At the age of 12, Misaki Suzuhara moves away from country life with her grandparents to join her aunt in Tokyo. Pulling out of the train station, Misaki is taken with a large video screen featuring a fight between beautiful dolls (called Angels). Icchan, a strange fellow in a lab coat, helps Misaki buy her own doll so she can try out the competitive world of Angelic Layer. Misaki hopes to see her mother, who has been working somewhere in Tokyo for years, but until then she fills her time with new schoolmates, cooking for her aunt, and, increasingly, playing Angelic Layer on a huge stage. She has good coaches, and a natural talent as a Deus (player), which will lead to an unexpected reunion. Adapted in 2001 from the manga by the female artist collective CLAMP, this series closely hews both visually and thematically (fights every episode!) to shonen stories, adopting a down-to-earth style with a typically perky teen heroine. Simple but heartwarming, with a little something for everyone, Angelic Layer is a beloved early-2000s anime that still has something to offer. Compiling all 26 episodes in a dual-language Blu-ray edition, rated TV-PG, extras include audio commentaries. Recommended. (L. Martincik)
Angelic Layer: Complete Collection
(2001) 3 discs. 650 min. Blu-ray: $59.98. Sentai Filmworks (avail. from most distributors). Volume 32, Issue 2
Angelic Layer: Complete Collection
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