|
I still think a longer length for Angel Beats! would have made it a better series. However, I also think we'd then have people saying it feels too much like Clannad or Kanon. Personally, I think that while a larger series would have permitted better character growth, it would've ended up as an arc-based series, with Yuzuru moving from member to member, solving their individual problems.
And now that I think upon that, I realize I wouldn't of liked that one bit. One of the core themes of Angel Beats! is the bonds that have been forged between the members of the SSS, how they can operate as a team in any circumstance. The method of individually ascending them, in my opinion, kills this entire theme. In order to sustain this theme, Maeda still would've had to have most, if not all of them, ascend at the end of the series.
So this begs the question: how would he fill the rest of the series? If he can't ascend people after giving them character development, it would give the arc a hollow feeling. More so, that kind of method, moving from one character to the next, works fine for a slow-paced, episodic (or arc-driven) anime like Clannad or Kanon. However, Angel Beats! is not a slow-paced series. It's as much an action series as it is a typical Key anime. Combining engaging and unique action scenes, appropriate character development and growth, while forging the relationships of the series and keeping the typical feel of a Key anime, is very difficult over a longer period of time. The action begins to stale out, there would probably still be some characters who are left aside so the more important/popular ones can get more screentime, and the only thing that might remain in good quality would be what Maeda does best: the typical tear-jerker scenes.
So while Angel Beats! might have felt rushed, at least it never slowed down to an unbearable pace. I know we got some almost "filler" episodes throughout the series, but it still kept up a fairly quick pace, and I have yet to see someone say something bad about the action, so that means that it has managed to stay fairly engaging. Yes, plently of characters have come and gone with barely any development, but even in a longer series, they still would've probably been pushed aside. And still, we're all quite familiar with the members of the SSS, even if they haven't gotten much screentime. And the relationships between some of the characters are anything but subtle. Then to top it off, no matter how rushed the series may feel, Maeda still managed to throw in his typical tear-jerker scenes, which in some people's cases (such as mine) have worked nicely, and others, apparently not.
So, after thinking on it a lot, I've decided I'm not going to complain about the short length of the series anymore, as I've decided it suits Angel Beats! fine.
|