Angel Beats!

Anyone who's been to an sensational rock concert can tell you how easy it is to lose yourself in a wave of music. Anyone who's ever lost an old friend can tell you how hard it is to say goodbye too soon. And anyone who's ever been to public school already knows the value of a little recreational delinquency. Angel beats tries to mix themes such as these alongside more than a handful of different genres/styles. For only 13 episodes, it has nothing if not ambition.

As a result, Angel Beats is very unique in that, when it does so well, it can aspire to ... the heights of not just one but many different kinds of anime. The strongest of these is the music. Holy crap the music. Words can't come close to the spirit even the shortest clips bring to the show. If you're at all curious, find a recording of the OP (My Soul, Your Beats) to get a good idea. What seals it to a ten, though, is the in-show girl band Girl's Dead Monster, which goes far beyond functioning what could have been just a minor plot device. Each concert is exquisite; the full album that was recently released is proof in itself.

Artistically, Angel Beats leaves very little to be desired. Character designs, while largely stock material, go through a few unexpected changes. Combat is fast-paced, fluid and intense. When the rare occasion for artistic locations crops up, the animation does not disappoint.

Those stock characters aren't really bad, just a necessity of having three main characters alongside a supporting cast of about 16 in such a short series. The show does better and better to develop backstory, weave relationships and the like as time goes on. These stories range from what you'd expect in a series set in purgatory - i.e., everyone regrets something - to the surprisingly personal. One really wonders how the expanded cast could have been utilized if the plot didn't force the show onward in the last two or three episodes. Still, anyone can find a favorite student to watch - and that's not even taking into account the awesomeness that is TK. Don't stop dancing, get chance and luck!

That plot is Angel Beats' single largest flaw. The premise is promising enough, and about nine or ten episodes in it does just fine. Hilarious interactions give way to exciting fights, over-the-top Japanese sports events and so on. But the show's climax comes a little out of left field, and ends up being precisely one episode too early, leaving a good 25 minutes filled awkwardly. Even the show's early scenes suffer from this in retrospect. So many good questions about destiny, life after death and eternal love are either subverted or go plain unanswered.

In the end, Angel Beats both lives and dies on the unique little details it contains. A perfect example is the theme of RPG elements like NPCs, invincible enemies and even a hit counter. Things like this are quite delicious, but leave you wishing for a bit more. But fans of almost any kind will find something to enjoy here, be it comedy, action, romance, drama or good old animation. Angel Beats provides quite a tangible experience for those looking for one; I know I'll be humming these songs for days to come.

A raw diamond, that's what Angel Beats is. It solid and beautiful but it is not perfect. The series does have it's flaws but they are easily overlooked by the magic it creates.

The setting of Angel Beats appears to be at a high school like a large number of other anime, but that's only part of it. Everyone in that world is dead and each one has some sort of regret from when they left their past life. The plot itself is solid, it's well written as a whole, it fits the setting and it presents a good mix of school life ... and the supernatural. However it is not all flaw free, the story seemed all over the place at times and although the pacing is not bad, it's not the best either. The series tries to do too much in the little time it is given which makes some of the plot feel rushed. Nevertheless, the plot is still able to create moments of sheer brilliance and overall it is a pretty impressive plot.

It's pretty easy to tell that a lot of work went into the art and animation. The animations are very crisp and dynamic and all the backgrounds are well drawn, but where the best stuff lies in the concert scenes. The lighting effects are perfect and animation are actually more detailed during these scenes. Needless to say that Angel Beats is really appealing to the eye.

The sound is amazing too. The Opening and Ending were quite nice and it really fits the anime. The voice actor also did a solid job, they all matched their character and also brought some life to them. The songs during the concert scenes were great too.

Angel Beats has a large cast of characters and half of them really don't need to be there. A lot of them aren't really memorable, they don't undergo any significant development nor do we learn much about them. Despite all this, for a 13 episode series, Angel Beats does a fairly decent job with the characters. At first the characters seem very two dimensional but the main characters do undergo development and we also learn some of the character's back story making them more interesting.

This series is highly enjoyable. The magic that the series makes greatly overpowers the problems that the series has. From the mysterious beginning to the heartbreaking ending, Angel Beats will have you coming back wanting for more.

Angel Beats is a series that had the potential to become a masterpiece but a couple of minor problems prevented that from happening. However it's problems still can't take away from the beauty of the series.

Angel Beats follows the story of one Otonashi, an amnesiac that suddenly pops up in what can only be called Purgatory. He quickly meets two of the residents of this strange world: Yuri and Angel, whom are locked in a never-ending battle of sorts. Yuri leads a group of humans like Otonashi in "rebelling" against the system, while Angel seems to be an agent of the system keeping them in line.

Angel Beats is another short anime coming in at only 13 episodes. As a result, the pacing is pretty good most of the time. The plot is presented in a fine manner. I do wish ... we had more character-centric episodes though.
That said, what we do get out of the series is good. There's quite a bit of character exploration going on with the main characters of the story (Otonashi, Yuri, Angel). Some of the supporting characters aren't bad either, Yui and Hideki are pretty well explored too.

Without spoilers, I can safely say that they have some very complex reasons for existing in this purgatory. Everyone has some reason that they refuse to move on.

As a side effect of such a world, most of the members of Yuri's group are eccentric. These aren't the usual archetypes that you'll find mashed together in anime. Yuri openly opens that most of them are idiots and that she is only slightly better than the rest of them. It's an oddly funny (and welcome) way to lampshade these misfits.Especially at the beginning, Angel Beats dips a bit too far into senseless comedy shenanigans. To be honest, it feels like we should have been doing something more important than having a music episode or a journey underground through traps (I will admit it was funny though).

As such, the series gets a bit of thematic dissonance going between the early episodes and late episodes. They are just a bit too thematically different for me to give it a pass. Even if the early episodes were meant to help us get acquainted with the characters, it felt like there wasn't much of it going on anyway.

This all is probably a result of the short episode count though. The show is a bit too ambitious with such a large cast of characters. There's a lot of ground to cover in the series and only a fraction of the characters get any major development. I think the show could have very well benefited from more time to develop the cast more. This is probably the biggest problem that Angel Beats overtly has.

This is best for someone looking for a good, short series that will invoke some powerful feelings. It is pretty much guaranteed to invoke one tear somewhere in its run. It has some nice characters and some wacky humor.

All things considered, it was good.

**SPOILER FREE REVIEW**

A lot of people waltz around giving Angel Beats a 10/10 rating acting like it is some sort of masterpiece. Angel Beats is enjoyable and it accomplishes its overall goal for the most part, but it is also very flawed and it most certainly is NOT worthy of a 10/10 rating, or even a 9/10 rating.

Story: 7/10
The premise for Angel Beats is actually pretty compelling. Several high school students who have lived unfulfilled lives die and awake in a purgatory-like setting where high school never ends. The students who have appeared here are fighting off an "angel" who is trying to "obliterate" them, ... meaning force them disappear form the world and move on to the next life. Coming from the same people behind simplistic plots and environments like Clannad, Kanon, and Air, that is very complex plot.
The story actually has a fair amount of twists and emotional moments, but it has a major problem in the sense that it feels rushed. This is an example of an anime that needed to be 24-26 episodes long to effectively accomplish it's goals; not a measly 13.The shortness of the anime really hurts Angel Beats in the departments of pacing and character development (more on characters later). The story was enjoyable, but it never felt cohesive or coherent. The writers seemingly picked random episodes to dedicate to the plot, random episodes to dedicate to comedy, and random episodes to dedicate to individual characters. The story of Angel Beats is a classic example of having so much you want to get done and having so many things you want to put in your anime that you bite off more then you can chew.
Don't get me wrong though, I still thought the story-line was compelling and interesting throughout. When the show finally decided to slow down and focus on character development, it started to look more like the "masterpiece" everyone says it is. There are a few legitimately emotional moments later on in the anime when the backstories of some of the characters are explained. The problem that these moments don't happen until the very end of the anime and they all happen way too quickly in succession. If the pacing was better and the anime was longer, Angel Beats could have easily gotten 10/10 in this category.

Art: 9/10
All you have to do is watch the opening sequence to Angel Beats to know that the animation is fantastic. The characters and backdrops look fantastic at all times. Certainly one of the better quality animations you will ever see. I considered giving it a 10/10, but I'm very stingy when it comes to art ratings I guess.

Sound: 9/10
As I mentioned previously, all you have to do is watch the OP. The music is fantastic and it is the perfect compliment to the anime. The voice acting is also above average in my opinion. No complaints in this department.

Characters: 6/10
The characters in Angel Beats are the opposite of what they should be; the main characters are under-developed and lacking in personality while the supporting characters are WAY more entertaining and WAY more interesting.
The protagonist, Otonashi, is an average character I suppose. The only thing unique about him is his tragic backstory, but since EVERY character in Angel Beats has a tragic backstory, even that doesn't really make him stand out. He is only involved in comedic moments when it is initiated by other characters and he fails to demonstrate any real dynamic traits with the exception of a romance he has with another character, but even that feels rushed and poorly executed. There is no reason to like or dislike Otonashi, and that is his biggest problem.
Yuri is a character that has been done a million times before. She's the leader of the group, extremely stern, and doesn't take shit from anyone, but (shockingly!) she is a good person on the inside. Yet again, she is okay, but nothing special.
Angel is actually a decent antagonist. She is intriguing in the beginning because she is shrouded in mystery and her motives are unclear, but once everything about her is revealed, she's a bit boring. She has her moments, but Angel has a very underdeveloped personality, which is a missed opportunity.
Then, of course, there are the supporting characters, and boy are there a LOT of them. Angel Beats has WAY too many characters for a 13 episode anime. The obvious result of that is that 90% of them are underdeveloped and never have their backstories revealed. However, they still are successful characters because nearly all of them are funny and they all have a distinct personality. TK, Yui, Irie, and Fujimaki all made me laugh multiple times during the anime and all have distinguishable personalities. The supporting characters of Angel Beats are constant sources of comedic gold, but because Angel Beats is so short, none of them have a chance to be properly developed, which is a damn shame. I was more interested in the supporting character's backstories then I was in Otonashi's! But we never get them, and that is the reason this category only gets 6/10.

Overall: 7/10
In case I haven't exaggerated this enough; Angel Beats had absolutely no chance of accomplishing what it set out to do in only 13 episodes. This anime needed to draw on it's great supporting characters by developing them and it needed fix all of it's serious pacing issues to get anything higher then a 7/10. Angel Beats is probably still worth a watch, but it feels like a bit of a missed opportunity. If it had a bigger budget, it could have been the 10/10 anime that everyone wants it to be.

Before I write this review I must say, "Angel Beats!" is a fairy tale. Sounds weird? It's true. It's not an intellectually run anime, it's kind of a shonen (but not really), the action is great but that's not the point. This anime bases itself off of what most animes tend to touch on, philosophy. It's talking about Buddhism, with a hint of Christianity mixed in, addressing what happens to people who die after living horrible lives out of their own control. Watch this anime through this lens and it will not only make more sense, you may actually come to like it (no matter ... your view on religion.)

Story: 8/10
I can't give it a 10 because it's clear there are a few parts of the story, clarifications and such that were rushed or ignored which leaves the viewer a bit confused. The anime also in my opinion spends a bit too much time in the sandbox so the story doesn't really start getting good until about halfway through. Despite that, however, the anime does a great job selling itself. It's clear the staff was having a lot of fun writing the plot for this anime. The first half, episodic plot, was a lot of fun to watch and despite them messing around most of the time they did manage to squeeze in a few very significant events that the second half of the anime built on.

Art: 12/10
They must have sacrificed having a full season for a massive art budget. Stunning visuals, honestly the concerts had me mesmerizes. Not only that but they pulled off the unthinkable, the female characters, while having huge eyes, have actual physical dissimilarities on their faces! By slight changes in eye shape and facial structure, I can actually tell them apart beyond hair style/color!

Sound: 10/10
Clear crisp voices in both the dubbed and subbed versions. If watching the dubbed version be sure to get subtitles to the songs (they're in Japanese) because they are (one is) deeply rooted in the anime. The opening and ending themes are great, I really enjoyed listening to and watching them. The soundtrack is pretty generic, but no complaints.

Character: 9/10
Well developed characters, really nice. Some are given more screen time and consequently more development, but it's pretty obvious who the main characters are and they have well developed stories. My only problem is there is a bit of mystery involving Tachibana which could have bee cleared up quite easily, but it remained leaving the viewer feeling like the anime was a bit unfinished.

Enjoyment: 10/10
Definitely an enjoyable anime. Being only half a season its pretty easy to watch and not much to think about. Go in expecting to change your life and you'll be disappointed, but go in just willing to have fun and open minded, and you'll love it.

make sure to tune in for after the ending theme, they often (not always) have a short extension to the episode.

I had a great time with Angel Beats. In fact, the ending had more of an impact than After story's. I'm not saying this just to incite a flamewar. The sole reason is that angel beats imo found a more creative, more "anime" way to instill an important message. Perhaps I will discuss this more in my After Story review.

CONS:
- one word: inconsistent. some significant plot holes, jumps, and out of nowhere resolutions that's made throughout. Personally this didn't bother me as much because I EXPECT a higher degree of randomness in anime, but I can understand someone who would be taken out of ... the experience due to them.
- Angel Beats is not really a romance story. They tried to shoehorn romance in it and, in retrospect, I actually wished they didn't because I thought the anime stood on a higher, more important pedestal.
- Many people will mention the lack of character development. True, but I think some people equate lack of development = automatically bad. Not necessarily. I think the studio was aware that some characters are not as important as others, so to me it's perfectly understandable. If the story as a whole makes the emotional sense in big ideas, especially in a comedy/drama series like this, you don't need a 100% development of every individual on screen especially when the cast is so large.
- didn't really care for the "singing sessions" within the episodes.

PROS:
- First series in which I thought both the OP and EP were great. especially EP.
- For a drama series, the humor was ON POINT mostly. some were misses because they tried too hard in explaining why it is funny but still solid (Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki Kun did much worse in this area)
- As prev. mentioned, this series knows how to embrace anime to its fullest potential to bring unique entertainment
- ending wasn't a cop out but still satisfying in that it is much more gentle/careful than expected. I'm not gonna pretend that I saw that coming honestly.

What I want to analyze more is the ending episode.
Throughout I was debating between a 7 and 8, but it's a 9 because the ending sealed the deal. After the jokes, actions, and background stories, It reminded us what Angel Beats is really about. In its essence, it represents the will and regret of someone who has died too early, a concern I think everyone can relate to. As a health career-pursuing individual, I have nightmares about how empty would it feel if I die of a car accident or a disease after investing so much of my life into this future. It is a question worth thinking about because god/world/w.e. can be cruel. As an introverted person, forcing myself to spend time studying biochem in the library alone when I already have a hard time making friends is...frustrating. Browsing through the social highlights of your peers on facebook while admitting that you haven't received a red notification in weeks can be discouraging. Honest work sometimes doesn't pay off. But it's still important to will and live on.

"The wind rises, but we must continue to live." (s.o to Hayao Miyazaki)

The positive message in Angel Beats that i find inspiring is that it doesn't glorify loneliness. It tells us that you shouldn't endure alone. Notice that, while setting is the "after life", it is nevertheless a reflection of the present--to tell us to find or become the "Otonashi" of our time. You realize that what these "unfulfilled" individuals really wanted was not so much to accomplish w/e activity itself, but to be given an opportunity to share their experiences and connect and empathize with people in similar situations to ultimately find salvation of the soul. We don't have to be dead to understand this. In our present right now, we are obligated to help but are also deserving of it. That is a triumphant message imo and a rare feat in anime.

In conclusion, I thought Angel Beats was going to be this rushed ride to that climatic ep13 when I'd cry and move on, but the series was heavier, more savory than that. The individual episodes (most of them) stand for itself . it doesn't have a high re-watch value for me but I'm glad I did. Objectively, even though it says 9, it's more an 8.5. But here's the thing:It's only been hours since I finished it so what's on my mind tbh isn't analysis. I'm just happy that this exists at all.

Prepare yourselves for the most biased, ranting, fanboy review you will ever receive so humbly into your anus:

ANGEL BEATS- doesn't have to be perfect- to be perfect.

The themes it covers are astronomically profound: loss, the meaning of life, the nature of death, regret, acceptance, camaraderie, love, existence, etc. This show is incredibly dynamic, stirring up multitudes of emotions. Starting out, Angel Beats has a lighthearted and funny overtone. Because of this, the dark and tragic moments or the sad and endearing moments have quite an impact.

Angel Beats partially conveys this in a personable way through the MAIN characters' past. These characters have some serious ... development, translated through their realizations and the entirely new role they play as a result thereof. Angel Beats also made the interactions between these main characters very engaging.

No, unfortunately not all the characters got this kind of attention and depth that played so beautifully into the plot. They may have all been unique, but some of them definitely lacked a real purpose. This is a direct result of the length of Angel Beats. Ok, so the anime is too short, needed to be a little longer. i agree. but it doesn't mean the character development is bad. actually, that means that it's SO GOOD that you wanted more and couldn't stop bitching about it. Again, the MAIN characters hold up the fort in this area.

As for the supposed plot holes... IT'S THE FUCKING AFTERLIFE. does everything have to equate to perfect logic?? do YOU know the true nature of death? or what comes after? if you need to have everything explicitly explained and laid out for you, you're not smart enough to appreciate the art. This is an anime that provokes thought. and if you don't get it in the end, or it doesn't make sense, that's your problem not the anime's.

The music in this anime is unparalleled in both style and execution. It really adds to the emotion and theme of every scene. Also, Girls Dead Monster is my fucking jam and all you haters can go get obliterated. TKkissyou OUT!!!

Comedy, romance, action, musical, drama, supernatural. It's hard to find an anime with all those genres. In Angel Beats!, you can have it all.

I remember watching this in early 2011. I was captivated since the very first scene.

Story: (10/10)
Amazing. Just amazing. It was funny, inspiring, striking, and heartbreaking all at the same time. It may look like it doesn't have continuity, but it actually does. Each and every episode will keep you begging for more. The plot immediately rises from the first scenes in Episode 1, and the all the events that follow will not disappoint the viewer.

Art: (10/10)
Gun animations, piano playing, guitar rocking: ... it was detailed magnificently. The fight scenes, the angling of a scene, even the opening animations were all amazing. I praise P.A. Works for doing an excellent job in animating the series.

Sound: (10/10)
Opening theme and ending theme was perfect for the series. It suits it well. The voices of marina, Lia, LiSA and Karuta were all very magnetizing. As well as the other musical scores that plays, especially Theme of SSS, which was by far the best music ever released by an anime. It's literally my alarm tune.

Character: (9/10)
Yuri, Yuzuru, Yui, and Kanade. They are just a few people who will really put you in tears. Not to mention Naoi, Iwasawa, and the others, too. What made it lose a point for me is that not all the characters had their story told. I would've wished to see and witness all their struggles in life and their determination and decision to finally go on and live their life to full extent. But, other than that, all characters were introduced well, has participated adequately, and were not less important than the others.

Enjoyment: (10/10)
Enjoyment? I don't think it had one non-enjoyable part. You'll laugh, you'll be in tears, you'll be rocking with Girls Dead Monster. It wasn't just enjoyable, it was totally enjoyable. It has a high amusement level, and will rise as each scene follows.

All in all, Angel Beats! is an anime worth watching. It's fun, it's inspiring, and besides the action and gun-pointings, it's family-friendly. Lol. Also, once you watch it, you'll have a different view in life.

It's usually a pretty tough and sad experience when a viewer can do nothing but watch as a character that they love or completely adore, or even simply a character in general, well... dies. But what happens when those characters already start off dead? Isn't that already the end for them? What kind of story could you possibly create with characters whose lives have already ended? The answer? Angel Beats.

Story: 8/10

Waking up in a strange place, a sort of purgatory in the form of a typical high school, the protagonist Yuzuru Otanashi finds himself with a fair case of amnesia, namely his memories next to ... lost; he finds himself dead.

The Afterlife Battlefront; a group of young people in which each of them have a severe inability to move on, being completely consumed by their deep feelings of regret and blindly refusing to accept their pathetic excuse of a life they only, shortly, got to live. Their lives; filled with nothing but struggle, nothing of any true significance, not even a chance to turn that sort of life around; ended, just like that... and they couldn't do anything about it.

A story about regret and being unable to accept an unjust life, Angel Beats tells the story of people who hold such feelings, and how they cope and manage, being stuck in this world where their days are filled with rebelling against God and his helper, a small girl by the name of 'Angel'. In which case, the protagonist, Otonashi, attempts to retrieve his memories and remember just who he is as a whole; to remember what his life was like, and why he finds himself stuck in such a place.

The potential this show had was strongly evident; 13 episodes to convey a message as strong as it should be, was quite poorly executed. A typical 24 episodes would've sufficed. Speaking of which, it was certainly possible that is was due to the short amount of episodes, that this anime leaves the audience with various unanswered questions, making it feel quite incomplete, although it is fairly paced. Nonetheless, the story in and of itself was quite beautiful and if given enough appreciation, it may even be more than fairly enjoyable.

Art & Animation: 9/10

The art in Angel Beats is visually stunning! The colours are sweet and vibrant, creating an atmosphere that could be considered happy, despite each charcters true backstories and emotions. Some scenes, mostly the concert scenes, are displayed more beautifully than others, but regardless, the entirety of the art is quite brilliant!

Sound: 10/10

Most may have already heard of this, but it definitely deserves some further repitition; the sound- that being openings, endings and OSTs, are absolutely gorgeous! This is definitely one of its greatest aspects! The opening is beautifully put together and the song is beyond exquisite. The OSTs sound remarkable and is simply an absolute joy for anybodys ears. The ending is also such a sweet and simple way to end each episode. It's quite safe to admit that the sound is next to remarkable.

Characters: 8/10

Perhaps the best and most beautiful aspect of each character is their backstory, the truth that is their lives. For most of them, their memories are something they want to forget, or at the very least, have no bother in ever retrieving, in knowing the pain it may cause them. Unfortunately, most, or perhaps all, have retrieved their memories. They know the kind of life they lived, and that sort of acts like a catalyst, giving them the determination and motivation to rebel against God and 'Angel' causing their current emotions of utter refusal.

Each charcters' backstory is, to put simply, what shapes them, and what determines who they are now, in the present. It is what drives them to such strange and almosy crazy extents, the stunts they perform in a way of rebelling against God are often just that, strange. But, despite not every character getting a proper backstory and only a very, very few actually getting one, the past is presented to be something of, definitely haunting. No matter how much they fight or refuse to accept the patethic lives they got to live, it is definite that the past is not something you can easily run away from, it's not something one can simply overlook or ignore. It runs in the back of their minds, everyday. And as these characters backstories unravel, we as the audience, realise that life is more than what we make it out to be, and that what we spend our days of living on, hide a somewhat mysterious truth. And sure enough, these characters slowly, slowly and slowly, find their own form of closure, and soon enough, discover that they can accept their lives, and finally, pass on.

Overall: 9/10

A short, yet beautiful story, Angel Beats is fairly enjoyable with flaws that can almost easily be overlooked. Almost. Honestly, not the best, and it could've been portrayed better, but with a fair amount of appreciation, it is definitely quite remarkable. If you wish to watch this show, then I won't stop you, in fact, I'd probably encourage you. A sweet and fairly lovable story, Angel Beats is a definite reccomendation for nearly anyone, so feel free to watch, I will not stop you. Not at all.

An anime that plays well with your emotions with great characters, that it makes you forget all the unexplained in the weak but still good story.

Story
The story was original, funny and dark with a transition of comedy and drama in every episode and almost every character had a ''sad'' past, it hits you in the feels, at least to me and a bunch others it seems, the thing is that is filled with plot holes and things that didn't make sense, they couldn't bring a more elaborated story and is because a story like this needed more episodes, so the story could've made sense by ... explaining those plot holes in a 24 episode anime, the story is about a guy named Otonashi who arrives to the purgatory but he doesn't remember anything (Possible spoiler but not really: this one is a plot hole, even if they tried to explain it with another thing, it didn't make sense, Otonashi came later to the purgatory but dies first in his human life before the (white hair) character that was there first in the purgatory but dies years after him in human life, it's stated that they arrive there instantly after dying but he wasn't there neither did he reincarnate, so how was that possible?) about his death or his life as a living person (obviously, he will remember in the last episodes and is just a sad story tied to another character which i already stated made no sense for him to be arriving after her in the purgatory), a girl appears next to him with a sniper rifle and tells him that he should join them to fight against god (they find the truth about ''it'' which only raises a bigger question that stays unexplained) and a girl they call ''Angel'' (who i don't want to spoil by writing anything more about her) he doesn't believe this and goes to talk to ''Angel'' and gets killed because he told her to (and this was a story changer, if he wouldn't ask her to do that, the story would've been a lot different if you think about it later on) he awakes again and joins the SSS where Yuri the girl with the sniper is the leader of and from then to the end the comedy-drama transition starts, where they need to fulfill their dreams to disappear (tho reincarnation is a possibility) and they never explain where they go, if they resurrect into a fly like they joked about or if they just go to heaven? they don't explain a LOT of things. Overall the story is still good because the characters make the story more acceptable but is the weakest part of the anime.

Art & Sound
The animation is great despite being from 2010, the characters design looked very good but they could've done a better job, the background for the dramatic scenes in combination with the music was great.

The sound was great, the VA cast were very good and the music was perfect for the scenes and the OP is just beautiful. When you end this anime you'll want to cry somehow just by remembering that OP (i almost cried just remembering it right now) and the ED was good, the song for episode 10 and 13 Ichiban no Takaramono destroys your heart and even more in the last mins. of episode 13, that combination will make you cry to no end. Overall both art & sound were great.

Character
The development on almost everyone was very good, i can't go deep on this without spoiling, so i just have to say they were great but a couple of them didn't make sense on their stories and you will find out the two of which i'm referring about and i still have that question but even with that nonsense those two are two of the best characters; I wanted to know about the others and even more about TK which was a mistery, but why are they in purgatory? you don't get a couple of characters back stories and it was a let down how they ended but the characters were very good in general.

Enjoyment
Despite the big plot holes, the things that didn't make sense, the questions unanswered, despite the negative things, the enjoyment was great, you will enjoy the action, the music, the characters, you will cry in the sad dramatic moments, cry because of the songs, because of the really tear jerking episodes, it's just a trip of feels, the last episode destroys you, it was too much to handle because of the great VA performance but with a big plot hole in that part (already stated) and the last 3 sec. of that episode didn't make sense considering the previous heartbreaking scene (that already had a plot hole) but all in all it was a very good ride.

As my first anime review (wish me luck), I chose to review an all time favorite, Angel Beats! I will admit it has many noticeable flaws (to people who give it a 5,6, and 7), and isn't perfect, but it doesn't need to be. The way the story, characters, art, and sound fit together is like no other anime. Some scenes will have you cracking up. Some will have you watching silently as your eyes well up will tears. Angel Beats is something beautiful that is truly an experience to watch, and something I believe everyone should.

Story 9/10

The story the anime includes is amazing, ... but feels incomplete . At the end, there is much unexplained. The story is at it's peak when characters' past and life is explained, but does not get a chance to explain to explain each character's. The lives people lead out make you question what you are doing with your life, and what it means to be alive.

Art: 10/10

The art was completely gorgeous. Everything from the opening to the battle scenes to the concerts was impeccably animated. The character designs were really unique and likable.

Sound: 11/10

Okay, I know I can't give an 11 out of 10. But the music and OST is just amazing. Background music was well suited for whatever was going on. Songs like Crow Song, Alchemy, Shine Days, and My Song make the music memorable and make the show even more enjoyable. The opening is a great way to start the anime and one of my favorites. With Kanade playing the piano, and flashing scenes of what will happen later in the episode, the art in it is memorable also. All kinds of music are included. Ichiban no Takaramono and Brave Song are beautiful, sad songs, while Crow Song and Alchemy are catchy and lovable.
The voice acting was great in the dub, I think better than the original for Otanashi and Yuri, and also good in the sub. I did like Kanade better in the sub, her voice sounded a little too robotic in the dub. But if you're planning to watch, go with either.

Character: 9.5/10

I know that I lot of people say the characters follow typical stereotypes. I truly think each character was different in likable in their own way. TK was hilarious, despite not talking much, Yuri was strong and tough (though a like psychotic at times), Yui was lovable and outgoing, and Ooyama was totally average but still was likable and had good lines. The rest of the characters all had something to like about them too. The characters teach people to try and work hard to achieve your goals, and to make your life worth something, to not giving up.

Enjoyment: 10/10

I love this anime so much. It really touched my heart, and I do believe you're missing out if you don't watch it. It's not for everyone. It's not for the critics or the eye rollers or the people who only watch for fan service. And thats fine. If you don't like it after the first few episodes, thats okay. I'm not forcing you to watch it. (how would I?) But despite people saying there is nothing special about it, I believe there isn't an anime out there quite as special as angel beats.

Overall: 10/10

Okay, base on the point system from part one I gave straight 10s. Not because am a super fan-boy or anything, but because I felt like that is what it deserves. It is able to shine in every episode in any way that it can. It can be happy, sad, funny, but never really stupid.

Story: Like any show, the main elements are story and characters. The art and sound can either support or hamper them. In this it supports it. Not to go into too spoilers, or any really. It is well written. It finds a way ... to make everything important. Minor details that I thought didn't matter turned out to be important, an the already important details actually has a deeper meaning. The story can be random at times, but it does a way that really flows. And for random moments to have a flow, it isn't a easy task.

Art: They are unique to every anime in a way. With technology improving, the art is only going to get better. Here everything has a certain style. All characters has their own style. Everything else fits in, it has a good style to where people fit in the surroundings but don't get lost in it. As for the animation aspect, it fits. It only has one animation flow, but every shows has at least one. However, it does not change the fact that this is a good flowing and visual art style. It would be lower if it did not work well with the music.

Sound: Okay this does have a English Dub version and I have watched both, but I'll get into details of that later. What pulled me most into this series wasn't the story or characters but the music it used. It was beautiful. It also worked into the animation very strongly. I give an example, but I don't want to spoil it. The music, to me, is the most memorable thing in this. And it really works into the show. Also everything is on queue. No delay sounds, it gives general ideas as to what the mood of the moment is. All very fitting. Voice Actors really know how to sell their characters. Also the dub version does a really good job, no one is really bland in this, even the bland characters, but they do have good reason to be bland.

Characters: Story is a good thing to have, but you need characters to drive it forward. Angel Beats is on no shortage of that. Every character is diverse, and if you are unable to relate to them, you will most certainly understand them. Again I want to go into more detail, but I don't want to spoil it.

Enjoyment: This is one of the best I have seen. 13 episode, all great, and all memorable. None of them has a real weak episode and it always keeps the plot going.

Overall: I would recommend this to anyone.

"To the well organized mind, death is but the next adventure."
- J.K. Rowling

I joined MyAnimeList yesterday, and today I write my first review about one of my favorite animes. In truth, it is only the first because of alphabetical order, but as I sink into my memories of the story and soundtrack, I think its appropriate I begin with this one.

.:.: Story -- 9 :.:.

Angel Beats is about the struggle. Not fights and certainly not the ideals behind them. The setting makes it very clear that it's too late for such things. It's about what to do along their struggle for happiness when not even ... death can spare them of it. Everyone gathered in this setting have had a terrible life. Their cries for help gone unheard. And their worst nightmares came true.

The premise is that people with horrible lives are brought together through supernatural means for unknown reasons and must struggle against a terrifying supernatural existance: the "Tenshi". Which literally translates to "Angel" in english. In the afterlife, where death means only taking a short nap, they continually struggle what seems to be a hopeless fight with constant physical pain of enduring Tenshi's powers and their own psychological problems from their past, miserable lives.

What particularly strikes me is how the perspective given from the start (our dear protagonist, Otonashi Yuzuru) is that a emotionless supernatural being is out to enslave them, or worse. Out of desperation and being attacked by her after exchanging very few words, Yuzuru agrees to join the SSS ("Shinda Sekai Sensen" or Afterlife Battlefront, if you prefer). But thorughout his adventures he comes to realize that despite how easily they can manipulate things in the afterlife, the reality of life itself remains the same: they must cope with their struggles, both past and present.

I think the message of the story was that communication between people is truly priceless. Words alone can indeed save people.



.:.: Art -- 9 :.:.

The art here is first-class fit for a first-class story. Whether it be the wild chases along the beautiful looking afterlife setting, the eye-catching lighting effects with indoors and otherwise, and the character designs themselves. All of them can be summarized with words like "cool" or "beautiful" if not both.



.:.: Sound -- 10 :.:.

Angel Beats' soundtrack is second to none in the universe of anime. There are noteworthy and/or memorable individual opening themes, tracks and ending themes in many animes out there, but very rarely is the package deal as great this. I dare say that there are only soundtracks AS GOOD as Angel Beats. You can clearly notice the detail and love put into each of them; it's as good as it gets. Hell, Girls DeMo? The musical group within the cast of characters? They're an ACTUAL BAND that had their debut in this show. Those are the reasons I hold Angel Beats' OST in the highest regard. The members are the voice actors for each respective character. How much more awesome can it get? To me, it can't.



.:.: Characters -- 9 :.:.

Since about 50% of any story progresses in regards to the protagonists and antagonists, it's only fair I leave no stone unturned here. Or it would be, but this just so happens to be one of the cases where the back stories of the characters are the ultimate spoilers. And unfortunately so, because while Angel Beats deserves its reviewers to look over all details. What I can tell you is this: the "emotional truth" captured by this show is very impressive.

But their painful pasts aside, there is much to enjoy at face value. They really are that good. Yuzuru suffers from amnesia and goes by means the others in the SSS consider "too radical" to recover them, so far as to attempt communicating with "Tenshi".

Yuri, the leader of SSS, is the unwavering dedicated leader who suspiciously spends a lot of time alone sorting out her thoughts and burdens. It grows even more interesting given how she was given a position of leadership at a young age, and the cost was the curse of the afterlife she shares with the rest of the cast.



.:.: Enjoyment -- 10 :.:.

I don't think I need to say anything to justify this. It's purely subjective, I know, but I don't think any more needs to be said after I've spent so much time evangelizing everything else for you, my dear reader. I wrote all of this because I really think everyone who reads this should watch the show.



.:.: Overall -- 9.4 :.:.

Angel Beats earns a rank of 94% awesome in my book, and I hope you enjoy it just as much as I did.

This is my first review so yeah..

Angel Beats! - Though it is still too early to give a vivid review since I have only seen the first episode, I can only say that it has raised my expectations for the next few episodes to come. The story begins quite suddenly though this does help the viewers to get a feel of the story.

Angel Beats! mixes plenty of comedy to this potentially very serious plot that is in my opinion the best kind of combination.

Story - The story as I said begins in a quick and fast pace that could leave viewers behind if ... you are the slow reader (referring to people who watch subbed versions like me). The main plot of the story is simple yet has much potential to develop into something much deeper. 8/10

Art - The character designs are beautifully crafted and animated though not really revolutionary. The graphics of the anime is very catchy for the eyes especially with gunshots and Angel's abilities. 9/10

Sound - As with many first episodes, this one did not have the OP in order to set this story. The voice acting was very suitable to the characters and their varied personalities.The different environmental sounds during the shoot outs and other fighting scenes contributed well to the heart pounding and exiting situation with the song playing in the background. 9/10

Character - The characters in Angel Beats! are in no way a unique and special addition to the anime universe but they are extremely fitting to the storyline. The main male lead is a very cliched but suitable character in the story as he begins his 'inner journey' of morales and beliefs. You have Yuri the extremely hyper and eccentric girl that leads the group and makes awesome plans and then theres Tenshi (angel), the quiet seemingly harmless girl that wont even hurt a fly but is actually potentially a devastating and ruthless character. It is strange that we don't know the main lead's given names so far but I suppose its to maybe make it a surprise for us.
8/10

Enjoyment - I for one definitely enjoyed watching this and I would recommend this for all those Key fans or any people who want a kick after watching this. For those who love their toys-that-go-boom unlike most other Key productions, Angel Beats! has plenty of guns and explosions. For those who need good drama in the series then this is for you too. 10/10

Since I have only seen the first episode and my opinion and review is based solely on it I rate Angel Beats! 8.75 out of 10 but since its so close I'll just give it a 9 to round up, I can't wait for the next episode!

Ah, Angel Beats! caused some serious flame wars, built massive fandom and hatedom and gained much attention. People like to discuss it, so good job, P.A. Works, huh?

The story was written by Maeda Jun-shi, a famous person in anime community, who was a creator of such popular novels as Kanon, Air and Clannad. Kanon was just awesome and deeply influenced me, Air had a really sad ending… oh god, it was sad, it even made a cynical personal like me to cry over it, and Clannad’s strong point was a healthy dose of good ol’ social philosophy. Well, looks like I can be qualified as ... a fan of Maeda-shi’s works, but what really made me into watching Angel Beats! is that music from trailer. It is a way beautiful and it even gave me a feeling that Beats is going to be one of the most amazing anime I’ll ever see.

Sadly, when the first episode came out at last, I had too much work to do, so I couldn’t watch it for a couple of days. After I finally got a break, I was very tired and sleepy, but in spite of this I got my hands on Beats. ‘Dammit’, I thought, ‘I waited months for this and nothing can hold me much longer.’ Then twenty minutes had passed. I was sitting in my chair and staring blankly at the screen. I felt like… Y’know, imagine the scene: you walk down the street and suddenly you hear some man playing his violin. Playing really, really good, and his music touches your heart, fills it with joy and stuff… And the next thing you see is the violinist hitting by a truck and his blood and organs spitting all over the place. And that’s exactly how I felt watching the first episode of Beats.

It looked like the creators got a JPRG overdose and then watched *that certain anime*. (I think you understand what show I’m talking about, but saying it out loud usually leads to a flame war. I saw some really horrible examples of this and, lemme tell you, that was scary.) Beats looked like a ripoff of it, but with guns and even more madness. I was just freaked out. Did Maeda-shi really write this thing?

Now, when the show’s over, I can judge more objectively. Beats has two major problems. The first is unbalance of comedy and drama here, and the second is that this show has more characters than episodes. Y’see, you can’t just overwhelm the viewer with loads of characters, you need to show him their traits, good and bad points and so on. The viewer must develop some feelings for character, either love, hatred or something else, so when character dies, the viewer will rejoice or cry over his death. That’s the most basic thing in drama. Here we have a lot of characters added only for appearances’ sake. I didn’t even bother to try to memorize who they are; they just stayed till the end with nicknames like exhibitionist guy, shotaro boy, halberd goon, etc. And Christ, yeah. The creators apparently thought that it’s a wonderful running gag, but the result is I don’t remember that hacker’s real name and call him Christ. Alas.

Usually I complain about 26-episode shows being lengthy and filleresque, so I prefer shorter format. The thing is, Beats is the first 13-episode anime I wish to have standard season length. If the creators got more screen time, they could have done something with that army of undeveloplings. I think this is an indispensable condition for turning this anime into something more enjoyable. Either this or sacrificing some of secondary characters, so the author could focus on developing the main cast. At least T.K. was cool. I wanted to see some of his backstory or something, but that’s Beats we’re speaking about, so… Hope his seiyū, Michael Rivas-shi, will get good roles in the future.

On the other hand this anime had a lot of potential. Its art is perfect, and so is the music. Someone somewhere said Beats is great in one certain field, in which K-ON! sucks hard, and that field is being music. I totally agree with that statement. Well, in the end Beats showed some touching scenes even with that mad plot it tried to offer, but sadly it was too late: I already gave up on trying to like it.

And one more thing I want to say here. The feature, which I like the most in Maeda-shi’s works, is that certain emotional mood they often create. It is a unique element of Maeda-shi’s style: creating a romantic story, adding a pinch of fantastic elements there and finishing it with a bittersweet ending, so your feelings can roar like a hurricane. It’s like a modern fairytale — unrealistic, but it makes you wanting to believe in it. Kanon has this feeling, and both Air and Clannad do, but Beats lacks it. The latter feels like some JRPG trying to be all cool and deep, and that’s the biggest reason I don’t like this show. Maybe Maeda-shi got a writing block or something, but he could cope with his task much better.

I thought about giving Beats 6 points for the sole reason of T.K. and nice art, but the show finale contained really sad scenes, so I kinda enjoyed it a little. Therefore it’s 7 out of 10. Dull.

Basically, the only reason why I started watching this was because it was made by Key, and after watching episodes 1, 2, and 3, I stopped. I thought it was boring. However, summer came and I got really bored and started watching it again since it had high ratings on some sites. And, I must say, I am very glad I resumed watching Angel Beats, because it is an excellent anime. Not on the level of Clannad yet, but I think it may get there.

Episodes 8 and 9 especially are the ones that remind me of Key the most. The characters are very ... good too. I really like Otonashi and Yuri and their pasts.

Anyways, I know this isn't much of a review, but I just wanted to say that you really need to give this series a chance. It may not be good at first to some, but please stick it out. I promise, you won't regret it. :)

Angel Beats one of my best Anime I have ever watch. As this anime is focus on the viewer in the feels of the characters lost and cannot find peace in their lives to move on. The Characters in Angel Beats all had troubles and aspect of their life that was horrible and each one used to express the viewers to relate the Character, well I really cried and start liking them, while its much harder to relate them all.


Story 9/10
Angel Beats is all about the people who are trapped in the afterlife or purgatory because they cannot find peace in their lives to move ... on. They live in a school where they can make anything with dirt or alter. The Protagonist Yuzuro Otonashi wakes up in this world in a middle of fire fight and meets the leader of SSS and later on killed where he learns that he can never die. The story is all about Otnashi trying to remeber his lost memories and helps other people to move on like the way he help Yui.


Art 9/10
The Character designs were all very well done and stunning visuals and different kind of hair colors and rather unique.The Animation is amazing and beyond what we come to expect and lightning effects give how slightly see.


Sound 10/10
One of the main reason why I like this anime. The theme song makes very emotional even though they are actually more contradictory and the ending usually feels. The Character also shows actually have a band name GirlsDeMonster
the players are very fantastic on their on instrument and getting more attention of the NPC. Angel Beats is on another level of music production. The voice acting is really good in my own opinion.


Character 10/10
The main reasons and the strongest point of the series to grow. The Characters are sort of in pain of their lost in their living days, as if you are going to relate to them, they don't express nearly as much feeling as they going to relate the other character in the series. Especially Yui she was really a perfect representation of what its like to be able to move like a normal person after being unable to even walk after several years since she is 4 years old. All what she saw in the TV was actually granted and performed by Otonashi and Hinata. The experiences of the Character was actually painful.


Enjoyment 10/10
I love the series it makes me cry the story is very unique and drew me to kept me wanting more until the end of the series.
But the ending of the first season make me want to have season.I definitely had a good time watching this Anime.


Overall 10/10
Great anime especially the backstory and sounds the only problem is to be have more episode. I highly recommend this anime for those who like drama and those who wants to cry watching this

"Angel Beats!" – a mix of huge amount of genres(action, comedy, drama, romance, supernatural, music, school and more) in a 13 ep series. Sounds bad doesn’t it? How can something that tries to mix so many genres in only 13 eps be any good? Surprisingly its not only good, but pretty damn amazing, although not by any means flawless.

Art 8+/10

The art of "Angel Beats!" is really good, the animation is fluid, both fighting scenes, and the concerts look outstanding. The art itself is also great, albeit it doesn’t reach the level of Kyoto Animation it comes quite close. Especially female characters look really nice ... and original, unfortunately males(excluding T.K.) are rather bland in their design, Backgrounds(which is the are usually treated as an afterthought) are really detailed and diverse.

Sound 9/10

While "Angel Beats!" doesn’t really belong to musical genre(only a few first episodes have music as one of the central themes), sound is very important in the series. Multiple songs played by the in-show band("Girls Dead Monster"), are truly a great feast for both your eyes and ears, the background music playing is remarkable as well, especially during the sad scenes. The opening and ending also deserves a mention – both being great. The voice acting is also really solid, especially memorable is Kanade's voice actress performance(Hanazawa Kana).

Story 9/10

What happens if you die? Well if you are Otonashi Yuzuru - the main hero of "Angel Beats!" you end up in a world consisting of a High School filled with NPCs (soulless puppets resembling humans), and after you graduate there you will be obliterated and disappear... Obviously not everyone is happy with that - a ragtag band under a strong willed girl – Yuri forms SSS(Afterlife Battlefront) fighting to defy their fate by using guns(against mysterious girl only known as Tenshi) and by... failing tests.
"Angel Beats!" plot consists of two parts(which are not separated, the transition from first to second is gradual and unnoticeable). The first part – is mostly comedy mixed with action and elements of music genre, while the second part is drama, action and a bit of romance. So if you are not a fan of comedy you shouldn’t drop the series, the drama part is really good. The biggest flaw of "Angel Beats!" Plot is the length of the series itself – the anime feels rushed in some parts, only a few characters get the screentime they deserve. The cast of the characters deserved better - we never learn about why they are here. Speaking of characters…

Characters 9+/10

The cast of "Angel Beats!" is probably one of its strongest points, the characters are really diverse, even the male lead which initially might seem like a boring cliche, ends up having really interesting past. It's impossible to tell why most of the characters are interesting but believe me: almost everyone will surprise you. The only problem is some of the original characters don’t have their backstory explained, or just don’t get enough screentime. "Angel Beats!" really should have been 24 ep. series.

Enjoyment 9+/10

I have enjoyed "Angel Beats!" immensely, especially the second, drama focused part. That doesn’t mean the first part is boring, far from it, the second part is just much more engaging( to me personally), almost everyone watching will end up marathoning the series after certain event.

Overall 9/10

I recommend this show to pretty much anyone, the mix of the genres ensures everyone will find something they enjoy, and the really likeable cast will keep you emotionally engaged. Almost all of "Angel Beats!" flaws are the result of the series being only 13 episodes long. "Angel Beats!" could have been a masterpiece well worthy of 10/10, but because of the length it ends up “only” amazing.

First ur gonna have to listen to a personal story of mine:
I have a disease known as Freeman Sheldon syndrome. It causes me to have a flat face, small mouth for butchered pronunciation, restricting hands, and gradual loss of hearing. I play violin and i am currently ranked in the top 5 best for my age group in the state, but i am lagging behind due to my hand condition. I was depressed for months. That's until an anime called angel beats changed my life.

Now after watching i've gained the strength that otanashi had when he wanted to become a doctor. I aspire to study ... genetics and to prevent this from happening to as many people as possible. I still get depressed from time to time but i can now move forward thanks to this anime.

ANYWAYS........

Story: this anime had a great setting and plot. The end has a nice little twist and you'll be on the verge of tears at the end. 10/10

Art: Key has once again wowed me with their beautiful art and animation. 10/10

Sound: First of all, Lia has again transported me to my happy place with a achingly beautiful opening "my soul, your beats" is among my favorite songs of all time. The OSTs in this anime are very appropriate for every scene. 10/10

Character: This anime has EVERYTHING: Otanashi: nice and typical MC Yuri: the strong leader tsundere. Kanade: the adorable mysterious enemy. TK: well...........You learn about many of the characters tragic pasts and learn to understand them, in a beautifully presented way..........anyways 10/10

Enjoyment: The cool gunfights and some friggen hilarious scenes kept my eyes glued to my TV, Ipod, laptop. 10/10

Overall: THIS ANIME HAS EVERYTHING: cool gunfights, hilarious characters, tragic, tear-jerking back stories, gorgeous animation, beautiful ending, and of course a fun school-like setting that doesn't take itself too seriously.

I honestly recommend this anime to anybody, its a fruit basket of genres, which anybody will laugh and cry with.

Angel Beats! is held by many as one of the greats. I do agree with this statement. But what exactly makes it good? I will do my best to try to explain and maybe make you understand this anime and it's fans a bit more.

Angel Beats is about a group of teenagers who after their death found themselves trapped in an after-life school for reasons not truly known to them. What unites them is that they all died young and lived through much saddnes during their short lives. As soon as they come in terms with the saddness they lived through, they vanish from this ... world.

Under a leadership of one girl they unite to fight the unfairness they lived through and find God or anyone who is responsible for this sitiuation.

This series to me is a symbol. A symbol of fighting unfairness. Staying strong no matter what happened toyou. With these characters you go through this school from which you can graduate only when you have faced your grief and decided to not get consumed by it. As you watch this show you see how the characers who may start bitter and angry on the things that happened to them, slowly accept them, grow up, mature and learn to stand up and be strong.

It is interesting that the school has been chosen as a setting. One might say thag it is cliche especially for anime, but here it serves as a symbol too. It is a school of life in which you learn to overcome things and can only graduate when you faced the fears and bitterness, and rose above them. This way the series teaches you not to hate life no matter what happens to you.

The characters on this show are likable and you genuenly care for them. Still the anime could benefit from more episodes, as quite a few of the characters have not been developes to their full extent. It does not worsen the experience of the show, but it is still notable. Still the characters that are developed to their full extebt are all likable and you get really attached to them, which makes it all harder to say goodbye.

The animation, design and overall austetics of the show are magnificent. It looks colorful, nice and never fails to set the right mood, wether fun or sad.

To top the good characters and nice austetics, the show has a killer of a soundtracks which includes both a beautiful instrumentals and magnificent original aongs with lyrics. You will return to this majestic soundtrack more than once belive me. I still find myself returning to it every now and then.

Now the show has a few flaws. For one there is a significant plot hole at the end. It ia explained in the manga and I already knew that explanation so it did not ruin my experience. Still the manga and said explanation came after the original show so a lot of people had to experience it without any explanation. As I said the show coukd definitly use at least a few more episode to really show off the interedting characters who sadly did not get their moment to shine.

Still overall this show is highly enjoyable, deep, funny, tragic and engaging. I have had a great time watching it. It really appealed to me on personal level but even beyond that I consider this a very strong show. I urge you to give it a chance.