mohr.luther - 2013-07-24 08:58:25

I will say this first; Angel Beats! is my favourite anime series. While a lot of people don't share my sentiment, and say that Angel Beats! is nothing special, I disagree.Angel Beats! takes place in a kind of afterlife similar to purgatory. In it, young adults find themselves at a mysterious colossal boarding school that runs like most other schools...with one exception; Yuri and the Afterlife battlefront.The members of the Afterlife battlefront fight the unfairness of life and also their idealogy of god. Otonashi is the protagonist, after he wakes in the new world with little to no memories about his past life. This may seem cliche, well, because it somewhat is but this works well as a plot device as his motives change because of his memories being slowly regained. After a long break from Anime this was the series that drew me back in. The mix of action and light-hearted comedy has it's subtle mesh and the Anime is brought together by some truly stirring musical pieces. The main characters of Otonashi and Yuri work well and the supporting characters are developed in a way that neither wastes time nor feels that they are felt 2D dimensional.All in all, it is well worth watching. It comes bundled in a short and sweet 13 episode set and leaves you fulfilled.

teffertz - 2013-07-24 03:57:29

Key is the original creator of Angel Beats! and are also remembered for creating Air, Kanon, Clannad, and last fall season's Little Busters, so it should come as no surprise that this is quite a dramatic show. However, just because Key has done well in the past in the drama department, does Angel Beats meet our expectations? I personally enjoyed this show quite a bit when I first watched it and it set its place in my favorites for quite a while; however, after rewatching it a year later I came to see that my long time favorite had quite a few flaws. With this in mind, let's dive into a break down of Angel Beats.Animation: the animation looks fantastic during some of the scenes in the show when they show landscapes or dramatic close ups and also shines during the Girls Dead Monster concerts. Sadly, the amazing animation for those specific scenes are not seen throughout the show. This isn't necessarily a bad thing and may just reflect on a lack of cash to blow on animation and design, but some of the character designs are not to my liking. For instance, Otonashi, our main protagonist, has a bulky neck, small head, and large eyes (the large eyes are pretty much a trademark of Key and moe). Things like this seemed very distracting. The show receives an 8.5 for poor character designs and lack of consistently great animation.Music: Some of Angel Beats strongest scenes overall are the concerts, which happened to have very good music in them, especially this show is not part of the music genre. As far as the opening and ending theme, they were very well done and fit perfectly. Music is definitely a strong point of this show, and deserves a 9.5 and only does not get a 10 because even though the background music fit, none of it will end up on my iPod.Plot: the plot is the major lacking point of this show. Angel Beats presents an amazing idea by setting its story in a pergatory for young souls. Although, a setting does not make a show. Even though the shows very powerful flashbacks to the lives of some of our characters, the other time spent in the show felt like all filler. Now some will point out that the show was suppose to be 26 episodes but knowing that, does the show look any different to you? Is the plot or character development any different? No, the show should be judged by what it is; a 13 episode, under-developed drama. If they were limited to 13 episodes, they should not have chosen to go with several episodes of filler and should not have thrown in so many different plot points and tries to accomplish them all in such a short amount of time. The underdevelopment made the show seem very rushed, and so I bestow the show with a 4 in plot.Enjoyment: even though the plot was bad, the show was very enjoyable. The characters were easy to relate to and the idea presented was magnificent. I only wish that it would have gotten 24-26 episodes so that we could have gotten more development. My enjoyment can be rated as an 8.5Overall I would have to say this is a pretty good show and is worth a watch, especially of you are a Key fan because it's good to get a full spectrum of their work. To everyone else, I would say this show is worth checking out but isnt a masterpiece do don't have to high of expectations. Overall I will give this show a 7.9

gcassin - 2013-07-23 08:21:18

I enjoyed this anime soooo very much the story was put together well but episode by episode I felt like the story writers ran out of ideas and just filled in the episode list with many fillers but as I said before the story was very enjoyable and very funny to watch.

The music in this anime was very nice for each and every one of the scenes even the first opening which was one of the best opening soundtracks I have ever heard.

mable83 - 2013-07-19 06:24:41

Angel Beats! surprised me in a lot of ways. When I loaded it up and watched the first several episodes I could see why it was a "fun" anime to watch, but by episode 5 or so I was still pretty much waiting for the story to begin. If I had to compare to it to something main stream I would say Angel Beats! is the Star Trek: TNG of anime that later becomes a somewhat Star Trek: DS9.In the beginning it was pretty easy to just pick it up episode by episode without really missing much. As long as you were vaguely familiar with the main characters you were good to go. Visuals, fight scenes, music (oh my goodness the rock concert scenes were amazing!) were all what you'd expect from Angel Beats! if you heard anything about it. However, after a bit you start to really get an idea of why everyone is REALLY there and the direction the anime starts to take. Plot starts to take root and you become increasingly attached to the characters. You even begin to see the main male protagonist take charge of his situation and have an active role in the fate of the cast instead of being the reluctant hero-type just going along for the ride and complaining the whole way.By the end, I was utterly shocked at not only how attached I became to everyone involved (once a significant amount of back story is introduced and resolved). Upon the climax, I was left in tears and heart broken. While I can find common ground with critics in their discussion of the whole definition of purgatory and there was a lack of "dark" pasts, but I would posit that the characters were generally pretty young and that this realm they existed in was less purgatory and more "a place spirits would go if they felt kind of robbed of having a decent young adult experience before moving onto the next realm" (ya I know that was a long "quote" but whatever, its my comment I can do what I want! DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO! YOU DON'T KNOW ME!)...So anyway, while this is listed as one of my favorite animes I still only was able to give it an 8 simply because due to lack of character and plot development opportunities (it should have been 24-26 episodes, not 13). Otherwise, I really, really enjoyed Angel Beats! and recommend it.

jlindgren - 2013-07-07 18:07:12

(LONG READ AHEAD) (There is a TL;DNR version)This is my very first review, and of the ten's of anime I've watched. I decided to write this review, 10 minutes ago, right after crying. Let me clarify and just provide a little background info of yours truly writing this review. I am a 16 year old male, who prefers to watch comedy and harem with a little action and supernatural, typical for a teenager. I wouldn't have even picked up on Angel Beats if it weren't for a friend recommendation and its insanely good rating. After watching the first five episodes, I was hooked, it was funny with lots of action, the harem was unnecessary bundled with the amount of times I laughed. However, buried beneath all that humor was also tinges of sadness which for anyone would amount to preserved empathy throughout the series. Earlier, I said I was expecting a little heavier (not as lighthearted) action comedy (I actually missed the Romance category while reading its info) and by the last episode I stood corrected. By the last few scenes, tears were streaming down my eyes and I do not stress how serious I am, I was unashamedly crying my eyes out. Especially since I forgot about the romance genre, the last romantic scene hit my heart completely. As a guy watching a lot of harem comedies the characters usually partake in embarrass ecchi scenes and somehow fall for each other. This scene however was truly different, it was, in my eyes, true love. You don't need a kiss or anything, a simple hug and three word phase made me start to hiccup without control as well.Let's not forget I am 16 year old male who hasn't actually cried like that for almost 8 years (give or take). This anime is a true 10 to me, the way the story actually flowed, with great character development, good sound track, and very respectable art was almost to good to be true. If you have finished reading this I have probably said too much, but I hope you watch this series knowing it is really a very very good series.(TL;DNR) Series was perfect, I laughed and cried, nothing could have been better. 10/10

jmarvin - 2013-06-30 16:26:48

Angel Beats!Episodes: 13Angel Beats! was recommended to me by a friend. I was sceptical at first as I'd seen it about internet forums and tumblr before and it hadn't really appealed to me, but I decided to put my big girl pants on and watch it because what's the harm in watching something that you're not interested in? I could be pleasantly surprised. I'm also not very accustomed to writing reviews so please feel free to give me any feedback on what you feel I could improve on.STORY: 7/10There was some story but I feel it wasn't as developed as it could have been if they had maybe extended the show abit or sacrificed a few of the 'SSS screws up and hilarity ensues' moments I might have felt abit more satisfied with the series.CHARACTERS: 6/10This is a toughy for me as I feel I didn't really connect with any of the characters in the way I should have. There was some character development and a lot of back stories and deaths revealed but I didn't really care enough about the majority of the characters to be emotionally affected by their deaths and life. ANIMATION: 6/10 I feel it was mediocre there wasn't really anything too outstanding for me that made me go 'wow' even the character designs are pretty safe and standard. SOUND: 8/10The music really stood out. The opening and ending were beautiful and the songs within the show were really catchy and nice, unfortunately, the background music could be abit repetitive which lowered the score in this area for me.OVERALL: 7/10The series was enjoyable and it did give me a few giggles but I feel the story and character development was sacrificed for those laughs.

ebednar - 2013-06-29 02:07:27

Angel Beats! is a series that many fans conclude as the greatest series of all time. It has great comedy, emotional pulls, and an interesting story built around an original setting. Sadly, despite all of these great traits, I do not think that this series is even close to the best. Although I enjoyed Angel Beats! very much, there were some things that could not be overlooked. The plot for this series is set up with a great premise, but fails to deliver. I kept on questioning how on Earth (oh, the irony) some things could make sense in the afterlife. There are computers...NPC's...and even machine guns. All I know is that when I die and get buried, I'm bringing my laptop and an ethernet cable with me. As the story progresses, the pacing becomes uneven and the overall story loses focus. What started out as a school-life comedic action series devolved into an "emotional" high school drama that tried too hard to pull at my heart strings. It did manage to tug my heart strings out of my thoracic cavity by the end of the series, but at a great cost in the form of wasted episodes and pointless action sequences. The characters are somewhat of a letdown in the series. While I could thoroughly enjoy Yuri and her bubbly quirkiness, as well as her short skirt, I could not enjoy the other two main characters of Angel Beats! - Yuzuru and Angel. Yuzuru is essentially a third-party player in a video game, and only serves for the majority of the series to be the eyes through which we see the world. As for Angel, I still don't understand why everyone likes her. She's just a typical emotionless doll character who gets some character development at the end. I guess she's pretty (but not as pretty as Yuri and her short skirt), but character designs should not be the sole foundation of a character.The secondary and supporting characters are essentially pointless, save a few, and are only there for the comedic bits, to which they pull off very well. Sadly, they are only funny until you realize that they are stereotypical tropes that could have been handled much better. So far, I have only complained about this series. So is there anything positive I can say about it? Well actually, yes I can. This series has heart, and although it puts that heart in the wrong place as well as in the wrong person *cough* Yuzuru *cough*, Angel Beats! means well. It also has great music, art, and animation that can feed your eyes and ears until you're completely full. The story, while mediocre at best, is somewhat original and isn't boring compared to the slice-of-life moe series that are plaguing the industry.Overall, Angel Beats! is a solid series, but has a lot of problems. Overlooking these problems will have you praising this series for everything it's done right. Unfortunately, as a critic, I cannot overlook them and must pound this series a little bit on the head. It does hold up however, and has me awarding this series a 7.6 out of 10, which is a B grade on my scale.

oscar.skiles - 2013-06-28 08:18:32

This Review is out of 100. 35/100 for Story, 35/100 for Characters, 15/100 for Sound, 15/100 for Animation. Story - 26/35 - This is where most Key Adaptations shine, and Angel Beats! shouldn't be any different. But it is. The story was alright, but could have been MUCH better if given a longer time slot. Seriously, this show needed twice the amount of episodes. Things happened too fast, other things felt too forced, and some things went without proper explanation. Lastly, most Key adaptations leave me with a tear in my eye at least, but this one left me with nothing. Sure, I felt sad, but not on the verge of crying sad. I think given the proper amount of time, this show could have gotten the feels out of me like the other Key shows. I will give the show props for having a very original setting, even though it has plot holes and is still based around highschool. Overall, the story was very creative, and tried to get a lot stuff done, but needed more time. Characters - 24/35 - I didn't like the Main Cast all that much. By main cast I specifically mean Otonashi, Yuri, and Angel. The side characters were much more interesting, but sadly didn't get the attention they deserved (mostly because of time constraints). Yuri herself reminded me all too much of Haruhi Suzumiya, while Angel was like a Nagato or Rei Ayanami type character. Otonashi was a very boring main character IMO, and the romance between him and one of the girls felt very forced. Sound - 13/15 - The Music in this series was very good, especially the opening. Even when compared to other Key shows, it holds its own in the Music department. Not to mention the songs played during the concerts and whatnot. Very good score indeed. Animation - 13/15 - For a series that wasn't done by Kyoto Animation, it sure as hell looked like it was. The animation was very well done, and helped this series a lot. The series had a more upbeat tone than other Key works, and the animation was great for it. Overall - 76/100 - If this show had more episodes, who knows how good it could have been. But it didn't, and the show didn't make the best use of its time. They were trying to do too much with the story, which hurt it bad. As for the characters, if they could have made them more interesting to counter the fact they had absolutely no development, I wouldn't be complaining. Ultimately, the the series didn't have enough time to fix the problems it laid out for itself, which is why it got the score it did.

mazie.kutch - 2013-06-09 00:26:47

I have mixed feeling about this anime, but I would definitely recommend it to anybody due to its ability to evoke a strong emotional response. The story revolves around the teenage Otonashi after he wakes up with no memories and is told he is dead, and his adventures through the new high school world he finds himself in. Your worldview will heavily impact how you view the anime (Christian, Atheist, Optimist, etc.). Personally, I found that watching through it made me more sad than happy. But once again, its ability to evoke strong emotion no matter what kind makes it a good watch, at least in my opinion.

utowne - 2013-05-19 03:28:05

Angel Beats: All the emotions

With Angel Beats there is little more i can do then yell at you to go watch this amazing Anime.

Story:

Revolving around a group of teens who are stuck in this little world they know nothing about they fight and grow together learning more and more as they go, the way the emotions and backgrounds of each character are portrayed and given to you at the perfect time really give an great overall emphasis to the quality of this anime, bits and pieces are just thrown at you, they are fed to you slowly bit by bit leaving you begging for more excitedly clicking to the next episode.

Animation:

The art style of this anime fits it well, it gives off a good feel for what it is meant to be and really shows how each character is without getting to gory or gruesome. which would throw the flow of the show out of balance.

Summary:

Watch this anime if its the last thing you do, it definitely has to be 1 or 2 on my favorite anime list and there's very little wrong with it, anything has room for improvement but I'll be damned if this anime isn't amazing how it is, this show is different for everyone, it can make you laugh, cry, or roll around on your bed til you fall to the floor, however it is I guarantee you'll love it unless you are the harshest of critic. Whats not to love about Guns, Friendship, Love, and Highschool.

-Alf