Angel Sanctuary: 37/50; PG-13
Review by Windswept
Plot: 8
Now, a lot of the focus of the plot was on Setsuna and Sara's incestuous relationship. But, it's done well. Very well. That's about all I can say--if you're comfortable with the idea of incest, then watch the anime, since it's terrific. The rest of the plot, involving the death of God, and the scrabbling of angels to put heaven back in order, I found rather fascinating. But in relation, what happened before the current storyline is not gone into enough, and that takes away from the anime.
Characters: 8
Ahhh, the characters, the sole purpose of Angel Sanctuary. The focal point of them all is the Sara/Setsuna relationship, gone over far too many times in this review. But it is a focal point. Kira and Kourai are gone into pretty well, but the rest aren't gone into enough, hence the rating. I *know* Rosiel, pre-Sakuya Kira and Katan, for example, could have been fleshed out more. There are also a bunch of implied homosexual vibes along with the incest, and there are at least two (maybe three..?) crossdressing characters. So while they could have been added on, the characters are still incredibly complex (which I found amazing...).
Music: 4
The music...did not make an impression on me. That's just about all I can say. There was about one song I recall I really liked, but to name it would be a spoiler.
Design: 9
The drawings are nothing if not pretty, and the characters are very well-designed, and all unique. Landscape views are also very well-detailed.
Censorship: PG-13
It all depends on your view. If you don't want to see (or want your kids to see) a relationship between two siblings that isn't simply platonic, then this isn't the anime for you. There's basically no sex involved (it's only implied), but the concept might not be one to introduce to younger viewers. Blood is fairly liberal, and in one scene a character's arm is ripped off rather graphically. I don't believe there was very much swearing, if any. Also, Angel Sanctuary touches on heaven/hell angel/demon concepts as well, so if you have idealistic views of that sort of thing, you probably won't like this.
Opinion: 8
I was really surprised at how much I ended up liking Angel Sanctuary. I had been expecting something fairly horrendous because of the last anime I watched dealing with angel-types (Earthian), but this was nothing like it. At first I had a sort of iffy view of the Sara/Setsuna relationship, but it's depicted in a very mature manner on the characters' parts. They both love each other, and accept the idea that they could go to hell, and that other people may not approve. However, I also think the anime did not go into the story enough--there were many unfinished things, such as the outcome of the ending and all the pre-storyline stuff. If you get really interested and have the money, I'd reccommend the manga for more detailing and info, since the anime stops long before the manga does. Oh yes: and I hated the dub.
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