End of a Tail... =^^=
Gaian Knight | Imperial Palace Tree, Jurai Prime | 05/19/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If you've gotten this far in the series, you must have enjoyed the other three enough as well as was curious as to how Goro was suddenly the one that was going to defend the Guardian Angels, considering (hate to say it..) the weakest defense of a master ever seen in an anime. (If there's worse it'll make the Angels feel better.. =^^=)
Considering they were fighting the Four Saint Beasts themselves, and with four of their own under the Beast's control (gotta love the chinese look of the attire the four captured Angels were 'put' in.) ..and considering that the rest of the Angels were just 'about' to get killed defending their master (though more likely just knocked out..) one had to wonder at the end of Vol. 3 what the heck Goro was thinking.
That's what makes the very start of Vol. 4 a bit disconcerting. There's no pause, and as soon as episode begins, they literaly get into it. By the time the episode ends, 'all' the answers are laid on the table, ones that shocks the Saint Beasts and Angels alike. And for 'once' in a mass harem anime, the main guy 'is' a real hero. Heck, it all looks wierd to watch a bland human suddenly demonstrate 'prowess' that even suprised the Goddess by the time all is said and done. The how and why are also explained pretty effectively in this reviewer's opinion.
In the end, Goro is a man that is looked on with utter reverance by the spirit beings present, though if a bit unsettling, as mentioned, to watch. And for the uninitiated, the very end is a bit of a suprise. As a fan that has seen many anime, I should have known better, but was still taken off guard enough by the ending of the episode. In all, the episode was done decently enough to give it my nod as the series best episode.
That was until the next episodes, ones that shows a deeper consequence of the relationships between the Angels and their Master. The series sorta comes full circle as Goro is called back to see his parents, and the girls tag along, using their plushie doll powers to help Goro avoid a BIG train fare. The result is a comic treat.
The last two episodes are linked, and we see of all things, the Angels are forced come to terms, and for others, conspire to end, a chance match making event by Goro's mother. It also shows acceptance by Goro's father with the changes in Goro's life.
But the big catch is when one of the Angel's own 'real' human versions suddenly show up, being revealed as Goro's childhood love. (..and I'm not telling who unless it's been seen.) Eventually all the hijinks and emotional rabble rousing comes to a pointant end, as the double of the certain Angel (actual person to clarify further, verses the double form that the Angel took..) has to come to terms of her 'own', and makes for a feel of an open ended ending for the series at this point.
Over all, the entire series, while indeed a rehash of the old harem theme, to this reviewer at least, is a prefered title for my otaku shelf. Trust me, there's 'far' worse to watch than this series, though far 'better' too. In all, Angel Tales was well done enough to warrant saying that it's worth the purchase price. If nothing else the entire series of Venomous Tales is 'far' more halarious to watch, and probably is the part that makes the series worth collecting.
Angel Tales is a good decent series to watch. Just watch it with a open mind. If you're not into this type anime, no amount of a review is going to save your opinin anyway, and this anime is more for those that want a cute series with a bit of pointancy to it."