(L) Angelic Layer

[fukarming]

Angelic layer (TV) is a good show. It is executed very nicely. Of course you won't like it if you are looking for a deep and complex show. However that is rather your problem instead of the angelic layer's as it is never meant to be deep and complex.

The manga sucks though. Their so called explaination of Misaki's mother absence is that she is too shy to be around those she like, which is a load of BS.

Ojiro is in highschool. I believe it is stated in the anime. He is only 3-5 years older than Misaki, which is not that much. His crush to Misaki's mother is simply a young boy's crush to an older, beautiful woman. That is the same as Amuro's (original Gundam) crush to Matilda.

Misaki's dad is never shown. My personal guess is that he passed away.

[roriconfan]

Originally Posted by fukarming

Misaki's dad is never shown. My personal guess is that he passed away.

Hint. Read Chobits.

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MY REVIEW

CLAMP are amongst the most famous mangaka artists in Japan. They have produced many famous titles and have created many all time classic characters. Sadly, the same thing that makes their stories so interesting is the same that eventually bogs them down. They rarely develop. And if they do, it is usually rushed and in the final parts of the story. That is seen as a hook for most who keep watching in hopes of something good to happen, only to be eventually disappointed most of the times with stories which have great themes and potential for greatness that are just ruined in the name of cute characters doing silly stuff.

I won’t lie, cute sells. So does taboo romance, a thing CLAMP throw around in their stories all the time. Most of my interest in works like RG Veda or Card Captor Sakura was about finding out what would the outcome of all those kinky relationships would be. Plot? What plot? Who cares about that? Gimme cute characters in kinky relationships!

And this is eventually what makes Angelic Layer to be one of their least good works. The story is again two lines long, the characters are static to the most part as usual… but there is no kinky romance to cover for all that! Yes, it sounds pretty lame saying such a thing but trust me; most of the appeal CLAMP stories have is their characters’ weird sexual preferences. And this particular title has almost zero. It has just a “normal” kiddy romance with the only twist being a possible triangle that is never escalated into a cat fight. No catfight = no romantic triangle. Well that ruined most of the appeal!

Even the concept of the story ain’t very interesting either. It is basically proxy battles around a children’s fighting game. And not very violent or exciting either. If you happen to have watched the similar Plawres Sanshirou, a much older and yet much more action-based series, you will understand what I mean. The robots there were shred to pieces, oil was spilling around, they needed maintenance, they had upgrades, they needed basic programming based on martial arts! Those were damn entertaining proxy battles! This is just Barbie the Wrestler for Pete’s sake!

Furthermore the story doesn’t even try to exploit its own concept in ways it doesn’t feel so simple. I mean, the Angels are supposed to be fighting dolls that move through their master’s brainwaves. Plus, it is stated several times that they resemble their master’s behaviour. If they had bothered to show the dolls showing emotions or slight free will outside of battles, I would have liked all this mess a lot more. Imagine Misaki’s doll saying or doing anything she is too afraid to say or do herself. Imagine the same for everyone else; having his or her doll being the expression of their real inner selves that they can’t show directly. But nooo, they are just mooks. They play no part in the story whatsoever. They are not even characters! Just dolls their masters play with.

So there you go; wasting the thing that could have made this anime great. The dolls are just… dolls. Their only purpose is product placement. Which by the way is quite weak anyway. And hello, is it me or are almost all dolls females dressed in skimpy outfits? Was that some sort or attraction for plamo fans? I’m sorry, we have Queen’s Blade and their peripheral titles for that. That’s it; Jumaru, kick the shit out of them!

So is there something worth watching in this series? Animation and sound for example? The battles are somewhat done nicely, with basic choreography and high octane music playing in the meantime. But they are all so… bloodless! No fatalities, no dismemberments, not even shred clothes most of the times. I had Jumaru level of violence 20 years prior and it was about monstrous brutes ripping each others’ arms off. And now I got Barbie the wrestler serving tea to Ken. Well no thanks…

Outside of the battles, the rest of the animation and music is just average to good. The setting is somewhat futuristic and the characters are cute but it ain’t something worth remembering. Oh well, I give them both a 7 for being ok and all. But that’s it!

The story is as I said, a typical CLAMP one, good premise that goes nowhere. It’s just a girl who is looking for her mother and, oh, just starts playing a game with dolls for fun and, oh, wins all the time against pro players despite being a rookie and, oh, a friend of hers likes her and, oh, the champion in the game so happens to

Spoiler:

BE HER MOTHER!!! Try to calculate the odds of THAT!

What a croc of a plot! I give 3 to story and 4 to characters because they are cute. Yes, cute sells.

Overall, this is quite the passable title with almost zero replay value that has very little to offer if you have watched the tiles bellow.

SUGGESTION LIST
Card Captor Sakura
Plawres Sanshirou
Barbie movies (lol)

Average: 4/10

[GreatTeacherKen]

I don't think showing 'fake' blood spraying out of the dolls would really help the series out that much. In fact, I think it would be ridiculous considering how small the dolls are and an unnecessary attempt at making things darker and edgier.

Spoiler for don't read if you haven't finished the series:

I don't think Misaki's mom being the best is that absurd; she was present ever since the conception of Angelic Layer and has more talent and experience than virtually every other player. If I remember correctly she pretty much is the very first player of Angelic Layer. I think it's more unlikely that Misaki who's essentially a newbie can make it the top so quickly and only lose once. Of course the series would be a lot longer if she were to lose more and they would have to do a time skip of some kind to prevent the series from dragging out too long. The original manga is only five volumes long, making dragging the story longer riskier.

Also having Shuuko present at the same tournament as Misaki makes the story move much faster and to the point If Shuuko were at a different tournament, the story would be a lot longer and run the risk of running out of steam.

Despite being a tournament fighting series, the real point of this series is Misaki's reconciliation with her estranged mother as opposed to being the best Angelic Layer player ever. That pretty much is Misaki's main goal ever since the first episode.

[roriconfan]

Originally Posted by GreatTeacherKen

I don't think showing 'fake' blood spraying out of the dolls would really help the series out that much. In fact, I think it would be ridiculous considering how small the dolls are and an unnecessary attempt at making things darker and edgier.

Jumaru is not amused

[GreatTeacherKen]

I haven't seen that series so I can't comment on how well the 'blood' works in the context of that show, but in context of Angelic Layer I still think it'd be ridiculous and unnecessary.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by GreatTeacherKen

I haven't seen that series so I can't comment on how well the 'blood' works in the context of that show, but in context of Angelic Layer I still think it'd be ridiculous and unnecessary.

Yeah i highly agree. Especially when you keep the target audience in mind.

[roriconfan]

Ok, I can agree that Plawres was for teenage boys while AL was for 8 yo girls... or middle aged plamo fans of cute girls.

[fertygo]

Bloody hell I'm just re-watching this n someone (usual eh) bump the thread, aw this anime is so nostalgic. Watch it on TV when I was a little, n still damn entertaining to watch these days.

Being one of earlier BONES works n designated for sunday show for kids afterall.