Rating: 
Summary: Keroro's Review- Demonic Layer
Review: I'm one of those kind of anime fans who got into the whole genre after growing up on DBZ and Sailor Moon. To be honest although I've seen a heck of a lot of DBZ I like Sailor Moon. I'd always get psyched for that show and ever since I've come up with concept that all girly shows are cool. Sailor Moon, Card Captor Sakura, and now Angelic Layer. Yes that's only three but still, I haven't been dissappointed yet. Angelic Layer came as no shock to me being a real cool show. The first volume tracks Misaki Suzuhara and how she gets introduced to and falls in love with the game angelic layer; as if drawn to it by fate. The best characters that I'm sure everyone is interested in more are the angels themselves, who although cease to communicate with words, do a fantasic job of expressing the deuce's (the player) emotions through their fist. This show is captivating with it's innocent fell and intense combat and strategies nicely intertwined. This show is a refreshing animation to watch that has a fairly simple story, great music ( such as the ending themes especially ), and lovable characters which are more than meets the eye. The further episodes of this show are just as good as these if not better, importantly when it comes to the battles and character development. Clamp is known for producing quality viewing pleasures and as I've said Angelic Layer fails to disappoint. This show is definitely worth checking out for all ages who seek to watch a simple and passionate tale.
Hope this Review was helpful.
Rating: 
Summary: If this was a real toy...
Review: ...I would be so broke. The idea behind Angelic Layer is kind of like when a player makes their own character for AD&D or any RPG. You make your own Battle Doll, deciding if you want a light weight or heavy weight, speed vs. muscles, so on. But it is still up to you to decide tactics and moves in the layer, the circle in which the Dolls fight(or practice).
Misaki, a Middle School freshman is new to Tokyo, but quickly gains friends and also develops a deep interest in the Angelic Layer game, evening buying a Battle Doll, an Angel, of her very own. The four episodes on the DVD are full of action, interesting characters and themes about doing something you enjoy. I found the scene where the father is deciding what his kid's Doll is going to wear in battle very funny.
One great extra is the Voice Actors' Commentary for the first episode, but only the first one. Being a CLAMP fan I really enjoyed the DVD and plan to collect them all, as long as my funds hold up. If this was a real game I would be in so much trouble. Playing with Dolls at my age, too!
For 13 and up, but I'm not sure why, unless it has to do with Hikaru being nude half the time. She's a Battle Doll!
Rating:
Summary: If this was a real toy...
Review: ...I would be so broke. The idea behind Angelic Layer is kind of like when a player makes their own character for AD&D or any RPG. You make your own Battle Doll, deciding if you want a light weight or heavy weight, speed vs. muscles, so on. But it is still up to you to decide tactics and moves in the layer, the circle in which the Dolls fight(or practice).
Misaki, a Middle School freshman is new to Tokyo, but quickly gains friends and also develops a deep interest in the Angelic Layer game, evening buying a Battle Doll, an Angel, of her very own. The four episodes on the DVD are full of action, interesting characters and themes about doing something you enjoy. I found the scene where the father is deciding what his kid's Doll is going to wear in battle very funny.
One great extra is the Voice Actors' Commentary for the first episode, but only the first one. Being a CLAMP fan I really enjoyed the DVD and plan to collect them all, as long as my funds hold up. If this was a real game I would be in so much trouble. Playing with Dolls at my age, too!
For 13 and up, but I'm not sure why, unless it has to do with Hikaru being nude half the time. She's a Battle Doll!
Rating:
Summary: Angelic Fight!
Review: Angelic Layer is (to paraphrase one review I once read) the best Pokemon-style show in existence. All of the classic elements the now-tiresome-to-many collect and fight series are there. The difference in this show is that instead of being drawn-out and boring, or strictly little kid stuff, Angelic Layer has the polish and depth to attract and hold the attention of older viewers.The story starts out with cute-as-can-be Misaki discovering the popular tournament fighting game Angelic Layer the day that she steps off a train at Tokyo station. She sees a match between two high-level players and is instantly enchanted, not realizing at the time that what she is witnessing is not actually two people fighting, but two miniature robotic dolls. This brings to mind one of the coolest features of this show: Angelic Layer itself. Consider for a moment that every year people play countless hours of fighting games of all kinds. Yet, these games have several weaknesses. Sometimes people complain about the controls. Sometimes people say that they couldn't see what was happening on the screen. Sometimes people say that the controller wasn't responding at a crucial time. Imagine if there were a fighting game that allowed you to control a custom-made character with your MIND, and see the action from any angle you wish. Imagine the graphics looked REAL and could never be outdone. Basically, that's what Angelic Layer is. The dolls are controlled by the will of their master wirelessly, and obey their every command (no worrying about not having the right counter to a move or forgetting which button to press). Basically, in Angelic Layer what matters the most is your creativity and the speed and strength of your mind. Because the Angel will instantly perform literally ANY move you can visualize, and the limit to how fast the Angel Doll reacts is limited only by how fast your mind can think. Pretty cool, huh? Naturally such a cool concept wouldn't really fly if there weren't good action to back it up. I can honestly say that Angelic Layer features some of the best hand-to-hand fight sequences in ANYTHING I have ever seen. It features pretty much every sort of fighting technique you could imagine, and every battle is filled with tension. Backflips, cartwheels, and every sort of acrobatic move you could hope for is integrated into the fights, and pretty much every fight features an opponent with a secret move, special strength, or hidden weakness. And later on in the series... let's just say that when two Grand Masters (and one of them a pre-schooler!) square off the result is more akin to Kurosawa than recent Star Wars, with a Samurai-Style quick-draw fight that I still find amazing. Unlike most shows of the catch the creature and make it fight variety, Angelic Layer is all sweetness. That is to say, every time you think a character is going to be evil and turn out to be an arch-rival, they turn out to be really nice after all. Perhaps ultimately that is what makes this show such an uplifting experience. But with no evil rivals constantly showing up, does that mean that this show gets superficial or boring? By no means! There is character development aplenty later on, giving the various players a great deal of depth. And the emotion of the characters (to me at least) come across as very honest and heart-felt. The later episodes of this show in particular are fantastic, as we find out how and why Angelic Layer got started, and the reasons why some of the best players play at all. I would be seriously neglecting my responsibility to anime lovers everywhere if I didn't mention that on top of all the other great things this show has going for it, it also features SWEET animation (more of the new digitally cleaned up style than the old hand-drawn look) and a FANTASTIC soundtrack. Everything has a very Epic feel in this series, thanks in no small part to the wonderful purchase-worthy soundtrack and super-clean animation. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that the quality of the animation makes seeing this series on dvd a necessity. So there you have it. Angelic Layer is the best show of it's kind, with wonderful characters, great animation and music, and some of the best action to be found in ANYTHING. However, I would steer clear of the dub and watch the subbed version if I were you, as the Engish voice acting simply cannot compare with the Japanese track on any level. Nice to find an anime that's great for kids as well as adults. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Surprising Little Gem
Review: Angelic Layer is another series from the famed CLAMP who has given fans a variety of things to love: Magic Knight Rayearth, Card Captor Sakura, X, and Chobits (just to name a few). I would have to say that CLAMP has done it again with this series spanning 26 episodes. The story centers around a girl named Misaki who moves to Tokyo to live with her aunt in hopes of also meeting her mother again. She arrives in Tokyo being captivated by the new fad of "Angelic Layer," a game where people (Deuses) control their customized dolls (Angels) to fight against another using their own power of thought. With a lot of help, she starts her journey as a Deus fighting against other Deuses and their angels in many competitions, while meeting many friends on the way. I admit the premise seems a little sketchy but the real factor that made this series and story amazing were the characters. The characters have so much depth and personality and the relationships with one another is something that just has to be seen. The series is relatively new so the quality is nothing short of amazing with the use of digital animation. The music is also done courtesy of Avex through its use of Avex Trax. This has happened with other series such as Inu Yasha and Hikaru no Go. The music in this series is nothing short of amazing. The songs are catchy, touching, and beautiful. The opening song is performed by the Japanese voice actress of the lead character, Misaki. I would have to say the downpoint of this release by ADV is the packaging. To me, it seems too gaudy. I would have preferred something on the lighter side. The box however does work with the nice scene of the cast set on top of the grass on a sunny, clear day. This goes along with the theme of the second ending theme so once the series gets there, you will know what I'm referring to. Final Note: Some may be skeptical with this series by thinking it is on the same lines as Pokemon. Not all shows can be classified as just another monster-raising/competition anime. Let me assure you and stress the fact that this is not the case. Digimon is different and a favorite of mine because it stresses story and characters. Angelic Layer is no exception. Fans know that CLAMP makes really great stories as can be shown from its extensive history of works. At the least, give this show a try. You will not be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: These are not your ordinary dolls...
Review: Angelic Layer is similar in style to Cardcaptor Sakura and Chobits and probably fits inbetween those two as far as content goes (more mature than Cardcaptor Sakura but not as mature as Chobits). The main character, Misaki, moves to Tokyo to reside with her Aunt, as Misaki hasn't seen her mother in quite some time. What has happened to Misaki's mother appears to be an understory that probably leads to the climax of the series. While in Tokyo, Misaki befriends Hatoko, who is in Kindergarten but is very mature for her age, her brother Kotaro and his friend Tamayo, who are in the same class as Misaki. The antics between Tamayo and her favorite spoil Kotaro are hilarious (Tamayo practices all her martial arts moves on him and reportedly persuades him to crossdress). Misaki sees a game of battling dolls on an outdoor screen and learns this is called Angelic Layer. In the battle, the larger doll appears to be winning over the smaller doll. Misaki notices this, as she is smaller than her classmates and feels disadvantaged due to her size. However, just when the larger doll appears to have won and the battle seems over, the smaller doll, using a burst of speed and cunning, defeats the larger doll and wins. Because of this (that size isn't everything), Misaki really wants to get into Angelic Layer. Icchan, who is involved in running Angelic Layer, has been watching Misaki and recruits and tutors her - to what end is unknown. His behavior towards Misaki is borderline - even his coworker is not surprised at him having been detained by law enforcement for suspicious behavior (a misunderstanding, perhaps, but then again...). Misaki creates her own Angel, named Hikaru and after winning her first battle is on her way to whatever lies ahead for her in the world of Angelic Layer. The "dolls" in Angelic Layer are fighting machines and the battles are as serious as any one-on-one fights you will see in any anime. The Japanese are more serious about dolls than Westerners and this anime is a result of that. In Angelic Layer, the dolls are called "angels" and, when tossed into the "layer" - essentially a gaming table with an energy field around it, the angel moves according to the thoughts of the owner, essentially coming to life to do battle with an opposing angel. Volume 1 gets the series off to a good start. The production quality is equivalent to the aforementioned series. I, for one, am looking forward to additional volumes.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable series
Review: Comparable to ".hack//SIGN", this series focuses more on characterization and character development, with the surface storyline added for support and significant parts of teh story coming from flashbacks, monologues, etc. It's a fun, touching series, but not for everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Angelic Layer
Review: First of all, this editorial review is really awful. It's MISAKI, not Misaka, and HIKARU, not Hiraku. What's with the "violence and risque humor"? This show has about as much violence and risque humor as Pokemon! If American viewers find Icchan and Misaki's slightly odd (but not icky in any way!!!) mentor/student relationship skewed or anything, then they are skewed. Icchan is WEIRD!! I AM WEIRD!! He's COMIC RELIEF! His stalkery habits are FUNNY and not at all twisted. And Misaki is a sweet, trusting, innocent little girl. This review is very disdainful and truly doesn't capture Angelic Layer for what it is: an adorable, sweet, simple but not sugary, show about believing in yourself and trying your best. It is one of my favorite shows ever.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: I first bought this series because it was related to Chobits (at least, in the Manga version of Chobits). I am actually far more impressed with it than I thought I would be. As far as anime about battle games (i.e. Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, e.t.c.) go, this series has to be the best. Whereas most of those series continue on and on with no forward drive and no real plot resolution, Angelic Layer combines the idea of those animes, but also balances the story with real life elements, believable characters, and an engaging story / backstory (the fact that the characters in Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh had no real lives outside of travelling and finding new people to compete against really ruined those shows to me.) In conclusion, Angelic Layer is a well done and thought out show that would work as a "step forward" into the world of more mature anime for fans of Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh, it will also satisfy more intense anime fans, especially those of creator group CLAMP.
Rating: 
Summary: Angelic Layer
Review: I first bought this series because it was related to Chobits (at least, in the Manga version of Chobits). I am actually far more impressed with it than I thought I would be. As far as anime about battle games (i.e. Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, e.t.c.) go, this series has to be the best. Whereas most of those series continue on and on with no forward drive and no real plot resolution, Angelic Layer combines the idea of those animes, but also balances the story with real life elements, believable characters, and an engaging story / backstory (the fact that the characters in Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh had no real lives outside of travelling and finding new people to compete against really ruined those shows to me.) In conclusion, Angelic Layer is a well done and thought out show that would work as a "step forward" into the world of more mature anime for fans of Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh, it will also satisfy more intense anime fans, especially those of creator group CLAMP.
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