Angel Beats! is set in a high-school-like afterlife where teens who suffered in life are given a chance to work through their regrets before moving on. Otonashi, our MC, wakes up without memories and is pulled into the rebel group called the Afterlife Battlefront ( or SSS), which is a student militia led by Yuri that “rebels” against an unseen God, often clashing with the quiet and formidable student council president Kanade “Angel.” This is a brisk blend of slapstick raids, coupled with a couple of concert set-pieces by the in-story band Girls Dead Monster, followed up with gut-punch drama about purpose, grief, and letting go. In a nut shell this is aiming to tickle the funny bone while hitting them feels.
This week it is a solo week for Jack and he jumped into Angel Beats at Goose’s recommendation and at first it looks like it would be mostly a slapstick school chaos comedy but with a twist on it in that everyone is in the afterlife just in limbo and they all have regrets that keep them from moving on. He dug into how the gags flip into gut punches, how the backstory reveals help reshape the goals of the MC and what he wants to try and do. And how Girls Dead Monster is used as the emotional trigger. He also unpacked the worldbuilding quirks, the simulation versus afterlife hints, along with some of the unexplained mechanics like crafting gear from dirt, and how a 13 episode run compresses the late game. Ultimately it has strong art and music, compelling character development, the runtime and end game left something to be desired.
Next Week's Pick: "See You Tomorrow at the Food Court"
Have you had the chance to watch Angel Beats\! or any of our previous selections? We’d love to hear your thoughts and recommendations for future picks\!
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Anime Info and Our Ratings:
- Producers: Aniplex, Dentsu, Mainichi Broadcasting System, CBC Television, Movic, Visual Arts / Key, ASCII Media Works
- Studio: P.A. Works
- Source: Original
- Genres: Action, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Supernatural, School
- Aired: April 2010 - June 2010
- Number Of Episodes: 13
Our Scores:
- Jack’s Score: 7 / 10
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