Angelic Layer

​

I'm usually not one for CLAMP works, especially seeing as I can never EVER get myself to actually finish watching Chobits past episode 10. I also thought Magic Knight Rayearth was too saccharine, though I heard better reviews coming out of the second season. Also, I like CCS and all, but it didn't really do for me as one of the "epics".

But, Angelic Layer was different. Very much so. At first, I was in a CCS-type mood when I saw it on the anime lists. So, I downloaded it, for kicks. I was hooked the second that Misaki got Hikaru.

In all essence, Angelic Layer was focused around Misaki getting an "Angel", a type of doll that was able to battle within a certain field. The Angel is then used by the Deus (the human controller) by thinking and carrying out actions. In all honesty, imagine a glorified Street Fighter in three dimensions.

As Misaki fights other "Deus", she gains experience, in both winning and losing. The story really is a bit stereo-CLAMP-Anime. It's been tried and done with so many other anime that the story itself is secondary. The main likable part of the story is that it remains very emotional, at least, towards the end.

But, anyway, the music was, I think, lackluster, especially for something that CLAMP made. The only music bits I really liked are the opening and closing songs. As far as in series, the music isn't something I can hail praises for. However, I can't say anything overtly bad about it either.

Now, let's get to the best part. The action. Yeah, I know, usually this kind of stuff is devoted to anime like Street Fighter V, Ikkitousen, and, more recently, Tenjou Tenge. However, this anime (for all it's "shoujo-ness") shows REMARKABLE battle scenes. True, the series DOES get into the tried-and-untrue hack of using repeated scenes (like Misaki throwing Hikaru into the Layer and multiple uses of the same frames of animation)...but whatever's new is always topnotch. Motions are fluid, and they aren't just drawn in....it's more like they take center stage in the whole series.

...I just realised I made no sense in that entire entry. But trust me, Angelic Layer is worth it, even just to rent (the whole series has been released in Region 1).

Rating: 4/5
Story: 3/5
Animation: 4/5
Sound: 2/5
Overall: 4/5