Angelic Layer
Angelic Layer (Japanese機動 天使 エンジェリック レイヤー, Kido Tenshi Enjerikku Reiyā, dt "Mobile Angel Angelic Layer ") is a manga the mangaka group CLAMP. The work has also been implemented as a anime television series and can be classified in the genres of comedy, action, sci-fi, drama and shōnen.
Action
Shuko Suzuhara (铃 原 萩 子), the girl Misaki Suzuhara (鈴原 みさき) mother flees from her family to Tokyo from the countryside when her daughter is five years old. With twelve years Misaki pulls well to Tokyo, there to attend secondary school. In Tokyo, she learns the game Angelic Layer know. Here come two dolls, Angel, against each other, which are controlled by their creators about their thoughts. Kits for the dolls can buy anyone interested. Misaki is thrilled and a stranger in a white coat, she calls uncle, told her the game. With him, she buys a kit and with her aunt Shoko (浅见 祥子), in which she lives from now on, she builds her own Angel, Hikaru (ヒカル).
Soon she replaces with Hikaru to their first fight on the platform Angelic Layer. But the tournament they lose to the player Hatoko Kobayashi (小林 鸠 子). She then confronts the famous player Ringo Seto (瀬 戸 林子) with their fishing Ranga, they must defeat in order to get further in the tournament. This succeeds with the knowledge they have acquired in the previous fight. In the following battles she has to sit against unfair opponents to defend and fight on when Hikaru is violated. In their struggles Misaki is supported by their friends Kotaro and Tamayo and uncle.
Finally Misaki wins also the great Angelic Layer tournament and then passes on to the legendary Angel Athena. This is done to Misaki's surprise from her mother. It is disclosed that these in Tokyo along with uncle invented the game Angelic Layer and again performs with her daughter in contact about this.
Development, design and style
The manga takes up this idea to the emergence time by series like Pokemon particularly popular subject of dueling games. The previous works are also parodied. Angelic Layer is the first shōnen manga by Clamp, so the first one is aimed primarily at male audience. But how many series of the group and it refers to other works. So Hikaru refers to the same character in Magic Knight Rayearth and Hatako sees Tomoyo Card Captor Sakura Daidoji similar.
The series was essentially determined by Satsuki Igarashi, who worked in the background in the previous productions of the artist group Clamp. Therefore, the plant has distinct differences from earlier works of the group. It characterized by a reduced and minimalist drawing style, simply drawn characters and often lack backgrounds. The eyes are smaller and edgier, the strikingly large feet. Again and again before Super Deformed characters.
Publication of the manga
The manga was released in Japan from July 1999 to October 2001 in the magazine Shōnen Ace of Kadokawa Shoten Publishing published. The series was later published in five anthologies.
On the German market Carlsen Comics published the manga in full as of June 2001. The translation is by Dorothea Everywhere. Angelic Layer appeared thereafter in the USA at Tokyopop, in France by Pika Édition and in Italy by Star Comics. The Spanish edition was published by Editorial Ivrea and Grupo Editorial Vid and Portuguese JBC.
Production and publication of the anime
The manga was made into a film in 2001 by Studio Bones, directed by Hiroshi Nishikiori as an anime television series. The character design designed Takahiro Komori, and the artistic direction took Nobuto Sakamoto. The series aired from 1 April to 23 September 2001 by the Japanese broadcaster TV Tokyo.
The Anime Network broadcast the anime in English, ABS-CBN and Hero in Tagalog. The series has also been translated into Spanish, French and Dutch. A German version was in 2005 and 2006 by ADV Films released in the distribution of Universum Film GmbH.
Synchronization
The German dubbed version was made by Union Film Studios.
Music
The music of the series was composed by Kohei Tanaka. The leader Be My Angel was sung by Atsuko Enomoto, the voice actress of the protagonist. As a guy was to the starry sky ☆ Episode 13 ☆ by HΛL and from Episode 14 Ame Agari (雨 あがり, dt " after the rain " ) used by Matsushita Moeko
Other adaptations and Publications
In Japan appeared to series merchandise like costumes, puzzle, stationery, and trading cards as well as artbook Angelic Layer Battle Book. In addition, five music CDs were released.
Reception
According to the journal Funime succeeds Clamp with her first shōnen manga well to present a work that stands out from the rest. Elements from other manga of the genre, like Pokemon would be well taken, partly parodied. The manga read easily, but be exciting. The plot is about kinky, but still logical. The drawings were to be recommended as Clamp common good and the manga especially for fans of the group of signatories.
The AnimaniA writes, the work falls out of the previous work Clamps, just as it judge at a male audience, and therefore take a lot of shōnen elements. But it was still amusing and also offer clamp- typical styles. Although the drawing style is simple, but nevertheless managed. The biggest similarities give it even with Clover and Card Captor Sakura. The characters are " easy knit " the action but still exciting. The implementation of an anime offer a very good animation quality and keep yourself content and style close to the original.
According to Splash comics, the manga is exciting and full of slapstick. The characters are drawn cute, but in the end the tension leave after, especially since the main character Misaki is represented outstanding and About Klug.