This is possibly the greatest thing ever.

Rob don't be so pessimistic, something good could happen.

But is the rest of the show the same as the US version? because if somehow it was better then the US like that opening was better then the US opening I would have to give blood money to get a copy

I actually saw the animation of this put on the end credits of the X-Men cartoon when it switched to syndication. The American music was there, but the animation above, starting at the flying Sentinels, was what we saw. Being a neophyte anime fan at the time, I thought it was so excellent and wanted...nay, DEMANDED an official X-Men anime!

Of course, years later...fuck, I STILL want it!

Man, what a great way to start off the morning.

That was so badass, but I was seriously hoping for some Psylocke. You got me all pumped up!

The Beast punching the ground was a little bizarre. I think they played too much Genesis back in the day.

I'm going to be the first to mention that Psylocke is English rather than American.

Why am I doing this? To beat the nerds who would be obnoxious about it to the punch.

Rouge, winking?

Jubilee blast at 0:21 sounds exactly like Dragonball's blast! Loved it.

@Arsenal

Yes, this was just Japan's opening that they put on our cartoon. Matter of fact, I think this was Japan's first major exposure to X-Men, as they created a manga version that was just the cartoon mangafied (with some funny jokes here and there).

i came on my good shoes after watching this

:(

@Baltimoron

She started as an English woman, then had her mind swapped with a Japanese assassin called Kwannon by a dimension-hopping being called Spiral. Thus began the fetish for Asians with English accents, further perpetuated by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire & the Order of the Phoenix films.

I'm actually surprised that Psylocke wasn't used more in the cartoon. She was prominent in the comics at the time, and other 90s highlights like Gambit and Jubilee were integrated into the mostly pre-90s plots. Instead, she was in a multi-part crossover where Apocalypse was kidnapping psychics across the world.

This one's been floating around for a while, but it always causes me to chuckle - especially things like Omega Red (who didn't show up in the show until well into the run) and Cable being so prominently featured.

SHOCK!

This was awesome, you have to love the gratuitous english.

wow

i agree with all the comments pretty much, but i was really hoping for psylocke. you know she now has her own mini series right now?

i saw this a few months ago and i was hoping it was to a new show, i like the animation but it didn't flow that much, the music i just muted

i can't believe senor cripps became a pimp

Well, Toei animated "Pryde of the X-Men" and the later seasons of "Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends" that occasionally featured the X-Men. That's kinda like an anime X-Men series, right?

(Well, someone could probably use them to mash up a fake "Fury Force" intro if you spliced in some choice GI Joe footage, anyway)

I had seen this a LONG time ago, and I can't still find the album that has this song.

Not anything by the same artist. It's just so badass.

None of that happened in the show and I wonder why the decided to randomly feature Cable in the opening when he's not in the show that much.

While I would comment on how very long ago I've seen this, I can't get enough Anime Rogue.

"Break Out"

I personally prefer the other Japanese opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8HkDMht3d4

• Cable and Gambit fighting random mecha

Could these be Japanese versions of the Sentinels? THAT is something I'd like to see!

Why did Cyclops' blast make a Proton Pack noise?

This should have a disclaimer.
"warning: actual animation no where near this good"

Batzarro - http://mwctoys.com/REVIEW_110609a.htm ; Marvel's toy licensers apparently thought the same thing and took it to its logical end-point.

Ramone - do a search for Marvel Magnaverse, I'm sure Japanese-styled sentinels showed up in that at some point.

WHY is this so much more awesome than the european/american opening? Well, aside for the Music obviously . .

Sooooo...they made their own anime intro, set to sound effects from Gundam Wing? Why were Wolverine and Omega Red flying around in the night sky? This intro so confuses me.

Oh that was great. If it had made a fraction more sense, then the cartoon could, and SHOULD have been like that, and then it would have been awesome.

And it was sincerely not.

I don't even remember Cable showing up in the '90s cartoon. Those poor Japanese kids must have been so disappointed. But that intro did an excellent job capturing the essence of the Jim Lee/Liefeld/Claremont/other "names" that were working on the X-comics at the time.

This is the first Japanese opening theme song for the 90s X-Men cartoon. There's a second opening theme song that's pretty good too. My first exposure to this is the same as MattK's when I saw the show in syndication again where in the end credits they used this animation.

@Bill

The Wolverine vs Omega Red flying around battle reminds me of the Marvel vs Capcom type of games.

Holy Goddam Shit On A Shingle!

When the billions of dollars start rolling after my career as a super-villain billions takes off, I will have an X-Men anime series made.

And all of my minions will receive free copies as a reward for excellence in villainy.

Xavier as a pimp brought me right back to I'm The Juggernaut, Bitch! And that theme tune inspired some intense headbanging.

Shit, man, Japan did something right for once. That was actually really bad ass.

@Geoff: When you find that statue as hot as I do, you know you're a comic book nerd. Otherwise you'll be slightly on the edge of knowing for sure.

I actually own a CD with this song on it along with other Japanese X-Men inspired music.

@Wesley

Cable appeared in the show several times, especially during the first two seasons.

The song is called "Rising" by the band Ambience.

I am Magento, master or Magentism!

The second I saw SHOCK in the subtitles my brain when right to the old Fist of the North Star opening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n371zCCYpts

Anyone else?

'The second I saw SHOCK in the subtitles my brain when right to the old Fist of the North Star opening.'

Josh Barnett's PRIDE entrance in my case, but for the same reason.

What's apparent is that the asian animators used the same shitty character designs of the American "cartoon" and spun it into sweet visual gold!

/cheated

What did the X-Men do to the moon that I am being commanded to cry for it?

Here's my translation of the lyrics if anyone's interested:

Shock! Cut with the knife hardened by lies
Shock! Catch the dream as the city shines
The conflict and hatred cut away at you
They attack unseen in the night
Break Out!
Commotion in the limelight
Real-time wet illusion
Cry for the moon

Those last two lines (not counting the wolf-cry of 'Cry for the moon') are especially difficult. Any idea what 濡れた幻 (wet illusion) is supposed to really mean?

"Those last two lines (not counting the wolf-cry of 'Cry for the moon') are especially difficult. Any idea what 濡れた幻 (wet illusion) is supposed to really mean?"

C'mon, dude, now you're just asking for some eyaculation puns.

MAGENTO? Does he have the power over all things slightly red?

Y'know, Magneto does have a sort of magenta-esque color scheme to his costume. I wonder if Rob's typo accidentally revealed Stan Lee's true genius...?

As for this opening: Meh. I saw it a couple years ago online, and it didn't wow me then, either. The second version is much better. But neither are as good as the original version-- that theme song is bad ass.

I really like the song.

I'm probably the only one.

1:04
"Break Out!"
Still laughing......

I was living in Japan when these were first aired in Japan... which also happened to be during the peak of my X-Men fanhood. My well-meaning mother actually mailed me a few X-Men comics from home. I remember flipping out at her for damaging them... but to prove how awesome my mother was... she had actually purchased an EXTRA copy to mail to me, while the 'good' copy was safe and sound at home for me to read when I got back.
Not only do I have the manga version of the cartoon, but I also have a CD single of the show's theme music. It has three tacks: Rising (the song you hear in this YouTube video), and another song called Dreamin'... plus a karaoke version of Dreamin'. The band's name is/was Ambience.

Goddamn, that was cool!

Cry for the moon, indeed!

Disgustingly bad.

Jesus Christ this is terrible. I'll stick with the US opening, thank you. It's 6 thousand times better than this insipid garbage.

Nothing is better than the 90's US opening theme song for X Men. That just made Saturday mornings awesome.

This just looks like every other anime opening sequence ever made . . . although the winking Rogue made me giggle!

MUTANTU HIRO TEEMU DE ARU.

Seizure-tastic!

That theme song remind anyone else of Dokken's "Paris is Burning"? Anyone? Just me then...

Don't know if anyone's mentioned it yet...but Cyclops' eye blast is the same sound effect as the proton packs from the Real Ghostbusters' cartoon.

I am totally gonna yell " Cry for the mooon!!" every day as I get out of bed to go to work.