This topic is to be used to discuss the Angel Beats! anime, from start to finish, in any way you please- Respectfully, of course. No spoiler tagging is necessary. Have at it!
Rules:
If you must reference any of the above items for comparison purposes or otherwise in reference to the anime- Use spoiler tags.
I’m a bit surprised this topic was empty! A prize necro-bump here…
I’ve just started watching the anime, now this is the first time I have watched an anime before reading the associated VN, so the first thing is to say with the VN you have so much more time to take everything in and get to know the characters at your own pace compared to the an anime where it’s all dictated by the directors so…
After 2 episodes I’m really not sure that this is my kind of thing but I know I have to watch it in its entirety before judging it. Without having read a little about it I would not have a clue what is going on apart from the basic premise. I’ve only remembered the names of about 3 - 4 characters even! This feels a bit more like my preconceptions of anime that were to a large extent before altered by CLANNAD and Steins; Gate: fast moving with a lot of action and a fight the good fight basis. I definitely prefer the slower pace of slice of life! of course I am very much a n00b with anime so I know my impressions could be false.
Definitely the highlight for me so far was the totally awesome all girl band in episode 1, and I then watched a Youtube video of LiSA playing that song live which was incredible! As for back story there is just Yuri so far and I assume we will see more of these albeit the series is rather short. I’d like to know more about Angel as so far she’s an undeveloped antagonist. Opening and ending songs are OK but nothing like as memorable as CLANNAD (yet).
Early days, and I expect the series needs to be viewed more than once to take it all in anyway.
By the time the topic was made, people had already been talking about it in AB General. It isn’t a heavily discussed series here regardless.
I see, well I shall continue to post any thoughts here so I’m not influenced by any comments about the VN, and manga, if that’s OK. I hope anyone else who has only seen the anime version will be inspired to comment on my ill-informed musings!
EDIT: Just watched episode 3, oh man that was sad, hardly had any time to get to know Iwasawa and she’s gone… more great music, “Alchemy”, and “My Song” . This episode felt much more like the Key I know, able to hit you where it hurts…
Makes me wonder if we should go back and discuss the Angel Beats anime somehow in a bookclub. We wanted to try and push the VN series once that comes out in English but at this point it’s kind of hard to commit to that one… 
Or we can do Heaven’s Door because it definitely isn’t getting the appreciation it so well deserves
if Seven Seas ever actually releases volume 2.
I’d be down for an Angel Beats! rewatch. That was like the 5th anime I watched and I don’t think I’ve ever rewatched it.
Even though I just finished rewatching AB, I wouldn’t mind rewatching it again for a book club.
If you want to do a bookclub for anime Angel Beats! it’s good with me, the series is short so it’s easy to fit in a rewatch fairly soon.
After 6 episodes, this feels much more like a Key story now and I’m starting to like it now that it’s evolved away from what seemed like some brats simply dealing with an undeveloped do-gooder antagonist. I get a very Tomoya /Sunohara vibe from Otonashi and Hinata! More great songs from Girls Dead Monster who are like a female Foo Fighters - think I’ll download some from iTunes (CDs here already collectors item prices), and the opening theme is growing on me now too. I’ll probably finish the series plus the one OVA that comes with the DVD before posting again, there are so many characters and they don’t get enough screen time yet to have much opinion on them.
Finished the anime now, and I did end up quite enjoying it: whereas after the first two episodes I thought I’d be taking this to the DVD exchange once I’d seen it all, I can definitely say I’ll be rewatching it many times.
I was surprised to find episode 10 with Yui turned out to be my joint favourite as I’d found her character a bit irritating apart from her musical role until then. It’s probably the most straightforward character story in a way but it has a very good mix of humour and drama without the frenetic antics of some other episodes. It’s a lovely moment when Hinato comes through to help her pass on.
The other joint favourite is naturally the final episode, even though the series skipped so much about so many members of SSS so that the impact of suddenly losing them is reduced, I enjoyed the quiet, reflective nature of it and found very enjoyable. The graduation ceremony was nice with Kanade’s daft mapo tofu tribute! And then of course there is THAT ending…I swear someone started peeling a cartload of onions in my room. Otonashi’s confession did seem to come a little out of the blue even though it was clear he had a growing attachment to Kanade but it did make her reveal, a twist I certainly never saw coming, and the obvious implication of what was going to happen agonising (in a satisfying way). However I think that the little epilogue was totally unnecessary and really ruined some of the poignancy.
The opening sequence and ‘Brave Song’ kept growing on me as I went through and the art and animation seemed very good to me. And of course I loved GirlDeMo.
So, no great insights - I would just agree that the series needed longer airtime to flesh out the story and some of the other characters’ backgrounds and I found the switches between comedy/melodrama/action to be a bit disconcerting at times. I don’t know if I will ever get to play the VN should it be completed with official English Language release but I hope to get the chance.
It is lowest on my ‘chart’ - though I’ve only seen three anime! It doesn’t have the depth of Clannad or Steins;Gate but I’m glad to have made the choice to buy it 
