My collection of short anime reviews

You are not an adult if I can be jailed for approaching you with a candy.

The second review for this year is also about based on a sport, albeit an artificial one. As promised, Angelic Layer is all about a sport called Angelic Layer. After this, I will complete the triple sport reviews with Capeta, another sports anime.

Story:-
Misaki Suzuhara comes to Tokyo to attend middle-school when she finds out about the Angelic Layer game, incidentally a single-player game (to know how the game is played, watch the anime). As usual, just like other sports anime you and I have watched, the protagonist works her ass off (with guts and spirits as Hiramatsu in Aoki Densetsu Shoot! have said) to achieve the aim to become a NATIONAL champion. Some romance is thrown in for good measure too.

Almost everything that I have written in Aoki Densetsu Shoot! Review still applies to this anime. The story in Angelic Layer marginally better though, and it has a better ending too. Character development is better too even if this anime only has about half the run Aoki Densetsu Shoot! did.

Generally, the anime is doing well in this section, as most sports anime out there should.

Character Design:-
Made by CLAMP, the design in this anime is good. This is easily evident on both humans and the doll’s designs. It has the occasional black hair too, which is a good thing. Surely a plus point of this anime.

 
I have always thought this kind of thing did not happen in Japan. How wrong I can be.

Voice acting:-
A definite plus point of the anime, voice acting in this anime is excellent, aided by a heavyweight roster. The main protagonist voice actress really does her job here, because her voice is outstanding. Other is not bad either.

Music:-
Another plus point for this anime. The OST and all OP/ED themes are great. Enough said.

Animation/Direction:-
The quality of the animation here is quite weird. It is average in non-battle scenes while being excellent while in battle scenes. The directing is average at best, sometimes exhibiting the inability to keep some dialogues from flowing freely. That somewhat reminds me of the Armitage III OVA, but at least Angelic Layer is not that bad compared to it.

Conclusion:-
8 out of 10. A bit better than your typical sports anime. Capeta here I come.

 
Even at the age of electronic communications, is snail mail really needed? What happened to the near-instantaneous e-mail? Or the plain-old real-time telephone call?