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Angel Tales (Tenshi no Shippo)

» written by hinatasou [Discuss]

Synopsis
Anything Mutsumi Goro does in life, he is so unlucky. He always gets on the train late. It rains on the day he neglects to bring an umbrella. The company where he was finally able to get a job just went bankrupt. Afterwards, he can’t even get a part time job. He is two months behind in rent for his apartment and begs his parents to send him money. Worse, he has never gone out on a date with a woman. But, that is all about to change when a fortuneteller enchants Goro’s cell phone. As he gets out from taking a bath, three guardian angels have already arrived.

Review
Ran, Tsubasa, Kurumi, Tamami, Mika, Nana, Ayumi, Akane, Yuki, Midori, Momo, and Ruru. Twelve guardian angels that were once the souls of pet animals that Mutsumi Goro raised as a child but all died tragically. They’ve now come back to return the favor for what he did for them in the past pledging to protect him even if they have to sacrifice themselves. A heart warming anime series, Angel’s Tail (Tenshi no Shippo) is directed by Kazuhiro Kochi and produced by Wonderfarm, also known for its work in Hand Maid May.

The Breakdown
Angel’s Tail has more to offer than Hand Maid May and Ah! My Goddess. If it stretched 26 episodes then it might be on equal standing to Love Hina and Fruits Basket.

» The Pros

Wow is one way of putting it. Twelve girls, TWELVE GIRLS with their hearts on one man. That alone makes Mutsumi Goro one lucky guy. Angel's Tail is along the lines of Ah! My Goddess. You won't find much action besides the final conflict between the angels and the Holy Beasts. Instead is love they all share for their master. Twelve may seem like too many, but there are just enough episodes for the development of each character from Nana, Momo, and Ruru wishing to attend school, to Mika and Ayumi reenacting the conflict between the turtle and the rabbit.

» The Cons

Hmm...why Angel's Tail? One clue is in the opening sequence: Angels with tails, everyone assemble there's twelve in all. Angels in maid's clothes. They will protect with all their hearts. In the omake Ruru, the frog, waves her hands around and says that she doesn't have a tail. True in one sense of the word, tail means the hindmost part beyond the main part of an animal, and all the angels were once animals. None of the guardians wear a French maid outfit. But as noted in Webster's dictionary, they follow and keep close watch on Mutsumi Goro dedicating their lives to him.

» Animation

9.0

The character design of Mutsumi Goro looks remarkably similar to Keitaro from Love Hina. Seiryuu looks like Kyo from Samurai Deeper Kyo. The chief Goddess is a slimmer version of Big Mama from Sorcerer Hunters. Byakko has the same air around him as Inuyasha. It's hard to stay original with so much anime already out there. Each angel has a unique hair color. The animation itself is top of the line.

» Sound

9.5

The opening of Tenshi no Shippo is as kiddy as anime can be sung by the angels themselves. The ending song titled One Drop is softer like a lullaby. Two other important sounds are used within the anime. One is Goro's ring tone for his cell phone that plays whenever another angel joins the family. The second is the harmonica's melody taught to him by his Dad.

» Story

The first half of the series is an introduction on how Goro meets with the twelve angels. The next set of episodes deal with confronting the Four Holy Beasts, the villains of the series, who want to regain their powers, which were sealed in the body of Mutsumi Goro. The series ends with the refusal of an arranged marriage between Goro and his childhood classmate.

» Recommend

7.0

Estimated $50 per limited edition volume summing up to a grand total of $350 for the set. That is if you want to collect twelve dolls of the guardian angels. Cheaper to purchase the regular edition. There's a second season to Angel's Tail to watch for that takes place a year after the first season called Tenshi no Shippo Chu! The Four Holy Beasts even get their own spin off series titled Saint Beast.

» Other Information

Language: Japanese with optional English subtitles

Extras: Limited editions of volumes 1 through 6 will come with 2 figure dolls. Mini mini Shippo theater. Collectors box for holding all 7 volumes.

Package: Regular edition DVD shows the first three angels Goro meets: Ran, Tsubasa, and Kurumi. Limited edition volume 1 shows Ran in the middle with head images of the other angels surrounding her.