Angel Beats!

I have to admit that I first started watching Angel Beats because of two main reasons: the pretty visuals, and the presence of guitars. But once I began watching the show in earnest, I found a lot more here than I expected. Angel Beats is a show that keeps me guessing, and consistently tugs at strings I didn't know existed until they were pulled.

Basically, Angel Beats is about an afterlife in which a group of dead students refuse to 'move on' to the next life, because they have some sort of peace to make with the world and themselves. There's a unique mix of ... common school life against the supernatural. It's a setting that I found to be original enough; I also expected it to be a simple tear-jerker, but that isn't the case.

Angel Beats has a duality about it. One part of it is comedy - most of it is well timed, and on several occasions, had me laughing out loud at my screen like a nutcase. The English-speaking, nonsensical TK doesn't even need an introduction anymore. Even the slapstick comedy is quite well done, and usually timed with unfitting music which (for the most part) heightens the comedy.

The other part would be the melodrama. Most of the important characters have a back story to them, which are revealed piece by piece. And, as to be expected, many are torturous, depressing tales. These stories aren't your stereotypical 'my puppy died' stories; in fact, I've found that most of the stories that have been revealed are all original in some way or another, and interesting as well. Their common theme seems to be 'regrets' - especially those of teenagers struggling with family, society and life in general.

Topping it all off and decorating the whole package is a very clean, crisp presentation, and music that can move you from the first time you hear it. The rock concert scenes are some of the finest I've ever seen, with spectacular animation and crisp lighting effects. The music alone made me re-watch the concert episodes over and over. The art is also very pleasant on the eyes, with soft but vibrant colors and simple but effective character styles.

The greatest problem that many people make an issue out of is the transition between the two previously mentioned parts of comedy and drama. Sometimes, the parts can seem fragmented and poorly transitioned. But I only noticed this after I heard the criticisms and look for such inappropriateness. I'm a fan of such shows that mix in different types of enjoyment. Angel Beats also isn't a stupid show; I never felt that my emotions were being toyed with in a rudimentary or heavy handed manner.

What I'm trying to say is that while this may seem contradictory and schizophrenic to some, overall, it seems to be a fairly successful blend to me. I found I actually liked being proven wrong about my guesses as to 'what kind of show this will end up being'. And I know that many scenes will evoke familiar memories from other shows, but really, this show deserves to be considered as it is, by itself.

Let me do some breaking down:

STORY: 7
The story is revealed irregularly; some episodes teach you various things about the world, while others spend their time screwing around. I had fun watching those anyway, but I can see how others would think it's a waste of time.

ART: 9
The art is beautiful. Beyond what we've come to expect, the animation is amazing (especially for the concerts), and the lighting effects give the show a slightly washed-out, surreal look - which I'm sure was the intended effect.

SOUND: 10
It's been a while since I've liked every song in a show. Some of the BGMs are repeated a bit often, but the feature songs are all brilliant. The seiyuu also do a fine job. No voices will annoy you - unless it was intentional.

CHARACTER: 7
This one's tricky, as many of the characters' back stories are still veiled. Some characters seem to follow the usual anime tropes, but they work. I definitely felt more interested in a character once I learned more about their past.

ENJOYMENT: 9
There's a very obvious sign as to how much I'm enjoying a show; I get antsy and check for updates every hour. The more I see, the more I want. The concert scenes alone are worth the watch.

OVERALL: 8

I guess in the end, your enjoyment of Angel Beats will depend on whether its various aspects strike a chord with you or not (pardon the pun). For my part, I'm glad to have found a series that keeps me guessing, interests me with its premise, dazzles my eyes, while making me laugh and sniffle in the same episode.

This one's definitely worth your attention, at least until you're absolutely sure you don't like everything about it. Check it out.

POST SCRIPT:
After having finished this series, I needed to add a short addendum - because it helped me realize the potential problem of this series. In short, it's a little messy. If you watch the final episode, you'll probably come to realize the main theme of the series (the entire first half of the final episode is dedicated to it). But when you do, you start thinking of ways in which certain story elements could have been developed and presented a little better.

I can't help but compare it to Clannad, a series that expertly manages the drama and the waves of emotion from the viewer. It's almost like the show is psychic, and knows exactly when to say or show something in order to get the maximum emotional impact and reaction. Compared to that, Angel Beats is more than a little awkward; in particular, the final scene - it just didn't hit me as hard as I thought it should. I was affected, but was distracted at the same time by the clumsy dialogue and the sense of too many unexplained factors.

All in all, I'm very glad I spent time with Angel Beats, and will surely miss its presence. At the same time, it pains me to think of how much better it could have been if the show didn't feel so rushed, and if the writers had put a bit more planning and effort into the final moments.

Sometimes anime studios manage to confuse me, not because of anything they do, but because of what they don't do.

Take Angel Beats as an example.

Any fan of certain Key visual novels (or their KyoAni adaptations), will undoubtedly be familiar with the work of Maeda Jun, whose inimitable style, approach, and methodology to storytelling is clearly on display in Angel Beats, and on the surface this may actually seem like a good thing. Given the whole concept of a high school purgatory one would think there was enormous scope for the tale, and in some aspects the story is delivered very well. The only problem is ... that as a viewer, I'm kind of getting bored of watching the same thing over and over again.

Here's what I mean. Angel Beats takes the idea of purgatory (to those of you who don't know that word, google it), and places it firmly in a high school setting, something which is familiar territory to Maeda, and while the plot actually works fairly well within that setting, there isn't actually anything that I found inspiring or moving in any way. In addition to this the whole basis of the story is that this particular purgatory is only for young people, however one has to question why this is so, and also why the only young people who get to go there are all people with regrets.

Confused? Throughout the whole series not one character actually displayed any kind of violent or vengeful behaviour in their past life, and this omission place a huge bias on the story. As far as I'm aware, the nature of purgatory is that it exists not only for those with regrets, but also for those whose sins aren't great enough for them to be sent to hell.

Purgatory is, in effect, the last chance a soul has to "get it right", and whilst Angel Beats does kind of show this, the lack of anyone who died for revenge makes the whole story unbalanced. The fact that almost everyone in the story only has regret makes the whole show a bit too sugary sweet, and while the whole series is actually pretty well written, this only makes the areas that are missing more pronounced.

Still, the plot is paced nicely, and the idea is definitely unusual for a high school series. There's also the inclusion of certain elements that are interesting, but the show never really puts them to good use until near the end of the series and at that point it just seems too little, too late.

Moving on to another area of confusion, the art and animation throughout the show is actually pretty decent on the whole. The characters are designed nicely and have a certain look about them that really does remind one of KyoAni's work with Key. The backgrounds and scenery are pretty normal (the high school setting doesn't really allow for much in the way of creativity), and don't really set themselves apart from other shows of this ilk.

The problem is actually the concert scenes. The whole series is designed and animated in a certain style which at first seems pretty decent. Then P.A. Works make concert scenes that not only look better, but have more fluid and detailed animation, are better choreographed, and are just plain superior to the show itself.

Why not do the whole show in this way? It's as if P.A. Works are telling the viewer "this is what we're really capable of, but we're not going to give it to you so you'll have to make do with the leftovers". If the whole series was animated in the same manner as the concert scenes then this would easily be one of the best looking shows in anime, and the fact that the viewer can clearly see that P.A. Works are capable of much greater things is more than a little annoying.

That said, while Angel Beats looks decent where it could have been great, it sounds so much better than one might expect. Given the high school setting there's a wealth of character types on display, including the voices. The acting is pretty decent throughout, but there's very little for the seiyuu to work with as the characters are pretty much one dimensional (more on this in a bit).

What really steals the show though, is the music. Yes, there are very well produced concert scenes, but the music that's actually used throughout the series is pretty good too. Surprisingly, Maeda is also the composer for Angel Beats, while the actual arrangement of the thematic pieces is done by Anant-Garde Eyes. As for the title tracks the OP, "My Soul, Your Beats", is a decent enough pop song, while the ED, "Brave Story", is a rather nice ballad.

As far as the characters go, it's here where Angel Beats begins to suffer from the inherent lack of creativity. While there are some nice ideas and concepts in the show, the fact that Maeda and director Kishi Seiji have opted for the stereotype leaves a lot to be desired.

That's not to say that the characters are bad per se, no, it simply means that they are very much as one would expect, right down to their personalities. Yuri, for example, reminded me of a certain leader from a particularly famous KyoAni franchise. While the similarities between characters from Angel Beats and other shows may sometimes be only skin deep, the fact that no thought was given to trying out something new, especially with the more interesting ideas that the show toyed with, makes one think that the business side of the industry has taken over, at least where this show is concerned.

Now while I've been fairly critical about Angel Beats, that doesn't mean to say that the series is bad, or that I didn't enjoy it. The fact is that this show has something to offer to many people, and while I may not be a hardcore fan of this anime, or hate it with a passion, I can honestly see why those perspective are valid. The simple fact is that Angel Beats truly did have the potential to be something special in anime, and that has been wasted in favour of producing something that will appeal to the existing moe fan base.

Granted, the whole industry needs to make money (and what better way than to milk it from fans who don't know any better by giving them more of the same), but it would be nice if, just for once, one of these creators would actually give us the series that they truly want us to see.

Then again, that's probably nothing more than a pipe dream.

Angel Beats!, an anime hailed by many to be one of the best, if not the best anime ever, but also an anime many think its bad and seriously overrated. So where does it stand? Well, it isn't downright terrible, but it's not the best anime there is either, no, it's not even close to it.

I think the main story is summarized pretty nicely on MAL so I won't go in much depth on that. The first few episodes were presented nicely, and definitely looked promising. It introduced you to the characters in the SSS and Tenshi, and for me, I think they did ... a good job on it, making you want to know the truth of the afterlife and how the characters ended up there. From there, however, it started to fall apart, bit by bit.
You see, when an anime is only going to be 13 episodes long, it can have the tendency to get rushed a lot. And when an anime gets rushed, it can usually leave no room for development on both story and characters, sometimes cramming a huge amount of plot in one episode to even make it feel confusing. That's exactly what happened with Angel Beats!. The short duration of the series was at fault when the characters couldn't even get a proper development and backstory and mostly because of that, the story, on the whole, fell short. The huge amount of comic relief (at times, unneeded) didn't help much either. Honestly, they could surely have sacrificed some of the rather drawn-out comical scenes for some backstory right? Well, they obviously thought showing like only 6 backstory (out of like 18+ SSS characters) was ok enough, otherwise they could have shown at least one or two more even in just 13 episodes.
Also for the ending... well it's loved by a lot of people and disliked by others. As for me, I was very disappointed by it. The romance buildup towards the ending only had a few episodes to go for, and was rushed and just crammed together in the last few episodes, having almost no development whatsoever.

The Art is a standout. It was just stunning, beautiful and eye-catching. The character and background designs were, overall, great. The animation was also great. It was crisp and fluid, and everything from character movements to the little bits of battle scenes we had were animated very well.

Moving on to the Sound aspect, which I easily thought was the 2 of the best parts of the show, the other being the Art. The OP/ED were great but the soundtracks were really memorable to me. They fit the scenes very well, especially the beautiful and sad soundtracks. To me, without the soundtracks, some scenes wouldn't have felt the same way as it did.

Now for the characters. What started out as so promising ended up, not terribly, but marred by the short duration of the series. As I have said before, the character development was practically non-existent due to the series being short. The characters themselves, are interesting, but not entirely unique. Likable? yes, Lovable? maybe.
As I have mentioned before, I was really looking forward to seeing the character's past and how they got to the afterlife. However, with just 13 episodes, even if the character's past is cut short, it just seems so hard to fit all 18 members of the SSS + Kanade in the series. That led to having only about 6 character's backstory shown. This also led to the more interesting characters being overlooked. Characters like T.K., Shiina, or Noda had so much potential to become a great character, but were basically brushed off to the side.
Here's what I hear a lot from people who have completed the series. Many of them say that they didn't cry or feel sad throughout the series simply because that they couldn't get attached to the characters in such short amount of time.
This, for the most parts, is true, but also depends on the person watching it. For me, I liked some of the characters, and found myself partly relating to some, (who had a backstory that is) but I didn't get attached to them. But like I said, this just depends on the person watching the series. Some could cry and feel sad for days, but others could just shrug it off and say "meh".
So will you be attached to the characters by the end of the series? It depends. Had the series went on just a bit longer to give characters some more time, most, if not all characters in SSS would probably have gotten a proper development and backstory, and also likely would have made you feel more attached to them.

I personally enjoyed Angel Beats! despite its flaws. Although most of the enjoyment score comes from the first couple of episodes, the last couple still weren't downright terrible, it was just too rushed to the point it became uninteresting. In my opinion, the comedy was decent but it was just too drawn-out. For the sad scenes, I personally found only one scene to be sad, I didn't cry, but it was still, sad.


Overall, Angel Beats! is a good anime with some outstanding aspects to it, accompanied by departments where it could have been executed a LOT better. A longer duration could have helped a lot for Angel Beats! as it could have had more developed story and characters, but what's done is done.
I'd say Angel Beats! is on the overrated side, but being overrated doesn't mean that you shouldn't watch it. Who knows? For you Angel Beats could be a fun, sad, and enjoyable experience as a whole.

"-You must be an idiot! You should try dying once!
by the way, that's a cliché joke in this world where no one can die. So, was it funny?"

I'm at a loss for words...
What could I say? I keep getting surprised with Key's scriptwriters. Who's already familiar with their works, probably heard the name Jun Maeda before. He's the original creator of Angel Beats. You may not like him, but Maeda's (and his coworkers at Key) manner of creating and conducing a story, be it a light-hearted comedy or a melodramatic romance, is definately worthy of praise. Just look around, Clannad, Air, Kanon and recently Little ... Busters! are all well-known series.

When you see the description and the pictures for this anime, you actually think there's nothing of "special" with it. Guns, girls, music, baseball, god, angels... awesome! But can it all fit together? After a long sequence of Key's emotional stories, I wasn't willing to watch this (aparently) easygoing story with "afterlife" or "purgatory" theme. There's just too much of it nowadays that it's getting boring.
Fortunately I gave it a try and watched the first episode...
Sometimes you find these series with a kick off episode so amazing that throws away all your worries and uncertainties. Starting straight with the OP song, without a preview cutscene, you're introduced to the characters and just a few minutes after it, the story starts to develop. Fast paced like this, the viewers, just like the male protagonist are thrown in this "afterlife world" where those who doesn't want to disapear, or reincarnate as a caterpillar, must fight against god.
I've read a few reviews with really low scores for AngelBeats, the main reason being the "lack of originality" regarding it's story. Let's be fair, the anime industry has been producing series for more then 40 years, it's reasonable to think that some themes would be repeated. However, a recurrent theme doesn't mean the new releases will all be cliché or repetitive, what's important is the way the theme is approached and the individual elements each anime adds to it. That being said, I consider AngelBeats an "original" anime, even tough the basis of its story is not new, the characters, scenario, art and the development of the plot itself, makes it unique.
This series has that kind of sadistic/dark humor that you can't deny, it is funny, but without all that gore you would usually see in a show with this theme. It's tagged as "Supernatural" here in MAL, but it's the "family" kind of anime, that you can watch whenever you want. You won't experience those awkward moments where someone who isn't aware of what's going on see the screen in a not-very-correct moment. (Also the amount of fanservice in AngelBeats is minimal.) With "death" being part of the story it's certain that there would be violence in it, but it's in a level that isn't disturbing. In the end, you could call it a "slice-of-afterlife", since it has all the elements an generic slice-of-life just with a unusual setting.
For those who aren't familiarized with Maeda's animes yet, it's nice to point out that they're all full of symbolism, and this one isn't an exception. You always have two perspectives and some things are left in the open for you, the viewer, to make your own interpretation.
That's why I'd always recommend the subbed version. No offense to the dubbers, they're great. But while watching it in japanese you'll always get more from the dialogue and furthermore somethings become easier to understand.
The plot had some lose ends indeed, but I wouldn't call them "flaws". Considering it's just 13 episodes long, Key and P.A.Works did a marvelous work with it, if you watch it open minded without paying too much attention to the script you won't find a problem with it at all.

One common issue with series where there are too many characters like AngelBeats does is that you get lost within.
It becomes confusing to tell who did what, whose name is that, etc. This is something you won't experience with this anime. The characters -I mean, the PEOPLE- of it, each one of them have it's personality well written and it's own importance in the story (be it a main or supportive character) they all had a carefully written background story that does make you feel like you're watching real people with real problems even when it's something unrealistic as being dead.
Shiina and Yui, for example, are both supportive characters, but they're important in the plot just like the protagonists, also their mottos and catchy phrases "how unwise"/"what an idiot" adds that "spice", that extra thing, that were missing to take a laugh out of you at certain scenes. They're not just laying there with the sole purpose of being a side-kick for the main characters.
How often do you see it? A drama anime that manages to keep its direction and focus in the protagonists but still take care of the supportive characters' problems and happy moments?

There's just one opening theme for the 13 episodes. However, there are small differences in it from one episode to another. Remember when I mentioned the symbolism on Maeda's stories? The OP isn't an exception. The piano, the lights and the way the characters are presented, there's a reason for it all. When you realize it, you start to see it with different eyes and that opening that would be boring to watch becomes interesting. The same applies for the ending theme. The animation of it changes according to the story and in a couple of episodes it's a different song. This is a interesting thing to point out, there're some studios that completely fails to make an emotional ending because after the heartbreaking scene they throw the usual ending theme, a 100%-effective mood killer. In Angel Beats thankfully this doesn't happen and the songs choosen for these couple of endings are wonderful.
The background soundtrack made for it is nice. It's none masterpiece but fits well with the scenes. If I were to give prise for something of it, would be the sound effects. They used some really nice ones, from horror movies hollywood-style played with classical instruments to new ones made with synthetizers.

The artwork is nice, atractive and well drawn, but I'd like to open a paragraph here, if I may, for a special topic that isn't covered in the main score neither in the "art" section. It would be for the transitions and visual effects of the anime. This would be all those text boxes saying "in the next day" but also light and angle effects. These are subjects the animators took great care of. All the transitions from one scene to another had, how could I say, "style". Every time the scenario changed, there would be a tag in the corner with the place's name. It becomes even a visual joke in the anime when the characters goes through several places endlessly. The same for facial expressions, you can sense someone put effort on drawing it. From laughing scenes to dramatic ones, they seemed always convincing.

If I were to write a "Trivia" section in this review, it would become too long for it to be read. I'll just say you'll get some really nice laughing moments with some practical jokes, references they make and definately, character quotes. Specially T.K's ones (the english-speaking guy). Pay attention and you may even find "easter eggs" of other Key projects such as Clannad and Air.
I had so much fun with this anime but still I was moved with the emotional scenes. The deeper the story was developing, I was still laughing with the characters but also feeling bad for them. This combination is what makes Angel Beats a masterpiece for me. It's not too dramatic but also not a easygoing comedy, just the exact average between them that I came to love. A beautiful story about life and people.
Angel Beats is a "compact" anime with a clear ending. That's why I don't have hope for the 2nd season, however if it happens to appear someday I will be looking foward to it.
As a final consideration for this review, I'd like to give a advice: Don't watch the special "Another Epilogue" right after you finish the main series. Take your time, relax your brain. Otherwise you'll go crazy on theories and alternative endings. Watch it open-minded, without the "oh, this is so cliché" kind of thought, and you'll have a great time with it. Enjoyment-o'-meter: 100%.
Numeric score: Story:9/10 | Art:10/10 | Sound:9/10 | Character:9/10 | Enjoyment:10/10 | Overall:9,8...just give it a 10 already.

Uhn... I ended up writing a lot. If you read everything, my huge thanks :D
Goodbye Wild Heaven~

I will say this first; Angel Beats! is my favourite anime series. While a lot of people don't share my sentiment, and say that Angel Beats! is nothing special, I disagree.

Angel Beats! takes place in a kind of afterlife similar to purgatory. In it, young adults find themselves at a mysterious colossal boarding school that runs like most other schools...with one exception; Yuri and the Afterlife battlefront.

The members of the Afterlife battlefront fight the unfairness of life and also their idealogy of god. Otonashi is the protagonist, after he wakes in the new world with little to no memories about his past life. This may ... seem cliche, well, because it somewhat is but this works well as a plot device as his motives change because of his memories being slowly regained.

After a long break from Anime this was the series that drew me back in. The mix of action and light-hearted comedy has it's subtle mesh and the Anime is brought together by some truly stirring musical pieces.

The main characters of Otonashi and Yuri work well and the supporting characters are developed in a way that neither wastes time nor feels that they are felt 2D dimensional.

All in all, it is well worth watching. It comes bundled in a short and sweet 13 episode set and leaves you fulfilled.

All right, I need to come clean and say, this is probably one of the hardest reviews for me to write. Probably because it might seem like my scores don't justify what I'm actually saying.

First of all, Angel Beats might be my favorite anime of all-time. Is it the best anime I've ever seen? From a storytelling point of view, probably not. I won't lie and admit it has its flaws. However, there is just something about this anime I found extremely enjoyable. So much so where I go back and say, "flaws? What flaws?"

I guess I should just start with the story. Otonashi wakes ... up and finds himself on a school ground that he isn't familiar with next to a girl holding a sniper rifle. She informs him that he is dead and that they are fighting against Angel, a girl that also attends this school with supernatural powers. Otonashi reacts about how you'd expect him to...in that he doesn't believe her and then confronts Angel, only ends up getting killed again and wakes up in this school rebellion's base. Everything at that point is explained to him and he ends up joining this school's rebellion against Angel, even though he has no quarrel with her, in fact, if anything, is intrigued by this girl. I realize this is an extremely vague way of telling the story, but I do not want to spoil too much for the later events that happen in this series.

Perhaps I should begin with what I liked about this series. The primary thing I liked most about this series was the characters. It had probably the most likable cast of characters I have ever seen in an anime. Each character had their own personality quirk and it was interesting to see how they all interacted with each other. They shared their happy moments, their intense moments, and even their sad moments. Despite the horrific back stories that many of these characters have, it still felt like you could relate to the characters. That would be the second thing I liked most about this anime and that was the main characters' back stories. They were gritty, scary, heartfelt, you name every possible sad emotion, you could tie it to the back stories of many of this anime's characters. The one that stood out to me the most was Yui's back story as well as her story arc that was expanded upon in one episode. I can honestly say I have never cried so hard at an entire episode and I would say it had a lot to do with a relatability I had with Yui's situation in that episode. I would be ignorant not to mention the excellent animation and music within this anime. It was just fantastic. Many fans/reviewers that I see use this as one of the few bright spots about this anime...although, I'd say that it has a few more than they would say.

Like I said, this was a hard anime for me to review because it was one of the most enjoyable animes I have ever seen despite it having many flaws. One of the major flaws was the setting. I will admit, it was unique and it seems to cause quite a bit of confusion to what it actually is. I've seen it called heaven, a purgatory, a realm, etc. To be honest, calling it a purgatory seems to grind my gears. I have a very hard time calling it a purgatory since purgatory is supposed to be (according to my beliefs) a spaceless, empty void, which this world is not. However, its not Heaven or Hell either and it's not specifically explained throughout the anime as to what exactly this world is. If I had to make an extremely broad guess, I would guess it is similar to perhaps the Bosom of Abraham. The Bosom of Abraham has many definitions due to the belief system that you have, but according to mine, it is a place in Hell reserved for those who will ascend to Heaven, a place where you won't be punished for your sins in the pits of Hell, among my belief of that is where Jesus spent three days before rising to Heaven on Easter Sunday. Sorry for the Christian banter, but it was really the best way I could possibly put what this world was. All-in-all, what we know (or learn) about this world is that it is an afterlife of some sort and once the characters learn something about themselves or accept themselves, they disappear. Once they disappear, it isn't explained what exactly happens to them. While some would call that a flaw, I don't necessarily call it a flaw. I see it as more of "you're seeing the world through more of a 1st person point of view rather than a 3rd person. You're sort of learning as the characters are learning. In essence, you don't know more than what the characters know. It makes for a rather intriguing dynamic. While I don't consider it to be a major flaw, I was still puzzled as to why there wasn't a definitive explanation at the conclusion to this anime.

I would say another minor flaw to this anime was the backstory of Kanade Tachibana (Angel). While we get a vivid back story on Otonashi, Yuri, Yui, Ayato, Iwasawa, and a few other characters, Kanade, who was a major character got very little explanation to her back story. Considering she is one of the major characters, I found that odd but it did leave to mystique and mystery throughout about who she really is. In the end, it wasn't really explained which disappointed me a little, but not to the point where I'd call it a major flaw.

Overall, I'm just not sure what to think of Angel Beats because to say it is a flawless anime is incorrect. It does have flaws but what I liked about it was that the flaws did not retract from the overall experience. This anime was a fun experience that really did a great job of tying in several different emotional attributes. From comedy, to drama, to romance, to action, this anime has a little bit of everything and while many don't have the highest opinion of this anime, I found it to be absolutely fascinating. Definitely worth a watch.

First off, I play a lot of Call of Duty, so when the first thing you see when you watch episode one is an Intervention sniper, that hooks you. But I digress, this anime is simply amazing. As to expect from Key and their history of making comedic, romantic tear jerker's, Angel beats does not dissapoint. While its not as romantic, well actually not romantic at all so far, as you would expect from the creators of Clannad, the storyline is downright addictive. If you pass on this, you're missing out on something huge. Although the storyline is its biggest factor the comedy is pure ... gold. There was once an episode where I absolutely could not stop laughing. I spent one hour watching a 24 min anime b/c of my constant rewinding! The ending and opening music is performed beautifully and the latter is one of those songs you can listen to a billion times and it never gets tired. Trust me this is an anime you cannot afford to pass up.

Angel Beats Review:

Potential. That is exactly what this show was full of. Admittedly Angel Beats was indeed a good show that I really enjoyed watching. However, the show fell short of what I believe it could have achieved in a 24 episode season.

Story 6/10:
My God the story. THE reason why this show had sooo much potential. Angel Beats is about a student named Yuzuru Otonashi who finds himself with amnesia and in some sort of purgatory in shape of a high school campus. After meeting "Angel," Otonashi is convinced into joining SSS, where he and other students in purgatory fight off "Angel" to prevent obliteration. ... Let me tell that to you again, kids in purgatory are fighting off an angel to prevent themselves from moving on. If you aren't intrigued by that I am shocked. To top that off, there is a plot twist later on that completely changes the dynamic of the show. AND since the anime is from KEY, the makers of Clannad, Kanon, and Air, the usual addition of very strong character arcs is present as well. Now, many of you may be asking, "if it has all these things, why is the story only 'enjoyable' to you?" Well the answer in short is that it all felt very rushed. With only 13 episodes, the story progresses very rapidly and tends to skip many important events, expecting the viewer to assume they happened as they are watching. This time restriction also made the romantic element of the show seem completely out of place because the two major romances in the show seem completely random due to scarce evidence that any romance was even budding between any characters until their big confessions. I do applaud the creators though for somehow making Otonashi, Nakamura, Yui, and Iwasawa's short character arcs thrilling to watch. With only 13 episodes there are just too many glaring flaws, plot holes, and important scenes (particularly the ending) feeling more out of place than dramatic. With a 24 episode season I feel that the story could have been much more fleshed out in every aspect, making it a truly spectacular occurrence. But even with only 13 episodes it was still a joy to watch.

Art 9/10:
Wow. The animation to this show was absolutely superb. One of the greatest art from technological standpoint. The only downsides were the lack of outfits for the characters, and the lack of varied locations. However, these flaws were necessary to the show's setting. Basically this show had top of the notch animation and will wow all those who watch it.

Sound 9/10:
One of the main reasons this show stands out so much. The OP and EDs are fantastic pieces that fit the tone of the show perfectly. To add on to that, the characters in the show actually have a band named GDM that plays fantastic pieces on their own. Really the songs can even make scenes feel very emotional even though they are actually more contradictory and unecessary than emotional (particularly the ending). Like the art, Angel Beats is on another level with its music production. The voice acting isn't anything special however, not bad, but nothing really worth noting in my opinion.

Character 6/10:
I feel like some of the characters in this show have a good amount of fanboys and girls. I feel this because their designs, along with the superb animation make these characters have a very good look, although their personalities all were clearly lacking. I personally found most of the characters FAR too one dimensional. This is especially true with the very large ensemble of side characters that never seem to get any proper attention or development. With an uninteresting lead, and one dimensional characters, it usually spells trouble. However, the fantastic character arcs for four of the characters were so good that I really can't say the characters were anything worse than above average. These arcs were truly fantastic. However, because the majority of the cast was one dimensional, predictable, and lacked development, the overall score for the characters cannot really be too high.

Enjoyment 7/10:
I really liked this show. Its story was very unique and drew me in and kept me wanting more until the end. However I found some of the characters annoying, and found the plot holes, extremely random and forced romance, and poor ending pretty annoying as well. I definitely had a good time watching this show, but its issues didn't go unnoticed.

Overall 7/10:
From the first episode I was captivated by the unique storyline, and this captivation continued until the last episode. However, the show did feel very rushed to me, and the ending seemed completely outrageous to me due to the randomness of it, and how it completely contradicted an entire half of the season. The show also left too many unanswered questions that will most likely never be answered. Because of the lack of episodes I was unable to do what a truly great anime would get me to do, and that is to connect with the characters. It was able to for short powerful bursts in its small character flashbacks, but those alone were not enough for me to truly care about the characters in the long run. I know this review seems like a negative one, but I'm just trying to address these issues because I feel most people have either missed or ignored them. I did like Angel Beats a lot, but I can't help feeling that if the series were twice as long, most of its flaws would have been resolved, and it could have been brilliant, probably passing Kanon on the KEY rankings (Clannad, Kanon, Angel Beats and Air).

The Verdict:

A unique show that was undeniably good, but could have been MUCH more.

Pros:
+ Concept for the plot
+ Fantastic music
+ Beautiful animation
+ Character flashback arcs are amazing

Cons:
- Execution of plot was inconsistent
- Romance felt very forced
- One dimensional characters
- Ending is suspect

If you liked Angel Beats!, watch...
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya:
If you liked the earlier episodes of Angel Beats where they more or less just fuck around, then you will also like Haruhi Suzumiya. Both are funny and have unique concepts and are very enjoyable to watch.
Clannad:
If the latter part of the show appealed to you and were all aboard the feels train, then absolutely watch Clannad and Clannad ~After Story~ the saddest show known to mankind.

7/10 - Good

Firstly, I've heard that Angel Beats is best enjoyed by exploring its other media types as well (short stories, manga). However, I have neither the time nor urge to do so, and therefore this review is based solely on the anime series. Created by the same people who made Clannad and Kanon, many had high hopes for AB and I myself predicted that it would be nothing short of excellent. To be honest though, it did not entirely meet my expectations.

The first episode starts off strongly by introducing many ideas regarding the story, although a lot of things are left unexplained. However, as the ... series progresses details are gradually revealed bit by bit. The setting of AB is a school that's part of the afterlife, and it's this mystery and intrigue which makes this anime quite appealing in the early episodes. Another interesting twist is that all the main characters are already dead, which opens up many opportunities for creating comedic situations. Throughout the series you'll encounter drama, comedy and a fair bit of action. Personally, I thought the drama (eg. flashbacks on how unfair life was for certain characters, which is why they won't accept their deaths) was most effective at telling a story such as this. I found that the strongest episodes were the ones which took the plot seriously and focussed on the drama aspect instead of the comedy. The comedy can make you laugh whenever it’s done correctly, but too many jokes are rubbish and/or repetitive. At times, comedy is put in the wrong places and ruins the momentum of the anime, causing a sudden standstill to the plot.

The animation is excellent in AB. The studio responsible is P.A. Works, who've also produced high quality animation for True Tears and Canaan. Character models look great, although some of the characters look similar to each other. The various action scenes in this series are done very well which makes the battles fluid and exciting to watch. Music concerts which take place in specific episodes are a visual treat and a great spectacle. No complaints here.

The music is another one of this anime's strongest points, especially the theme songs. The opening is probably one of the best I've seen, with a soulful track accompanied by superb animation which changes slightly for each episode. The ending credits also changes as new characters are introduced and older ones disappear. The timing and choice of background music at certain moments are a big help in setting up the emotional scenes as well as the funniest parts. There's also a music band in the storyline who play insert songs (ranging from good to great ones) throughout a few episodes. The dialogue is okay and voice acting pretty decent. Together with the animation, this shows a lot of time/money was put into the production to makes its quality stand out.

The characters are a mixed bunch, and represent one of the weakest areas of this show. The protagonist, Otonashi, is quite bland at first because he's lost his memory and we know nothing of him, but he doesn’t improve much throughout. There's Yuri, the leader of the SSS with a strong personality, and when you see a flashback of her life it's easy to understand why she wants to be a rebel in the afterlife. Her rival is Angel, a mysterious person who tries to deter the activities of the SSS group. With the exception of maybe two or three, the rest of the (reasonably large) supporting cast don't have much development and are only around to say a few lines and contribute to some comedy and fighting. Perhaps it would have helped if this anime was longer, like 26 episodes, to explain how more of them came to the afterlife and why they fight. I didn’t judge the cast by their appearances, but by a combination of their personalities, backgrounds, significance to the plot and their interactions with the other members. Taking this into account, many characters in AB are largely forgettable and difficult to become emotionally attached to. Deep characters (main and supporting) are a must in an anime that relies heavily on mystery and drama, and in this aspect AB fails to deliver.

One of the major flaws of AB is the episode count. I’ve seen anime which have done okay with only 13 episodes, such as Kino’s Journey and Elfen Lied. Angel Beats, however, is not one of them. It doesn't help that as the story picks up in the final episodes new plot elements are introduced and existing ones are just dumped to the side or rushed to completion; this results in terrible pacing and leaves more questions than answers. Also, a lot of suspense and mystery is built up in the first half of AB, but the revelations and plot twists are far from massive. By the end of the series, we still only know the backgrounds of four or five of the cast. As I've mentioned, the drama is one of the things AB does very well, but when it's squeezed into an episode it can feel forced and unnecessary. It also doesn’t help that some early episodes barely progress the plot and instead acts like filler material, with comedy being its main focus. I like comedy, and I'd welcome it in any series if it improves the entertainment, but not at the cost of other aspects. AB is already too short, and a lot of the "funny" dialogue/scenes could have been devoted instead to developing the plot/characters/drama further.

Overall, there are some great ideas here, but it's a little frustrating when the fantastic production values (animation, music) of this anime aren’t matched by the other areas of it (plot, characters, pacing). It has its fair share of flaws but also some great moments, so if you like the plot summary, or have enjoyed Key's other works, then give this series a try because a lot of people probably enjoyed it more than I did. Angel Beats is a good anime series, but I think that it had the potential to be so much better.

Well, this is my first review.

To start, I would like to say that I'm a Clannad fan, it is my favourite anime.

Story:

The pace for the first episode is pretty fast, and I like fast paced series. The pacing does slow down for the second episode though. At first, you think that the storyline is very shallow because of the relaxed tone of the first part of the first episode. But after viewing two episodes, you realize that the storyline is rather sentimental, and each character has his/her own troubles. You actually start wondering if the story can actually finish within 13 episodes, without rushing it.

Art:

I'm ... a sucker for good art, and the art of Angel Beats! is just awesome. It uses some 3D effects here and there, but it's not overwhelming like some of the new series (Durarara! for example). I don't mind Durarara! styled art, but I prefer traditional 2D art with 3D effects only where appropriate, and the art of Angel Beats! is just that. Though, I do have a few gripes about the character art, as with a couple of the newer series. For example, Yuri's knee socks look like they are made out of latex or rubber at times. Other than that, the art is nothing short of epic.

Sound:

The voices of the characters are just right, the BGM is very well chosen, and the effects are very well chosen too. The OP and ED songs are just right for this series in my opinion. And the overall sound quality of the Mazui version is pretty good.

Character:

There's nothing too new about characters; they are all pretty generic. Though, it is the first time that I've seen a smart-looking guy being a moron in reality. Angel is an interesting antagonist, though. It is still a bit too early in the series to actually take a good look at the characters in my opinion.

Enjoyment:

Definitely one of the most enjoyable series that I've seen all year. As expected of a Key VN adaption, there is a lot of humour mixed into a serious plot, just like Clannad. I enjoy it so much that I'm just watching the two episodes over and over again in anticipation for the 3rd one.

Overall, this series meets my expectations perfectly, and in my opinion deserves a 10/10.

My first review is for a series that I throughly enjoyed and despite its flaws consider a masterpiece.

Even before Angel Beats! first aired it was alright under quite a bit of pressure and once it finally did, most would agree it didn't quite live up to that expectation.

And I too would agree to that, many expected another show akin to Jun Maeda's other works, Clannad, Kanon, Air and instead we were presented with this unruly, disorganized, seemingly random story that is Angel Beats! and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Story: 8/10
From the get go the story is intriguing. Starting off with that an all too ... familiar line, something along the lines of "You are dead." Angel Beats! introduces you to an Afterlife in which young souls are fighting against the very God who controls it, and his Angel.

Even though the story is interesting, the beginning is shaky and doesn't find it's ground for a few episodes. Even so, I felt the story had great potential and even though it once again didn't quite meet it's expectancy was still an overall enjoyment.

Art: 10/10
I for one love the artistic styling of the Key company, and Angel Beats! is a thrill to watch play out. The animation is sleek and enjoyable and riddle with many different styling's while still holding that Key charm.

Sound: 10/10
Like the art, the music is outstanding. Properly used insert songs at key moments really make you feel what you need to during any scene.

Character: 8/10
Like the story, I felt the characters were not used to there full potential. There has been many who have said the main characters in particular resemble one other famous duo, who I shouldn't have to name, but even so I do not think that takes away from there charm. Part of the loss in character development is just the sheer amount of appealing characters and lack of time to learn about each one. Nonetheless the characters are easy to relate too and definitely appealing.

Enjoyment & Overall: 10/10
As I said at the beginning, Angel Beats! is definitely not without's flaws. The story while ending nicely had a rough time getting to that point, and at some points almost seems to forget it all together. The cast of characters are all interesting but some lack development. But in the end, Angel Beats! was a show worth watching. Full of laughs, sorrow, hardship and love, Angel Beats! will not disappoint.

Angel Beats! is yet another tear jerking anime from the creator of Clannad, Air and Kanon. While the anime lacks substance regarding the story and its cast is badly used, Angel Beats! still remained for me an enjoyable
experience.

- Story –

Angel Beats! is set in the afterlife, which could also be seen as a purgatory. From the start, I have to admit that it was hard for me finding a story. The problem is that Angel Beats was transferring from humour to drama in the driest way possible. If most of the episode was relying on typical slapstick humour, the end would suddenly shift to ... the cheapest drama possible. Now of course, Angel Beats! Found itself a meaning, but this toward the very end of the series. Toward the ending, while keeping itself more serious, the anime rushes the story so hard that it becomes a festival of plot twist and drama. Step aside the bad points; let’s not forget that Angel Beats! is from a visual novel of Key, mostly known for their tear jerking moments. I have to admit that the drama feels very cheap, but I’m someone who falls for this kind of trap and end up being affected by the kind of drama that Angel Beats! had to offer. This is pretty much limited to characters having a shit life in the past. In the end, the story didn’t know what to be from the start. Having too much filler in between, there’s a serious lack of substance in the story and many questions that had to be answered, weren’t answered. Angel Beats! still manages to pull the sensible chords, and this actually very well.

-Characters-

There’s a problem with Angel Beats! regarding its cast. Either the show has too much characters and is not focusing on the most important ones, or the show is simply too short. For having this much, Angel Beats! didn’t have the benefit of a 26 episodes anime. Lots of characters, mostly the non-important ones, fall in an archetype and are only meant for comic relief or filling up the holes. There’s only few moments where the anime is really focusing on the main cast. Yet, some side characters are somehow more developed than them. Looking at the main characters, there’s either no originality at all or simply silly change of personality. Yuzuru is a mix of the shit life that Tomoya had and the lost of memories that Yuuichi suffered from. For Angel, she starts as your typical emotionless moe girl but then shift to the characters with lots of expression. And for Yuri, she’s just another non-original female lead. However, even though the cast of Angel Beats! is bad, it doesn’t mean they aren’t entertaining. Certainly not annoying or boring, Angel Beats! offers characters that are simple and fitting to the anime.

-Art/Animation-

No doubt about it, Angel Beats! is yet another eye candy. Even though it’s not perfect regarding the character design, the anime uses lots of CGI and shading to blow the viewer away, and it works very well. The problem though, is that I sometime had problem identifying characters that were too look- alike (Takametsu and Hinata for example). The animation is actually very fluid, which is expected from P.A.

-Sound/music-

The highlight of the series is no doubt the music that Angel Beats! Used. Ranging from pop songs to acoustic songs and then to melodramatic songs, it is no doubt that the music is the main factor why the anime is a tear jerking one. The voice actors are also very good with their respective roles and there’s absolutely no problem with them.

In the end, I did overly enjoyed Angel Beats! despite that the anime contains many obvious flaws. I believe that the show could’ve benefit from being longer or having less filler. It may be the weakest one from Key, but it doesn’t stop itself from being at least good.

So, this is my first review and I just want to say, thanks to whoever reads this. Well first off, Angel Beats! is currently my number one anime and I have fallen in love with everything about it.

Story: I absolutely love the story and I think it is very unique how everyone starts off dead instead of living. Even if some of the episodes are filler and not important to the main story, they still add a lot of feel to it. 10/10

Art: The art was among the best I have seen in any anime. The water in the river to the way ... the sun was setting. The characters were drawn very well and were very detailed. Everything was done beautifully and was very crisp 10/10

Sound: I thought everything about the sound was great. Girls Dead Monster performed some amazing songs throughout the series and all of their songs were upbeat and brought a cheerful mood to the plot. The opening and ending were very good too. The opening was more of a happy toned song where I felt the ending song was slow paced and made me a little sad. 10/10

Character: In a 13 episode anime, we get introduced to a lot of characters. The only complaint I have about Angel Beats! Is the slight lack of character development. Out of all the characters we see, only about 4 or 5 are developed well enough for a 13 episode anime.The other characters were just in there. 9/10

Enjoyment: This show was very enjoyable for me and for all my friends who I have gotten to watch this show (witch is 3 at the moment). I never regret watching this series and as corny as this sounds, it really made me think that "life is worth living" and has honestly changed the way I act. There were no boring parts in any episode and drew me in within the first 45 seconds. 10/10

Overall: I love this show and most of the people who watch it also do too. It quickly evolves from a funny and comedic show to a dramatic and heartwarming one. I STRONGLY recommend Angel Beats! to anyone. 10/10 Overall. I truly love this series.

Thank you for reading this and enjoy the rest of your day ^-^

A story about fighting against life's unfairness...

Very interesting story about a young man who dies and finds himself in a purgatory-like world. There, the dead are supposed to find peace and acceptance of their lives even if they died tragically too young and too unfairly. But a certain group of students is angry with God and refuses to go along with the program, and are punished repeatedly by a guardian angel. At times it is a bit difficult to follow the logic of the world this story takes place in, but eventually it becomes clearer.

The story has a lot of individual characters, and just when ... you begin to know and like some of the characters, that character makes peace with themselves and God over their lives, and vanishes into the afterlife. These are bittersweet moments in the story, and happen over and over again. At the end of the story, the final remaining students makes peace with themselves, God and the Guardian Angel and move on as well. Because the core plot is about grieving one's lost chance at life, it is a sad story. But it is full of exciting and humorous moments as the students fight their fates and work through their feelings.

I have to give this one only 7/10 even though I enjoyed it quite a bit. The story logic is very tortured and seemed to change as the story moved along. Favorite characters disappeared just when you got to like them. Key romantic relationships were interrupted just when they were getting good. A great bittersweet story with a lot of emotion, but also with a lot of frustration for the viewer as well.

I write this knowing full well that haters will hate and lovers will love. There are anime that have a habit of having a completely split fanbase. Unless you are Mars of Destruction, there is bound to be people who truly appreciate the anime. However, I've never run across an anime with such radical sides as Angel Beats!, and probably never will. So for the reader, a word of caution. If you don't love it, you'll hate it. If you don't hate it, you'll love it. This is an anime where its isn't just "liked'. Based on my scores you can probably tell which side ... of the fence I stand on, so rather than taking my review and running with it, use it as a guide to form your own opinion, whether it be with it or against it.

Angel Beats is another Key powerhouse anime, but differs in that it is not adapted from a visual novel and is only 13 episodes. Angel Beats involves the concept of a "limbo" in the form of a high school where young adults go when they live an unfulfilled life or lose there memories and get lost. One such person from the second category is Otonashi. Upon arriving and not knowing who he is, he is pulled into a rebel group that breaks the rules of the school. The reason for this is because if they follow the rules, the will pass on, and the group believes if the rebel they can stay "alive". However, the student council president, nicknamed Angel, fights the group to the death regularly (since they are already dead they can't die). The story also contains very tragic back stories for the characters as well as side stories, but ultimately fails to have a main central plot. This is the main reason it is bashed. However, as many series don't have plots and succeed, Angel Beats makes up for it in full with the other four categories.

The art of Angel Beats is consistently gorgeous, which is hard to find in itself. While other series save the good graphics until it counts, Angel Beats has it throughout, and when a moment comes where it "counts", the art is beyond gorgeous. such as the band sequences or the xmas tree scene (remember this!).

I honestly don't know where to start with the soundtrack other than saying its the best I have heard in anime, by a clear mile. With beautiful flowing melodies such as "My Most Precious Treasure", exciting tracks like "Theme of SSS", kickass Girldemo inserts like "Crow Song", and a beautiful OP and ED, the soundtrack is nothing short of perfection.

The characters of Angel beats can be overwhelming. The characters are in all shapes and sizes, not one alike even in personality. This is truly unique in that its hard for characters to have original personality when there are so many characters. The only problem that I may have is that there were a few that lacked a back story, but with the important characters explained, it leaves the mind to wonder for itself, which can be a good thing.

Angel Beats is not only a fast-paced yet hysterical action comedy, but it is quite possibly one of the most emotional dramas you will find. Without spoiling anything, Angel Beats has easily one of the most tear-jerking and emotional endings in anime, as if to reward the viewer. And like I said in the beginning, this is a guide. It is up to you to find out if you like it. Personally, this is my all-time favorite anime, and will be for a long time.

Angel Beats! was hyped up long before it was released. Everyone expected it to be the new Kanon or Clannad. Everyone expected Key to pull out some more of their brilliance, and I think its safe to say that we (myself included) were all disappointed with the first couple of episodes. It continued to show glimpses of signature Key emotion, but at the end of each episode I was left unsure about where the plot was going. I kept asking "What is Key planning to do with this story?" Yet, despite my concerns, I decided to keep watching because of ... Key's past track record, and I am now very glad that I did.

The story initially seems to have no direction. In a world after death the amnesic main character Otonashi teams up with the Yuri and the Shinda Sekai Sensen to fight against the God who made their lives so miserable. The idea has a lot of potential, but it initially seems to squander it. There's a lot of random fighting without any purpose and details into each character's past are provided intermittently. There are parts that are brilliant, but there are also parts that are seemingly unnecessary and mediocre. The comedic scenes are genuinely funny, but there is not enough drama or suspense. But this all changes after about episode 9. Until this episode the tear-jerking dramatic style that Key has become famous for was lacking; only really seen in a handful of scenes prior. Nine episodes in the story reaches a turning point that completely changes your perception of this anime. The signature Key style comes to the fore again, and all the purpose of all the previous randomness becomes clear - to provide the foundation for the second half of the series. Overall it starts off slow, but the story improves notably and can only be fully appreciated 9 or 10 episodes in, at which point I looked back on the episodes that came before and thought: "Well now that I think about it, it was actually alright." The conclusion was also stunning. However, I still maintain that 13 episodes is much too short of a time frame for this series; it's very progressive and hence the pacing seems a bit awkward.

The art is brilliant overall. This is another anime that uses 2-D CGI and you can clearly see the difference it makes during the fight and concert scenes. The characters' movements are fluid and the lighting effects used are masterful. The character designs are simple yet elegant.

Sound is the main strength of Angel Beats!. Jun Maeda's compositions are outstanding, and again he delivers. This series has one of the best OST's I have ever heard in an anime. The music is emotional and complex, with soaring highs and depressing lows. Only one word can describe this soundtrack - EPIC. On top of that the voice actors also do a very good job, especially during emotional scenes.

Some say that character-wise the show is somewhat lacking but I disagree. Yes, character development is the weak point of this anime, but it is still present. You do tend to get a feeling for each character's personality as you watch the series, even if it is not through any meaningful dialogue or feature. The problem is simple - there are too many characters and too little episodes. There are quite a few characters that are present merely for comic relief. However, the characters that are explored to some depth are very well constructed. Later on it starts to explore the characters' pasts in more detail including Otonashi, who's story is is particularly touching.

Is this anime enjoyable? I would have to say it is, but this is a point that will divide many viewers. As tempting as it is, we shouldn't group this with Clannad, Kanon and Air. It is clear that Key were trying to go down a whole different path with this anime, and all things considered they've done quite a good job of it. Its flaws are many, but if anything these flaws give its its unique feel. Overall Angel Beats! has divided rather than conquered, but it has managed to evolve into something that I would have never expected when I started watching. This anime has to be given time to reach its full potential. Good things come to those who wait. Overall score: 8.6/10 (rounded to 9).

I downloaded this series after looking at my anime recommendations. I must admit, the first two episodes made me watch the whole thing [it's only 13 episodes though] in just one night.

STORY : 8/10. Although I understood the whole story, it only happened after watching the last episode. The plot was too rushed to fit into only thirteen 25-minute episodes, thus not all backstories are told. Still, I loved the story of every episode, especially with Yui and Hinata and it made me cry. Yeah, I hoped that everybody's backstory (especially TK's! :D) were told before they have passed on.

ART: 10/10. The anime was beautifully ... drawn. And the lighting's good. The animation is also good, especially Operation: Tornado, where Girls DeMo performed.

SOUND: 10/10. The OP (My Soul, Your Beats!), ED1 (Brave Song), and ED2 (Ichiban no Takaramono) were awesome! I love Girls Dead Monster a lot, I even downloaded their whole album. The piano and orgel versions of Ichiban were also good. BTW, Ichiban no Takaramono made me cry buckets.

CHARACTER: 9/10. I loved everyone of them, especially Kanade. Her development was evident throughout the whole anime, from being a foe to an ally. Otonashi was one of the good-humored anime characters that I've known, and his backstory touched my heart. :)

ENJOYMENT: 9/10. There were a LOT of funny moments, and at the same time, some tearjerkers. The series tugged into my heartstrings, and made me realize that being alive is awesome!

OVERALL: 9/10. This anime will steal your hearts :) And enjoy!

I rewrote one of my old reviews. Now with 30% less pointless rambling and random literary allusions. Yes, I really rated Angel Beats a 9/10. You read that correctly. I don't give a F#!K what the hivemind of automatons on /a/ say about how much this series sucks.


Overview:

It is often said that there is no room left for new stories. Indeed we have been telling stories for so long that most popular stories are simply slight variations of previous ones. Comedies are especially susceptible to plot recycling and are generally the least creative in terms of plot across all genres. Even Shakespeare himself couldn't be ... bothered to create a new plot for each comedy, so he used the same formula and basic plot outline again and again. What does any of this have to do with Angel Beats?! Angel Beats is a comedy that actually has a fairly unique plot that really isn't like anything else I have ever seen before! This is an extreme rarity and took me entirely by surprise. Now lets look at one of the more uniquely odd comedies to come out in recent years!

Plot: 9/10

The story begins with our main hero Otanashi waking up in a strange new world. High school aged children are fighting with weapons against a powerful figure that is called "angel". These children are all dead and seem to be stuck in a bizarre sort of purgatory that resembles a school. The group's leader is the feisty and short tempered Yurippe, who believes that they are engaged in a battle with a cruel and spiteful God. Yurippe believes this mysterious white haired girl is an angel and messenger of God, so she convinces everyone to fight the angel in order to spite God. This story has a LOT of twists and I won't spoil anything here. You will just have to check it out. What I will say is that some might be put off by the break neck swing between zany comedy and heavy handed tragedy. You thought Elfen Lied was bad about that? haha. To quote Bender from The Breakfast Club, "Not...Even...CLOSE!" That is my only real criticism.

Characters: 8/10

Angel beats has a large class of amusing characters, but sadly many of them aren't given any back story or fleshing out. I wanted to see back stories for fan favorites like TK and Hayashida the 5th damn it! Other characters like Iwasawa are given back story that actually makes them interesting, only to disappear from the series immediately afterwards. I will admit that some of the characters like our main man Otanashi are a bit generic, but this IS a comedy after all. The series has already well exceeded the quota for creativity in a comedy. A couple generic characters doesn't take major points off in my book. It also must be said that all the character backstories are very tragic and "forced" if you will, but the that is kind of the whole point! Angel Beats isn't attempting to capture perfect realism. It is showing the strange and wonderful afterlife of a bunch of kids that lived horrible lives on Earth.

Art: 9/10

The art offers breathtaking visuals, good character designs, and fluid energy that helps with the show's frantic comedy.

Sound: 9/10

The soundtrack includes not only a beautiful opening theme played on piano but plenty of emotional and honestly quite pretty songs to help strengthen the tone of the many tear jerking scenes.

Enjoyment: 9/10

I could see why others might not like it with the extreme tone shifts and heavy handed tragedy, but I honestly enjoyed this one. It was funny, touching, creative, and overall a good experience.

Overall: 9/10

So you probably guessed that I like this series quite a bit, flaws and all. I wouldn't rate it perfect though, because no matter how much I like it, I think it had a lot of things it could have done better. I will give it a very close but not quite perfect: 9/10.

Angel Beats! Possibly the world's most polar anime. It's either you're:

Type 1: This anime is amazing. Deep storyline, moving, too touching. I SEE THE WORLD IN A NEW LIGHT NOW

Type 2: I cried more when my fish died, and I didn't even know I had a fish

But anyways, as usual, I'm going to start off this review by saying a very misconception thing in MyAnimeList. I see great reviews, but 0 of 100 people found this helpful, because this review probably gave the anime a low score. So what do people who support the anime do? "It's time to declare war" and spam the Not ... Helpful button. I'm always like, it's called "Click if you found this review helpful or not helpful" not "Click if you like their rating or don't like their rating"

Anyways, Angle Beats! manages to create a pretty confusing and as well enthralling opening. In fact, I didn't even realize what was completely going on in the first 6 episodes, which is why many people don't like it since they stop watching it because it doesn't give a quick explanation, but once you realize exactly what is going on, you start to like it more. The story is pretty original and the execution I think is one of the best. It starts off by asking some very thought-provoking question such as "Why do I live" "What reason do I live for" "What do I need to do while I am alive". The anime itself starts off with a boy who finds himself in the world after death (the afterlife) and join a group known as the "Rebels Against the God". Unfortunately, he forgot how he died so he basically tries to uncover why. I'm not going to continue and describe because that would spoil it for you. For story I would give it a 9, because I will admit that there was a lot of potential and the execution became a bit rushed at the end.

Art doesn't need to be explained. The animation is all fluid and eye-pleasing. A solid 10 here.

Angel Beats! Soundtrack is probably one of my favorite soundtracks. I found that it really set the atmosphere for the scenes in the anime and the opening and ending theme are pretty catchy. There are some pretty sad songs that really fit with the sad scenes in the anime and some very action-packed soundtracks which fit with the uprising of conflict. I give Sound a solid 10

The characters are quite original in this. The main character (Yuzuru) has a pretty interesting back story. In fact, all the character have their own unique and different back stories and although the anime doesn't focus on other as much as they probably should, they only made this 13 episodes, so for 13 episodes, I think they did a pretty good jobs with the characters. I give it a 8.

Overall, there some parts in Angel Beats! which make no sense whatsoever. And there are many parts which you have to put a lot of thought into in order to understand it and enjoy. If you push through the first 5 episodes, the anime can be very enjoyable and if you get the main part of the what story is trying to put out there. I would give enjoyment a 7, which is still a good rating.

Overall, Angel Beats! is a ground-breaking title with a somewhat expected ending, creative story, excellent execution and tragic end to it, or rather leaving the viewers to decide what happens, and more importantly, what will they do after watching this anime.

Thanks for the feedback, cool beans bro.

One of the only anime that really hit me hard emotionally. So I feel obligated to write a review on how much I enjoyed it.

Story: When I first heard about this anime, I believed it to be a cliched story where the protagonist falls in love with girl, then girl turns out to be evil. Well to be honest, I'm an idiot for thinking that. The story line of Angel Beats is outstanding, the emotional attachment you get from watching the characters fight against God for giving them their horrible lives. It's probably the best anime to make you feel compassion to the characters.

Art: To ... be completely honest, I have seen anime with better art than Angel Beats, but those anime are very few in number.

Sound: The opening music and the closing music are probably one of the few anime openers that I could sit through with pleasure.

Character: This is the section that really got me into this show. The attachment I had to Masami Iwaswa was greater than any I had ever felt to a character in an anime. How her dream of singing was crushed when she became mute, and why she cursed God because of it. And this is just one character out of the 20 or so that has this kind of experience. All the characters in this anime are there because they curse God for giving them a horrible life.

Enjoyment: 10/10 Just amazing. You come away from this anime feeling like crying because of how emotionally attach you become to the main character. When you see the struggles he grows through you can't help but cheer him on.

Overall: A must watch anime. I cannot fathom how people can say this anime isn't worth the 57th spot. Just a masterpiece.