Wednesday 18 April 2012

Angel Beats!



I had this about a month back as it came out in the States earlier which is why the cover is slightly different to the one shown on some sites which is listed to come out UK June 25th, I thought I'd write about it.
Produced by Clamp that brought us such series as Clannad, Diamond Daydreams, Lucky Star and a host of much loved fan favourites, the series embodies the same high production values.
We kick off with Otonashi appearing on the school grounds confused, without any memory of where and how he got there, he encounters a girl called Yuri who's gun aimed at 'Angel' he immediately springs into action not realizing he's dead, and in limbo.
In a quick attempt to deal with the situation he has found himself in, he joins a group of students who are fighting against God and 'Angel' called 'Afterlife Battlefront'
Otonashi's school is populated by what fellow students describe as NPCs, that's to say students created to populate the school but don't possess a soul or anything.
When you break it down this anime is more a slice of life centred one, but it is also very tragic in that each and every character in this series has a story to tell about how they died, and why they are there. All the characters have issues to deal with and this is where this anime really scores.
While initially you notice all the comedy and action scenes, there is also a 'rock' band called Girls Dead Monster, who perform extremely well too adding interest to this anime.
Although some of the stories in Angels Beats! are quite sad I really enjoyed watching it.

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