Angel Beats

TBS (Japan) | Tokyo Broadcasting System | Release Date: April 2, 2010

7.2	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Ratings

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Jesus_SavesJan 17, 2023

I love the premise of this show. To me, at least, shows about the afterlife are really unique and interesting. The characters all feel like they are their own people, each with unique personalities. There are a few plot holes and flat jokes,I love the premise of this show. To me, at least, shows about the afterlife are really unique and interesting. The characters all feel like they are their own people, each with unique personalities. There are a few plot holes and flat jokes, but these do not ruin the anime by any means. Even though the show may not develop all of them they still stand out due to their designs and dialogue. When the show does develop a character, they do it incredibly well. Combine these characters with great music, hilarious comedy, solid visuals, and heart wrenching moments, and you'll get the hidden gem that is angel beats.… Expand

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junlim954Oct 16, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Angel Beats is a good show, and probably worth your watch. The cast of characters that are presented are a bit one-dimensional, but are likable nonetheless. The most notable aspect that many bring up when addressing Angel Beats is the tear-jerking ending. Although the ending and a couple of episodes leading up to it were moving to a certain extent, the full potential of a show like Angel Beats goes much more beyond that, and it was just not unlocked.

For the majority of the episodes of the show, besides Iwasawa's disappearance (which actually had a decent build-up), the episodes are mostly filled with comedic gags and bits of plot sprinkled here and there. Now this wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't for the fact that the show is a mere 13 episodes long. The show's short runtime ends up being its own downfall because there is a significant lack of development. I can't shake the feeling that many of the heartfelt moments that were clustered into the final episodes had very little emotional connection. Sure, many of the backstories like Otononashi's and Nakamura's were sad. However, outside of these, I honestly found it hard to resonate with some of the other characters, which is when their one-dimensional nature hurts them. Additionally, despite how beautiful their scene was, the romantic connection between Yui and Hinata was more than hard to grasp. It felt like their only connection was simply mild teasing that happened at insignificant moments in the few episodes leading up to Yui's moment.

Additionally, I found the relationship between Tenshi and the rest of the cast pretty confusing. The team led by Nakamura kind of pointlessly targets her. Even after they find out that she's just a normal girl, they continue using their stockpile of weapons only because Nakamura says so. They continually attack Tenshi to the point where some of it becomes nearly unwatchable or has you questioning the purpose of their barrage. The big redemption in this would have been Otonashi, but his sudden connection with Tenshi more or less goes unexplained anyway.

Disregarding the plot for a second, the soundtrack of the show is appreciatable. The ending song for this show was honestly beautiful, and I found the comedic gag in which they used it extremely funny. The band presented in the show, Girls Dead Monster, also has some good music. However, the most important piece of music in this show to me comes in the form of "My Song" by Iwasawa. This song was right before her disappearance, and the a cappella-like nature of the song made it beautiful for sending off Iwasawa with a final goodbye. I think that the music of this show is one of its main, and possibly one of its only, redeeming factors.

The most disappointing part of the entire show is likely the episode in which the ending occurs. Although the final graduation scene is something to behold, it felt like the entire build-up (for lack of a better term) for the main characters of the show was blown out of the water when the cast that we have all come to know and love disappeared. This felt like a slap in the face by the creator: a lot of what we had been waiting for disappeared to compact the last few scenes of the show into the remaining time they had left.

This is why I feel that many of my complaints are justified with this show. Many things are left unexplained, and plot holes are everywhere. The full potential of a show like Angel Beats is incredible because the emotional scenes were still able to move me, despite the lack of build-up for many of them. If the show were to be converted into a remake that is approximately 10+ episodes longer, this review would be much more positive. However, since the runtime of the show only lasts a meager 13 episodes, the plot was way too underdeveloped to be ignored.

Overall, Angel Beats is something that you can enjoy for some of its highs, but the final product felt lacking. I would recommend the show regardless, especially if you like emotion-driven anime.… Expand

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MotoritzFeb 7, 2022

Angel Beats is not a necessarily bad series, it just felt kinda boring towards the end.

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