Angel Beats!: Great story with the only flaw of too small a time frame

Written by Little_Wolf-18 on March 22, 2012 at 3:36 PM

The storyline of this anime is unique and deep and had me hooked right from the start; fast-paced with ever new twists and things to be unveiled. The end ties the story together well; not all mysteries are solved, but there’s no major plot holes. Sadly, the plot is slightly compressed due to the limited number of episodes so the last two or three eps are a bit rushed; however, until then, the story is something to behold. On a side note, I don’t know who forgot to replace the ‘still airing’ note but this anime is complete since long.

Angel Beats! touches on the topic of death in a rare approach. Speaking of another life after an unfair death, with characters refusing to accept their fates, the story is something for all ages and all kinds of people, and overall quite heartwarming.

Characters are individual and lovable, and their dynamics and development are well-done. Misunderstandings between them add to plot twists and give the whole view a realistic feeling despite the supernatural setting. Not all characters are as developed as they could have been, but alas, let’s face the truth, thirteen episodes aren’t near enough to elaborate a dozen charas. A lot more could have been made out of this had this anime been a 24-episode one, but it’s still a truly enjoyable watch.

Genre-wise, there’s slice of (after)life and psychological, drama, mystery, tragedy, action, supernatural, some romance, and simply hilarious humour, or perhaps I should say crazy self-irony. Despite its supernatural aspect, it touches on real life problems, unfair deeds and unfulfilled dreams in today’s world, though it never takes on a lamenting tone. There’s a good balance between heartwarming/emotional scenes, humour, action, and philosophy. Quite a few deep thoughts are woven into this, done so subtly in fact I missed them until I found myself thinking about them. There’s truly a lesson for life to be learned from this anime; why you are living the way you are; if it’s really the way you want to live or leading to the aims you want to achieve; and so on.

The dialogue is well done, fluid, and the seiyuu do a fine job. The artwork’s beautiful, and the music just incredible; the soundtrack adds to the atmosphere of various scenes. I especially love the opening :3 On a side note, don’t skip the ending – the animation changes a bit each time. Pretty amazing effect, I dare say. Speaking of it, animation-wise, this is Key; it has a few hiccups but they’re few and far in-between, and won’t distract you much from the overall work.

Overall, “Angel Beats!” is a deep and honest story, a true gem in uniqueness and thought, and it’s easy to tell the producers put all their hearts into this. A surprisingly creative work. It might not be a good watch for those who are into generic action only; but for everyone who appreciates thoughtful and well-balanced anime, or is even just looking for a break from generic, I suggest you give this a try.



On an unrelated note; no offense meant to anyone, but I’d appreciate if reviewers could refrain from fighting the virtual Naruto war over an anime that has nothing to do with Naruto. Just saying, since it’s kinda unnerving to me just how many completely unrelated reviews this anime got. ^^°