KIDOU TENSHI ANGELIC LAYER

DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA ActionANGELIC LAYER
MUSIC ActionCLAMP in Wonderland 2

REVIEWS

• 

  TheRealKyuubey

  70/100
  Once upon a time, CLAMP wrote an awesome story about battle dolls.

  Stepping onto the streets of Tokyo for the first time, twelve year old Misaki Suzuhara intends to track down her mother, who mysteriously abandoned her seven years ago to commit to her work. With little other idea of where to begin, she pledges to move in with her aunt, but like anyone visiting Tokyo for the first time, she gets lost... But not before discovering Angelic Layer, a new game that’s only begun to sweep the nation! Seeing two players, called ‘Deuces,’ wearing telekinetic headsets to control their specialized battle dolls, Misaki is inspired by the idea of a being who's small like her carrying so much power, so she dives headfirst into the world of Angelic Layer... A decision that will lead her down a journey of self discovery, drama and friendship as she overcomes every opponent that’s placed in front of her with her doll Hikaru, and slowly begins to unravel the mysteries of her past... While having no idea just how closely these two sides of her life are intertwined. Can Misaki overcome her rookie status to rise to the peak of Angelic Layer? Will she ever find her estranged mother? The answer to both may just be closer than she thinks.

  I don’t think I’ve ever reviewed a Clamp anime before, but for those who don’t know, they were a pretty popular mangaka group who had their official debut in 1990, and continued to pump out titles until 2016, which isn’t to say they retired that year, but they did start an ongoing manga at the time that’s been their only project ever since. They’re responsible for an impressive number of popular and influential titles, ranging from household names like Cardcaptor Sakura and Chobits, to more obscure but highly treasured titles like Magical Knights Rayearth and X. Their work is mostly aimed at a young female demographic, but you’d be surprised just how versatile it’s been, as there’s usually a decent amount of depth and complexity lurking below the surface of their stories, and with the exception of a couple of relatively hardcore titles, there’s also more often than not a tasteful level of darkness to their works. They’ve never shied away from more mature themes, presenting LGBT characters in (mostly) respectful context, and utilizing a level of action that blurs the lines between shounen and shoujo.

  It’s fair to say they’re something of a cultural icon in the anime and manga community, but that doesn’t mean every adaptation is handled equally. Clamp has always had its own style... They love using the visual motifs of flowers and white feathery wings, and their character designs are also highly distinctive. Human characters tend to have more or less realistic proportions below the neck, cartoony and highly expressive anime faces above, and in some cases, adults who are distractingly tall and thin. Whether or not this works depends on how well a production studio is able to translate the designs to animation... Production IG’s adaptation of XXXHolic probably got the worst of it, but thankfully, the results have been a lot more hit than miss, and Angelic Layer translates the Clamp design aesthetic almost as well as Cardcaptor Sakura did. Granted, that may be on account of Clamp paring down their flowery designs to give the series a more genre neutral look, but regardless, the results speak for themselves.

  Angelic Layer was produced by Studio Bones as the second project they ever animated, and while their output would be spotty in the future, they made a damn good impression with this one. Angelic Layer doesn’t boast the most lavish budget in the world, but it’s managed extremely well, with cost cutting techniques employed only in moments where they’d be the least noticeable... Still frame close-ups on characters doing inner monologue, which happens a lot when they’re strategizing mid-battle Yugioh-style... and other kinds of dialogue scenes, and make no mistake, the money they saved went directly into the smooth, kinetic and well choreographed battle scenes. I may have noticed a few shots here and there that looked a little cheap in between them, but the results are so awe-inspiring that I’m hardly going to complain. There’s some CG involved, but it’s all so well rendered you likely won’t even notice it, which is mainly because it’s used primarily for future tech sci-fi lighting and environmental effects during Angel battles. The only aspect of the visuals I didn’t like was the occasional slapstick comedy, which is mainly relegated to a certain mad scientist character and his underlings, it’s not funny, but it’s easy to ignore.

  The music outside battles is pleasant and non-intrusive, but the music during battle scenes is more fun and exciting. I’m guessing they took a cue from Pokemon, as the progression of the soundtrack in these moments follows the course of the battle... Tense when Hikaru’s losing, fast and energetic when she’s kicking ass, loud and triumphant when the result is about to be decided, and then suddenly quiet as everybody on screen takes a minute to let the results sink in... Before they burst into applause, heralding a switch to a completely different tune that somehow feels as natural as breathing.

  As for the English dub, well, that’s more of a mixed bag. The main character is played by Jessica Boone, one of the earliest ADV actors, hired in her late teens for her ability to convincingly play a child. As time went on, she basically became ADV’s answer to Funimation’s Brina Palencia, a woman with a deeper, rich voice that can easily convey subtlety and nuance without necessarily sounding too old. For Angelic Layer, one of her earliest roles, she’s playing a preteen, so it shouldn’t be surprising that she portrays her with a slightly aged up version of the voice she used to play Chiyo-chan in Azumanga Daioh. It’s a genuinely good performance, which is a shame because she does unfortunately fall victim to a certain issue I noticed while listening to the dub for the first time... There are certain characters, including her in the early episodes, who have a noticeable metallic echo in their performances, like they recorded their dialogue in a closet at home and then sent it into the studio afterwards. This does go away as the series roll along, but when it’s at its peak, Boone isn’t even the worst of it.

  One of Misaki’s male friends, named Kotaro, sounds like this throughout the entire series, and sadly, it’s not even the worst thing about his performance. He’s voiced by Kevin Corn, who was actually 14 years old at the time of recording, and while his cracking voice does sound appropriate for his character’s age, it’s distracting when he’s the only actor in the entire cast who sounds this way. Another character, Ohjiro Mihara, is only slightly older than Kotaro at fifteen, and he’s played very well by Chris Patton... Who, like the rest of the actors playing minors in this show, was an adult at the time. The rest of the cast is great, with Andy McKavin being a particular stand-out as the wacky Icchan, and while Monica Rial did kind of get on my nerves, but that could be attributed to the fact that her character is just really abrasive and annoying in general. It’s not a bad dub over-all, but the issues it does have are kind of distracting, so I would personally recommend the sub. It’s crisp and fun, and the audience during battle scenes sounds a lot more heart-pounding. Also, the name Kaede is pronounced as Katie, and that’s bound to piss someone off.

  If there’s one word that I feel you could use to describe most of Clamp’s output over the years, it would be deceptive. Clamp has always had a thing for twisting genres, imbuing wacky concepts with unexpected depth, and inventing some pretty out-of-left-field ways to bring dual-appeal to what appears, on the surface, to be manga written exclusively for girls. Where Angelic Layer differs from the rest of the pack is that it’s probably the most straightforward story they’ve ever written. Right off the bat, you know exactly what you’re going to get from this title, and I mean that in the best way possible. In addition to making Misaki feel instantly likeable and sympathetic by the halfway point of the first episode, they also waste no time whatsoever in presenting you with the exciting concept at the center of the pitch. Robot battles do exist in the real world, they’re pretty cool to watch, but they’re still pretty rudimentary, so the idea of taking that and adding bad-ass ball joint dolls is pretty exciting. By adding Misaki to the mix, a highly likeable fish-out-of-water who’s going to act as our cypher so we can learn about this bizarre sci-fi sport through her, the potential is endless. Specifically, there are two sides to this story, and while I’ll get to the other side in a minute, I should say first that when Angelic Layer is focused primarily on the titular game, and Misaki’s journey through it, this anime absolutely delivers, built around a relentlessly fun tournament that will have you on the edge of your seat no matter how obvious the result of any given battle may feel.

  Just about every trope of a tournament story is on display at some point, but even though very few of them are ever deconstructed or subverted, they’re all used intelligently and with an obvious passion. To start, because Misaki is the protagonist, it should be fairly obvious that she’s an unlikely prodigy, an underdog wearing a thick layer of plot armor. That may be true, but where other anime might let this come off as unbelievable, there is an actual logic to Misaki's ability to rise above every challenge that’s placed in fornt of her, as well as why she’s able to turn enemies into friends as easily as any other protagonist. Misaki doesn’t win her battles through deus ex machina, and while the power of friendship and belief isn’t entirely absent, it’s used sparingly. By the time Misaki joins, the Angelic Layer games have been going on for years. Over time, the most dominant players have gotten where they are by developing their own gimmicks, secrets and strategies built around what I’m assuming has to have been a pretty consistent metagame. As a newcomer, and as someone who is just as honest and straightforward as the series itself, Misaki doesn’t do this. She charges forward and battles all out, and while this should mean she’d get pounded into the dirt, it’s her care for her angel, her patience and her powers of observation that allow her to decipher an opponent’s strategy mid-fight. With that knowledge, she finds a clever way to break their strategy(this happens outside of her control only once) thus forcing them to fight her on her level- A level they may have been comfortable with once, but haven’t fought on in years, having come to rely on their gimmicks. This is where Misaki turns the tide in battle, and it never feels cheap or unearned.

  I’m not going to say everything about the tournament makes sense... Like, how the fuck did they hold a 24 competitor tournament without any byes or triple threat matches? But overall, the tournament and the game surrounding it ARE the strongest aspect of the series, and it can do virtually no wrong while focusing on them. Unfortunately, there is another side to the story that isn’t nearly as strong, and I’m sorry to say, but it’s Misaki’s life outside the game. I will reiterate, Misaki is a really likeable character, but outside of her efforts to compete and better herself as a deuce, she’s not all THAT interesting or unique, and neither are the people around her. Her friends outside of the game are bargain bin anime friend characters... A boy who simps for her, and a violent warthog of a girl who urges him on, but interrupts him with wrestling moves when he makes a move, and sulks over him not realizing her feelings for him. They add little to nothing to the story outside of being her cheerleaders. There’s a couple different romantic subplots going on, and they take up way too much time compared to their actual contributions to the narrative.

  Misaki’s school life takes a back seat to her pursuing her passion, as we only see her in school to show people reacting to her newfound fame, and so we can see how hopelessly non-athletic she is in real life. But the absolute worst part of the series... And I’m going to have to talk in broad strokes here to avoid serious spoilers... Is the ongoing sub-plot revolving around her mother. I’m not exaggerating in the slightest when I say that when they reveal why she left and hasn't returned, I laughed my ass off at how fucking stupid her reasoning was, and I’m not going to tell you why, but rest assured, there was no justifiable reason why she couldn’t have explained her circumstances to her daughter... Who, despite being five years old, should have been perfectly capable of understanding what was going on... Instead of dropping the laziest excuse since “Daddy’s going to go pick up some cigarettes” and then just leaving her in the dark for seven years without so much as a letter or a phone call.

  Now it should be stated, the writers are aware of just how stupid her reasoning was. Well, okay, they might not get the magnitutde of it, but they know it IS stupid, which is better than nothing. Other characters encourage her to approach her daughter and make up for lost time, but they always fold when she does. They never call her out, they barely try to reason with her, and even when the bullshit excuses she comes up with have obviously nothing to do with Misaki, nobody ever gets mad at her over it. It would have been so fucking satisfying if just one person in her orbit had told her to stop whining like a little bitch and just lie in the bed she’d made. Still, the effects her neglect had on Misaki are somewhat realistic and well thought out, and the conclusion that this plot-line reaches is kind of emotionally satisfying, but I still can’t shake the feeling that their conclusion was delayed artificially at several points because, as fun as the tournament is, there really isn’t any sense of stakes to it. There’s really nothing Misaki stands to gain through victory that has any weight to it, and by the halfway point of the series, there REALLY should be some kind of outside force or looming threat to add tension to the plot. On their own, these gripes feel more like nitpicking than any serious issue, and what Angelic Layer does well far outways its few missteps.

  Angelic Layer was originally available stateside from ADV Films, and since it’s one of the titles they didn’t sell off when they went under, they still own it now as Sentai Filmworks. It’s currently available in a crisp new Blu-ray format that can be found at affordable prices on Rightstuf and Amazon. The original manga went out of print from Tokyopop, but is currently available in omnibus form from Dark Horse. I should also mention that Angelic Layer is sort of a prequel to Chobits, I wasn't sure where else to put that tidbit.

  As a tournament story about a prodigy underdog, what Angelic Layer gives you is easily on the high end of what you could reasonably expect. It might not exceed your expectations, but it never even comes close to failing them. I’m honestly not sure why it didn’t catch on more than it did, because at least on the surface, it has the potential for mass appeal. It was written by the most prolific shoujo manga group of all time, features a majority female cast, and arguably offers up a female power fantasy. On the other hand, it’s a show about tiny mechas engaging in mortal combat against each other, and battling robots is a straight-up shounen staple. The writing is fairly sophisticated, and aside from a few bits of questionable logic, it takes the audience seriously enough for adults to enjoy it. But with absolutely zero fanservice, it’s 100% safe entertainment for kids. I guess you could make the argument that it never reached its full potential because it was trying too hard to please everyone, but whatever the case may be, I think this series is a lot of fun, and I highly recommend checking it out.

  I give Angelic Layer a 7/10.

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