So I promised Quick_Ben an AMV recommendations thread, and here it is. Post/discuss your favourite AMVs!

If your only exposure to AMVs has been the occasional unwanted search results that pop up on YouTube, you should give some of the ones below a go. Anime Music Videos have come a long way since Dragonball Z or Naruto clips put together in Windows Movie Maker to Linkin Park over the last few years, and every year seems to raise the bar even higher amongst the ranks of competition level AMVs.

Here's some of my reccs. Went through my AMV playlist and picked out some of the better ones. Obviously, preferences with AMVs are linked to musical taste, but I've tried to cover as broad range of styles as possible. They're categorized by genre, with the better ones at the top of the list.

I struggled getting high quality YouTube versions for a lot of these. I'd highly recommend downloading HQ versions from http://www.animemusicvideos.org/. Streaming doesn't do most of them service, especially the 60fps videos. It can really change the experience.

Dance/Trance/Dubstep/Upbeat

Auriga - Nostromo - DJ Spoke - Watch Them Fall Down - Link - Nostromo is probably my favourite AMV editor and you'll see his videos featured a lot on this list. His videos always have a focus on being visually stunning and fast paced. I could be wrong, but I think this is the video that pioneered 60fps interpolation. He also spends a lot of time setting a "tone" for the AMV through colour palettes, and spends some time making clips from different anime blend together with a lot of colour correction.
A Piece of Toast - BakaOppai - sssShawnnn - Pizza Rolls - Link - First time I saw this video I was a bit "meh", but liked it more each time I saw it until I was literally watching it up to 10 times a day. When it comes to syncing character movement to the music, I don't think it gets better than this. A complex song with a lot going on, and BakaOppai has managed to make use of all that potential. In comparison, most other editors (even Nostromo) just rely on scene cuts to sync to the music.
Distant Echo - Nostromo - Max Graham ft Susana - Down to Nothing - Link
Magic Pad - Nostromo - Mike Shiver - Arise (Hammer & Funabashi Remix) - Link - The AMV which got me into both AMVs and trance music back when I saw it at the Manifest anime convention in 2007. The track is one of the few songs I never get bored of too. Despite being 7 years old, it still holds its own.
Shades Of - Leberate - Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed (SubVibe Remix) - Link
The Sun Comes Out - MiM - Phats and Small - The Sun Comes Out For You -Link
The Dayman - BakaOppai - Joman - Daymanstep - Link
Pure Thrust - Nostromo - Yuksek - Tonight - Link
Arcanum - Aven ft Ida Helen Field - All I Want to Do (Ferry Corsten Remix) - Link
Running Man - Nostromo - Utah Saints - Something Good (Van She 08 Radio Edit) - Link
Snowball Genocide - Kisanzi - Montee & Junky Sound - Royal Taste (Jan Waterman Remix) - Link
Feel the Mambo - ScorpionP - Helena Paparizou - Mambo - Link - Old school, but still really catchy.

Weird/Horror/Other

Meimoo - Tyler - Justice - Waters of Nazareth - Link - You sometimes come across subtle things in media that make you think "Was that a fluke, or did the artist really do that intentionally?" and this AMV has that in spades. This AMV is all about repetition - of video clips, and of music. And yet, as you watch it, you swear that Toshimi's expression is growing more and more tired/hopeless each time, and that the music is subtlety changing - but it's not. This video is a mindfuck and a half.
Paranoia Drift - Maniaki - Kashiwa Daisuki - Stella - Link - Go download the song too. It's 40 minutes of awesomeness.
Paperheart - Qwaqa - James Newton Howard - Baby Monitor/Hand of Fate - Link - I've recced a lot of Qwaqa's videos, and you'll see why. I wonder whether he traces/draws it himself.
Time - Qwaqa - Beatles - A Day in the Life - Link - Just works so damn perfectly.
This Is Halloween - Hagaren Viper - Marilyn Manson - This Is Halloween - Link - Perfect choice of song, perfect choice of anime and edited so damn appropriately.
Act of Genesis - Aggressor - Yaki Kajiura - Storm is Coming - Link - While not necessarily the most polished AMV, it tells a pretty epic story and uses the music well.
Face Your Fears - BakaOppai - Noisia - Machine Gun (Amon Tobin Remix) - Link
Pencilhead - Qwaqa - Fatboy Slim - Right Here, Right Now - Link
Chillout - Qwaqa - Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth - Link - Cause who doesn't want to see Shinji finally snap?
Spanish Lady - Crossfade - Celtic Woman - Spanish Lady - Link
Trance Condition - Padre - Linkin Park - Session - Link - Cause, well, you need at least one Linkin Park AMV.

Rock/Metal

Whisper of the Beast - ScorpionsUtd - Megaherz - The 5th of March - Link - This is a really old AMV that was way, way ahead of its time. Every scene pretty much constructed to tell a very different story of Naruto (with Sakura being replaced by Haku!). If you want to see how involved it is, watch the making of and gape at all the stuff you didn't even notice was completely changed.
Spoil - SVS - Celldweller - The Last Firstborn - Link
Rah Hey! - Ileia - Green Day - Enemy - Link - Annoying as hell song, freaking amazing AMV. Heavy and clever use of effects and composition which is brought together with perfect transitions, pacing and syncing to the music.
RadioAkshun - Ileia - Imagine Dragons - Radioactive - Link
Twilight -Flow - Hurts - Somebody to Die For - Link - Actually just came across this one while putting together this list, and it's pretty cool.
Dare to Love Again - Perfect Blue - Poets of the Fall - Carnival of Rust - Link - These sort of angsty rock AMVs are common, but very few are actually done as well as this one is.
Ty Logika - Gidra - Cheese People - Ua-a-a! (Gari remix) - Link - God this song is the most annoying thing ever the first time you hear it - particular at the start. But desensitize yourself to it a little bit, and this AMV is actually pretty cool.
The Breath of Spring - VovanKoperativ - Roxette - Opportunity Nox - Link
Yakitate - narutomaniac - amneZia - Dope - Link - The most inappropriate match of song, anime and editing style ever ever set the foundations for a really fun and silly AMV.
Drill of Destiny - Hige-san - Tenacious D - Beelzebub - Link - Just hilarious. Kamina makes the perfect Jack Black.
Muse - Gaurry - Innerpartysystem - This Empty Love - Link
Phenomenon - Premonition - Thousand Foot Krutch - Phenomenon - Link - My guilty pleasure. Your run of the mill, early 2000s style AMV that really isn't at the quality of anything else linked here. And yet, something about the use of movement in this video makes me love it.

Fun/Uplifting/Pop/Sentimental

Fate Matrix - Shin - Au Revoir Simone - Tell Me (Clock Opera Remix) - Link
Cololor - Deidara94 - Thebandwithnoname - Misfit - Link
Blame it on 2009, a Good, Good Year - Ileia - DJ Earth Worm - Blame it on Pop - Link - A massive mash up of anime from 2009 edited to a massive mash up of pop music from 2009.
Safety Dance - Shin - Men Without Hats - Safety Dance - Link
Twilight - Koopiskeva - Asobi Seksu - Walk on the Moon - Link
Mahou Shoujo Requiem -Shin - Cosmic Love - Florence and the Machine - Link
Skittles - Koopiskeva - Heartsdale - Candy Pop - Link
Momentum - Koopiskeva - Mae - Awakening - Link
Our Innocence - AtomX & Nessephanie - Caroline Lufkin - Winter - Link


(That list took me a hellova lot longer than I expected to put together... Hope you're happy Quick Ben =P)
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Oops, meant to edit this but I accidentally double posted. I'll use the last post then.

 

I got a bunch as well.

My favourite AMV: Into the Labyrinth
The reason I watched Chihayafuru in two days: Spirit Rush Song: The Script - Long Gone and Moved on.
Superb lip-syncing: You for Me Song: Terra Naomi - You for Me.
Do you take it? AMV

 

A few additions:

The Darkest of Places - Kosmit - The Wet Spots - Do You Take it? - Link - I'm not sure what it says about me that this is one of my favorite AMVs, but it's honestly hilarious. Also fits the material perfectly.

Into the Labyrinth - Lolligerjoj - Kraddy - Into the Labyrinth - Link - I'm not really sure why I like this one so much. It's not funny, it doesn't really tell a story, and it's not set to a type of music that I normally like. However, it is fantastically edited and the material fits the music very well.

??? - ??? - Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - Ninjari Bang Bang - Link - This one is all in Japanese and I can't find a translation of the title and editor. It is, however, one of the catchiest AMVs I've ever seen/heard.

Anime 101 - Vivifx - Flo Rida- Good Feeling/Avicii - Levels - Link - Excellent editing, funny, and tons of references.

Edit: Meerkats ninja'd me :/

 

That one links to Into the Labyrinth as well. Here's a link to Spirit Rush.

Another by Shin that I really like is Ivy Bridge.

---------- Post automerged at 10:55 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:40 AM ----------

Some others I like, in no particular order.

Binary Overdrive - Nostromo - Sugar Jesus - Get A Hold Of Yourself - Link
Code Monkey - KagatoAMV - Jonathon Coulton - Code Monkey - Link
Now or Never - Ileia - NDS Vs Tom E - 2gether 4ever (Clubraiders Remix) - Link
Temptation - Derisor - Def Leppard - Women - Link
Get Up! - proAkdag - Hollywood undead - S.C.A.V.A. - Link

 

Mamboleo is an oldie but a goodie, and Sweet JP Was Born to Run is one of my favorite new ones.

 

Wow, some nice recs guys.

This one is really great. Can't believe I haven't come across it before. Gets a tad repetitive at some points.

Dude, this makes me want to rewatch Chihayafuru in two days (even though I only just saw it 3-4 months ago). Instead, I'm going to spend the rest of the arvo reading ChihayaTaichi fanfics. =P

Need to fix the link though.

This one had me laughing out loud.

Half of me wants to bob my head along with a silly grin on my face, while the other half of me wants to shoot myself. Haven't worked out which side is greater yet. Either way, quite high quality technically.

While I probably wouldn't feel the urge to watch this again and again, the amount of effort it'd take to put this together would be insane. And some awesome references. It's worth it just to see the shot of Light vs Lelouch at chess. =P

Fun fact, this AMV was actually done in collaboration with the actual artist of the song. Story on Nostromo's site. I hope we see more of that. I reckon the style of editing a lot of AMV editors use are a lot more entertaining than many official music videos.

This is stylistically really unique. It has an atmosphere like nothing I've ever seen in an AMV.

Technically speaking, this isn't really that polished at all. But whoa, it still ends up being a really powerful AMV. Editing is fine, but wish there was some emphasis spent on polishing up the video - color correction, lighting, etc.

Liked this one too.


Regarding Shin's AMVs, I don't think I'm really a fan of the whole "photo" thing. I prefer more movement in the whole frame of an AMV.


Also, I just realized Nostromo released a new AMV a couple of weeks ago. It's a BIG change from his usual style. It's like with each AMV his cuts got faster and faster until he came to Distant Echo, and now he's gone really slow. Still has his focus on fantastically beautiful visuals with heavy colour themes to help create an atmosphere which matches the music.

Hidden Palace - Nostromo - Zircon feat. Jillian Aversa – Just Hold On (Padilion Remix) - Link

 

But yours looks much better than mine.

Thanks for the link spot guys. Fixed now.

PS: I have the 1080p 60fps version of Into the Labyrinth downloaded locally and it's crazy good.

 

This is a very old Death Note AMV called Spoil. I think it is the best DN AMV ever made.

It has been reposted many, many times on YouTube and in fact this link leads to a repost because I was unable to find the original.

While the repost was uploaded in 2010, I believe I've seen the original in like 2007.

Here it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvZIVMh-yo8

 

This is my current favorite, both because I love the music and I'm a slut for Nasuverse.

For my eva fans, this has the best timing of any amv I've ever seen, and is still one of my favorites.

 

Jason Scheiner's site, The Final Act, has several videos that I either just plain enjoy, or are among my favorites. They're all a bit on the old side, though, with most of them predating YouTube (though I've used the links to his YouTube channel), so they tend to be somewhat low-resolution compared to what people are now used to. If any of the YT versions have had the audio muted, you can find the video on his site. Spoiler Warnings apply (no shit) for all videos, of course, so use caution!

Some standouts...
Let Them Eat Rei - Jonathon Coulton - Still Alive - Link - Combines scenes from Neon Genesis Evangelion with the end credits song from Portal, to shockingly hilarious effect. The (comedic) timing of the images with the lyrics is pitch perfect. Although, it won't make (any) nearly as much sense or be as funny to anyone who isn't familiar with both the series and the End of Evangelion movie. Ideally, you've played Portal, too. It's so delicious and moist...

Something Wonderful - The Echoing Green - Suffer - Link - More Neon Genesis Evangelion. Something wonderful, but definitely not funny.

You're a Superstar! - Electric Six - Gay Bar - Link - A weird, funny, and almost certainly offensive (to some people) video, set to a weird and funny song, alongside video from weird and funny anime... except for the clips from Grave of The Fireflies. :fire

Blow, Blow Buttlord: The Assholder Calypso - Da Vinci's Notebook - Jump in the Line - Link - A combination of still(ish) frames from a DBZ parody webcomic (because if anything needed lampooned, it's that POS), set to an amusing cover of Harry Belafonte's Jump in the Line (which you old youngsters may recognize from Beetlejuice).

Several of his videos involving Big O (1, 2, 3), FLCL (1, 2), or Cowboy Bebop (1) are good.

And, his fucking masterpiece (IMHO)...
Urban Ragnarok - Electric Light Orchestra - Prologue/Twilight/Yours Truly, 2095 - Link - An amazing, melancholy (yet hopeful), video that masterfully combines ELO's most underrated song(s) with animation from Osamu Tezuka's Metropolis. The video quality is great, but the resolution is miserably tiny, probably to compensate for the eight and a half minute running time (which means it's still a 139mb download). Still, a great video. Major Spoilers, if you haven't seen the movie, I'm serious.

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Simple Little Melody - Bakemonogatari AMV - JD_Lord1 / Josh Lord - The Black Eyed Peas - Simple Little Melody - Link (AMV.org) - I guess the video title is an adequate, if utilitarian, description of the concept. Some good lip synch and animation choices, and some amusing moments, too. I like it.

Around The World - Shinzo (NL-Studio) - Owl City - Fireflies [DJ Strobe Remix] - Link (720p ver) - My nephew commented that he was sick of this song when he saw this video, but I live in a cave, reading HP fan fics, so I'd never heard it before. I'd recommend that, if you "like" the video, make sure it's the 480p version on the original artist's channel.

Touch - Shinzo (NL-Studio) - Basic Element - Touch - Link - Same artist as above. Not bad.

Disco Heaven - JudgeHolden - Lady Gaga - Disco Heaven - Link (AMV.org) - Anime girls disco dancing to Lady Gaga. It exists because it couldn't not exist.

Be a Man - ??what no?? - Disney - I'll Make a Man Out of You - Link - Strike Witches visuals, with music from Mulan. I have no clue if this is the original artist, since I've seen it on YouTube under several different accounts. It's low-res, blurry, and glitchy, but I'm shamelessly tickled by this one. However, it would be nice to see an HD (i.e. not shitty) remake of it.

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The following aren't available on YouTube, as far as I know...
Malevolent Skies - NHMK - Muse - Stockholm Syndrome - Link - An old favorite of mine. Every version uploaded to YouTube has had the music removed, sorry.

Approved - Hanon13 - Mindless Self Indulgence - Shut Me Up - Link - If you don't like Mitsudomoe or aren't familiar with it, you miiiight be inclined to skip this one. A simple video with an amusing enough combination of visuals and music.

A Warlocke favorite since 2011 (that's 1888 in internet time!): I highly recommend this.

Another video I rather liked.

 

Futuristic Lover by Okami.

And I suppose nobody remembers an old (pre-2003) Dragon Ball Z AMV with Bio-Broly that had a runtime around 10 minutes. It had just one heavy metal song with first minutes of simple choirs that I'm trying to identify and find for almost a decade.

 

Shit, I knew I forgot something.

That's another one that I like. It can also be downloaded at AMV.org (that page also has a mediafire link, for those who want to take it easy on AMV.org's bandwidth).

 

Well, I think I saw Perfect Blue in there as well, I suppose you could have put that under weird though.

You weren't kidding when you said it was tiny, 320x176 if anyone else is wondering, but wow is it crisp. And the music really fits imo, plus I'd never heard those particular ELO songs. I recommend it as well.

Also, that mediafire link doesn't work for me, I get a Permission Denied.

 

I'm glad you like it!

Yeah, the YouTube version is 640x360, but isn't as crisp. However, if you stretch the small version until it's the same size as the YouTube one, the YT version actually appears a little sharper, and a bit more saturated, though with more artifacts. So, it's kind of a toss-up.

It's a brilliant video, and I'd love to have it in the biggest resolution possible (which probably isn't all that large, given typical DVDs). If the author still had the 'master' at its original resolution, he'd have probably provided a better version when he uploaded it to YouTube (where he's not paying for bandwidth); so, I don't think we'll be seeing it.

Ah, I probably should have checked the link before I mentioned it. The link to their local copy should be fine, though.

Edit:
Reality Rotation - AmaiMizu Amvs - The Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up - Link - A Bakemonogatari AMV.

Bakemonogatari seems pretty popular for AMVs. I have a feeling that a lot of it is because, in addition to just plain being good, the animation is very clean and well defined, as are the backgrounds, which also tend to be relatively simple - all traits that lend themselves well to editing, particularly if you want to remove some/all of the background, redo mouth movements, or add/remove characters in a scene.

 

They are all amazing.

 

The music alone . . . was an enlightening experience. "Yours Truly" . . . I think I just had an idea for part of a book I was already planning

Much thanks for this.

 

Ask and ye shall receive. These are all of the ones with no anime source mentioned in the title or description.

All of these are mashups of various anime. Most have the full list either on the link or linked in the youtube description.

Origin Spirits of the Past

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic

Monogatari Series

Paprika

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

Soul Eater

Spice and Wolf

Naruto

Death Note

Evangelion

Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi

Clannad/Clannad After Story

Maria Holic

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Durarara!!!

Nichijou

Kanon

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzimiya

5 Centimeters per Second

Usagi Drop

Genius Party Beyond

Black Heaven

Macross Frontier

No clue. Something about vampires.

Redline

Last Exile

 

That one looks to be another one with various anime. Since I saw both Kara no Kyokai and Vampire Knight.

In other news have some older AMVs:

Euphoria - Koop - Frou Frou - Must Be Dreaming - RahXephon - Link.

Shounen Bushidou - istiv Studio - Masterplan - Sprit Never Die - Various Shounen Anime - Link.

Right Now Someone Is Reading This Title - dokidoki - Van Halen - Right Now - Various Anime - Link. This was the first great AMV I ever saw. Found out later from someone that it won an AMV contest at a con in... 2006 I think.

And how about we add the first AMV ever to the mix eh?

Daicon IV - Daicon Film aka the founding members of Gainax - Electric Light Orchestra - Prologue/Twilight - Original Animation - Link. 1983 By the way. Music starts about 1:30 in.