the audience applauded

Overrated

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Angelic Layer, the story of a girl named Misaki Suzuhara and her adventures involving the widely popular Angelic Layer game, where special dolls come to life and fight one another. Along her way to the Finals she meets friends and rivals, hoping to see her mom that she's been out of contact with for seven years.That's just the basics of what I consider to be my favorite Anime of all time. From a production standpoint it's fantastic; the animation ranges from great to simply amazing; the soundtrack is excellent and the character designs are a treat as well. Oh and the English voice acting is near perfect as well. I have to admit I was a little skeptical on some of the voices at first but after watching the whole show I love all the English actors and Jessica Boone is phenomenal as Misaki Suzuhara. The story is my favorite part though; it covers every possible feature you'd want a perfect story to have: comedy, fantasy, action, sci-fi, drama and a sense of innocence and amazement as you can truly connect with the amazing characters. You'll laugh, you'll be on the edge of your seat, you'll cry tears of sadness and joy as the story unfolds and you'll love every minute of it.I honestly can't find a single thing wrong with Angelic Layer; it's that good. If you're looking for a fantastic show that features one of the best stories, some amazing fights and what I consider the best characters in Anime; then please give Angelic Layer a view. I promise you will not be disappointed.

I first read all of the manga, and was rather depressed because it was so good and cool... but it ended after a mere five books. Kind of like drinking a really good drink, and looking at the bottom of the glass and having that depressed feeling.Back to the anime now. It was different than the manga in several ways; some more enjoyable, some that added an EXTREME twist, and some that were just slightly disappointing. Happens with all animes though... Chobits had the cute little Plum, and in the anime her name became Sumomo... Plum is cuter. It's ending was also different as well.Age wise, it is perfect. It has elements that teenagers and little kids alike will like, although some parts are a little bit too kiddish, it's still a well rounded good anime.I had read all the manga, and saw the box set at Best Buy and bought it. It was around forty, but it was well worth it.And now I depart.

-WARNING!! HERE BE SPOILERS!!-what seems like a charming anime on the outset becomes plagued with uncomfortable implications when delved into deeper.the show is geared towards jr high aged girls and is about a game called "angelic layer" that is played with animated dolls, kind of like pokemon except that they're little person shaped robots. the dolls, called angels, fight, but don't bleed or appear to suffer major trauma. the main character is a 12 year old girl who's been raised by family since she was a young child, believing that her mom was kept away by work. she arrives in tokyo to live with her aunt and attend school and discovers this game in which she quickly gets involved. she turns out to have a natural talent and competes well in various tournaments. what she doesn't know is that her mom really left when she developed a degenerative nerve condition in her feet, and left to take part in bionic research which turned into "angelic layer" when funding for pure research wasn't forthcoming. the daughter moves up through the ranks of the game's elite players and reaches the world championships. although the mom knows the daughter is in the world championship, the daughter doesn't know that the defending champion is in fact her own mother until just before the final match. there is a big tearful reunion and immediately after, they proceed to beat the bejeezus out of each others' dolls in the final match.the show is dominated by fight sequences between the dolls, and occasionally breaks away to attend to what might have been enlightening character development. in the final episode, i waited for the surprise ending where rather than fighting, the two dolls representing mother and daughter embrace and walk off the playing field as something less than champions, but far more profound than mere combatants. however, the message was that winning is everything, even if it means fighting the ones you love, even if you haven't seen said loved one in years. the message is that violence is okay as long as there is no blood, as long as the fighters are toys or something other than truly human. not to mention the theologically questionable aspect of referring to the dolls as "angels" and the users as "deus," literally translated as gods. i had high hopes for "angelic layer" as it is in theory the prequel to the more maturely themed "chobits", which i enjoyed a great deal more. i fear that "angelic layer", in aiming for a less sophisticated audience, missed opportunities to be more meaningful.

Angelic Layer is a Japanese animation that is about dolls. Knowing this one would think that the anime is for kids and mainly girls at that. Well, did you know that the dolls are mechanical and can be controlled by a Dues in a battle game called Angelic Layer? The anime starts out as a young girl reaches a city by subway to go to highschool. She happens upon a huge outdoor TV and sees Angelic Layer. She's awed by how pretty and graceful it is and from then on is "hooked". She meets new people and makes new friends and so begins the story. This anime is very heartfelt, but also has a fair amount of action and a deep storyline.This anime doesn't really relate to any I've seen. If you enjoyed watching Inu Yasha or perhaps Tiny Snow Fairy Sugar then you'd probably like Angelic Layer.