[reveanshade]

Title: Angel Beats!
Writer: Jun Maeda
Studio: P.A. Works
Licensed by: Funimation Studios
Episodes: 13

Angel Beats mainly follows the character Otonashi who suddenly wakes up to find himself in a high-school that appears to be on the very edge of the afterlife. He immediately runs into Yuri, who claims that she is the leader of a rebel faction that has sworn itself to fighting Angel, the high-school student body president. Is it beginning to sound a little off to you? Well it would be better to get used to it for this anime. You can expect to be pretty confused for the first four episodes of this anime. However, I would like to argue that this anime is well worth watching for a few reasons.

Character Development
This show is all about character development. It is what keeps this show driving. There are several primary characters in this show and I guarantee that you will find at least one of them that you personally resonate with and enjoy watching them grow throughout the story. Most all of the main characters are members of this rebel faction headed by Yuri in order to battle against their student body president. So, if you are thinking what I was thinking, you might imagine this as typical punk high-school drama amped up...allot! Despite its seeming potential to turn the show formulaic and "cheesy", it actually provides opportunities for some hilarious interaction.

I would love to be able and tell you more about these character, but I don't think I could without revealing some major spoilers. Let me just say that watching this show and getting to understand these characters and their origins was really enjoyable. This is definitely the finest area of this show.

Culture and Setting
I won't spend much time in Culture and Setting for this anime, simply because it takes place in your generic Japanese high-school. The one thing that is a little different is that most Japanese high-schools function as a boarding school, so all of the characters live in school dorms and such. That is just something that most Westerners aren't really familiar with from high-school.

Also, this show is very rooted in Buddhism (most animes are), but since this show focuses so much on the afterlife it becomes a very important factor. There is allot of talk about reincarnation and universal unity. So, if you are not a fan of Buddhism to the extent that you cannot bear to hear anything about it, I would recommend that you do not watch this anime.

Action vs. Drama Vs. Comedy
There are elements of action, drama, and comedy in this show, but all in all I think I would have to say that this show is primarily a drama. There is a considerable amount of action and fighting, but it doesn't really give off the vibe of an intense battle. Like I stated earlier, this show primarily focus on the development of the characters and the people who they become. However, one part of that are these semi-serious battle sequences that liven the show up a bit. It was a gesture I appreciated. Honestly, I already enjoyed the show so much that the action didn't really change any of that. About half of the fighting that takes place is comic relief and the other half could be considered serious.

As far as comedy goes, there were several moments during this show where I was laughing uncontrollably. Since this show has such a high value of character interaction and growth, you will begin to see these people as more alive than animated characters should be. At least that is what I left thinking. This just adds all the more to the fact that some of these characters have some quirks that provide hilarious comic-relief to the plot.

Conclusion, Rating and Recommendation

In the end, the simple fact that this anime had such depth in the realm of its character portrayal, really won me over. I found myself not waiting for the next action sequence or comic moment. I couldn't wait to here the origins of a certain character or to simply enjoy the interactions that they had with each other. Another small aspect that I felt really improved the show was that the writers didn't feel the need to include any form of driving romance. There are some romantically charged elements in the show of course. I mean, after all, they are teenagers. But there is nothing romantic that is anything important to the story. I liked the change of pace. Not every anime needs some form of forced romance. The only fault I had with this anime was that it had tendencies to fall into some very textbook elements that are common in comic animes. There are a few plot points that don't necessarily get a clear resolution, but it is by no means serious.

Being as how this anime is only a short 13 episodes long, I would definitely recommend that you take a crack at it. However, if all you really care about is action, than you might not really enjoy this show. All the episodes are available for immediate streaming on Netflix. And so my final rating is...

Rating: 7/10
Genre: Comic Drama
Recommendation: Yes!

[Dao]

Originally a 2 season show but was chopped down to 1.

[dragonmaster1138]

yeah, but it's still one of my fave shows, and who knows what might have happened if they'd made it longer.

That and Tenshi is CUUUUTE!

[TheChaos0]

A remarkable, essentially Keys series, bastardised by having to shrink the script.

[Spherii]

..What could have been perfect..

Either way, good job on the review.

Still my #1 of anime that could use a rework.

[TadashiED]

This has been in my top 3 anime list for the longest time. I'll never get bored rewatching this. And wasn't there news of a new Angel Beats awhile ago? Like second term or something or was that just a rumor?

[reveanshade]

I had never known that there were originally plans to do a second season. It definitely would have made this show even better. The end did seem a little rushed.

To answer your question, I did a little snooping around and I have heard those rumors, but they would appear to be only that...rumors. It is unfortunate. This show could really have benefited from a second season, but I think only if it just extended time with the original characters. They should have spent longer just portraying school life and putting in filler episodes. That is my opinion at least.

[choujiraiji]

Thanks for infomation. I waiting for second season for a long time now still haven't even heard a news about it

[TheChaos0]

I had never known that there were originally plans to do a second season. It definitely would have made this show even better. The end did seem a little rushed.

It was originally planned to be a 24 long series but alas.