Angel Beats! - Reviews

When I first heard about this show I had no idea what it was about. My friend told me to watch it and nothing else, no plot details. So when I actually and watched I was excited!!! I love the back story of the characters that are shown throughout the show. The little stories about their individuals lives was very interesting for me.

I don't really know alot about animation. From what I can understand the animation was normal, not anything out of the ordinary. Maybe the eyes of the characters were a bit big but other than that it was normal.

I LOVE the characters!!! The stories behind them were rally interesting and captivating to learn about. It's not just the main character that had a cool story everyone had their own as well.

Story:

It'd be hard to find another title in recent memory that tries to do quite as much as Angel Beats!. Creator Jun Maeda of Clannad and Air fame put in great effort to make the show function on multiple levels, and it really broadens the appeal far beyond that of the other Key IPs. In doing so, however, he spread himself too thin, and the show struggles to find its voice by the end of the series' diminutive 13 episode length.

The concept is suitably interesting - the entirety of the show takes place in purgatory, which functions as an extremely useful device for running gags involving the characters' inability to die. Otonashi, our amnesiac protagonist, wakes in the middle of a showdown between the organization SSS and a stoic young girl codenamed Angel. After being skewered, discovering his effective immortality, and being coerced into joining SSS, Otonashi embarks on the show's main journey - to discover why he has been born into this world, and to decipher the mysteries behind Angel, the supposed right hand of God.

Unfortunately, the journey is a bit rocky. While the series' heart is in the right place, it never really hits its stride because of constant shifts in focus. Especially towards the end, every episode seems to introduce some kind of new plot device before the previous one has reached any kind of closure. The most frustrating part is that literally any one of these devices could have been fleshed out into an interesting show. At first there's the rebellion and discovery theme, then there's a focus on learning each of the characters' stories and resolving their dilemmas, then suddenly there are a bunch of shadow creatures attacking... it's not that these ideas are poorly explained, because they're not. It's just that by the time you start to understand the intricacies of the situation, the focus immediately shifts to another idea entirely. The ending was also relatively unfulfilling, as it simply tosses aside most of the cast and wraps up sob-story style with a plot-hole-filled finale.

There are a lot of things that Angel Beats! does right, however. The comedy is particularly well done, striking enough diverse notes that almost any viewer should find something at which to laugh. The insert song performances, although not to my tastes, certainly add variety to the show. At its best, the drama is very compelling, and what few actions scenes do appear are exciting to watch. With this level of quality in so many areas, it's no wonder that this show became popular with such a wide audience; it's just a shame that the core plot, which should have been the string stitching these pieces together, was a little too weak.

Animation:

Finally, a new show which actually shows off the capabilities of modern technology! The characters are beautifully designed, and the backdrops are bursting with detail. Action scenes look fantastic, and there's a lot of subtle flourish in even the most mundane of moments. It's not drop-dead beautiful, but there is very little to be desired in the smooth and detailed animation of Angel Beats!.

Sound:

Lia's OP actually flows quite well and is one of the better themes I've heard in recent memory. The voice actors match their characters and pull off a convincing performance, and the sound effects and background music are suitable, if somewhat forgettable. Also of note in Angel Beats! are the performances by the in-show band Girls Dead Monster, which don't reach the level of such famous inserts as Haruhi 's "God Knows..." but are still an enjoyable listen.

Characters:

Angel Beats! has a huge cast of characters, spanning a gamut of traits far beyond the normal clichés which frequently populate anime casts. From T.K., speaker of cryptic English phrases, to shirtless sensation Takamatsu, each of the characters actually feels different, which is a feat considering their number and how short the show is. Unfortunately, not all of the characters see the development they deserve. While the core cast is smothered in backstory and a hint of character development (if anything, I'd argue some characters like Yui see too much development), much of the cast remains shrouded in mystery to the very end, whereupon they vanish without a trace after some hand waving. What's the deal with Noda? Why is T.K. so awesome? You sure won't know by the end of this. It's certainly no deal breaker, and it'd be naïve to expect every side character to be fleshed out, but the show lost a lot of taste by trimming the fat off of the meat.

Overall:

Considering the broad appeal, it goes without saying that almost any anime fan can enjoy this show. The comedy by itself is enough for me to recommend it, but I urge prospective viewers to be cautious not to overanalyze it. This is a show that is much better when you watch it with your brain turned off.

This was one of the first anime that i ever watched and i still remember how i cried like a baby. This anime makes you acknowledge about your life that includes unfairness, happiness e.t.c. LIFE IS WORTH TO LIVE! I really loved the characters development and the unique plot. OH MY GOD!   

This show is honestly one of the most beautiful stories around. This show does start off painfully slow, but exponentially gets better. I am yet to see a better ending anywhere else, but all I can say is that this show is deinitely worth watching.

I can't remember why or when I wanted to watch Angel Beats! but I do remember enjoying it quite a bit. If I wanted to watch it, it would probably have been for the animation, as this is a treat for the eyes; it has to be one if not the best anime I've ever seen visual-wise. Everything looks so... polished and different from the usual stuff, like a tiger among cats; sure the cats look good, but that tiger is in a class of it's own who will tear those other cats apart. So, so gorgeous.

The sound is great all-around but I must mention the beautiful OP. I love how the piano doesn't stop, how it can still be heard even when everything else is playing and how the OP doesn't switch to rock or anything heavy that would disturb the piano or the mood it sets. The other instruments and vocal enhance the majesty of it and make it into something wonderful. And the other version is pretty good, not as good as the piano one though. The VO work, especially TK but otherwise, don't have much to say about it. But damn, love it when Angel activates one of her moves through voice command.

The worst thing I can say about this is that I wish there were more backstories to the characters, as only about half have them explained. And it wouldn't do to say who did or didn't get a backstory but I must mention TK; the english speaking (Kinda), bandana wearing dancer. We know nothing about him apart from that he's cool and that nobody knows anything about him (Contradiction? Probably...). It is a shame... but the characters overall were pretty great, each having their quirks, their traits, what makes them different from each other; how they're themselves and no other. Just wanted more to their backstories, more development.

The story was good, pretty good but not excellent. You got the synopsis and the fact that they're essentially immortal; dying is simply a timeout that lasts a short time (You'll learn this early on). But death in this world (To vanish), like death in our world is something completely different than a timeout. It's hard to explain it without giving away too much, but it leads to one of the best aspects of the show, so I'm not going to try. At some parts, I just wanted more. It should have gone on longer than 13 episodes, as the last few episodes seemed... cut up, or not entirely together. Kinda broken up and missing a few components. Coupled with the already mentioned character development stuff, it brings it down. What's there is pretty good, but it's not enough.

A quick note before I wrap this up: what can top the comedy and maybe even TK's coolness is the sad moments, or tragic moments. Some real tearjerkers here.

If it was longer and with more backstories given, especially TK's (I'm repeating this a lot but the backstories are one of the best parts of the anime) then it would be on the top of my list. But what's done is still quite good, and I'll definitely remember it for quite a while.