Admin's Anime Review: Angel Beats !

Title: Angel Beats !
Studio: P.A. Works
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Fantasy, Action
Original Run: April 3- June 26, 2010
Episodes: 13
Director: Seiji Kishi
Original Character Design: Na-Ga
Number One Theme Song: Insert Theme eps 10 "Shine Days" by Girls Dead Monster

Admin's Score:
Story: 92
Character Development: 91
Artwork: 91
Songs: 90
Animation/ Battle Depiction: 91



Angel Beats ! main protagonists (from left to right): Irie, Sekine, Takamatsu, Matsushita, T.K., Otonashi Yuzuru, Yuri Nakamura, Hideki Hinata, Noda, Oyama, Fujimaki, Hisako, Takeyama, Shiina, and Yusa.



Angel Beats ! is originally written by Jun Maeda. Both Jun Maeda and the character designer, Na-Ga, are from Key, which produced visual novels like Air, Kanon and Clannad and currently working on media collaboration for Angel Beats !. Two series of Angel Beats ! manga began serialization in Dengeki G's Magazine and two internet radio shows are made to promote Angel Beats !.

Synopsis
Otonashi Yuzuru woke up in an afterlife world after his death. He, however, lost his memories and doesn't realize that he was dead until he met a girl named Yuri, who was fighting against a girl, called Tenshi (angel) with her rifle. Not believing in Yuri, Otonashi ran and approach Tenshi, asking her a question, but he got stabbed in his heart in reply. When he woke up, he found out the world that he was in, which acts like a purgatory for teenagers who was lingered by some conflict in their heart when they was alive, as in dissatisfaction, regrets and such. Taken by their feeling, those teenagers fight against the God, in whom they believed the one that gave them such unfair life in a group called Afterlife Battlefront, led by Yuri. They symbolized Tenshi as the God who they have to fight in order to "stay alive" in the purgatory world. Otonashi joined the battlefront to find his lost memories, and thus, the rebels against God began. But, what await the battlefront was...

Strength:
Amazing original idea, story, developments and plot twists. So far, the story's the best I've ever watched, as it gives a lot of meaning, touching, but don't lose the sense of entertaining with the comedies; therefore, killing boredom while watching, even if it's a slice of life, rather, the slice of life gives a lot of impression on the audience (as in the unique past of the battlefront members, although not all of them are told). Nice theme song, inside, opening and ending. The timing of the song is good, as it helped to create touching scene, not to mention that there's various song in the anime, enhancing the story even more. Great artwork (especially the background and the graphics) and animation (smoothness, battle depiction: good). The way the anime is packed in only 13 episodes even there's so many things untold is good, the ending gives enough satisfaction and curiosity to the audience.

Weakness:
Story: not all of the battlefront members' past are revealed, giving curiosity and maybe dissatisfaction to some particular audience.

Screenshot:



Otonashi, welcome to the Afterlife Battlefront. The time Otonashi joined the battlefront after being crushed up by Noda. By the way, at Yuri's right is Iwasawa, the leader of Girls Dead Monster band.



First encounter with Tenshi AKA Tachibana Kanade at the night Otonashi appeared in the afterlife world. At first sight, she seemed like an emotionless doll, but later she began to reveal her feelings. She stabbed Otonashi not long after this.



That's right. All of them are stupid, that's why Takeyama was recruited. This is the battlefront's headquarter where Yuri always announce the next operation to be done. The screen at Yuri's back is cool, I wonder where they got such sophisticated technology. This part of anime is always interesting, when Yuri announce the operation.

Personally, overall, I think this is the best anime I've ever watched. I highly recommended this anime as one in the list of must-watch-anime !!