At this point, I have to accept that Angels of Death is simply not that scary. Even just saying it’s “eerie” sounds too generous. Between Ray and Zack’s antics, the goofy villains, the electric chair, and the mannequins whipping their “hairs” back and forth, the only response I’d naturally have is to laugh.

Originally, I thought maybe this is actually a “comedy” but the more I thought about it, the more inaccurate that felt. I’m sure this anime is meant to be zany but to say it’s played for laughs seems wrong. The only times I think I’m actually supposed to laugh is when Ray and Zack annoy each other. And truth be told, I have enjoyed the way Zack’s stupidity annoys Ray or when the latter’s attention to religion and safety pisses off the former. But what about when Zack is getting electrocuted or when Ray is slowly suffocating from the poisonous? Moments like these I find cartoony but I don’t think I am actually supposed to laugh at them. Maybe this worked better in the game where the player would be at risk of a game over but here in the anime, it just feels tonally misplaced.

I am still enjoying Angels of Death though. Again, Ray and Zack are entertaining as a dynamic duo. Ray needing Zack alive so that he can kill her feels very contrived but I otherwise like seeing these two lean on each other for survival. As for the new villain, Cathy (Mariya Ise), I think she’s a good addition to the cast. Her twisted love for punishment is much easier to understand than whatever Danny and Eddie were spouting. It’s also refreshing that she has all these contraptions are her disposal since all the other villains did nothing but creep up to Ray. Maybe she got a higher budget for her floor.

Weekends are so crowded with anime so I may stop with the Angels of Death coverage here. I will, however, continue watching this show for a bit longer, at least until the midseason. It’s possible that I’m enjoying it more than I should, maybe even for the wrong reasons. But I’m still having fun with this show so I don’t have much of an incentive to drop it.

SimulDub First Impressions

 

I saw some tweets from fans saying that Funimation’s dub closely adheres to the English translation of the Angels of Death game. A specific example is Danny calling eyes “peepers” in the dub which is apparently from the game and I don’t recall hearing that in the sub. As a non-fan, I can’t say I’m wowed here but that’s still a cool touch on part of ADR Script Writer Katelyn Barr.

As for the acting, it’s pretty over the top but then again, it’s like that in Japanese so criticizing the dub for that would be wrong. I didn’t think you could beat Nobuhiko Okamoto’s performance as Zack but I got to hand it to Dallas Reid. The actor sounds just as zany and gleeful as the character. Ray is apparently played by a newcomer, Meg McClain, and I think she’s pretty good in the role. Really, the only weakness to find in the performance is simply that Ray’s character just isn’t that elaborated to begin with. You know she’s vaguely religious and wants to die and that’s pretty much it. There’s only so much good acting (and writing) that can elevate this character past that simplicity.

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Angels of Death is officially available on Crunchyroll & Hulu.

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