Gabriel Dropout’s story is of very basic premise and is seemingly typical for a slice of life anime. While it still pertains to a school setting, its main differentiator is the added mythological aspect of heaven and hell. The story revolves around distinct personalities of two angels (Gab and Raphi) and two demons (Satania and Vigne), whose characteristics largely contrast with the roles they were supposed to fulfill when sent down to Earth. As such, most of the plot will revolve around this gag. There is some semblance of plot progression and the passage of seasons which is celebrated through holidays, however most of it is reserved towards the end of the series. It is a basic slice of life that doesn’t require the viewer to give it their full attention. The simplicity of its premise allows it to be watched casually, though, I was pretty attentive. One minor complaint I have, unrelated to the comedy about the story, is how quickly Gab changes personalities versed in the human world. But even with this story’s basic premise, the main story was largely irrelevant.
Comedy is subjective so most of its effectiveness can be from what people thought of the first episode or two. Most of it either revolves around slapstick humor or the gag about the roles of angels and demons reversing. Despite this, I found that a good chunk of the humor just came from the dialogue. Gab had the funniest lines, even though most of it didn't seem to be intentional. Some of the comedy unrelated to the dialogue became somewhat repetitive while the series progressed, for example most of Satania's gags involving what could be called another side character and her attempt at acting demonic were repeated throughout the series. While these gags definitely are overused, it was not to the point where it became unbearable or anything. It served as a good way to derive a cheap yet “hit or miss” source of comedy if that is what these people are into these days. On a related note, the slapstick comedy was sort of interchangeable with the running gags. If I had to quantify the enjoyment I derived from this anime, I would probably say I chuckled anywhere between a few and a little under a dozen times. The comedy peaked between episodes 3-6, mostly because of the character’s relations with each other.
Gab, aka the best of the group, who was once a perfect angel at the top of her class, has now transformed into a lazy slob on Earth. Her angelic personality is displayed very briefly while she was first in contact with the human world. One she discovers the now daily aspects of a typical human life she becomes the opposite of what she once was. I wouldn’t describe her as much of a hikikomori as much as anyone else, although she was shown to be a hermit in a few of the episodes none of the other hikikomori aspects apply to her. Her sarcastic and apathetic attitude towards everyday life would make her unappealing were it not for some semblance of kindness and loyalty being directed elsewhere. This would be directed towards to her friend group. I found that the aspects of her which would be less appealing to the group were the most entertaining and the best part of the series.
Raphi is more of a bully than a slob, and is the meanest out of the group. Like Gab, she has taken her likeness to the human world and hopes to do stuff not allowed in heaven. Most of her character consists of doing evil deeds under the disguise of a thin veiled happy smile. She also has a good friendship with Gab due to both of them being angels and convincing Satania to do favors for them. This persists throughout the series, but Raphi is more known persistently teasing Satania throughout the series, and despite the teasing, most of it was light-hearted and entertaining.
Vigne functions more as a blank slate and the mediator of the group, and is the nicest out of the group. She is often seen doing favors for the group, such as cleaning Gab’s room or disencouraging Satania at appropriate times. This isn’t to say she is without faults or that this personality is always present though. For instance, she still acts in character when necessary to correct the rest of the group or receive something of value from Earth. Her relation with Gab is also nice in the episodes relating to Holidays.
Satania is basically the one who gets picked on the most. She is perceived as childish and immature by her friends. As a result, she is often teased by Raphi, who also encourages an animal to bother her. The routine harassment from the animal becomes a running gag in the series. Satania, much like Vigne, doesn’t act “demonic” at all, however this is not to say she acts “angelic” as Vigne would. Most of her character comes from failing to act as she is supposed to in hell. Her antics are more childish and directed at the angels, and much to their dismay, encourage this behavior because both of them outsmart her and find it funny to watch her fail. Truthfully, I thought Satania was annoying, her laughter, which can drag on for several seconds, gets pretty old after a while. The angels causing her a bit of distress was entertaining, and it was largely comedic without the intention of them bullying her or anything. This contrasts well with their more wholesome moments which was a better watch and a nice a nice break from the gag.
The art carries the series. Well, it is CGDCT, and the cutesy artstyle is supposed to be the main appeal. The characters are well designed, and this is mostly due to the vibrant colors that contrast between the angels and the demons. The angels were designed a bit better, mostly because Satania and Vigne have weird looking hair. I liked Gab’s ahoge, this series really missed out on giving Satania one. The background was nice too, although it was largely unimportant compared to the character designs, it was nonetheless of good quality. The voice acting is done well and characterizes the girls perfectly. The opening theme is also great and I didn’t find myself skipping through it much.
For my final thoughts, it was a nice and easy viewing experience. There is little story that could have separated it from other school settings. The entire series was running on the gag of the angels acting like demons and vice versa. Even with this premise not being expanded upon much, it was still enjoyable to watch and a step up from what could have been a pretty average anime. The comedy is hit or miss, mostly because the girls are either cute or annoying. Most of their likability depends on either their cuteness or how funny their gags are. This anime is largely character driven, and it does so well. They are all fun to watch, particularly when they occasionally put their differences aside and the strength of their friendship shows. It was a good introductory to CGDCT anime, and I recommend if you are looking for something more laid back.
