Angelic Layer Chap. 4: Sportball

As I mentioned before, CLAMP is known for their beautiful artwork, but this series really doesn't show it off. When Misaki interacts with characters as rambunctious as Tamayo and Icchan, a lot of the art looks like this:

I used to call it "squid art" for some reason. Maybe because the limbs look like tentacles? There's a lot of this throughout the series, and I think it gets used way too often. I know that creating a comic is a ton of work, and not every panel will be -- or even needs to be -- a masterpiece. But to use a such a simplified method of drawing the characters so often just feels, well, lazy. Especially when I know that CLAMP has produced some amazing work.

Maybe I should cut them some slack. Everyone needs a breather, right?

Long anime series tend to usually have a few "filler" episodes, where the characters go to the beach and nothing important happens. You won't see this as frequently in manga, and definitely not in Angelic Layer. The whole series is only five volumes long, so the story is quite compact. At the beginning of the book Misaki's just learning what Angelic Layer is; by the end of this chapter, she's in her first fight in a huge tournament. Moreover, her opponent is six-year-old Hatoko, but I'll come back to that in chapter five.

On the subject of the tournament, there are a couple things that confuse me. First of all, the announcer tells the crowd the basic rules of angelic layer: the first angel to lose all its health, or to be pushed out of the arena (the "layer") loses. Okay, I'm down with that, but have you ever actually heard a sports caster explain the rules of the game as it's being played? Everyone in the audience is already a fan; they know how this works. I've never sat down to watch the Super Bowl and heard the announcers explain the basic rules of the game while it's going on. It might be nice if they did, because what even is football? But it just feels a little out-of-place here. It would make more sense if Icchan explained all this when he was helping Misaki learn the basics of Angelic Layer.

Also, those appear to be the only rules of the game. But when Hatoko's angel, Suzuka, lands her first blows on Hikaru, Mr. Exposition the sportscaster announces that Hatoko's got the first set of points in this match. That is the first and the last time "points" are ever mentioned.

You don't need points to win, so I have to assume that one of the following things happened here:

(a) points refer to the angel's health, or "hit points"
(b) translation error
(c) CLAMP changed their minds about how the match winner would be determined and forgot to go back and change it
(d) There's a gritty underground ring of people betting on Angelic Layer matches, and gamblers have created a "points" system in case of close matches or to determine payout.

The first option makes the most sense, but I like the last one the best.

Angelic Layer, Chapter 2: Making Friends

Time for another action-packed episode of Angelic Layer!

Except not at all.

The first chapter was all about explaining just exactly what Angelic Layer was. In the second chapter, we learn a little bit more about the sport, and Misaki makes some friends. That last part is probably the most important for me. People read fiction for all kinds of reasons, entertainment being the most obvious. But I think wish fulfillment is also a big part of it. It's one of my theories as to why Twilight was such a success. Bella is so bland and dull that it's easy for readers to put themselves in her shoes.

Fortunately, Misaki is likable and has a personality (unlike Bella), but I think there's still some wish-fulfillment for the thirteen-year-old version of me reading this. This is because junior high is pretty much the worst time of anyone's life. It was a time when I was bullied and miserable, bushy-haired and awkward.

Maybe kids are nicer in Japan, because Misaki makes two friends with ease on her way to school. They start talking about Angelic Layer, and that's that. I wish making friends was that easy in real life, and that the kids I went to school with were really that friendly. And even though I had more friends during middle school than I'd ever had up to that point, friendship still comes with drama, jealousies, and petty squabbles. Misaki and her friends don't have any of that. They support each other and cheer Misaki on. It's simple and uncomplicated. I could call it unrealistic, because relationships aren't that straightforward. Maybe it's the leftover strain of reading Snow Drop talking, or maybe it's because it would be nice for things to be that easy, I'll forgive it.

One trope that CLAMP is really fond of is a young genius character. In Chobits, it's Minoru. Here, it's Hatoko. I'm generally okay with it, depending on the kid. The thing withe child prodigies is that writers will sometimes forget the "child" part, and just focus on the "prodigy". Minoru is a cool, intelligent twelve-year-old, who also dresses his persocoms (humanoid robots, for those who haven't read it) in sexy, revealing outfits. Minoru's calm demeanor and wisdom don't really make him seem like a pre-teen, but I could totally see a twelve-year-old boy dressing up his robots in sexy clothes, whether he's a genius or not.

Hatoko is six years old, and doesn't act like it at all. She's cheerful, but is too well-spoken and mature for her age. At six, most kids can't sit still for more than a couple minutes. Even if she runs off from her older brother, Hatoko's really not like that. It's Misaki's other friend, Tamayo, who's bursting at the scenes with energy. I found Tamayo pretty obnoxious as a kid, and still annoying as an adult. This might be because I was similar to Tamayo when I was in eighth grade, and had a lot of self-loathing going on. Many years out of junior high later, it's embarrassing to think that I used to act like that.

Or perhaps Tamayo is objectively annoying. Can any other Angelic Layer fans confirm or deny this?

One last thing before I go: Hikaru's armor. The clothing angels wear is made out of special fabric and designed by their owners. Okay, I can buy Misaki sewing Hikaru's clothes in a few hours. Hikaru's small, and Misaki is clearly a beginner, but puts a lot of effort into the outfit. The head-scratcher here is the details of Hikaru's outfit. Those screws and cuffs at the top of her gloves can't be fabric. Even as a kid this bugged me.

Angelic Layer, Chapter 1: Impact Lines. So Many Impact Lines.

After the mess that was Snow Drop, I'm going to a much lighter manga: Angelic Layer, by CLAMP. CLAMP is a group of four manga artists who are known for beautiful artwork, and compelling storylines and characters.

And they also made Angelic Layer.

Angelic Layer is not the type of manga I would pick off the shelves today, and probably would have ignored even at the height of my weeaboo days. However, it will always have a special place in my heart. Angelic Layer is the first manga series I ever read. It was my gateway drug to the world of manga. Following Angelic Layer would come Rave Master, Wish, Dragon Knights, Mars...more comic books that I care to remember (or think about how much I spent on them over the years). My weekly allowance was quickly spent at Walden Books (when there was a Walden Books); my calendar marked with manga release dates. I would save up to buy anime box sets on eBay, the only place I could find them at the time.

And at the beginning of it all was Angelic Layer.

Looking back now, I can see why I was drawn to it when I was in eighth grade. The main characters were in junior high, and I had the same outlook online as the Misaki, the lead. She's small, just like I was (and still am, but I was even shorter then), but wants to prove that she's strong. There's some intrigue around the mystery of her mentor's identity and mother's whereabouts, but it's never heavy-handed.

It's the story of a clumsy girl who finds self-confidence, and also something she loves.

Yes, this will be a nice change of pace after Snow Drop.

My first impression of the book was that it was a bit disappointing. Through the first chapter, I kept hoping that it would be something else. The title itself sounds so mysterious and magical, and the brief prologue tells of a girl "seduced to the realm of the angels". That sounds like an awesome build-up for a girl to go on an epic adventure! But it's not like that at all.

It turns out "angels" are an expensive, high-tech toy, and Angelic Layer is a game wherein two competitors have their angels fight against one another. There's no magic involved, no real angels, no epic story line that will have Misaki saving the world. Instead, it's all about the sport of Angelic Layer, and one newcomer to the game battling her way to the top.

In short, not a book that I would pick up today, or even in high school. But Misaki's likable enough, if not particularly in-depth at the moment. Maybe it was the magic of my first manga series, or the characters. Maybe it was the hope that it would turn into something more. Whatever it was, I enjoyed it, even if I had to look at the how-to-read guide every time I opened the book.

One thing that I didn't really like as a kid was reading all the action scenes. I found them difficult to understand what was going on, largely because of the amount of impact lines and sound effects, written in katakana. I mostly relied on the characters' narration to tell me what was happening in a battle. In the years that have passed, I've read a lot more comics--manga and Western--so I've learned how to read (and understand) action scenes much better. However, I still find it easier to follow violent action in Western comics. I think that having color helps, whereas most manga is printed in black and white. Even so, the first fight scene between two angels is still a bit confusing to me. Impact lines everywhere!

That's why I paid more attention to the dialogue than the fights when I had a choice. It's not a great sign of things to come, if you're reading a tournament manga.

And, because I can't write a single entry without at least one nitpick, I'm finding it pretty doubtful that Misaki's never heard of Angelic Layer before moving to Tokyo. I know that one of the easiest ways to convey information to an audience is to have the world explained to another character, but Misaki just discovering the game is a little implausible, given the rest of the story's universe. Angelic Layer tournaments are broadcasted on TV, and champions are bigger than pop idols. How did Misaki manage to miss all this? I don't watch sports, but even I could give you a basic explanation of how each game works, and even name some players. Did Misaki live under a rock before coming to Tokyo, or what?