The first few episodes start off a bit shakey and a lot of the characters initially start off a bit dense and/or one dimensional. I would urge you to give it another go and get through a couple of episodes. After that, this show proves it is entirely worthy of the score and praise it gets.
Possibly Shinkai's best work so far, and as a massive fan of both 5cm and Garden of Words I do not say that lightly. The animation is breathtaking as always but some scenes go beyond mere visual splendor and are just mesmerizing. The characters are so fun to be around and you'll find yourself rooting for them and hoping it all works out. I was slightly concerned when I saw the "boob fondling" scene in the trailer but even that becomes a genuinely charming gag throughout the movie, believe it or not!
As to be expected of Shinkai, the film also takes you on a roller coaster of emotional highs and lows and keeps you guessing how it will end until pretty much the last minute.
I cannot recommend this enough.
Having finally finished my slow burn of this series all I can do is agree with other comments here. This series offers a sense of tranquillity when watching that I have rarely seen anywhere else. You just get absorbed into sometimes dreamlike atmosphere of it all. Each episode is somewhat self-contained and you really never know how it will end. Some end on a happy note, some on a sorrowful one, some are more ambiguous or bitersweet.
The message throughout is very much that Mushi are not malevolent or evil, they are just like forces of nature, and can be harmful or helpful to humans. Each story is more about how people deal with these things, with Ginko travelling around and helping where he can.
With a second season just around the corner all I can really do is repeat other people's recommendations - if you haven't already, watch this series.
A brilliant anime with a very different art style and presentation. The story, as it were, is narrated to us by the nameless protagonist, as he agonises over how to pursue his "ideal campus life". Along the way he meets several other unusual characters, including his demonic-looking partner-in-crime Ozu and the mysterious Akashi, both of whom he seems to share a strange link with.
One complaint some people have with the series is that the narration from the protagonist is very fast and it's very difficult to read the subtitles in time. Whilst the dialogue is indeed quick, it is possible to keep up if you concentrate enough. Even if you find yourself needing to pause occasionally to digest a particularly verbose line, I would still absolutely recommend everyone give this series a go. Amongst a myriad of other, more "standard" anime, this one definitely stands out.
Well, that was quite a journey. A perfect end to a fantastic series. The episodes just flew by and it was over all too soon.
I am SO buying the Blu-ray that has finally been released in this country!
A solid last episode that hits right in the feels. Pretty awesome that it was double-length too.
This has definitely left me wanting more. I hope we get it!
"Doesn't look like anything to me". Be very afraid when you hear that phrase.
Very good reveal. Whilst it doesn't surprise me that some of the park staff are themselves hosts, they did a lot to misdirect you from (but still sort of hint at) thinking Bernard was one of them. As soon as he said "what door?" shortly after explaining that hosts are programmed to not see the house at all, I think we all knew this wasn't going to end well. And with the first (or maybe second?) human casualty now confirmed, I think we're about to see things go very, very wrong.
So happy to see Natsume back. It's been way too long!
And it really is like it never left. Same staff and cast probably help a lot with that, but within seconds we're back to that same relaxing atmosphere and characters we know and love.
Yeah, I love this series. I've always been a fan of Key anyway and I remember being so stoked when I heard about this new project. For what it's worth this ranks in my top 3 Key works (along with Clannad and Rewrite, the latter of which sadly doesn't have an anime adaption(yet...?))
If you've seen other Key works like Clannad, Kanon or Air, you probably already know that they tend to enjoy mixing comedy with tragedy, often whiplashing you between the two very quickly. Whilst these elements are certainly present in Angel Beats, and whilst the pasts of some of these characters are still pretty horrible and tragic, I don't think the series generally wallows in it as much as other Key works perhaps did.
The series has a nice mix of action, comedy, music and drama and it works really well. It also has TONNES of characters (A trait it shares with Little Busters I guess) which sadly, due to the series only being 13 episodes long, don't all have time to be developed to their full. Still, they are all a fun and silly bunch generally, and watching their antics is very enjoyable indeed.
Finally some good news for anyone who wanted more. Key have finally announced that an Angel Beats Visual Novel will be released in 2014. By the looks of it, it will be released in separate chapters (or beats), but hopefully this will give people a chance to learn more about the characters that didn't get much screen time in the anime (well, assuming it ever gets translated :D)
http://key.visualarts.gr.jp/angelbeats/index.html
Even though I do like One Punch Man too, it's episodes like this that reinforce why I like this series even more.
I was prepared to groan about them milking the paintball gag again, but it turned out to be an excellent episode!
Despite the rather boring sounding name, this is an awesome and hilarious show. The show is produced by Sunrise and directed by the same person who directs Gintama, and it shows. Each episode is divided into several skits lasting a few minutes each. For a show like this, this turns out to work very well.
If you enjoy Gintama, you absolutely owe it to yourself to watch this gem.
Another weird and wonderful entry from Masaaki Yuasa. This shares characters and a visual style with the series "The Tatami Galaxy" (https://trakt.tv/shows/the-tatami-galaxy) so if you're a fan of that series you will definitely enjoy, and know what to expect with this one - although the film works just fine as a stand-alone piece if you haven't seen it (although you really shoud!).
Whilst I still think I prefer Tatami Galaxy more this is still a very fun and enjoyable romp, following the unnamed girl with the black hair through the crazy nightlife of Kyoto. Lots of drinking, trippy visuals and hilarious moments as we go deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole.
Interestingly unlike Tatami Galaxy which almost exclusively followed the male protagonist's POV, here we spend a lot of time with the girl (voiced perfectly by Kana Hanazawa <3) and not so much with "Senpai", which is fine by me as she is joy to be around and is definitely the focal point of the story.
If you're a fan of Masaaki Yuasa's work this is definitely worth a look. Possibly not the easiest entry point into his works but not as bad as Tatami Galaxy and its infamous rapid-fire speech right out of the gate.
Dark, suspenseful, scary, impossible to put down.
Be warned, this contains some nasty stuff, but it's a truly excellent drama.
That last 10 minutes though...
From start to finish - an absolute joy to watch. In what I would consider a not particularly impressive anime season, this series really shines out as an example of what you can really do with a bit of creativity. The series (if you don't include the OVA and the Net Episodes from Season 1, which you don't really need to see) is only 10 episodes long but it still manages to tell a fantastic and touching story.
What really amazes me is how good this is compared to what I was expecting. Having watched the OVAs and web episodes that "aired" prior to the TV series itself, I found myself thinking "Looks cool, but doesn't really make any sense or go anywhere". The TV series was able to flesh out the previous content and weave it into a very compelling story. What's even more amazing is that from what I understand, this started out as just a small little collaberation between Toei Animation and a friggin' toy maker (Banpresto)!
I get the feeling that not everyone will be quite as smitten with the series as I was, but it just worked for me. I liked the characters, the fantasy setting, the music, everything. This absolutely shines out as my anime of the season, and possibly the whole year.
Oh, and Koto is love.
This show is lovely to watch. The show itself is just slice-of-life where nothing much happens, but somehow it still ends up being a really relaxing and enjoyable watch. For me, it's probably a combination of the unusual art style that studio SHAFT is well known for (see other shows like Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Bakemonogatari and many more), and very cute and likeable characters.
If you want a relaxing slice-of-life show, this is one of the best.
Awesome series. Some people accuse it of getting stale and repetitive but I never found that to be the case. A great mixture of dark humour, unusual art style (of which studio SHAFT is well known for) and social commentary - some of it only really applies to Japanese/Otaku culture but there are still a lot of things that ring true no matter where you live.
Oh god that was intense, and hurt a lot. 3 seasons and 9 years of build up.
I'm glad that this season Chihaya has finally actually realised how the people around her feel and is actually responding to it. But it hurts to see all these characters I love so unhappy :(
I ended up enjoying this series far more than I expected. The initial premise sounds like it would lose its novelty fast and it kinda does, but the series does enough new and different in the latter episodes to keep it fresh. I grew to like the 2 protagonists more as time went on which is always a good thing.
By no means an essential watch, but overall a pleasant and enjoyable watch.
Edit: After season 2, my recommendation for this series is a lot stronger. It does a great job at further developing and endearing the cast to us and now I just want a Season 3 too! Guess I'll have to read the manga.
Poor Hina :'(
Tissues out for this one!
Loved Konatsu's Rakugo in the second half. Was fun to hear the whole of Jugemu, which I've definitely seen referenced in other anime in the past but up until this point didn't ever get the reference or what it referred to.
I still have to keep reminding myself that this is studio DEEN too. It's even more amazing that once again this is airing along with KonoSuba (also by them) which couldn't be more different. I'm sure they'll have had different people working on each series but it's still quite amazing to see one studio who were meh at best until this point putting out two really enjoyable (and vastly different) shows.
Couldn't have asked for a better last episode of the year.
Fuck 2016 indeed.
That was a great episode. Really liked the pacing and direction - we definitely suffered as Yuu did. I do wonder if his sister truly is dead, mainly due to some other subtle supernatural hints we've seen about his family, but as far as he was concerned this episode, she certainly is dead and his suffering felt real and genuine.
Tomori of course was brilliant as usual. She's on track to being one of my favorite Key girls.
Get ready, my friends. The second season starts in a couple of weeks!
Are you ready for more Nyanpassu~?!
Fans of the anime may be interested to know that Key have finally set a release date for the first volume of the upcoming Angel Beats Visual Novel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8campmH6TI
Of course, this will be released in Japanese only at first, but with the success of the recent Clannad English release kickstarter (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sekaiproject/clannad-official-english-release), I am hopeful of an English release someday too :)
There will also be another "Special episode" OVA released around the same time.
A really enjoyable "cute girls doing cute things" slice of life series. I dunno what it is about this one that rates it so highly for me. They just get it all right. The girls are all very likeable, especially Ren-chon, she's just adorable. The series does a very good job at just mellowing you out. Some beautiful scenic shots and a relaxing pace to the whole thing. And the comedy moments are funny and charming.
Definitely recommended for fans of the genre. And a second season has been confirmed! Oh yes.
http://i.imgur.com/GAUP3pr.jpg
This sums up the chill factor pretty well. The first episode opens with this beautiful piece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYEaitHu1T4
Those who liked the tone and feel of Fate/Zero should try Kara no Kyoukai/The Garden of Sinners. Also animated by studio ufotable and "kinda" set in the same verse as Fate, it's a series of movies about mages, vampires and stuff. It was considered the precursor to Tsukihime (again set in the same verse as Fate) which also has an anime adaption (or not, depending on who you ask :P)
Delighted to hear that this is getting a Season 3. I couldn't help but catch up with the manga and based on that, things are only going to get better!
