Sunday, May 02, 2010
Angel Beats! does seem to be getting better with the latest plot development and the char-per-epi type of setting seems to have ended which is good IMO, would prefer the plot to follow more on the meaning of the world they are in or what Tenshi really is.During the meeting with the SSS members, Yuri announces to them that Tenshi's assault would be arriving, resulting in Otonashi seemingly thinking of multiple Tenshis attacking them, but it turns out to be just the exam period. Yuri wanted to make sure her doubt is correct, that she was not controlled by anyone and would probably have a human soul and her operation would cause some heavy emotional damage on her. The operation was to cause Tenshi to fail in all her tests by swapping her test paper with another and handing it up. Yuri deeply believes that it would cause the reactions of the teachers and the students to change drastically after their operation becomes successful. For the operation, Takeyama is to take 2 exam scripts and he'll fill it with all sorts of crappy answers and hand it in as Tenshi's script. In order to allow the swapping, Hinata is ordered by Yuri to do some idiotic thing to attract everyone's attention and that was the role Yuri had planned for him right from the start. Then, Takeyama realised that no one actually did know of Tenshi's real name and it would really be practically stupid to hand in a script without her name. Otonashi then leaves to check the class register but was stopped by Tenshi at the door. Otonashi tells her that he was nervous and Tenshi answers him by saying that everything would be fine and asks for his name. Otonashi tells her and hopes for her name in return, and it was Tachibana Kanade. The 1st test starts and at the end, Hinata stood up and pointed out of the window, pretending to have seen something outside. It failed to attract attention and Yuri activates a propulsion engine she had installed under Hinata's seat, causing him to get blasted upwards, completing his mission. The next test's diversion would be for Takamatsu who took of his top, showing off his secretly trained muscles, but had to be blasted off as it failed as well. Ooyama was the next "victim" after Takamatsu and was given the role to confess to Tenshi for the diversion. In return, he received a heavy emotional damage and the diversion was created by Hinata blasting off again as Yuri knows that Ooyama had suffered enough and Hinata shall complete his task. The entire test period has ended and Otonashi one day sees Tenshi walking solemnly out of a classroom. It was clarified by Yuri that their plan has worked and the rumour of her getting zero in all her test and making fun of the teachers have already started spreading and Yuri decides to start Operation Tornado at that night itself. Girls Dead Monster, with Yui now as the lead singer, starts off the concert with the last song that Iwasawa had written and all the students were all reaching the highest level of excitement. Otonashi and the others were left outside to guard the place and stop Tenshi when necessary. When Tenshi did appear, Otonashi prevented the others from shooting her as he had somehow sensed something different from her, that she was deeply depressed or something, having lost her position as the student council president earlier that day. The others inside seemed to have noticed Tenshi's appearance and wondered why the others outside have not taken any action against her. Yuri seems to have noticed the same thing as Otonashi did and sees what she was going to do. Tenshi only did went to by her favourite Mapo Tofu but due to the Operation Tornado, her Mapo Tofu food ticket was taken away from her. After the operation has ended, Otonashi and Hinata were enjoying the Mapo Tofu from the ticket that Otonashi had looted when Yuri tells her what she had saw Tenshi doing earlier on. Yuri thus concludes that Tenshi was human as well since she doesn't think a real Tenshi would go looking for her favourite food while feeling down and as the student council president, she wasn't able to leave the SSS alone and had to develop Guard Skills on her own to counter the weapons that they have. Out of nowhere, Otonashi then thinks that Tenshi could actually become one of them, since the opinion of Tenshi by Otonashi seems to have changed but the idea was rejected by the others. Naoi, as the new student council president, enters the cafeteria and takes the SSS members into detention.
an amazing plot development for this episode and Yuri's hypothesis on Tenshi being human sees to be plausible as well and i would hope for Tenshi to "enrol" into the SSS as well and that their enemy wasn't actually the Tenshi and could be something else (or maybe there isnt any enemy at all or it could be Naoi O.o) Tenshi did seem to special as well, since if she was human, how could she develop her own guard skills? If she could, why couldn't the rest of the students? It was certainly hilarious at the start with the blasting off into the ceiling + bgm add-on but the atmosphere dampens near the end and i did actually felt sympathetic for Tenshi... it really is sad, as said by Otonashi, to see that her reputation got tarnished while trying to stop disruptive people. The POV from Tenshi's side is really sad...
P.S. the OP and ED are constantly changing for every episode, with scenes from the epi reflected in them... Yui's voice is amazing as well :D