I'm Gonna Be an Angel!

Tenshi ni Narumon! is an anime series that doesn't really seem to know what it wants to be. It starts off with the premise of a clichéd shounen romance, (boy meets girl in a perverted way, she falls in love with him even though he is interested in another girl) but quickly falls into bizarre, almost childish humor (girl's family is essentially the anime version of The Munsters; an odd villain sends even odder minions [think giant darumas, toy houses, and rice cookers] to capture girl). The series also incorporates serious character drama, families being torn apart and pulled back together, and yaoi. Oh, andthe main character, Noelle, wants to be an angel. Yeah, it's all over the place. But oddly enough, it works rather well. The comedic episodes are funny, if only in a stupid way. The romantic aspects are well thought out, and the love triangle's resolution feels amazingly natural. When the serious plot comes in halfway through the series, it begins by being intriguing and only gets better until the end. Without spoiling too much, I’ll say that it’s all about identity – what does it mean to be an angel, to be a family, to do the right thing? In all honesty, the only complaint that I can raise about the plot is that many questions are left unanswered, questions that could have been addressed if the plotline had come more into play earlier in the series. Still, Tenshi ni Narumon! is a story of ambition and losses, and the ride is amazing. Tenshi ni Narumon! was animated via cells, but is still rather recent and, frankly, it's gorgeous. The character designs are a bit unusual, but fit the comedic nature of the show nicely; the way emotions come across on characters’ faces is especially impressive. Best of all, the color pallet used is vibrant and generally looks great, while darker scenes have their own sort of life. One warning, though: half of the series was released on region one DVD... the other half isn't. Unless you speak Japanese, the only way to watch episodes 14 through 26 is via VHS-rip fansubs. Even in super-low-quality, the show looks nice, but if you need your anime to be in DVD-quality, you'll want to avoid this show. Otherwise, though, it’s a pleasure to look at. The music of this series is great from start to finish. “Datte Daisuke,” the opening theme song, is lively and peppy, starting every episode with a positive spin. It’s one of those songs that can really perk up your mood no matter how you feel. The closing, “Ai wa Umi” is the complete opposite: slow and a bit sad yet hopeful; it’s very pleasant to listen to. The BGM is also a pleasure to listen to and matches the series perfectly, and while it doesn’t stand out much it really enhances many of the series’ scenes. The voice acting is overall very good, and the dub is surprisingly excellent, considering it’s relatively old. Really, though, the part of Tenshi ni Narumon! that stands out the very most is the characters. The heroine, Noelle, is your standard annoyingly cheerful character, and your enjoyment of the series may depend partially on how much you like her; I personally find her to be cute most of the time. At the very least, she keeps the show’s mood always optimistic. Her love interest, Yuusuke, is another character that’s a bit of a stock personality, as a fairly typical wimpy harem lead. While he may not be very interesting, the rest of the characters certainly make up for it. Noelle’s family, in particular, may be eccentric but they’re all have very distinct personalities and are really very lovable; when their status as a family is eventually threatened you really want them to be able to stick together. Even more interesting are Michael and Raphael, the two men that quickly become Noelle’s friends and teachers, and the many villains of the series. One character who eventually becomes the main obstacle is especially deep, and it’s really interesting just to think about events from her point of view. It’s a big cast, that’s for sure, but one bursting with personality. In the end, though, Tenshi ni Narumon! is just plain fun. It’s completely stupid at times, but in the way that you can’t help but laugh at. And when the fun is done, there’s a lot of really deep stuff hiding underneath. Don’t give up on the series after watching just a few episodes; stick to it until the end and maybe you’ll see why it’s one of my favorite anime series ever.