Angel Beats! - Episode 8

While the appearance of a second Angel made for quite a surprise ending to the last episode of Angel Beats! (not to mention a bloody mess), in the cold light of morning everything actually starts to make a little sense surrounding this particular state of affairs.

After what ended in some hot Angel on Angel action, it's clear that this second Angel is in fact a clone created by Kanade's "distortion" skill, as seen on her computer in a previous episode. With Kanade herself out of commission for the time being after finding herself attacked by her own clone, it's left to Yuri to try and restore normality by altering the computer programme with which this particular ability was created.... a task which leaves Yuri resorting to the time-honoured tradition known as "RTFM".


While the code has been changed, it's too late to stop Kanade being kidnapped by her clones... Yes, that's right, I said clones in plural, as it appears that these clones can also copy themselves. So, the members of the SSS head off into the depths of Guild where they believe Kanade is being held, in a process that really turns into some kind of mass kamikaze exercise in an attempt to reach their target... A process which eventually works, but at what cost to Kanade?

Of all the things I enjoy about Angel Beats!, I have to admit its ability to change the tone of an episode on a whim is perhaps the most impressive. From the somewhat serious start of this instalment, we soon have some mild comedy as the SSS try to act normally within school without soaking up too much information, before things reach a peak of outright hilarity as they find a need to throw themselves at these Angel clones (under duress in one case) so that their comrades can prevail until we hit a serious ending and another big, fat cliff hanger. All of this makes for a fascinating entertaining mixture which once again is brilliantly animated throughout - Who knew watching people die could be so funny? I still have no idea where this show is headed (in a sense it seems to have lost its way as far as any kind of big picture is concerned), but when it's this captivating I don't particularly care.