Angel Sanctuary (2001)
Setsuna, a High School student, not only has to deal with bullies and more then appropiate feelings for his own sister, but also must come to terms with the fact that he is the reincarnation of the Organic Angel Alexiel who rebelled against God. Being thrust into a world he never knew existed he must believe that angels and demons exist for the sake of Heaven, Earth and even Hell.
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As Good As It Gets
If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.
The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.
I saw this OVA before I even knew that a manga series existed, and fell in love with it the very first time I saw it, as have the friends I've shown it to. We've all gotten terribly into the manga now, and madly check the nearest Barnes & Noble whenever it seems like the next volume is coming out.You have to be a very open-minded person to enjoy and even just to accept the plot the amazing Kaori Yuki has created, as there are many topics sensitive people may find upsetting (incest, God being evil, etc.) Once past these topics, you find a very unique plot, a strange, but touching love story, and characters who you can truly love. Combined with Kaori Yuki's gorgeous art, Angel Sanctuary is a masterpiece. It will leave you desperate to find out what happens next.The only things that were disappointing is absence of some of the background that's present in the manga and the fact that there are no plans (that I know of) to make any more volumes into OVAs. As to be expected, however, the American voice acting is far from fabulous (I recommend watching it in Japanese with the subtitles at least once, as with all anime).I also recommend seeing this before beginning manga, or only reading the first two volumes before seeing it (basically what the OVA covers). If you've gotten too far I have a feeling it'd become just an opportunity to look at Kaori Yuki's pretty art--not that there's anything wrong with that.
This anime is based on the manga series by Kaori Yuki. Alexiel was an angel who waged war against God and she was punished by being imprisoned in a human body. Setsuna lives with horrific dreams and strange powers while the demons and angels try and awaken Alexiel inside him to continue the war against God. Also, he and his sister love each other. I thought it was a beautiful and interesting story. Great animation. The English dubs weren't too good, I recommend the Japanese version with subtitles. I suppose it's for opened minded people who won't mind a little incest in their supernatural anime. A little background: In this story, angels aren't necessarily good and demons aren't necessarily bad. Alexiel saved a demon who was being raped by angels and thats what began the war against God.
The plot is quite interesting,the characters are good.The only thing I don't like is the animation....it just gets on my nerves.It's look over-computerized(real term?)but besides that I recommend it.The dub ain't the worst.In fact the dub lines are exactly the same as the english subtitles,but the voices are rather annoying.Stick to the sub.I give it a 6/10
After I saw this film I tried to start a discussion of it on a manga board, only to find myself being branded as a 'sicko'. One of the central themes to Angel Sanctuary is the love affair between the hero and his sister, a theme that many are given to dismiss out of hand as perverted without actually having seen the film. It is therefore perhaps ironic that the exploration of a consensual incestous relationship is one of Angel Sanctuary's greatest strengths. The whole thing is handled with sensitivity, and one truly feels for the heros torment when he declares "I am weird, I am abnormal, I am condemned by my mother, by all of them". There is no graphic sex, and the couple's one carnel indulgence is implied rather than actually shown.As to the rest of the story, Angel Sanctuary has a cast of colourful characters, including the heros deranged angel brother and a pair of cross-dressing demons,all fighting to either eliminate him or recruit him to assist in their war against heaven. Some may find the idea of god being the enemy offensive, though I personally do not.I would go as far as to describe Angel Sanctuary as one of the best anime that I have ever seen.