Angel Beats!
One of the series that piqued my interest in this new spring season was “Angel Beats!”, and judging by the current buzz around the otakusphere, it is one of the more anticipated titles of which the first episode has spawned many reviews and opinions online.
Most viewers seem quite enthusiastic about the show although some lamented the animation quality. While most of the animation is well cared for and top notch work, there are indeed obvious flaws in some scenes in terms of character proportions and scaling.
This first episode of “Angel Beats!” certainly did deliver in terms of action, it also included quite a bit of currently popular elements with its bossy main female lead, an ice cold, emotionless killer girl and even a girl band rocking it out.
Alas personally “Angel Beats!” failed to really impress me because of its lack of focus, giving viewers the impression it is but an amalgam of popular elements with an incoherent plot that fails to make sense.
Had not paid any attention to the resemblance before but seeing her character onscreen in this first episode, the female lead Yuri is not only visually akin to Suzumiya Haruhi but her behavior and speech patterns make her more seem like a blatant clone.
Throwing in a girl rock band called GirlDeMo (Girls Dead Monster) stating their concert is the diversion necessary for Yuri’s plan to succeed is just a poor excuse to make use of the current hype around such bands in anime, not only tracing it back once again to “The Melancholy Of Suzumiya Haruhi” but “K-ON!” as well.
This would not have struck me if the first episode would sweep you up enough in the story but this is where it grated the most. Not really presenting us with a mysterious world where things do not make sense because the viewer and characters haven’t discovered the truth yet, but rather the plot of this afterworld simply does not make any sense at all.
Often poor, near contradictory explanations are given, such as that stating most other students in the school are not involved in the battle as they are like non-player characters in an rpg. Let us not even get started on Yuri’s impossibly convoluted plan to recover meal tickets for their group.
In fact the various incredulous elements of the plot simply seem to be excuses to have high school age characters run around doing mischief, shooting guns and holding rock music shows because those genre elements currently do well.
Will see what the second episode is like simply because Iwasawa is cute and Girls Dead Monster did rock. But to me “Angel Beats!” needs to shape it up else will likely not be following this series.
Girls Dead Monster single comes out when?
(First one is slated for April 23 in fact… with two more planned.)
The show’s identity crisis also struck me as jarring. What does it want to be? It was an uneven episode in every way, and although I like the basic premise they absolutely failed to convince me of any threat.. they’re not being hunted, and the angel doesn’t even bother them unless they happen to stumble on it and ask it to hurt them. So what’s the point? I was also a bit annoyed that they could inexplicably find so much firepower in a highschool and yet have to go through such elaborate nonsense to grab a meal.
I agree. The gratuitous “lol-u-die” jokes were the first thing to turn me off in this episode. The whole plan to steal meal tickets by wasting an insane amount of ammunition was also pretty ridiculous considering how the story writing was supposed to be one of the good thing of this anime (or at least that’s what the trailers were implying). Sure, it’s only the first episode but its future looks kinda bleak.
Also, there were way too much shiny effects. I don’t know how it is in Japan, but in my country meal tickets don’t emit light in the dark w
@Topspin
Very well said. While many accused last season’s brilliant “So-Ra-No-Wo-To” of being something of everything, that series implicitly told you what it was doing and where it was going, everything was there beneath the surface so viewers felt reassured in that aspect.
“Angel Beats!” kind of feels they want to cram in popular things and hope a winning series emerges from it.
@Fettgans
Had nearly suspected the meal tickets were more than meets the eye due to their eerie glow but they ended up being just that. But Yuri’s plan is just mind-boggling, such an elaborate scheme to get meal tickets and in the end nearly all are wasted as they fall to the ground to be collected by those that are actually fighting to fend of the angel. Just lacks all common sense.
They have a mysterious supply of modern firearms, computer technology and music equipment but they can’t get meal tickets?
Hmm. Since I’m not that overhyped with this Anime, was it for me okay. Well at least the first episode.
I will watch first some Episodes/the whole Anime, and then give my thoughts of it.
But I liked Angel. Somehow… pwnage char! xD
All in all I agree with your analysis. Thus, unless theres actually some sort of coherent story that is explained in future episodes, I guess that the interesting thing is whether given the premise it can deliver entertainment or not – are they trying to make it surreal a la Haruhi? Why a random concert anyway? (In Haruhi it at least made sense) It may work, but it’s clear it has little to do with other Key stories.
And why would they want to get food coupons anyway? Even in the event they aren’t given any food, they can just assault the cafeteria and get the food from the NPCs. Plus, if they kill the NPCs, I guess they’ll respawn afterwards or something?
Personally I liked that at least it was light-hearted, since these fantasy shows tend to have expositions that are too long and confusing about the setting, but I’m still wondering what the show is about and if it will live up to the hype. You know, there are some bad precedents (endless 8, ahem) about shows trying so hard to become something unique because of the hype that they end up failing where simpler shows deliver.
I actually like it alot even though there are lots of parts that I don’t understand even after watching the sub (I usually only watch raws). The Operation Tornado is just silly though…1000 tickets blown down, and they end up only taking 2. orz
I thought the episode made sense. In Buddhism your soul basically gets recycled after you die, and you get born again. The school is like the recycling plant and acting normal is the process of being recycled, leaving your past life behind and learning to start a new one. By not attending classes and fighting Tenshi, the students are being kept from going through the system.
Well, at least that’s what I got out of it.
After looked like Haruhi, she (yuri) also has a band too ^^; what a clone. That kuudere angel has high risk… in having fans
The most anticipated spring animu certainly delivered. It has such a strange premise but I guess it’s what makes me coming back to the next episode. PA Works definitely delivered with the first episode. It has some pretty witty dialogue in it to boot. The engrish guy was totally lolz too. We need to see more of him.
The Engrish guy, TK is actually played by a real english guy xD
@Sergio
True, it could have quickly become heavy and depressing due to the characters being dead and basically fighting god, but that aspect was indeed kept fairly lighthearted.
@Delon
Indeed, that whole part made little to no sense and I believe it’s a mistake to pull something like that in a first episode where the main plot isn’t clear yet and pretty convoluted on its own to begin with.
@Nopy
That section was understandably, it’s some sort of afterlife where you might get reincarnated, according to Yuri at least. But then the questions begin… why a school, what’s up with the angel, why all those NPC’s, where are all the other people that die, where do they get their weapons,… etc…
@GREW & Taikutsujoker
The angel will probably get quite the rabid following of fans indeed. How much do we want to bet Otonashi will take a pity/liking to her as well in the series?
@Fabrice
I’m in limbo about it, too little made sense to make it enjoyable for me. Actually liked “Kaichou wa Maid-sama” much more.