using the original song. 

The concept of “50 Shades of Blue” is stupidly simple - find all the blue things and stick them in the video together. Even though the concept kind of hits you over the head over and over again with “look, another blue thing!” it’s still a lot of fun to watch and is downright beautiful at some moments. It’s also really neat to see what different sources Speksi chooses for the song throughout the video. My only nitpick is the clip that starts at 03:15 - I firmly believe that this is purple and not blue.  

14

Video title: SPECTRUM

Editor: Elfeni

Anime: Various

Song & Artist: City Boy - Donkeyboy

VPR: Major all

Comments:

I was slightly obsessed with this AMV when I first came across it. I have a bit of a soft spot for AMVs where it’s visually difficult to discern what the images even are (partly because I made a video like this myself). I believe there’s something to be said about the video making process for the absence of something in a video - I feel this can be as important as what is in a video, but this is a topic I might do as its own write up one day. Elfeni did upload an alternative version of “SPECTRUM” which includes the original clips as greyscale underneath the light show, but while this version is easier to watch, bizarrely I feel even though it shows more it actually loses something in the process. The draw of this video for me is the way the “find edges” light show gradually reveals different parts of the image due to the motion in the anime - it’s incredibly mesmerising and fascinating to watch. It’s also fun how the colours change constantly in the same order and I believe (but haven’t verified) that each clip is the same length - so there’s this insistent rhythm that the video adheres to throughout.   

13

Video title: Inner Light

Editor: HDV AMV

Anime: Jujustu Kaisen

Song & Artist: Inner Light - Elderbrook

VPR: All 

Comments:

This was a highly anticipated AMV for me - HDV very graciously and slightly randomly let me see a beta version of this video and I instantly fell in love with it even though it wasn’t yet finished. I was super happy when a couple months later HDV released the finished version. 

It wouldn’t be an HDV video without some slightly off the wall goofy ass editing - and yet there’s also an abundance of intensely atmospheric and downright awesome moments. There’s something about the music that feels slightly magical and HDV matching this with Jujustu Kaisen gives it an oddly ethereal feeling.    

12

Video title: Change

Editor: GIFTEDASF

Anime: Various

Song & Artist: Change - Tears For Fears

VPR: All (major motion, shapes/patterns, psychedelia)

Comments:

I’m going to be honest - this is a weird AF video where I don’t know why it works, it just does. Not only is it multi source, it’s also multimedia, combining anime with western animation and live action - even going as far as including clips from the original Tears For Fears music video for the song! Most of the sources are old-school 80’s but not all of them fall into this category, which is quite interesting, because you’d think to keep the aesthetic flowing throughout the video the sources would need to all match, but this isn’t the case, and yet the vibe is impeccable anyway. 

11

Video title: crush my head like a watermelon

Editor: SadSack

Anime: Precure

Song & Artist: RATATATA - BABYMETAL, Electric Callboy

VPR: All (major motion)

Comments:

Babymetal and magical girls - so hot right now. In all seriousness, “crush my head like a watermelon” is actually super hot. The energy SadSak has packed into the video is outstanding, it’s some of the most fun I’ve had with an AMV all 2024. I could go on about the sync and the match cuts and the motion, but at this point in the list I feel like a broken record, and you all have eyes and ears. “crush my head like a watermelon” is an absolute triumph and you don’t need me to explain why.     

It's about time I posted the rest of these eh


40

Video title: Turn Your Head

Editor: Kyapture

Anime: Neon Genesis Evangelion

Song & Artist: Evita - DeVita

VPR: All (major flashing & strobing)

CW: Violence, blood, gore

Comments:

There are many great Evangelion AMVs, there are also many great Asuka character profile AMVs. “Turn Your Head” has slotted itself into the upper echelons of these supremely smoothly and with (disappointingly) little fanfare. 

I can say with certainty that this is the classiest feeling Evangelion AMV I have ever seen, there’s a quality to the song which gives easy breezy eighties vibes, which lends a certain grace to the video even when some of the more horrific moments of the anime are onscreen. In the video description Kyapture talks about how they feel the song is contradictory - I agree with this and think that’s what makes it an absolute perfect fit for this particular AMV idea. It really helps to show the different aspects of the anime and particularly the character of Asuka in a stark light, and the fact Kyapture has curated the pairing flawlessly is the icing on the cake.

I love a lot of the the editing decisions Kyapture has made, they have a meticulous attention to detail which helps craft the narrative - the use of the opening door several times in quick succession is awesome, and the small amount of text near the end in the style of the font from the anime wraps the whole video up in such a satisfying way.

39

Video title: meganemania

Editor: SeasonsAMV

Anime: Various

Song & Artist: Various songs - Sneaks

VPR: Flashes, motion, light leaks, peripherals, cuts to black

Comments:

I find “meganemania” unusually addicting. As a series of short AMVs collected into one, it offers a unique experience every minute or so. Each short uses different songs by the same artist (who is someone incredibly obscure), and they also oddly, or not so oddly, focus on the anime trope of girls with glasses, “megane” through use of some anime rarely seen in AMVs.  

Each short has its own endearing characteristics; seasons is a master at delightful sync which “meganemania” is chock full of. The songs are each laser focused on one particular subject, which is brought to life in such a charming way. It's hard to compare each short with each other, and they do work altogether as a whole, but I will admit my favourite of them is the second one - it's just so silly I couldn't not fall in love. 

38

Video title: A Moment Apart

Editor: HDV AMV

Anime: Your Name

Song & Artist: A Moment Apart - Odesza

VPR: Motion, light leaks, flashes

Comments:

“A Moment Apart” is simultaneously the most stereotypical Your Name AMV I’ve ever seen while also somehow feeling completely different to every other Your Name I’ve ever seen. I can’t quite put my finger on exactly what HDV is doing to create this feeling. In its base form and structure there’s little to distinguish “A Moment Apart” from many of its peers; HDV has chosen a minimalist editing approach mainly relying on the beautiful scenes and internal sync. HDV does also do some interesting things in the form of match cuts and repeated scenes - this however is yet again something else that appears in several other Your Name AMVs as the anime does lend itself to this type of editing trope quite well.

To be clear to anyone reading, making AMVs with repeated sources/scenes/tropes/whatever is a good thing. I'm a firm believer in taking inspiration from others and iterating on ideas, so if you wanna make something and you're scared it's not unique enough, make it anyway! Your personal touch will shine through regardless - I’m just someone who has watched way too many AMVs over a long period of time and as a result am more likely to get excited by things in the medium that are new to me. 

Anyway, back to “A Moment Apart”. I think ultimately what drives my love of “A Moment Apart” could probably be boiled down to simply the song choice and the way HDV has edited the AMV. This is my favourite kind of music, and HDV has also deployed some of my favourite types of sync throughout the video. In addition there’s a slight intangible quality to it all. It’s almost as if the video is focusing on the space that exists between the two characters rather than the characters themselves - which I realise I’ve described poorly, again that sounds like basically every single Your Name AMV, but honestly I don’t know how else to describe it. It’s such an unusual feeling, I hope you all are able to experience it somewhat when you watch it yourselves. 

37

Video title: Violet

Editor: Sagar Amrania

Anime: Mob Psycho 100

Song & Artist: Violet - Conner Price

VPR: All (major motion)

Comments:

I think this is the first time I've spontaneously come across someone who isn't BoxJoe editing with a Conner Price song - no doubt there are several people who have, but Conner Price is not a music artist I've ever deliberately sought out, so I wouldn't know. 

Honestly my thoughts on “Violet” can mostly be summed as; I like Mob Psycho action AMVs, “Violet” is a particularly satisfying one and it makes my brain happy. The slightly bouncy beat of the song has a certain energy that Sagar Amrania has matched wonderfully using internal sync and pleasantly well placed camera motion. 

This is one of those videos where no matter how many times I watch it, I notice something new each time; whether that be a little bit of clever sync, or some neat bit of effects work  Sagar Amrania has sneaked in so expertly it flows as if it were part of the anime. 

36

Video title: Run Little Hero

Editor: BoxJoe

Anime: Jujutsu Kaisen

Song & Artist: Run Little Hero - LeGrand

VPR: All

CW: Violence, blood

Comments:

My knowledge of Jujutsu Kaisen comes mostly from watching AMVs and reading fanfiction. So yeah, I don't know a lot. Despite how little I know about Yuji as a character, I feel this is an aptly fitting character profile video for him - I could be wrong about that, but I doubt there would be this much vibrancy in BoxJoe’s editing otherwise. 

BoxJoe does a lot of fun editing tricks here, and they help make “Run Little Hero” very energetic and dynamic. BoxJoe always impresses me with the way he uses masking etc. often there is so much that it might be overwhelming, yet somehow it never feels over the top, it’s always just the right amount. I think it helps that he usually establishes early on in the video what kinds of shenanigans are going to happen and then he keeps the flow consistent throughout, so that while it’s visually fun and engaging, it’s also not unexpected or jarring.  

35

Video title: Footloose

Editor: SQ

Anime: Inu-Oh

Song & Artist: Dancing in the Street - The Struts 

VPR: Fire, motion, blurs

Comments:

I'm so happy SQ made this. I feel there's a huge amount of untapped potential for using scenes from Inu-Oh in dance AMVs and a lot of people just aren't seeing it, either because they are unfamiliar with the anime, or they are put off by the art style. In my opinion the dancing in Inu-Oh is some of the most authentic and emotionally engaging, considering some of it is being used to convey a story and other moments of it are representing such sheer unbridled joy at witnessing a beautiful performance - I dunno, I think it's great, and SQ has done an amazing job at showing it all off here, tapping perfectly into the energy of these scenes. Something which is also really neat is SQ has structured the video to essentially tell the story of the song, which is massively satisfying considering Inu-Oh is about telling stories through music.  

34

Video title: Video Killed the Radio Star

Editor: Takara

Anime: Kodocha

Song & Artist: Video Killed the Radio Star - The Buggles

VPR: VHS lines, flashes, flickering, light leaks, particles/patterns, quick cuts

Comments:

This is one of those videos which in hindsight is a really obvious pairing, and yet somehow no one thought to make it until Takara in 2024. I’m super happy this now exists, and Takara was perhaps the perfect person to create it - they have a penchant for creating slightly whimsical and nostalgic videos and “Video Killed the Radio Star” excels at both of these. The nostalgia is brilliantly twofold, as the sources themselves are fondly remembered by many people, as well as the impression of missing a bygone era from the words in the song itself.

Takara’s editing is utterly delightful, tapping into the charm and whimsy of Kodocha, and using many scenes in clever ways.   

33

Video title: Never Let Me Go

Editor: vivafringe

Anime: Macross Plus

Song & Artist: Always (Tinlicker remix) - Above & Beyond

VPR: Flickering, light leaks, motion, flashes, patterns/particles, red emphasis scenes, peripherals

Comments:

It’s always fascinating to me when vivafringe releases a video showcasing only one anime. I’m more familiar with his work showcasing ideas/themes/concepts by intertwining several sources to create hugely ambitious narratives. “Never Let Me Go” somehow still has the huge presence of one of these more involved projects, despite being edited with only one source. The scope of the video covers such vast complicated feelings and displays a variety of imagery and sync. It’s incredibly beautiful and honestly amazing for only being created in one week. 

32

Video title: AMOR ex Machina

Editor: Synæsthesia Productions

Anime: Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song

Song & Artist: Real Love - Beautiful Machines

VPR: All

Comments:

I think my favourite thing about “AMOR ex Machina” is the unending sense of motion, the whole video flows so smoothly - even when Synæsthesia does moments of creative external sync, it all binds together and feels incredibly cohesive. 

Vivy is an anime I haven’t seen very frequently in AMVs, which is a shame as it’s rather stunning and definitely seems to make for great editing material. Synæsthesia uses the beauty of the name to its full potential, and in particular the moments where the chorus kicks in and the visuals open up are gloriously elating 

31

Video title: Miss Everything

Editor: Nashironeko

Anime: Bocchi The Rock

Song & Artist: Miss Nothing - The Pretty Reckless

VPR: All

Comments:

From the first opening notes in “Miss Everything” it’s clear this is going to be a good time. There's not a single thing out of place in “Miss Everything”, Nashironeko’s sync and eye for editing here is unparalleled. Nashironeko’s love for the medium is very apparent, “Miss Everything” is a video that’s not only fun to watch, it also looks like it was a blast to edit (at least I hope it was!). Bocchi is a super relatable anime for a lot of people, especially creatives, and I love Nashironeko’s framing of the themes here. 

Hello everyone! 

Before I get started on my main top AMVs from 2024 posting schedule, this year I would like to first showcase some videos which I felt were ineligible for inclusion on my main list as well as some honourable mentions. 

The ineligible videos are ones I wouldn’t consider to be AMVs (in whatever my very loose definition of this is) and are other types of fan edits. I don’t often like fan videos that aren’t AMVs very much, but in 2024 I found myself enjoying a number of them quite a lot, so I do want to shout them out in some way. 

The honourable mentions are AMVs which I enjoyed, and still want to highlight in some way, but didn’t make it onto my main list. To clarify, they are not overflow from my top 50, they are simply videos which I picked out for some unique/neat reason from the entire pool of videos which didn’t make it into my top 50.

Last year when I made my list for 2023 I created my commentary by recording myself talking about the videos and then transcribing that recording as the comments. I wanted to do this again this year, and believe me I tried really, really hard, but for whatever reason I seem to have lost any ability to string a sentence together. So I am back to simply writing up comments and no doubt overthinking them far too much. 

The length of my writing varies wildly video to video. Sometimes there genuinely isn’t much I can or even need to add, so please don’t take the amount I’ve written as any kind of indication of my level of enjoyment - it doesn’t work that way.  

From tomorrow I hope to begin posting my usual top 50 list, posting 10 videos a day counting down from 50 until we reach the end (at least that’s the plan, I must confess as of writing this I have not completed my write ups for each video as I pivoted to this at the very last minute). I will also include a bit more information about my ranking process etc. in the introduction to that post tomorrow. 

For now, I hope you enjoy this eclectic selection of videos!

Ineligible Videos

Video title: Tear In Space

Editor: Lizard People Anonymous

Source: Scavengers Reign (animated TV show)

Song & Artist: Tear In Space (Airlock) - Glass Animals

VPR: Red emphasis scenes, fire, motion, particles/patterns, flashing/flickering, peripherals

CW: Body horror

Comments:

“Tear In Space” is the first I’ve come across Scavengers Reign - it honestly looks like it’s a pretty interesting show, which no doubt I will never get around to watching, but I would encourage anyone reading to check it out in my stead. 

I’m not quite sure if Lizard People Anonymous is following any kind of narrative from the show - for me the clips seem slightly random and disjointed, involving a lot of characters in a seemingly non-linear way. Regardless, Lizard People Anonymous successfully creates a magnetic atmosphere through the use of literal lyric sync, glimpses of a mysterious alien world, and emotionally impactful scenes. 

The singer of this song pronounces the word “Tear” as in; crying tears from your eyes. The written word “Tear” can also be pronounced as in; tearing (ripping) something apart. This most likely has nothing to do with the video, or the song, and is just a by-product of me reading the title frequently, however I associate the title with both of these meanings, and I find myself thinking that it very much suits the video. There are plenty of scenes including people crying at the corresponding lyrical moments, and as the video progresses there is also a sense that something has gone very wrong with whatever led these people into space and onto a new planet, leaving them fractured and torn asunder.  

Video title: Hannigram | Moon

Editor: perks of being an alien

Source: Hannibal (TV show)

Song & Artist: Moon - Devin Townsend

VPR: Nature shots of water/ice which could be particles/patterns, fades to black, peripherals, a swirl effect at 03:09 - 03:15

CW: Blood, gore, dismembered bodies

Comments:

I still don’t quite understand why I enjoy “Hannigram | Moon” as much as I do. There’s nothing appealing for me here from a source perspective. I have not watched this TV show and while I am peripherally aware of the ship of Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham due to being in fanfiction spaces, I have no attachment to the pairing and am uninterested in exploring the fandom. 

Possibly what keeps bringing me back to “Hannigram | Moon”is that perks of being an alien has come at it from an utterly unusual angle. This is undoubtedly a video about these two characters, however there’s hardly any actual interaction shown between them - instead we are treated to scenes of nature, haunting supernatural imagery and occasional disturbing clips for the majority of the video runtime. Heck, one of the main characters doesn’t even have any screentime until halfway through the video! All of this leads me to believe that there is something greater than the physical hinted at by perks of being an alien - the whole dynamic being shown here is steeped in metaphor that I don’t quite have the understanding of, where these two characters have an effect on each other that transcends ordinary boundaries.

Video title: MEGAN - INSIDE

Editor: Gemma Lemon MV

Source: Swallow (2019 movie)

Song & Artist: Inside (feat. Carla Landy) - Megan

VPR: Quick cuts, red emphasis scenes, distortion effects, blurs, camera shakes

CW: This video centers around the illness Pica, which involves swallowing objects not fit for consumption - the depiction in this video is distressing.
Other warnings: Pregnancy (and probable miscarriage), medical scenes, blood, gore.
There are possibly more warnings I’ve missed. This video is generally very heavy.   

Comments:

I’ve occasionally come across videos which are a physically uncomfortable experience to watch - “INSIDE” causes me to reach whole new levels of discomfort by making my throat emphatically tighten up and feel like I’ve swallowed something wrong. I applaud Gemma Lemon for being able to prompt such a potent reaction like this with her editing. 

I find the choice of song super fascinating - the lyrics are romantic, if slightly obsessive, and Gemma Lemon takes the words literally, giving the backdrop for this woman’s escapism into her illness a highly intimate feel. The “romance” in this case is the relationship the woman has with her illness, showing it simultaneously as the height of ecstasy and also the most awful compulsion, eventually spiraling out of control.  

Video title: Pháo - 2 Phút Hơn (KAIZ Remix)

Editor: Gemma Lemon MV

Source: Black Swan (2010 movie)

Song & Artist: 2 Phút Hơn (KAIZ Remix) - Pháo

VPR: Major quick cuts, major motion, major flashing, strobing

CW: Self-harm, body horror, violence, blood

Comments:

I adore so much that this song became famous for a meme of Zero Two doing the “ME!ME!ME!” dance on TikTok which spread to actual real humans making videos of themselves doing the same dance, and then Gemma Lemon holds up a mirror to this whole craze by taking this song and creating a video profiling a dancer but in a Perfect Blue kind of way (I haven’t watched Black Swan, but this video definitely gives me that vibe). I don’t know if that’s what she intended when making this, but I do find it deeply ironically satisfying.

In general, I really love this song, and I am very grateful to be able to enjoy it alongside such accomplished visuals. The editing here is wonderful - there’s so much motion and drama, I find it utterly captivating.  

Video title: You Were There

Editor: Janken

Source: The Invisible Child (1980’s animated film)

Song & Artist: ICO OST - Michiru Ōshima & Pentagon

VPR: Film grain, fades to black, motion, particles/patterns

Comments:

Janken is continuously using captivating and unusual sources and “You Were There” is possibly the pinnacle of this phenomenon - using an animated film from the 1980’s which seemingly has no publicly available footage anywhere else. The music chosen is from the ICO video game soundtrack, which I love, and I myself have edited with in the past - it’s such a delight to hear and matches so well with the animation. The whole video is incredibly charming and somewhat wistful. This is one I wish I had more words for, but honestly it speaks for itself.  

Video title: Hymn of Eurydice

Editor: Seasaltmemories

Source: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (video game)

Song & Artist: Jackrabbit - San Fermin

VPR: Motion, light leaks, fire, vignettes, fades, film wipe transitions 

Comments:

I know almost nothing about Xenoblade Chronicles, only that there are some elements from it included in Super Smash Brothers, so I genuinely have no idea who any of the characters are or what even is going on in “Hymn Of Eurydice”. Despite this, “Hymn Of Eurydice” was one of my favourite RICE 2024 contest entries from. Seasaltmemories grabbed me with the intensity of the scene selection and how fluidly dynamic the editing throughout the whole video is. Additionally the song is super pretty and I adore all the motion Seasaltmemories has matched with the singers voice - this type of sync is one of the most satisfying for me and the choruses are gloriously chock full of it.

Video title: Masters of the Craft

Editor: Bauzi

Source: Dave The Diver (video game)

Song & Artist: Weight of the World - Battletapes

VPR: Fades to black, motion, light leaks, flashes, particles/patterns, flickering, peripherals

Comments:

“Masters of the Craft” is another RICE 2024 entry I enjoyed a lot. This is not the type of video game I would ever think to see a music video for, and Bauzi takes advantage of the awesome pixel animation cut-scenes the game has to make an outrageously fun video. The over the top situations that seem to be part and parcel of running a sushi restaurant in the Dave The Diver universe, are matched wonderfully with the energy of the song. It's one of those videos where you think you finally reach the peak of ridiculousness, and then yet there’s always something unexpected around the corner. I’m pretty sure Bauzi has single-handedly sold several copies of this game off the back of this video - it certainly sold me on it and I’d even seen a handful of streamers playing it before I watched this the first time!

Video title: Did You Forget

Editor: Renegade Otter

Source: Wish (2023 movie)

Song & Artist: Meds - Placebo

VPR: light leaks, fire, patterns/particles

Comments:

My initial reaction when playing “Did You Forget” for the first time was “what on earth is this Placebo song doing with a Disney movie of all things?” and then it quickly became apparent that Renegade Otter has created what I believe to be the most terrifyingly effective character profile video ever made. I have seen numerous other AMVs set to this song, the majority of which tend to focus on general psychological drama and are occasionally character driven, but never before have I seen one which brings the meaning of the song into such devastatingly sharp focus like this. 

I have no context for this film, so I am taking everything Renegade Otter is doing here at face value - I don’t know exactly what prompts the change in this character or even if he was evil to begin with, but showing his greed for power and spiral into madness as a comparison for someone who is falling apart because they’re not taking their medication properly is honestly heart wrenching. This is punctuated by the quietly tense moments in the song where the lines “Baby, did you forget to take your meds?” happen, being matched with this man’s possible wife behaving pensively. This video has brought into sharp relief how horrifying the song actually is, obviously I was previously aware of the meaning and the lyrics but they’d never quite sunk in before. 

It’s possible that the intention of this video is comedic or tongue in cheek in some way - I however do not see it that way at all. I get such an all encompassing sense of dread whenever I watch it that really I have no idea how it could be anything other than 100% serious. There’s a big difference between “oh hey look, this person is going insane with power”, and “oh my god, my loved one has done a 180 degree personality shift into a horrible monster and I am utterly powerless to stop it”, and “Did You Forget” falls into the latter of these for me. 

Video title: Dreaming

Editor: lizardjj AMV

Source: Several shampoo/soap commercials (no, I am not making that up)

Song & Artist: Dreaming - Carrie Newcomer

VPR: Red emphasis scenes, minor motion, fades to black

Comments:

“Dreaming” is a F/F shipping video creating a fictional narrative using clips of the same two actresses who happen to keep appearing in the same commercials together. Yes - this concept broke my brain as well. lizardjj includes a link to a dreamwidth post giving more context about the commercials in the video description. It’s all kind of wild honestly and I’m not really equipped to talk much more about it. 

Suspending disbelief however, the video is super lovely and it’s completely convincing that these two are a couple and are living their best life together.

I find this entire endeavour serves as a reminder of what’s possible with a little imagination and the power of editing. 

Honourable Mentions

Video title: The Patriotism series

Editor: Paul Geromini

Source: Various

Song & Artist: Animal (feat. Jordan Powers & Bekah Novi) - Victone

VPR: All

CW: Violence, blood, gore, war scenes

Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skVirTvbGi4&list=PL6iO9oi4CgzxPwGjsw143EvZpxTF-1eqb 

Comments:

“Patriotism” is a series of 11 different AMVs created by Paul Geromini, for which I’m linking the playlist rather than the individual videos. Each video can be considered on its own merit, however together they all function as a fascinating art piece. Paul has written his own blog post with his thoughts regarding the work which I recommend you check out if the series is of any interest to you, he goes into some things I don’t touch on here. 

Paul uploaded these videos one by one in the run up to American Independence Day (which was an intriguing choice I don’t feel qualified to weigh in on considering the themes running through these videos, and also that I’m not American), culminating in the final video “Freedom” being released on the 5th of July.  

The biggest draw of the series for me is the fact that every single video (excepting the last one, but we’ll get to that in a moment) uses the exact same song - Animal, by Vicetone. There’s a slight taboo in the AMV world regarding re-use of the same songs, people used to shy away from using the same songs other editors had used for their videos, and while that’s definitely relaxed these days, most editors would still never consider creating their own AMVs with the same song twice let alone 11 times. There’s a level of prestige associated with being unique within this hobby and it’s something a lot of us strive for (including myself) - which to be clear, is absolutely not a bad thing, but it has occasionally given rise to unkind attitudes towards repeated ideas and common sources.

So, Paul has done the unthinkable and gone completely against the grain - but why?

Well, the answer lies in the fabric of what each of these videos are, and I believe it’s rather ingenious. You see, not only is the song the same, the videos themselves are fundamentally the same as well. Sure they all use wildly distinct sources and Paul has even varied the editing style in each, focusing on different moments of sync to suit the feel of each source, but at their heart they all tell the exact same story. Well then, why are several variations of the same video interesting? Because the repetitive nature is the point here. War never changes. Whether you’re in spaceships. Or fighting aliens. Or hurting innocents.   

The song is a typical EDM song about losing your inhibitions, designed to help people let loose when they go to a dance club. Paul has opted for an alternative interpretation of being forced to lose your humanity in the pursuit of the greater good - showing complete obedience to the powers that be and perpetrating acts of senseless violence to achieve this. It’s a theme that’s repeated, over and over again, in each and every video, creating uncomfortable parallels with the real world. 

The first 9 videos are the main course of the series, and I would recommend watching them in order - the choice in progression is quite interesting and there are some fascinating connections between each video shown. The 10th video is all of the first 9 playing simultaneously in a grid - which really brings to bear the similarities between all of these, while also making it easier to appreciate their differences.  

The final and 11th video “Freedom” is slightly different - it uses an instrumental version of the song, while also incorporating the audio of a few famous speeches regarding freedom. This final video focuses on fighting back against oppressive forces and regaining control. 

Overall I feel “Patriotism” has a hugely important message and I do think it’s worth everyone’s time to watch through it at least once. 

Video title: Kyuubi - Catchatronic

Editor: VandiMares

Source: Various Madoka franchise

Song & Artist: Catchatronic - Pogo

VPR: All

Comments:

“Kyuubi - Catchatronic” is one of the more unique videos I think I’m featuring this year. VandiMares has gotten so many different Madoka sources and put this together in a way where it seems like Kyuubi from Madoka Magica is collecting all of the magical girls in a twisted parody of a Pokemon trainer - which is such a neat and effective idea. Madoka herself is in the role of Pikachu in the video, which is very fitting somehow. The whole AMV is also full of a lot of dynamic editing, match cuts, and “blink and you’ll miss it” interesting sync moments. Someone who’s into Madoka will probably know a lot more of what’s actually going on in this video - I mainly enjoy it for the funsies of Kyuubi being a Pokemon trainer, and for also being a really solid video that's a lot of fun to watch. Seeing all of these fun designs of magical girls that I’ve never seen before is additionally a bit of a novelty - VandiMares got visuals from a video game and all sorts that I had no idea existed.       

Video title: I Cleanse in the River (For Somebody Else)

Editor: perks of being an alien

Source: A Silent Voice

Song & Artist: The River - Imagine Dragons

VPR: Ripple shapes, fades to black, light leaks, fades to white, motion, blurs 

Comments:

perks of being an alien has gotten to me with a rare A Silent Voice AMV that I actually enjoy. I’m probably one of the only people who watched the A Silent Voice movie, and didn’t really like it - that’s probably heresy or whatever to a majority of anime fans, but yeah not my thing. In any case, a lot of the aspects I dislike about A Silent Voice as a movie often come through in the AMVs that people make with it. Something about “I Cleanse in the River” feels very different from this to me - possibly because generally it’s a very hopeful video. There's obviously a lot of drama and sadness happening here but there’s an undercurrent of happiness which is slightly strange for a Silent Voice video - in my experience they’re mostly angst fests, maybe I’m just watching the wrong ones. There’s a weirdly uplifting feeling even though the drama of the movie is still playing out through the course of the AMV - it’s an AMV that makes me happy instead of depressed, which as I reiterate is a bit rare for this particular anime.

Ultimately it’s very much focused on the whole idea of no matter what happens you can get over everything which is a rather lovely sentiment. 

Video title: Honj

Editor: Extraterrestrial Elephant

Source: Heike Monogatari

Song & Artist: Honj - Ryuichi Sakamoto

VPR: Fire, motion, blurs, light leaks, flashes, ripples

CW: Blood, violence

Comments:

I don’t feel there’s much I can say about a video like Honj that it doesn’t already express adequately itself. Heike Monogatari is a slightly underrepresented anime within AMVs at the moment, which is a shame because it's gosh darn beautiful and Extraterrestrial Elephant puts the beauty on exquisite display here with some creative, metaphorical editing and excellent scene selection.

Video title: Waterloo Sunset

Editor: Takara

Source: Dear Brother

Song & Artist: Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks

VPR: Light leaks, bokeh, motion, fades to black, peripherals, quick cuts

Comments:

I am semi aware that Dear Brother is aesthetic AF, but for Takara to have found so many scenes that match all of the specific lyrics of this song, is kinda wild. There’s so many clips of sparkly oceans with sunsets and trains and magical cityscapes. “Waterloo Sunset”is an exercise in some of the most gorgeous stuff I’ve seen in a long time. It was really inspired for Takara to even think of this pairing - it’s the kind of song you don’t often hear in AMVs these days, though some editors do enjoy looking back with older sources and older songs, but they’re rare, so this is really a treat! It’s both visually beautiful and it has such a warm lovely feeling which caps the whole thing off nicely.            

Video title: Migratory Star

Editor: antiquated amvs

Source: Diebuster

Song & Artist: Natalie - Sayonara Ponytail

VPR: All (major flashing)

Comments:

“Migratory Star” is one of a handful of AMVs that popped in 2024 as a celebration of the anime Diebuster turning 20 years old. There's so much in “Migratory Star” for fans of the series to enjoy, and even if you're unfamiliar with it, there are a lot of super charming moments throughout the video and it's such a delight to watch. It’s evident Antiquated amvs has put a lot of heart into creating this - their love of the source shines through in every moment resulting in a truly beautiful tribute. 

Video title: gf is better

Editor: cado

Source: The Tatami Galaxy

Song & Artist: gf is better <3 - N22T

VPR: Major shapes/patterns, quick cuts, flickering, flashes, motion, peripherals, light leaks

Comments:

I adore the energy in “gf is better” - cado’s pacing and sync and is intensely satisfying, matching the frenetic music perfectly. It’s also a somewhat unique video in that it focuses on the anxiety chasing romance and potential failures. From my understanding this is a theme The Tatami Galaxy focuses on, but it’s not one that comes across much (at least to me) in other AMVs I’ve seen using it - and in “gf is better” it’s super unambiguous which I appreciate.  

Video title: Fish

Editor: Jitterjay

Source: Ef: A Tale of Memories

Song & Artist: Fish - Daniel Johnson

VPR: Light leaks, high contrast, quick cuts, motion, fades to black

Ef: A Tale of Memories, was a long time ago, one of the in vogue anime to edit with. It's a lot less common to see it these days, so it does prompt a lot of nostalgia around the hobby for me. “Fish” is a video which uses a song I'd never consider for this anime - it's harsh, almost to the point of being unpleasant to listen to (at least to my ears), which is in stark contrast to the beautiful visuals of the anime and the soft love story that's playing out here. “Fish” feels completely different to any other AMV I've seen with this anime and I love Jitterjay for that.