Search - Angel Links - Avenging Angel (Vol. 1) on DVD

Outlaw Star meets Sailor Moon

D. Swensen | Manifesto, MT USA | 06/26/2001

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I picked up this title expecting that any product associated with the Outlaw Star universe (which I loved) could not go wrong. I was mistaken.As an anime, Angel Links is extremely "girly," complete with a bright pink logo, a small, Pokemon-like bat-mouse that lives in the main character's ... and magically turns into a sword (I'm not making this up), and a deputy commander so effeminate he makes Tuxedo Mask look like Ted Nugent. Add to this the main character's romantic interest -- a willowy, sensitive businessman who builds orphanages and saves children -- and a guest character who spends all his time looking wistfully at pictures of his baby, and you have the Harper's Romance of anime.These elements are not necessarily bad things, by themselves -- if you happen to be a twelve year old girl, you may very well love the show to pieces -- but the series doesn't really offer much beyond that. The Angel Links is more or less invulnerable during space combat, and the only time the main characters are in any danger is when they leave the ship. The Angel Links also features the "Links Cannon," which is the Rouroni Kenshin of space weapons -- one shot and the enemies are all out of commission. The first three episodes generally feature the Angel Links effortlessly trouncing enemies one after another, all without breaking a sweat. Not very dramatic. It doesn't help that the "launch sequence" and "Link Cannon blow-em-up sequence" are recycled once or twice an episode, giving it a cheap, stock-footage feel.Even though the first disc features only four episodes, characterization is next to nil. Lei Meifong runs around being cute and playing with the little creature who lives between her ... -- the rest of the crew mostly bark orders or stand around looking confident as the Links Cannon sends off another wave of explosions. To top it off, the best character from the Angel Links cameo of Outlaw Star, Duuz, does nothing but stand around polishing his sword -- there is an amusing bit featuring Duuz scaring some small children, but that's not really worth the price of admission.I gave this show the best shot I could, knowing that many series have a slow start and take a while to get going -- but Angel Links is so dismal that I doubt I'll ever watch it again, much less pick up the second disc in a faint hope that it will get better.By itself, Angel Links is a mediocre title with little to offer. It's not poorly made or badly executed, it's just dull and uninteresting. In comparison to Outlaw Star, it comes out looking much worse."

Bouncy Bouncy

D. Swensen | 05/04/2001

(2 out of 5 stars)

"The main theme to this show is "how much can we make a show ....?". Here's an idea, let's make a series with an okay cast, except let's make the main character as annoying as possible. And if the ship ever sinks into water, she needs to hold it up somehow........ Wow.... I never thought of that before.... flotation devices..... what a great idea.... Mmmmm orbs..... Okay, seriously, I did not enjoy Angel Links. The animation of this series is sub-par. In comparison to Outlaw Star this series is worthless. If you enjoyed Outlaw Star, you won't like Angel Links. Look at the one freaking dude that gave this show 4 stars.... He apparently loves the novels.... Which has what to do with the animation? I loved the book Starship Troopers... Ever see the movie? I think you get my point."

Suffers in comparison to its sister show

Steven Myers | SF Bay Area | 04/18/2001

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Angel Links is a rather ordinary space adventure show about a 16-year old girl with a profoundly out-of-the-ordinary bustline. That's the first of many bad choices in this show: Meifon, the heroine, is simply absurd looking (and it doesn't help that she has a pet living in her cleavage). Meifon is the head of Angel Links, a private space security firm located on a frontier world set in the same universe as the previously released (and much superior) Outlaw Star. In this first disc (containing 4 episodes out of 13 total), she takes her crew from one job to the next, though she works for free in fighting pirates. There doesn't appear to be much of a continuing storyline, although there's a fairly obvious "What's Meifon's secret past?" mystery being set up. Those who look for quality animation should be aware that Angel Links relies heavily on computer graphics. This CGI work is poorly integrated with the traditional animation, and the results are far from spectacular. The traditional animation itself ranges from mediocre to good.Beyond its objective faults, Angel Links suffers by comparison with Outlaw Star. Outlaw Star had the advantage of a plot arc running from episode to episode; here, we have only individual episodes. Second, as far as the English dub goes, there are differences in translation between Outlaw Star and Angel Links as to basic terminology--it's understandable due to different studios being used for dubbing of the two shows, but it's sloppy. Finally, the characters are far from compelling; there is no one with the personality found in the Outlaw Star cast. There is only a bouncy girl and some rather non-descript subordinates."

Doesn't even come close to Outlaw Star

bradley kule | valhalla, ny United States | 08/18/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First of all im giving it a 5 star rating out of respect for Outlaw Star which was a fantastic series but anyway lets get back to the subject. If your getting this because you absolutly loved Outlaw Star like me, well you can't compare the two because Angel Links isn't even in its league. But, if your getting it because it looks good then let me tell you what it's about.First off it's about a 16 year old girl named Meifon Li, who's parents died when she was little and was raised by her grandfather who was a wealthy buisness man. But, he eventually died too and his dieing wish was that his grand daughter (Meifon)would make a corporation that is a free space pirate-fighting service.This DVD contains 4 episodes each 30 min. long, 1. Guardian Angel, 2. A Wasted Fairy Tale, 3. The Proud Dragon, 4. Lief-Living Ether Flier.Well if you get it I hope you like it, and I hope this review helped you!!!"