Angel Beats!

This anime made me remember why I so love watching animes. Why despite being in my 20s, I’m still so addicted and just can’t let go; because animes are for everybody. It may be cartoons, but looking at their plots and storylines, one will find that it is more than just cute and stunning drawings and animation. And maybe animes are even harder to create than dramas and soap operas ‘coz aside from the normal production crew, you'd need animators and dubbers.

Anyways, going down to business...


Angel Beats! has quite the first episode. Things seem to be happening fast but as Yuri says, one needs to “be more adaptive and accept things as they are.” or something like that. After all, you are bound to eventually get everything as it progresses. And actually, that’s also the point of watching a show, right?
What I like about this anime is with all its twists and turns, you'll never get bored. Well, at least, I didn't. I was totally hooked from beginning to end. But how can I not when Angel Beats!  has action, drama, comedy and romance? It's a slice of life using fantasy.

The story starts with Otonashi Yuzuru waking up and meeting a girl [holding a gun] named Yuri, the leader of the “Rebels Against God Battlefront”. Yuri tries to recruit Otonashi to be a member of the group, and while reluctant and very much confused at first, he nonetheless joined after a little while. Of course, I was as confused as he was. Why were they rebelling against God and what do they mean by being obliterated? Are they in some sort of survival battle? 

After the second episode, I think I pretty much got the gist of everything. With Yuri unravelling her tragic life story, I got to see and understand why she put up a battlefront rebelling against God. I actually got goose bumps upon hearing of (watching?) Yuri's story. I thought ‘no wonder she sees life as so unfair.. that she questions God. That she wants to have a control over what's happening and not just submit to the rules then be obliterated from that place as easy as that.’ But still, I had doubts with why they are in that place—a school for dead that gets them obliterated.

As the episodes further progresses and Iwasawa—the main vocalist and rhythm guitarist of GirlsDeMo, a band used by the battlefront as distraction—got obliterated, I figured that they won’t just get obliterated for nothing. For just being obedient and living a normal and fun school life. Obliteration comes when you yourself become ready— when you get to finally find your peace and sense of fulfilment.

The after-life school is some sort of purgatory, a place for the souls of those who didn't have such great childhood. A place for them to realize that while the lives they've had on earth was quite unfair, it doesn't mean that that's all there is to it—that they won’t anymore have the chance to get back what should’ve been theirs’. It’s a place existing to have them reach and fulfil their dreams. To get over their life issues. To claim what ought to be and is rightfully theirs’.

I seriously enjoyed watching each and every episode of Angel Beats!. Aside from the entertainment, it made me nostalgic of my own school years—the fun I had with classes, school events and most especially, my friends. I loved this anime and it’s OST.

I'm very thankful for Angge providing me a copy. :)