With the popularity of series like Love Hina and Ai Yori Aoshi, one must expect that there would be at least a few shows that try to capitalize on the harem formula. Angel Tales is one such series that attempts to work off a sentimental connection between the characters for its effect. Sadly, from the first four episodes, Angel Tales feels like it is wasting a lot of its concept's potential.

Goro has to be the unluckiest man in the world. He always misses the train, and whenever he does not pack an umbrella, it rains. The company he worked for went under just after he was hired, and he cannot even find a part time job. Goro does have a soft spot in his heart for animals, though. Things start to change when young Goro meets a mysterious fortune teller by chance. After arriving home, Goro finds that three girls have mysteriously entered his room. Claiming to be his new guardian angels, the women do their best. As it turns out, the girls are all reincarnated spirits of Goro's former pets. Now, Goro must find a way to turn his luck around while supporting three doting angels at the same time.

While the concept has promise, Angel Tales is executed rather poorly at this point. The show itself is pure harem fluff, with no real plot to speak of. It seems like the creative staff is making bets on how early the viewer will be lost, as at least one new girl is introduced in each episode of the disc. The unfortunate result is that Goro, who is supposed to be the central character, is pushed off to the side, and many of the angels do not receive the much-needed development that would escalate the character above a 2-D stereotype. For most of the show, viewers are treated to a healthy dose of "popcorn anime". The situations are entertaining, and occasionally funny. On the flip side, many of the scenes that are meant to be touching or merely sad end up being quite depressing to watch, due to the fact that they are usually scenes that tell how a certain character died in her previous life. The result is a schizophrenic experience that leaves the viewer entertained in one moment and flat depressed in another.

Goro is the typical, nerdy loser that looks like he was cloned from Keitaro Urashima	Ran, Tsubasa, and Kurumi are the first three angels that transmigrate to help poor Goro.

While the show itself is lukewarm at best, Angel Tales' video manages to present a decent offering. The video transfer is clear with no obvious cases of cross-coloration, aliasing, or other visual defects. The series' animation is average in comparison to other shows of its ilk. The characters move fluidly, with no noticeable jerks in motion. The characters themselves tend to be more of an odd mix. Goro is the typical harem star: nerdy, bespectacled, and fairly generic. The angels, on the other hand, are much more fun. Each of the angels thus far is clad in a different style of school uniform, and has several distinct characteristics that reveal which animal the character originally was.

As is expected for a harem show, much of the series' music is quickly forgotten after it serves its purpose. The only tune that stands out is a melancholy harmonica piece that the creative staff tries to drill into the viewer's mind. The two vocal pieces presented thus far have proven to be fitting, but fairly generic in and of themselves. The opening theme, "Tenshi no Shippo" (Angel's Tail) is a bouncy piece performed by P.E.T.S. that proclaims that while things will go wrong, everything will work out in the end. The ending song, Ai no Hoshi (Star of Love) is a slow, wistful song that delivers a message of thanks to an unknown person from the beyond. As is to be expected, the two language tracks do not even compare in terms of quality. The Japanese track employs an all-star cast that includes many popular actresses, including Sakura Nogawa, Rie Tanaka, and Ayako Kawasumi. As is expected, the chemistry between characters is wonderful and breathes much-needed life into the otherwise one-dimensional characters. The English track features many well-known voice actors, including Michelle Ruff, Wendee Lee, and Crispin Freeman. The English dub is performed well overall, with no major problems in execution. Technically, the release is solid, with no dropouts or distortion on either track.

Despite being a fairly low-profile series, Angel Tales receives a decent amount of attention from Bandai. The cover for this volume features an image of Ran, Tsubasa, and Kurumi in a group shot. The back of the packaging contains six images from the show in a "wheel" configuration, a brief summary, and a description of the disc's contents. Like most Bandai releases, the insert sees a return of the cover art on the front, and contains a cast and crew list on the back. The insert folds open to reveal a miniature poster of Ayumi, Tamami, Kurumi, and Ran, who are apparently having tea together. The menus are fairly simple, with each of the major menus containing the selections on one side and an image of one of the female characters on the other. The chapter menu uses Goro's cell phone to hold a small series of video clips for the current episode, while the selections are arranged to the right and beneath the video. Extras for this release are fairly slim. The disc boasts short character summaries for each of the eight female characters that appear on the disc that includes a brief history of each angel, as well as why each girl has a specific phobia. The other extra on the disc is "Venomous Tales": a collection of humorous shorts featuring the major cast of the series. Venomous Tales takes the spotlight, as it proves to be far more entertaining than the main show.

At such an early point in the series, it is still possible for Angel Tales to make a turnaround and become a decent show. However, at the rate the series is progressing thus far, the series' premise will likely fall victim to underdevelopment and poor writing. This reviewer can only hope that Angel Tales can pull itself away from mediocrity and become a more coherent experience.

Distributor: Bandai
Creator: Juzo Mutsuki / Wonderfarm
Released: 2004

Video Quality: B+
Audio Quality: B+
Presentation: B
Content: C-
Overall: C