Sound: There is nothing like women grunting and sweating and hitting each other in a free-for-all brawl. =) Just kidding! Har! Har! Now before you start screaming "Hentai! Stan's a hentai!" think why I write like I did. Give up? It is because there is nothing special about the sound. I guess it's just your normal anime sound. You have the "meh" OP and the "umph" ED and those cheesy 80's track that don't mean much. Not like you'd pay attention to the music during those awesome fight scenes anyhow.

Story: I guess in all respects you really cannot deny that there is a story in Angelic Layer. However, you can most definitely argue that the story that is there is twisted. Instead of kids beating up on each other (Shaman King), or pets ripping each other apart (Pokemon), in Angelic Layer what you have is Tekken coming alive. The whole concept of Angelic Layer is that kids wear these special headsets, throw dolls into a special ring, and use their mind to make the dolls fight. Gruesome isn't it? especially since the kids are in grade school and yet they think of moves that would kill a real man in one shot (no, there are no combos like a video game... you think and the doll acts). Yet the creators of the series don't see this as brutal acts of violence - instead in Angelic Layer this miniscule representation of street fighting is depicted as a unifying factor as enemies in battle become best friends when the match is over. What's the best way to meet a new person? why beating the crap out of each other's dolls of course. What an Utopian society! where violence is actually laughed at (haha silly kids and their hobbies) and encouraged despite the fact the concept of Angelic Layer is a brilliant marketing scheme if it actually happened:

Which is why Angelic Layer is cool. It's so whimsical and fanciful, even though it is set in present-day Tokyo. It's certainly an interesting blend that, for some odd reason, works. The story itself is pretty shallow and if I had my way I'd just toss it out entirely. But the fights are cool. Very cool. Call me a sucker but I'd buy into the guy's marketing scheme, er... wait... "noble medical research." Whatever... a few mil on the side won't hurt, right?

Character: Shoot the Misuke voice actor, beat the crap out of the mom, cheer whenever the crazy doctor does something fun. The characters in Angelic Layer are... how we say... mixed. Some characters are just awesome, and some annoy the heck out of you. But all in all, they don't resolve anything, and the characters are all left on a hanger when the series ends. Disappointing character development, but not bad I guess since you spend half of the series looking at female dolls duking it out. No, I'm NOT a pervert =). Sorry, don't feel like talking about Angelic Layer characters - there just isn't much to talk about. You form your own opinions =)

Value: Good fights, good fights, good fights. If you're thinking about learning how to street fight, by all means go for the gusto and buy it. Otherwise, it's not worth it.

Enjoyment: Angelic Layer is a pretty good all around kiddie anime, but not something that would put a lasting effect on you when you finish watching it. Please see "Bottom Line."

Bottom Line: The fights are cool. Very cool =)