Series Review: Angelique

I've known about this series since forever.  I really don't remember how I found out about it since it's never stepped foot in america.  Maybe it was during my Magic Knight Rayearth days since there are some similar looking characters.  This has to be one of the longest running dating sims ever created.
The first game, part of the Neoromance line of games from Koei (psst, they also made Harutoki, can you tell I just kiss the ground this company walks on?) is just known as Angelique and was realeased in 1994 for the SNES, PC-FX and remade for the PS1 and GBA.  It follows the story of two young girls in competition to become the next goddess of a universe.  They are tested on how well they can love the people, and how balanced they can keep their worlds. The game reminds me of Act Raiser without the action parts of the game.  In order to keep the universe in balance, you have to carefully watch the levels of each element controlled by nine guardians.  The nine guardians are also your dating selection.  While I never got very far into the game because a lot of the game progression is knowing how to read what elements are off balance and I'd need time to memorize the kanji, it's just too much work for me to figure out at the moment.  If you do wish to start playing this one, you need to play the PC-FX Angelique Special.  It's filled with long and fully animated and voiced cutscenes.  Not only that, but some of the conversations out of the animated sections are also voiced.

The sequel to this game is Angelique Special 2.  The main character in the original game is now the goddess and a new universe is born in need of a queen.  It's pretty much the same as the first game but with four new guys . This is also for the PC-FX

The other game on the PC-FX is an interesting one that I'm playing at the moment and is actually a JRPG. (curse you JRPGs!) Quite the drastic change from the other games.  This one really goes all out on the cutscene that usually last 5 minutes or so taking full advantage of the PC-FX.  The main character is the same as the second game.  We're introduced to one new guy who also seems to be the villain, or at least half of a villain named Arios.  He'll become important later on.  Eventually, this main girl becomes goddess of the galaxy but is put into a deep sleep and her galaxy spirals into chaos.

Here we are introduced to a new girl Named Ange (well, it's short for Angelique which is all the main girl's names since you are suppose to put your own name in).  While her games are on the PS2 and onward before they switched to Neo angelique (which I might talk about later), You can also start watching The anime here. Loving Angel Angelique: When Hearts Awaken. While there is an OVA for the first game, there isn't any for the 2nd or 3rd game and it can be a little confusing for those who don't know the lore of the games. There are two

Same character, different style every episode

seasons consisting of 12 episodes.  It's fairly short and I'm pleased to report there are no filler episodes.  The quality varies and the different animation directors are very noticeable.  Some episodes are really dumpy and gross styles that have a hard time drawing ange's nose.  Other have very fluid animation with a higher frame rate but a really different style and others focus on beautiful shadows and line work (I really can't help but notice these things since I'm an animation major)

You get some gems like this in season 2 episode 4

I really enjoy Ange as a main character because her story is a lot like mine.  She starts off with large glasses and being sort of awkward and nerdy.  She poured her soul into a one sided love and was rejected and she just cant seem to get over the pain.  Later we're introduced to a new guardian that looks almost exactly like the guy that rejected her and she falls madly in love with him at first sight.  This guy is Arios from the third game.  They barely say two words to each other and she globs onto him, saying how much she wants him and needs him.  He, surprisingly just says that he has no feeling for her. She just can't let go of the fact that she wasn't good enough for this one guy and is determined to never fall in love again.  A really interesting concept that I really haven't seen much of. especially in a reverse harem where every one wants her.  It's like... There's one guy that isn't head over heels for me WHAT IS THIS PLACE!?  It's also interesting because it brings up being a girl and being turned down.  It's like the lowest of the low.  You're undesirable and unlovable.  It's like you failed at being a woman.  It also repeats itself just like this game.  Every time you're turned down, the same feelings come back and your mind reverts to the first time.
While this show seems like it's really silly and shallow, it really got me feeling a lot of things that I haven't felt for a long time, things that I really needed to think about.  I would say that the main message is love for humanity and hope.  Hope for the future and hope for those who have lost all hope.  I have massive triggers with anything that has to do with suicide and surprisingly this show almost triggered me.  This little show.  There is actually one shown of Ario's previous love falling from a tower, one where the main character is walking into the ocean after being rejected (Anything to do with drowning is what gets me.  it's hard enough just seeing characters in water) and an interesting conversation about it in season two when the guardian of darkness jokes about it and Ange gets upset with him.  Another thing odd about this show is that that it just made me think long and hard about spirituality.  I sometimes joke that this is an explanation of mormonism in anime form. Gah, I should really be more respectful.  It got me thinking of my spirituality and how real this stuff could be.  A bunch of people grouped around technology, watching as worlds grow and caring for people from a planet far away that moves at a different time rate as our own.  I really don't know why this hit me so hard.  Eh, every anime hits me hard now days.  I get so connected to my shows.  Whatever.
The character though, are so bland and replaceable.  by the end of the two seasons there are 16 guys?  While three of them ever really expressed their feelings strait to her, others said to the other guys that they liked her and others seemed like they could care less weather she existed or not.  The second season guys I feel have a bit more character to them but they are all just so flat and one dimensional.

So.  Should you play the games? Watch the anime?  I'd say try out the third game on the PC-FX.  It's the easiest to navigate, especially if you don't know any Japanese.  As for the anime, it's really heavy on religion and faith kind of stuff, so if that's off putting to you, then you should pass over this one. The games are much less religion based and would be the better choice.  If you can't stand feminine guys then this is not the series for you.  The first few episodes of the anime are really slow and hard to get through but the rest of the show is really interesting, I'd say give it a shot if your up for a quick reverse harem.