Ranked #1976

Bakuretsu Tenshi

Story:
Kyohei was looking for a job, and he found one as a cook for a family made up of Jo, Meg, Amy and Sei. Little did he know that this so-called "family" is actually a gruop of mercenaries and he gets taken along for the ride.
Believe me it ain't as interesting as it sounds BUT it ain't bad. I mean it's a good thing to have a main plot, but the series has more stand alone or filler episodes than the main story. Which is kind of a let down.

Art:
Studio Gonzo is known for their unique art style and character designs. The characters are eye candy but there are some flaws. For one thing, the setting is in a futuristic time zone, but the characters are pretty much traditional looking especially Meg who sports a cowgirl outfit. Pretty much all for fan service (you'll see what I mean if you look at the characters).The mech designs are great, Jo's mech Jango is awesome! Animations are ok...not much to be said. There's also the problem of inconsistesy as the characters body proportions change during the series.

Sound:
Sound ain't bad. A fast catchy opening song and a pop ending song. nice combo for me. the background music goes well with the anime's theme. Especially the cowboy music, which I have to admit I like even though I ain't into that kind of music. The voice acting is great (I'm talking about the Japanese dub). and the sound effects are ok.

Characters:
The characters are somewhat stereotypical. 'Nuff said, there's is little character development and only Jo's background was taken into account as well as her meeting with Meg, and also the groups beginnings. And you might think that Kyohei has a main role but he doesn't except for being the groups cook. Sucks doesn't it. And what's with Meg? is she only there to get kidnapped? oh brother.
But Jo is ok...she's the character I liked most in the series, and probably the character you'll like as well...


Overall:
The series pretty much has its ups and downs. More downs and ups. But if it's action and fan service you're looking for then this might be a good anime for you.
Don't expect much of a plot but it's a great anime in it's own right. As an action anime, I say this one is a must have.

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Watching this was almost like getting on a roller coaster. It had a lot of high points, but there were also a lot of low points. Glad to say that there were more highs than lows.

Here's an example of the roller coaster I'm talking about. Every 2-3 episodes, there's a different storyline. Some were good, like the one when Meg and Jo went to this all girls school. Some I couldn't understand, like that time warp episode. In fact, most of the time I couldn't understand because of the many independent storylines.

I like most of the characters - Jo was cool. She was tough and kinda cold, but she is likeable. I liked the way she holds the guns (although her voice is a bit too deep). Amy was really adorable, and I like the idea of a kid whose really a well known cyber genius. Sei has a really great background, and she also has a cool personality. The only one I didn't like was Meg, who apparently is only there to serve as hostage/bait. She is completely useless and very irritating. I also don't like her clothes. I never liked clothes with a western feel to it, which is exactly what Meg is wearing. Everyone else had pretty nice clothes that are well designed.

At first I thought Kyohei was the main character, which would have made the anime a harem anime, but turns out he was only a supporting character who totally disappeared in the last episode. He too was a bit irritating, because he was a coward and all, but his cooking ability is a plus (damn, a man who can cook).

Usually, I am not a fan of mecha. I don't like heavy fight scenes concerning chunks of steel, and those kinds of scenes are a chance for me to grab snacks but I thought Jango was cool. He didn't look unique or anything, but for some reason, I think I like Jango.

It was a pretty well drawn anime. Like I said the clothes were well designed, the same goes for the mech, the environment - everything. I didn't like the fact that the characters had no genitals, and it's not because I'm a perv or something like that, but if they're not going to put in dirty stuff like that then don't show naked bodies at all. I thought the excessive skin was useless anyway. I also find that Sei and Meg's bodies were too exaggerated. I also noticed that their bodies tend to morph, especially the chest area. In fact, I think Jo had the most proportionate body, even though she was a bit muscular.

Is it just me or is this anime similar to Elfen Lied? The diclonius are kind of like Jo's race. It was also a bit violent (although not as violent as Elfen Lied) and it had naked scenes and exaggerated body types as well. One thing's for sure - I liked Elfen Lied better.

The music was great. I liked the high energy opening and the toned down ending themes. The background music was great too, there were even western themed ones that even I can stomach. There was this one that they played in that episode with the crow cybot/cyberoid. Speaking of cybots and cyberoids, what's with those terms? I thought they were just too dorky.

Bottom line is it wasn't so bad. I don't think I wasted my time, and for most of the series, it wasn't so bad. I didn't like the ending though. read more