We as humans cannot help but wonder what the afterlife looks like, if there is one. People thinking about the after life has always been endless, to religious fantastic or scientific ways. We have seen these used ways in movies befor. But cutting to the point. In the 13 (14 including OVA)-episode anime series “Angel Beats” the afterlife is a huge boarding school where kids run after each other with guns, knives and try and not pass-on. Now, before watching Angel Beats I had seen that it WILL make you cry, but it was made by the same director as “Clannad” another anime that is classed as “the saddest anime of all time” -myanimelist.
The Story:
After death, Otonashi wakes up as a student in a huge boarding school, where the recently dead can catch their bearing a bit and try to resolve their issues with themselves, before moving on to wither heaven or reincarnation.
Dazed and with a bad case of amnesia he gets snatched up for enlistment by a very odd student committee: the SSS, also called the Battlefront. The SSS (the meaning of which changes constantly, to prevent easy detection) consists of students who do not want to move on. Students who have had a life that was so bad that they do not want to resolve their issues but confront God instead, and challenge Him for either an explanation, an apology or a fight.
The Battlefront has a cunning plan to lure God to the school: there is an angel (called Angel) guarding the grounds in the guise of the student council president. If the SSS manages to conquer her in combat, God is sure to appear… right?
Conquering is not easy though in a world where basically nothing can kill you or your enemy (as you both are already dead). So while Otonashi’s new friends are stockpiling resources and weapons for the upcoming fight with his help, he tries to get his memories back and he also tries to avoid taking a shine to Angel. Oops…
Sound/Music:
The overall soundtrack of Angel Beats is outstanding! The songs really hit that warm spot with anyone. There are really not many flaws in the music, the music is played at the right time at the right moment. There is an episode where there is a live performance that is just amazing. During some extreme moments in the story, such as when they try and go to where they got ammo (not spoiling much there 
), the background music is amazing! The opening of the anime keeps making me want to go back JUST for the opening:
If you just watched it you can understand why. The ending song can get a bit repetitive but pays off when on to your final episode. The voice actors fit perfectly in the whole anime with Karbowski, Brittney, Fujibayashi Ryou in Clannad, Bradley Selim in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Lisianthus “Sia, Kikyou” Eustoma in Shuffle! The voice actors can put a lot of emotion in the voices, but some times the odd voice can start to grain on you.
Animation:
There is not much special about the animation, the same theme is used all the way out. But the style they use makes the anime look very high quality and I personally wish more anime use the same style, It can make a lot of shows look better. They use a lot of comical ‘gags’ with the animation, some times its funny but it can also seem pointless.
Overall:
I really enjoyed the show, I didn’t cry (like Clannad did 
) it does make you think about life, which I LOVE in a anime. Making you think about it makes the anime feel fresh. Comparing the show to the manga, it fits well. The manga does have a little more but pretty much all shows can’t use every thing that the manga has, so that’s OK. 3/4 ways in the show it did start to feel like they rushed it, with a lot of parts going too fast. But you can get your head around it easily.
A lot of images have been leeked about a season 2, and its also been confirmed! I can’t wait its a must watch! They leave a cliff hanger in the end that makes you “WTF!?”.
Overall, its a much watch. If your looking for a slice of life anime, with a little bit of fantasy in it this is the show for you. If this doesn’t seem like the type of show for you, give it at least 2 episodes before you judge it full on. What a show.
