Anime

Here are some of mine:

• Rewrite - Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) OP4. I can't think of another opening for a long(-ish) show that feels like a culmination of everything that led up to that point. There's the immediate impact of the guitars and drums crashing in from the very first second, and then for the next thirty or so seconds everything is kind of downbeat: the vocals are low and meandering, and all of the characters on-screen stand still in deep contemplation. And yet, the guitars and drums are still going ham in the background, and in almost every shot there's some kind of movement being animated even while the characters are still. All of this builds an insane amount of tension beneath the surface -- which finally explodes at the chorus along with Gotoh's iconic "KESHITE" scream and some god-like action cuts with jaw-dropping animation. It's hella cathartic every time I watch it and matches the final arc of the show being about letting go of the past and rewriting those regrets into actions for seizing your own future.
• Answer - March Comes In Like a Lion OP1. Even before I got very deep into the show and understood the full context of what this song was conveying, it made me super emotional. The music strikes that perfect balance between being uplifting and encouraging but also soft and reassuring, which matches up with the visuals of a troubled individual literally pulling themselves up after drowning in depression. I love the glockenspiel accents during the chorus that sound like stars lighting the path through darkness.
• Toki Wo Kizamu Uta - Clannad After Story. I LOVE how they took one of the best piano songs from the Visual Novel's soundtrack and turned it into a breathtaking vocal ballad. Lia's sustained notes in the chorus hit hard and make the song sound immense while still being intensely emotional and personal. Perfect song for what After Story puts its audience through.