Memory Monday: Week 4

Welcome back to Week 4 of Memory Monday. For those of you who are new to this weekly segment, I basically select an anime that has completed airing and talk about it every Monday. The anime might be one that has been overlooked, critically acclaimed, or nostalgic. My aim is to give a different perspective on the show to people who have already seen it as well as give motivation to watch it for people who have yet to.

This week we'll be taking a look at my favorite anime of all time Galaxy Angel!

This anime is actually impossible to spoil so rest assured.

Spoiler Free Post <3

Galaxy Angel
Number of Seasons: 4

Number of Episodes Per Season (in order): 24/9/26/13

Run Time: 25 minutes per episode except in the first season where each episode was 15 minutes.

Personal Rating: 7/10 overall

Thank god for Hulu. You can watch Galaxy Angel there 
  

First, let me clarify something really quick. I wrote that there were 24/9/26/13 episodes over the course of the four seasons, but each episode actually was comprised of two episodes except for the first season. That means that even though the second season technically had 9 episodes, there were actually 18. The run time doesn't change though. Each episode was 25 minutes but comprised of two parts that were approximately 13 minutes each.

Galaxy Angel initially came out in 2001 following the release of its 2000 visual novel by the same name. It took a completely different approach to the visual novel, taking its characters from its more serious setting and putting them instead in a comedic anime with no male protagonists, just them. Thanks in part to its great comedy and overall popularity, it was renewed not only for a second season but a third and a fourth as well in addition to a handful of OVAs, two additional games, a manga series, and a spinoff series, Galaxy Angel Rune (an anime that I will never talk about because it was so horrible and only had good thing which was its Opening and Ending songs) with two visual novels. Needless to say, Galaxy Angel was pretty big. Even so, there are so many people I talked to who have never even heard of it and that just makes me so sad. Galaxy Angel was one of my first anime that I discovered thanks to a very strange flash game on newgrounds which really twisted their personalities. I decided to check Galaxy Angel out mostly because I was in disbelief that those characters could be as strange as their flash game counterparts. What I found while looking only to confirm something incredibly simple was my favorite anime of all time, Galaxy Angel.


What It's About:
In the distant future, in the Transvaal Empire, there exists a legendary military troupe called the Galaxy Angels. Their mission is to collect the mysterious lost technology that has been scattered across the galaxy. Along the way, they encounter a lot (understatement) of different obstacles and situations. This is as complex as the plot gets since Galaxy Angel has no continuity as each episode ends within itself.

Randomness Episodic Anime Done Right
There aren't many anime that can match what Galaxy Angel did. Over the course of 4 seasons with over 100 episodes, they kept each episode feeling unique and just as funny as the next. What was Galaxy Angel's secret formula? Being episodic. At the cost of having no overlying plot, Galaxy Angel gave each episode its own story that concluded in the same episode. With this freedom, characters could do anything, meaning that even the most extreme situations could be made. Due to this freedom, Galaxy Angel was able to make some of the most entertaining episodes I have seen to this day. Every time I remember scenes, I still smile because of how ridiculous some of them were. I will admit though that in the third season, they repetitively used a formula for episodes that got incredibly stale, but regardless, the anime  was still incredibly entertaining.

Star Cast
If you read my previous post on what makes an anime good, you will know that I believe characters and voice work to be some of the most important parts to making an anime good. Fortunate for Galaxy Angel, it had not only some of the best characters but some of the best voice talent in the industry. Some of the voice actresses/actors are still extremely popular today. For example, my favorite voice actress, Sawashiro Miyuki, took one of her first roles in the industry as Mint Blamanche. There is also Tamura Yukari who took the role of Ranpha Franboise as well as Shintani Ryoko who voiced Milfeulle Sakuraba. Incidentally, Galaxy Angel is how I learned of all these talented voice actresses/actors and how I became a fan of Sawashiro Miyuki (fan from Di Gi Charat days, I'm a full hipster. I don't deny it). Thanks heavily due to the voice work, Galaxy Angel's episodic style really worked since they were able to make the characters' interactions with one another feel very fresh, entertaining, and natural. Star Casts don't always make an anime good, but they definitely help.

Rewatchability
Rewatchability used to be my go to category for what constitutes a good anime. My reasoning was that if you could rewatch an anime then not only does it have that replay value but it also means that it was good enough that you can and would want to watch it again. Galaxy Angel is one of the anime that I never got tired of rewatching. I think at a certain point I knew what each episode was about and could quote lines. Galaxy Angel might be one of the most rewatchable anime because you can just jump in from anywhere without any knowledge and just watch. As long as you know that they're are 5 people in the Galaxy Angel troupe that is searching for the Lost Technology, then you're all set to go. Since each episode is different and there are so many, you'll have a huge selection at your disposal. Plus, it's easy to rewatch even the same episodes because each one is short (~13-15 minutes) and entertaining. Recently I rewatched some episodes of Galaxy Angel and I still found it as funny and accessible as when I watched it 10 years ago.

Why So Serious?
By far, the most uninteresting episodes were the serious ones that went into characters' backgrounds. Maybe it's just because after so much comedy, abruptly shifting to a plot oriented episode is hard to transition to, but they stuck out like sore thumbs. The serious episodes were the only ones that I never really watched again because compared to the comedic episodes they felt incredibly boring and forced. When the name of the anime is no plot, why try adding it? It probably would have been better if they threw in backstory little by little rather than all at once in an episode.

The Good, The OK, and The Repetitive
Let's start with the good. Galaxy Angel had a lot of things going for it mostly in its sound and animation department. For one, its animation which was done by Madhouse really shone through, giving Galaxy Angel its animated, high tension, fast-paced setting. Additionally, Openings and Endings were sung by the main cast, giving the anime more personality. I already mentioned how great the voice work for Galaxy Angel is, but I'd like to emphasize just how much work the cast did into making Galaxy Angel as enjoyable as it was. It could not have been as good as it was without the talent that these voice actresses/actors had.

So what was not so stellar about Galaxy Angel? Well Galaxy Angel does something that a lot of anime that run for several seasons do. It uses the same BGMs over and over again. After 100 or so episodes of hearing the same BGMs playing, especially after going through four seasons, you'd expect something new. The songs themselves aren't bad, it's just that some diversity would be appreciated. For a series that stretches over four seasons, you'd expect a bit more diversity. Instead, it feels cheap because of this repetition.

The plot for each episode also became extremely formulaic especially during the third season where it became apparent due to the increase in episodes. It might become a problem if you are trying to marathon it, but if you're watching it every now and then, it shouldn't really be too much of a bother. But whether you notice it or not, it is a problem that a comedy become so routine since it detracts from the element of surprise. While Galaxy Angel still was mostly able to keep up the same level of comedy that it started with, the quality definitely decreases as the series progresses. Additionally, Galaxy Angel never used different side characters. Instead, every situation used the same trio of side characters whether it was for antagonists, protagonists, or just mob characters. At first, it felt funny, but after awhile it just felt really cheap and lazy.

Should You Watch It?
Yes

I really cannot recommend this series enough to people. I'm positive this series won't be for everyone, but I believe that everyone should at least give it a watch. Galaxy Angel is my favorite anime for a reason after all. You might not enjoy Galaxy Angel if you're not a fan of episodic anime but even so, I'd say that giving it a chance would be well worth the time. It does not especially fail in any categories, and is overall a well rounded anime filled with comedy, great characters, and even better replay value. In my opinion, it's a hidden gem that needs to be discovered by more people.