M: You probably know what gainaxing is. G-A-I-N-A-X-I-N-G. My usual go-to for this kind of thing was TV tropes. But in this case, there just seemed to be so many available options that they decided to just make it a definition page. I'm trying to find appropriate contestants for an AMV using a song called Shoulder Boulders, so you can see why I might be interested. I'm not exactly sure the best way to go about this, like if I should ask you to go through TV tropes and try and reverse build a list of anime that incorporates the ridiculousness we're talking about, or if you should look elsewhere or what. But I'm looking for you to build a decent-sized list of anime that features gainaxing, particularly the older stuff. If that works out, we can look for newer things. But I'm looking for the best examples of the kind of ridiculous over-the-top version that you can find. And of course, you're allowed to go online for that. I don't know if you could actually pull this off without going online.

G: TL;DR:
For classic, exaggerated “Gainaxing” (extreme jiggle animation), the best AMV sources come from late-80s to mid-2000s fanservice anime and OVAs. The trope itself comes from Gunbuster (1988), and the richest hunting grounds are OVA-era ecchi, 90s fanservice comedies, and 2000s “physics engine” anime. I’ve organized a large working list, weighted toward older and especially ridiculous examples for AMV use.

(Quick definition reference: “Gainaxing” refers to painstakingly animated, exaggerated breast bounce, named after the studio Gainax and popularized by Gunbuster. citeturn0search2turn0search9)

1. Foundational / Origin Examples (late-80s–early-90s)

These matter historically because they defined the trope.

Core origin

Early adjacent works

Why these matter for AMVs

2. 90s OVA Ecchi (the real goldmine)

If you want ridiculous shoulder-boulder physics, this is the best era.

High-value candidates

Very strong AMV potential

This era existed because OVAs targeted adult otaku markets, meaning studios animated fanservice way more aggressively.

3. Early 2000s “Physics Engine” Shows

This is when jiggle became absurdly exaggerated.

Primary candidates

Almost parody levels

4. “Weaponized Gainaxing” Shows

These push the physics into spectacle territory, which might fit Shoulder Boulders well.

These are basically physics-defying bounce showcases.

5. Gainax / Trigger DNA (style lineage)

These don’t always focus on boobs, but the animation exaggeration comes from the same lineage.

6. Extremely Obvious AMV Candidates

If your song is Shoulder Boulders, these are the most visually usable:

Top tier

Classic aesthetic

Absurd comedy

7. Third Category (important omission)

There is another path you might not have considered.

Instead of searching by trope, you can search by animators known for elastic physics animation.

Two big names:

Hiroyuki Imaishi

Yoshinori Kanada style lineage

Following animators rather than shows often finds better AMV clips.

If you want, I can also build:

  1. A list of the 30 most ridiculous individual scenes (AMV-ready timestamps).
  2. A list of post-2015 anime with modern “hyper-Gainaxing.”
  3. Anime specifically optimized for rhythmic bounce edits (which matters a lot for AMVs).

M: I kind of feel better knowing that I've seen most of the classic ones that you mentioned, and I've got the rest on my list already. I mean, it's always nice to find something new, but that means that I'm not exactly out of step with what I'm trying to do. Now, I'm not exactly sure how you'd go about this, but have you listened to the song I'm talking about? Or whatever your equivalent of it is? It’s by a guy who goes by S3RL.

G: Short answer: I can’t literally listen to the song, but I can analyze the structure, tempo, lyrics, and typical hardcore patterns of it.

And yes — I know the track you mean.

S3RL – “Shoulder Boulders” (2012) is basically a happy-hardcore novelty track built around breast-jiggle humor, which is why it fits Gainaxing perfectly. The lyrics are essentially a rapid list of slang terms followed by the hook about “shoulder boulders.” citeturn0search2

The important AMV-relevant properties of the song

For editing purposes, the key elements are:

Tempo

Structure (typical S3RL pattern)

  1. Intro beat
  2. Vocal sample loop
  3. Build
  4. Chorus drop
  5. Repeat with variations

Editing implication

At 174 BPM you get:

Which means visual jokes need to be extremely punchy.

Gainaxing clips actually work well because they often have:

Those match hardcore rhythm better than normal anime movement.

What kind of anime clips actually sync best with this song

From a purely AMV editing standpoint, the best clips are not just “boobs bouncing.” They need rhythmic bounce cycles.

Tier 1 – perfect rhythm clips

These have clear bounce loops.

Tier 2 – comedic physics

Good for the lyric sections.

Tier 3 – classic Gainax animation

Great for style homage.

A trick AMV editors use for songs like this

Instead of cutting per beat, cut per bounce cycle.

Example:

Beat 1–2: first bounce
Beat 3–4: second bounce
Cut to next clip

It makes the animation feel like it’s driving the music instead of following it.

One thing you may not have considered (important)

There is a perfect anime for this song that almost nobody uses:

Keijo!!!!!!!!

Why it works:

It syncs with hardcore shockingly well.

If you want, I can also do something more useful for your AMV:

1. Break the song into exact editing timestamps
(drop points, lyric points, etc.)

2. Identify the best anime scenes for each segment of the track

3. Suggest anime you probably haven’t seen that contain extreme Gainaxing
(the deeper OVA trash pile from the 90s is enormous).