Moonlight Nostalgia: Anime Review #4: Angel Beats!

Angel Beats!

Otonashi awakens only to learn he is dead. A rifle-toting girl named Yuri explains that they are in the afterlife, and Otonashi realizes the only thing he can remember about himself is his name. Yuri tells him that she leads the Shinda Sekai Sensen (Afterlife Battlefront) and wages war against a girl named Tenshi. Unable to believe Yuri's claims that Tenshi is evil, Otonashi attempts to speak with her, but the encounter doesn't go as he intended.

Otonashi decides to join the SSS and battle Tenshi, but he finds himself oddly drawn to her. While trying to regain his memories and understand Tenshi, he gradually unravels the mysteries of the afterlife.

Episodes: 13
Status: Finished Airing
Airing Date: April 3, 2010 to June 26, 2010
Producers: Aniplex, Dentsu, Key, P.A. Works, Mainichi Broadcasting, CBC, Movic, Visual Art’s, Sentai FilmworksL, ASCII Media Works
Genres: Action, Comedy, Drama, Supernatural

The Review

The Story: 5/5

Angel Beats! has a very, very beautiful plot. It is about the kids who did not accept how they died, and so they are battling God to fight for the justice in their death. They do this by continuing to battle a girl that they claim to be an angel. They do not know her name, so they just call her Tenshi. After a lot of failures and funny scenes, they discover that Tenshi isn't actually an angel. She is just someone like them who doesn't feel enough fulfillment for her to be able to move on with her death. Little by little, Otonashi (the main character) discovers his connection to "Tenshi."
Its plot is, again, very beautiful, unique, and deep. 6/5. *claps*

The Characters: 5/5

There is a very significant amount of character development in this anime, and *sigh* I just love it so much.
Otonashi Yuzuru. Otonashi is the main character. So, he wakes up only to find that he is already dead and he's in a world where you can't die again but you can actually feel the pain of death. For example, if somebody stabs you through the kokoro, you wouldn't die, but you will feel the pain of a knife piercing through the very veins and muscles in your heart. As the days pass by, he will learn the true value of friendship, (SSS) and love.
Yurippe Nakamura. She's very into the idea of revenge towards God for her crappy life. Imagine, a young, rich girl who is the firstborn in the family, who also happens to have 3 younger siblings. Her family went to their vacation house one summer. Her parents go out (on a date, maybe?) and leave Yuri and her siblings alone in the house. (very bad parenting, I know.) Then, *spoilers removed.* I salute Yurippe for being able to keep her sanity intact. At first, she appears as a very violent girl, but she's just really determined to fight for her death.
Tachibana Kanade. *throws confetti* This is actually Tenshi's real name. Ever heard of the saying "Don't judge a book by its cover." ? Well, in this case, I'd say that "Don't judge Tachibana based on what Yurippe says about her." I don't know what to say anymore, so I hope that that simple sentence made you understand what I was trying to deliver. ^^

The Art: 5/5

For a manga that was released 4 years ago, I kind of like its art. I mean, okay, no hate, but I really judge an anime by its art. The start of the good art was, I think, in 2012? Anyway, I really, really ~~liked~~ loved Angel Beats!'s art. Especially their eyes. Oh kami-sama, their eyes.

The Sound: 5/5

I have absolutely no words for the sound. Everything in this anime is just so perfect, is there even a need for a review?
"My Soul, Your Beats!" by Lia
"My Soul, Your Beats!" by LiSA
"Brave Song" by Aoi Tada
"My Song" by Girls Dead Monster
"Alchemy" by Girls Dead Monster
...and a lot more. :)

Overall: 5/5