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.
