Angelic Layer

Upon arriving in Tokyo so she can start attending middle school, Misaki sees a duel between two dolls, or "angels," and becomes fascinated with the game. Before going to her aunts where she will be staying, she ends up purchasing her own angel and puts it together as soon as she gets home. She names her angel Hikaru and joins an Angelic Layer tournament. Angelic Layer is a game where two opponents wear a headset and battle each others angels on a layer using their mind to control their doll's movements.

Angelic Layer is a clean, fun, breezy anime. A lot of time is spent with Misaki battling other angels on the layer, but it also manages to develop a great cast. The pacing is nearly perfect, there really isn't any filler in this series, and each episode advances the story. There are a number of fights throughout the series, but they don't drag on, and the show isn't episodic.

The dues creates not only the design of his or her own angel, but also the attributes that it will use on the layer. A light weight angel may have incredible speed, but its attacks are generally weaker, whereas a heavier angel will have less mobility, but it makes up for that with its defensive and offensive abilities. The first few fights take place on a flat, white layer, but later ones incorporate interactive environments like a pirate ship, the ruins of an ancient civilization, and the beach. There are also a few different ways for the duels to be won; By depleting the opponent's health gauge, by lowering the opponent's health gauge more than they do yours before time runs out, or by throwing the opponent's angel out of the layer. These different elements help add some variety to the game.

The duels get more and more heated as Misaki moves up the ranks, fighting more skilled opponents with each victory. Each angel has a different fighting style and attacks that make the fight scenes look really cool with some really slick moves. Most of it is hand-to-hand combat, but there are some special moves thrown in as well. Also, I really like the different designs of the angels, they are really neat looking.

The characters in this show are a lot of fun. Misaki's friends and classmates, Tamayo and Kotaro, cheer for her during matches and give her support. One of the major characters in the show is the kindergarten dues, Hotoko, who keeps Misaki fighting through the promise they make. A majority of the other characters are opponents that Misaki fights on the layer. These characters get the most development around the time when they face Misaki, with some playing bigger roles in the story than others. There is also some romance between the characters throughout the series. A big part of the story revolves around the mysterious disappearance of Misaki's mother.

The animation is nothing short of excellent. Character animations are smooth, the backgrounds beautiful and fight scenes amazing. It's a very attractive series, and the bright colors and character designs make it even more so. I love the opening theme "Be My Angel" as well as the two endings themes. These are some of the better opening and endings I've heard used in anime. Also, the background music is really good, especially some of the pieces used during the fights.

I only wish that the ending played out more smoothly, because it felt a little rushed. I've enjoyed many animated adaptations of Clamp's manga works and Angelic Layer is no exception. Angelic Layer is a very enjoyable series, I highly recommend it to anime fans of all ages.

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Written by Marc Frost on Mar 01, 2014