Will you like it?
You may enjoy series title if you…
-- generally enjoy Slice of Life anime with a medium sized group of main characters
-- consider yourself interested by the implementation of “angels” and “demons”
-- enjoyed the concept and progression of its cousin in Himouto! Umaru-chan
You may not enjoy series title if you…
-- often stray from the particular genres with which the series is assocaited
-- seek a plot with deeper thematic substance
Story
All of Heaven’s upcoming angels must take a period of study on Earth to live and learn among their mortal inferiors as requirement for advancement. Gabriel Tenma White, valedictorian of her graduating class, proves one of the most promising angels of the time, that is, until she became corrupted by human living. Thanks to the addicting nature of MMOs, she found herself drawn to lifestyle of a hikikomori, becoming what she proudly refers to as a ‘faillen angel’. Her friend, kindly demon Vignette Tsukinose April, does what she can to help Gabriel get on the right track, yet to no avail. With the sadistic Raphiel and delusional Satania along for the journey, these four supernatural teens come to learn the lines that separates angel, demon, and human are easily blurred.
As we follow the daily lives of the four, the main attention point is how contrary they act to how you’d expect. Gabriel, an angel formerly top of her class, has devolved into an unreliable, lazy shut-in. Vignette, a demon straight from Hell, manages to be a responsible, caring, and otherwise altruistic friend. Raphiel is devilish in her own right, developing all sorts of pranks and such for Satania, self-proclaimed “future archdemon” and the one character who at least tries to act like she should, though usually to her own dismay (and our enjoyment). Scenes generally concern themselves with character interactions, and with the great characters that we receive, most of them are fun and generally humorous.
Genre & Characteristics
While there’s a set lore in place, most of the series concerns itself with the daily events in the lives of the girls, effectively branding the anime a Slice of Life. Unfortunately, an issue that seems to place most in this genre is the very predictable episodic structure. As usual, yes there are holiday episodes, along with a beach journey earlier on. How badly (or positively?) the formulaic approach affects your experience will differ from person to person, and it’s not too big of a deal for me. There’s also a few fanservice-y scenes, though nothing too prevalent. Enough to please those who enjoy it and respect those that don’t.
It’s a comedy anime, and I actually found it to be pretty hilarious at times. Comedy in Slice of Lives, particularly, are subjective, so not everyone is going to get the same enjoyment out of it. I can tell you that if you don’t think it’s funny, I wouldn’t bother watching, as that’s its primary selling point aside from character relationships. There are a few recurring gags that are generally funny and mostly revolve Satania getting screwed over, though at times they can get a bit repetitive.
Fortunately, it would have been very easy for the creators to just add the fact there are “angels” and “demons” as a selling point, but I have to say the fact they weren’t humans really did help give the series more substance. A lot of the actions and dialogue relied on the interrelationships between angels and demons or those beings and humans, which in turn also helped support the comedy. In the latter half of the series, there were a couple episodes that involved the four returning to their respective realms in Heaven or Hell, presenting some really fun scenes from both zones.
Worth mentioning too is that, perhaps as a complement to the rising trend of hikikomori in Japan, the main character exhibits many traits usually absent from a protagonist in her laziness, social withdrawal, and general apathy. With other protagonists similar to this in Kazuma Satou of Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! and Umaru Doma of Himouto! Umaru-chan, it’s becoming more prevalent that Japan is attracting this particular audience in their future creative works. If this is a sort of archetype you enjoy, you’ll find yourself pleased with Gabriel overall, but take note that she does take it a bit further and act like a bit of an asshole at times, explained better later on.
Animation
If you’re familiar with Himouto! Umaru-chan, you’ll come to find out the animation is strikingly similar, especially in terms of facial representation, background animation, and scenery. Both were animated by studio Doga Kobo, which I can say does a satisfactory job overall. Slice of Life anime rarely go above and beyond in terms of visual technique, but Gabriel DropOut performs well by enacting bright, exciting visuals with lively characters, however there are often cases of “resting same face” that don’t detract too heavily from its overall aesthetic. That being said, I always have a soft spot for when characters have striking color palettes, and each of the four girls have one, so good job.
Sound
Unfortunately, I can’t say I was too impressed with the music. This is by no means saying it wasn’t acceptable, rather it’s that standard, generic Slice of Life soundtrack you’d expect to hear on almost any series within the genre. A few episodes had some good moments, notably those involving the coffee shop, but otherwise you won’t be looking to buy the discs.
The seiyuu performed their roles very well, with no complaints with any performance. Two VAs did stand out well, particularly with Miyu Tomita nailing Gabriel’s monotone, even bored attitude and Naomi Oozora really seeming to understand the character of Satania, with her air of self-importance captured in detail.
Despite the otherwise underwhelming soundtrack, I did enjoy both the opening and ending themes, both of which were performed by the characters themselves (always a welcome benefit).
Characters
As any good Slice of Life anime will require, the characters within Gabriel DropOut are unique, entertaining, and otherwise lovable. While Gabriel serves as the primary character, Vignette, Satania, and Raphiel receive ample amounts of attention, allowing fans of either or all to be pleased.
Gabriel Tenma White, our titular “faillen angel”, has made radical changes since her visit to the human world. Thanks to the intoxicating nature of video games, she has forsaken any sort of altruistic goals her previous self may have set, focusing only on living her life as a hikikomori. Due to her apathetic nature, she often comes off as a bit of an asshole, though she does have her moments where she lets her true feelings for her friends pour out.
Vignette Tsukinose April is perhaps the strongest character in her stability and attitude. She functions quite strongly as Gabriel’s foil, always trying to help her friend get focused back on her duties as an angel, though she herself seems to act the most angelic of the four. Despite this, she tries her hardest to prove she can be a true demon, but no one is really convinced.
Satanichia Kurumizawa McDowell is easily the most enjoyable character of the series, and the one from whom much of the comedy originates. Though dim-witted and unintimidating, she has delusions of grandeur in that she will become the future archdemon of Hell. Originally the self-proclaimed rival of Gabriel, she comes to befriend the angel as she had no friends otherwise. There’s also a little doggo that comes and steals her melon bread at every opportunity, what a dick!
Raphiel Ainsworth Shiraha is a sneaky little devil, no pun intended, and thrives in the misfortune of her companion, Satania. Large-busted and sadistic, a lot of the comedy also comes from Raphiel, as her pranks, not only on Satania but Vignette too.
There are a few other characters introduced, including Tapris (Gabriel’s easily fooled kohai), Machiko (class president), and the unnamed coffee shop owner (Gabriel’s boss and coffee lover), though none of them have particularly large roles outside of being relevant to a given episode’s plot (or subplot).
Conclusion
Gabriel DropOut is best described as one of those series that doesn’t quite earn the sticking power of a great one but leaves you feeling satisfied and content with your time spent following its conclusion. Much of this is attributed to the fact that it felt very formulaic in its Slice of Life plot progression, though it performs well in offering four lovable characters whose interactions entertain you from episode to episode. These types of anime are not for everyone, and you can pretty much tell whether or not you’d enjoy it from a quick glance, but those that do will find themselves pleased with what’s offered.
“Like, humanity can just go to Hell and die for all I care.” – Gabriel
