While certainly flawed, Angel Beats! is no exception.
Angel Beats! takes place in a sort of wacked out limbo, focused on a High School of the Mostly Dead. When somebody dies, but has not fulfilled their purpose in life, they are sent to a school to do one of two things:
1.) Learn how to get into heaven by attending class
2.) Rebel against God himself by joining the Shinda Sekai Sensen (Afterlife War Front)
Students are passed on to the afterlife when they have fulfilled their purpose or have continually attended class for a period of time, becoming a "NPC", or - according to the SSS - a nobody. Angel Beats! is focused on the SSS and it's war on the school council president, who has some really unnatural abilities. The plot's setup is fairly unique and distinct from pretty much every other anime I've seen, but there's not a lot of motivation involved in the whole "rebelling against the God" business, as it's really only one character who wants that. The other characters are in the SSS because they have nowhere else to go, don't see the point in classes or have amnesia and a cute purple haired girl told him to join them. It's lacking to say the least, although I could contribute this to the shows piss poor length. It's only 13 episodes long, plus an OVA which doesn't do ANYTHING to add to the plot. Nobody get's really developed outside of five characters, which is a real shame. Compared to other Key works like Air, Kanon 2006 and ESPECIALLY Clannad, Angel Beats! is severely lacking.
The characters are not very well thought out, aside from the main four or five. Again, this is due to the show's low episode count, and it just leaves a feeling of dissatisfaction in your mouth after watching all 13 episodes and seeing nothing happening to your favourite character. I'm going to go over the show's main character and my personal favourite (who fortunately does get development)
Yazuru Otanashi
Fun Fact: Yazuru has the same voice actor as Captain Levi from Shingeki no Kyojin. Now isn't that swell? Anyways, Yazuru is our main protagonist suffering from amnesia. Great. One day, due to an unfortunate train accident, Yazuru is killed and sent to the High School of the Mostly Dead (I will never stop using that pun). It's here where he meets the members of the SSS and realizes that even if you get killed in this world, you'll come back to life in a matter of hours, minutes even. Yazuru makes it his mission - even hough he doesn't really want to - to help the SSS defeat the "Angel" and rebel against God. He is smart and, while not a great tactician, is a formidable marksman and an asset to the Shinda Sekai Sensen (Which sounds way cooler than the Not Yet Dead Battlefront, just saying.). His backstory is - like most Key main characters - very tragic and all depressing and stuff. He's a decent main character, but compared to let's say, Tomoya Okazaki, he isn't that great. He's very entertaining though, and isn't that what you want from a main character?
Yurippe Nakamura
Fun Fact: THERE IS NO FUN FACT.
The definition of a character that can send your emotions on a rollercoaster, Yurippe is only topped by Nagisa Furakawaas Key's saddest female character. Her backstory left me gobsmacked and I had a lump in my throat after watching that episode. Yuri(short for Yurippe) is the unanymous leader of the Shinda Sekai Sensen which is in a constant debate as to what it's name is. She's funny, a bit arrogant and in all fairness the best damn character this show has to offer and since there's only like five real good ones you can't expect me to pick very easily *cough* KANADE FANS *cough*. I love her design and her ability to command.
I can safely say that hands down, Angel Beats! is one of the all time best when it comes to it's animation. It is stunning to say the least. Environments are stunning, the framerate is rock solid and characters are very distinct. The lighting is tip top, and the action scenes are just breathtaking, especially the one at the end of the first episode. It leaves you wanting more...but there isn't more.
Unfortunately, minus three very good songs, the soundtrack of Angel Beats! is completely forgettable. My Soul, Your Beats! by Lia is one of the best anime openings out there, aswell as the cover by LiSA (Known for her work on Crossing Field, Sword Art Online's first opening) and My Song sung by the character Iwasawa are all the show's standouts. I hear that a lot of people like the ending theme, Brave Song, but I really can't see why. It's not memorable or catchy to me.
Overall, Angel Beats! is very VERY hit or miss. It's tragic sometimes and complete shit the next, and this is down to a poor soundtrack, lacklustre minor characters and it's extremely short length. It suffers heavily as a result, and therefore I'd be weary before going in to watch it.
Story: 5
Characters: 6
Animation: 9.5
Sound: 4
Personal Enjoyment: 4.5
Characters: 6
Animation: 9.5
Sound: 4
Personal Enjoyment: 4.5
FINAL SCORE FOR ANGEL BEATS!: 5.8/10
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