I have to say I was told it was really good before watching it, and it ended up being extremely good. The cast of characters is gold. In a series where almost everything is perfect, "Angel Beats!" is driven by its rich, balanced, funny, unique, deep and top of the line cast of characters. Even those that do not get too much screen time are marvelous. The main characters are memorable to the point of placing them in my top 5 casts, out of the 300+ anime series that I have seen. Furthermore, these characters are backed by top class voice actors.
Next, we have the soundtrack: One top-class opening sequence with My Soul Your Beats, and an excellent creative way of presenting the ending sequence. Insert songs are the cream of the series, specially those used during the concert scenes and at very end of the show.
Furthermore, the story is a direct punch to the soul (second time I've used that term to describe a series, but there is no other expression that's more fitting). This series has one of the most powerful finales out there, and any sentimental person will cry their eyes out for sure. Perfect finale. I cannot end a review on "Angel Beats!" without mentioning its comedy: I am the type of person that only laughs with Gintama, but I most say that this show really has an outstanding sense of humor. I had to pause more than 10 times throughout the whole show.
Perfectly balanced between slice of life, tragedy, comedy, music, drama, action. This series has it all, however, there is just but one minor flaw: 13-episodes. It is not nearly enough to develop all the great characters, and considering the powerful stories of the ones that did get explained, it really is a waste of one of the greatest cast of characters out there. However, I must say that in my short 16-year experience being an anime fan, there are only a few series I have seen that are capable of making a real emotional connection with any kind of audience. This is one of them. "Angel Beats!" has its place as one of the greatest shows I have seen.
It should be in yours too.
Period.
Masterpiece.
99/100.
