Looks Like Key Did it Again!

AngelBeats! Is the newest title from the folks at Key.  You might recognize the name from anime like: Kanon, Air and Clannad.  With Jun Maeda behind the original concept and screen play and Na-Ga behind the character designs; AngelBeats! Has turned out to be one of the biggest winners of the Spring 2010 season.  

The story is about a high school in the after life where the students learn to let go of any attachment they had to their former lives before moving on to reincarnation.  But a small group of students called the Shinda Sekai Sensen (Afterlife War Front) or Three-S (SSS) for short have chosen to battle against their fate and God in order to avenge their unfortunate deaths.

AngelBeats! Sports a lot of slapstick comedy and expertly timed humor that let’s you laugh hard but let’s you catch your breath to get the full depth of the unraveling story.  This is a Key title so you can always sense a degree of sadness in each character’s story.  This is however, the first Key anime title that has featured such a variety of characters.  All of which have their own -isms to let them stand out on their own with their own back story.

The main character, Otonashi-kun (Seiyuu: Hiroshi Kamiya of Honey & Clover and Natsume Yuujinchou fame), is suffering from amnesia and reluctantly joins the SSS in order to figure out just how he came to this world in the first place.  This plot device along the Diversionary Squad’s insert songs as the band, Girls Dead Monster (GirlDeMo) really locks you in as you watch each episode.

Where Key titles may have been heavily shoujo oriented in the past, there is enough action to attract shounen viewers who prefer fast paced scenes and gripping battles.  The school’s stoic student council president who aids in the transition between the afterlife and the next life also has some pretty slick super powers.  But in a world where you can no longer die it makes for some interesting and hilarious scenarios when the SSS attempt to resist her in whatever way they can.

I have to say I’m very pleased with the way the anime has turned out and I can’t wait for it to be licensed in America.  Hopefully most of the humor isn’t lost in translation but only time will tell.

If you have an anime you’d like reviewed then please let me know!  Remember all e-mails should go to b.perez@oni-con.com since Jim hates me and doesn’t want to give me an Oni-Email address yet. =D

/Koji Loves You!