I'm Talking About: Angel Beats! (Anime Review)

A truly rich yet disturbing subject matter makes for a high school drama unlike any other that, for once, was over far too soon.

Purgatory is a battlefield and God is the Devil. Yuzuru Otonashi awakens here suddenly to discover his memory has been completely wiped, including that of his own name. Informed that he is indeed dead by fierce, rifle-totting Yuri Nakamura, she enlists his help in an underground battle against God Himself before Otonashi can even fully get his bearings in what appears to be a vast boarding school. Thrust now into an eternal struggle against Angel, the student council president and believed to be an agent of the Almighty, Yuri's brigade called the Shinda Sekai Sensen (Afterlife Battlefront) is determined to avoid contentment in this world, or else pass on and disappear completely. Having no recollection of how he got here in the first place, Ototnashi's ignorance leads him to the SSS's colorful band of merry men (and women), all with different lives and stories, yet united by one singular goal.

Yes, this is one of those deep plot-lines treading into the ever sensitive Religion River that everyone tries to avoid wading in, and I'm sure the immediate thought would be “The atheists are going to lap this shit up.” Well, I'm not atheist, but I'm also the worst Catholic you will ever meet. Bottom line, the premise of this anime will appeal to anyone, especially those youths entering that shaky time in their life where adults are suddenly flawed and right and wrong is no longer black and white. The tough, gritty members of the SSS are nothing more than a group of young people whose lives were cut short due to tragic happenstances, and this pisses them off. If there even is a God, he is a merciless God with an unyielding hand whom none of these rebels are willing to succumb to.

But that doesn't mean they're not above inserting humor when the occasion calls for it. This is dramedy by the book, cut right down the middle, yet always keeping that dark undertone present when the narrative forces us to recall what these kids are fighting against. But some of the measures they go to in order to rebel are so ridiculous and random (like stealing students' meal tickets while the school rock band distracts them) that one can't help but laugh, even leading Yuri herself to wonder how she's supposed to lead this gaggle of complete idiots.

The art direction and animation are both gorgeous, working simultaneously to create something stunning and action packed, from the glare of the band's spotlights to the details of the battle scars to the heavenly glow that seems to constantly surround Angel. The character designs are simple yet distinct, the ability to tell each rebel from the other easy due to this and their sometimes one-dimensional personalities. I'm also sure that there's a very good explanation as to why Yuri strongly resembles another famous female brigade leader in anime history. (These are the jokes, people.)

The voice work is...ehhhhhhh...the Dub. My Lord, the Dub. Okay, it's not terrible, but you know there's a problem when Luci Christian is playing not only two characters but two of the Girls Dead Monster band members in the same scene. I don't care if you're trying to show off her versatility, we already know she's versatile. You honestly couldn't hire another actress, considering how many people are trying to break into the voice acting circuit? I don't know where this Sentai Filmworks came from, but it's clearer than glass that they're newbies at this. Blake Shepard is not leading man material, his Otonashi coming up short on too many occasions, Hilary Haag is beyond irritating as Girls Dead Monster's biggest fan Yui, and Leraldo Anzaldua's Noda is just plain god-awful, reading off his script in a mustered monotonous shout like the typical teen comedy bully.

Greg Ayers is a solid saving grace, playing a beautifully balanced Ayato Naoi as both an arrogant prick who believes himself on par with God and the lost boy who got the short end of the stick in life. And Brittney Karbowski, who's due for redemption after I kind of bashed her Black Star in my Soul Eater review, by and large delivers the strongest performance as Yuri. She puts on a brave, steadfast face for her brigade as leader, while coming to grips with her own inner demons in her lifetime. Karbowski manages to nail all aspects of the emotional spectrum without over doing it with overblown speeches and complete meltdowns. But if these two veteran ADV actors (plus Christian's one-episode stand) aren't enough to satisfy you, by all means watch it in Japanese with subtitles to get your full enjoyment out of this experience.

It's a shame when a good thing must come to a swift end, and it's a rare find in an anime series when one actually wishes there were more episodes then there actually are. Angel Beats is 13 episodes long, which I would normally applaud for avoiding filler and keeping the plot moving. The problem here with Angel Beats is there are so many characters. You want to get to know the people in the brigade better, and you long to know their backstories and what led each of them to the Afterlife Battlefront, but there simply aren't enough episodes to get to everybody, and the rapidly moving plot overtakes each subsequent 22 minute period in the latter half. Otonashi has to get his memories back at some point and the battle has to come to a head eventually—we've only got 13 episodes to work with, so we have to prioritize. In the end it's a bold move on the creators part to not bog down this series with a flashback per character in each episode, but instead choosing to focus on the brigade as a complete entity. But a couple OVAs would have been nice to flesh out some of the minor characters a bit more. You know, like Baccano did? No? Oh well, I guess it's up to the imaginations of the fanfiction writers now.

Angel Beats is by no means a flawless execution of questioning faith and rebelling against belief in forces we cannot see, but it is a truly beautiful piece of work inside and out. The conflict is harshly straightforward, the characters vivid and memorable, the animation elegant, and the soundtrack a cacophony of synthesized delight—all leading to a resolution so exhilarating that you'll definitely find yourself reaching for the tissue box as the end credits roll. Despite a few tedious filler periods and an English Dub that should have received far better treatment than it did, don't deprive yourself of this impressive treasure that is sure to become a classic with time.

Angel Beats!

Produced by PA Works and Aniplex, English Dub by Sentai Filmworks

Rated TV-14 for action violence, thematic elements and mild language

4 stars out of 5

I'm Talking About: Soul Eater (Anime Review)

Despite its triumph in animation and a righteous soundtrack, it’s the characters that save this anime from a slipshod plot that ultimately suffers in its second half.

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At Hogwarts School of Witchcr— I mean, The Death Weapon Meister Academy (DWMA) students are trained in Defense Against the Dark— uh, Soul Resonance by using wands — correction, scythes, run by headmaster Dumbled— er, The Grim Reaper to rid the world of evil — I mean…no wait I was right, EVIL.

Yes, everything I said above is indeed true, and if it seems a little wacky, get used to it or it’s going to be a LONG review.  The students at the DWMA train in pairs consisting of a Weapon and a Meister (or the weapon wielder).  Soul Eater centers around three of these teams: headstrong overachiever Maka Albarn and her lazy “ultra-cool” weapon Soul Eater, arrogant loud-mouthed Black Star and his ever patient sweet-natured weapon Tsubaki, and The Reaper’s own son Death the Kid who has the worst case of OCD you will ever witness, and his twin pistols the Thompson sisters, Liz and Patti.  Their mission as students is to collect 99 Kishin Eggs (corrupted souls in human bodies) and one Witch’s Soul in order to make their weapon into Death Scythe (a weapon that can be used by the Grim Reaper in battle). 

Except…that’s totally NOT what this show is about.   If I went into too much detail, however, I’m sure I’d spoil something.  To put it simply, this anime exemplifies what probably would have happened if Tim Burton had gotten hold of the Harry Potter films.  It’s an epic adventure of a group of students’ struggle for survival against fear and madness in this somewhat fictional world—yet it’s stylized with so much Western cartoonish animation, abstract design worthy of Halloweentown, and zany running gags that it may throw you off at some points, yet does not take away from the sheer enjoyment this show offers.  Yes, no matter what I say in this review, this show is very good: the story is strong, the characters are engaging, the soundtrack is one of a kind, and the animation keeps you riveted.  Now that the Reader’s Digest version is out of the way, let me explain my reasoning.

The music in this show is probably of the greatest variety I have ever heard on any anime.  While most anime tend to stick to one genre of music, Soul Eater combines hard rock and hip hop with dramatically orchestrated pieces.  These not only enhance the fight scenes and add to the emotional suspense, but leave you thinking that those scenes would not have had nearly as much effect without that soundtrack behind it — and that’s not something I can say about every anime I’ve seen.  The opening themes (particularly the first one) are both visually compelling and musically driven, so much so that I did not skip over them once in all 51 episodes.  Now that takes talent, so kudos to you Studio Bones!

All of the characters in Soul Eater range from compelling to downright slapstick.  Top of the list would have to be Maka, the lead heroine who pretty much dominates every scene she’s in, combat skills alone (the girl can wield a scythe twice her size!).  She’s compassionate and earnest with enough emotional baggage to justify her pent-up rage (mom took off, left in the custody of her father she hates, etc.).   When she feels something, she feels it strongly — while her appropriately contrasting partner Soul is rather cold and withdrawn, finding the only way he can really express himself is through music (yep, he plays the piano like a madman in one episode).  The differences cause them to clash constantly, as is the case with most Weapon/Meister pairs, but it’s obvious they care deeply for and would ultimately die for eachother.  While nobody goes into any incredible depth and the development remains generally stagnant, the main seven protagonists are colorful enough and their interactions with eachother are easily the high point of every episode, being boisterously hilarious, dramatically intense, or beautifully heartfelt.  And even each character’s habitual tendencies, such as Black Star’s will to surpass God Himself, seem to have a bit of backstory behind them.  Except for Kid’s obsession with symmetry, but it’s so ridiculously hysterical that we forgive him for it. 

Which leads to the question you’ve all been waiting for: English Dub or Japanese Subs?  I personally wouldn’t force you either way, but I’m going to have to lean a little on the Far East side on this one — thank you, Yumiko Kobayashi, for actually sounding like a boy when you voice prepubescent Black Star.  Everyone else I find on equal playing field with eachother: Kōki Uchiyama and Micah Solusod sound almost identical as Soul, Mamoru Miyano’s Death the Kid is a tad more neurotic in the comical bits than Todd Haberkorn but both match up nicely when the dramatics kick in.  Maka is voiced wonderfully by both Chiaki Omigawa and Laura Bailey—though I do have to give super awesome props to the former, as this challenging lead role was her voice acting debut and she seriously knocks it out of the park.

Sure wish I could say the same for…well…the show as a whole.  Every anime, no matter how good it is, has its pitfalls.  Soul Eater has one flaw, and unfortunately it’s a big one.  The story has a unique and imaginative premise despite Potter-esque remnants everywhere you look — but the way it is set up and presented to you, the viewer, is about as organized as the back of a college student’s car.  The pacing is awful, just bloody awful (I kid you not, there is a six-episode battle arc that supposedly takes place in a time span of forty minutes).  Plot points you thought were important are either never mentioned again or resolved so quickly that if you blink it’s gone, characters that posed as actual dangerous threats to the main heroes (e.g. the immortal werewolf) are shoved to the side once “Voldemort” comes into the picture — and for God’s sake, did we really need three episodes of comic relief Excalibur that could have otherwise been used for, oh I don’t know, relationship development between the core Weapon/Meister groups?  Maka and Soul get the most screen time, as rightly they should, but I was disappointed that we didn’t delve deeper into the relationships of the others, aside from learning how they first met.  Dear Lord, this story drags so much that by the time we’re five episodes away from the end, we’re bombarded with so many last minute clarifications and exposition our heads are spinning.  Thank goodness they managed to salvage the slack during the final battle.  Except for one…semi-minor…detail…oy, you’re just gonna have to watch for yourselves.

Yes, you will have to watch for yourselves, because I DO recommend this series.  Despite my gripes, the overall Soul Eater experience is one that should not be missed by any anime fan.  It’s quirky, funny, nail-biting, heck even tear-jerking at a few points, and what it lacks in execution it makes up for in the other departments.  Particularly character; yeah, I think I eventually grew to love or at least tolerate every protagonist on this show.  But due to alternating between dragging and rushing the storyline, way too many plot holes left gaping wide open, and an anti-climactic final resolution, I’m gonna have to lower my score a bit.  And it kills me to do it because honestly, this show had the potential to be up there with the classics, like its predecessors Cowboy Bebop and Fullmetal Alchemist.  While it doesn’t quite make the cut, it is worth your time.  So to quote Maka’s episode preview catchphrase: “Watch it—or I’ll take your soul!”

Soul Eater

Produced by Studio BONES, English Dub by Funimation

Rated TV-14 for violence, violence against women (LOL, I had no idea this was a separate category!), language, brief nudity, drinking and tobacco use.

3 ½ stars out of 5