Angel Sanctuary
Encyclopedia
is a shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Kaori Yuki
. Originally serialized in Hana to Yume
from February 1995 to February 2001, the chapters were collected and published in twenty tankōbon
volumes by Hakusensha
; the first volume was released in 1997 and the final volume was published in 2001. It focuses on a reincarnated angel named Setsuna, proclaimed to be the "Messiah", and his struggle against the corrupted angels of Heaven.
The manga was adapted as a three-episode original video animation
(OVA) by Bandai Visual
and Hal Film Maker
; it was intended to be an introduction to the manga rather than a stand alone anime. Originally licensed by Central Park Media
, the OVA is currently licensed by Media Blasters
. A series of drama CDs based on the other story arcs was also released.
Angel Sanctuary is licensed by Viz Media
for an English-language release in North America. The final volume was released June 2007.
) and the upper levels of Hell
(Gehenna
) are mirror images of each other. As mankind polluted and destroyed the Earth, the lands of Hell also began to weaken. Taking advantage of their creator's sleep and the weakening of their enemies, the angels of heaven wage war on the Evil race (a group of demon
s who have turned away from the Devil
, Lucifer
and God
; they live in Gehenna and worship "Holy Dragon Gods"), wiping most of them out. In doing this the angels fighting the war are corrupted. They commit vile crimes and murders under the name of God and righteousness
. This deeply sickened Organic Angel Alexiel. She feels that the Evils are more pure in their actions since they do not put up a charade of purity
to cover their crimes. She joins the Evils' side of the war and declares an official revolt against God.
The war comes to a climax and end when Alexiel fights against her brother Rosiel. Earlier, Rosiel had found out that he is decomposing and that his mind will rot. He went to Alexiel to ask her to kill him before he goes crazy, which she agrees to. But when she is about to deal the killing blow to him, he yells: "Would you kill your own twin brother, Alexiel!?" She then is filled with pity and remorse, so she seals him within the Earth using a barrier of forbidden magic. However, in doing this, she used every ounce of her power and shatters Nanatsusaya (the "Holy Sword of God", that made every bearer before Alexiel go mad with its power and kill themselves and countless others). The result is that Rosiel is now sealed inside Assiah and Alexiel is captured and tried by the Angel of Judgment
, Uriel
.
For her crimes, Alexiel is sentenced to the most severe punishment given to the fallen: Her body and soul are separated. The body is frozen in an angel crystal and locked away in the deepest depths of angel security on the fourth circle/layer of Heaven
, Machonon. Her soul is sentenced to be incarnated into a human mortal. That mortal's life is sentenced to be filled with physical and emotional pain. Every time Alexiel is re-incarnated, the cycle begins anew. But in every incarnation
, Alexiel's personality is still present under specific (e.g. dangerous) circumstances, which causes her incarnation to have strange spiritual patterns and powers at times; it is as if the incarnation has a multiple personality disorder. In the storyline, she is incarnated into a boy named Setsuna Mudo. Setsuna Mudo is a problematic delinquent high school student, who is in love with his sister (thus producing the emotional pain required by her punishment). To add to his problems, he gets caught up in the complex war between heaven and hell.
Alexiel
Lucifer
Rosiel
Sevothtarte and Metatron
YHWH
from February 1995 to February 2001. Hakusensha
collected and published the chapers in twenty tankōbon
volumes; the first volume was released February 17, 1995 and the last one was published on February 19, 2001. Hakusensha later rereleased Angel Sanctuary in ten volumes, from June 14, 2002, to June 13, 2003.
Angel Sanctuary is licensed by Viz Media
for an English language release in North America. Volume one was published 2004 and the final volume was released June 12, 2007. Angel Sanctuary is also licensed in Taiwan by Tong Li Comics
, in Hong Kong by Culturecom Comics, in Germany by Carlsen Comics, in Italy and Brazil by Panini Comics
, in Spanish by Norma Editorial
, in Poland by Japonica Polonica Fantastica
, in Hungary by Delta Vision, in France by Editions Tonkam, and in Russia by Comix-art
and Eksmo
.
. The first set of drama CDs was published on August 3, 2000 to October 25, 2000, totaling three in all. The next two drama CDs, focusing on a different arc, were released from March 21, 2001 to April 25, 2001. Two more drama CDs focusing on another arc were published from June 27, 2001 to August 25, 2001. The final drama CD followed on September 29, 2001. Lantis then collected all eight drama CDs onto four drama CDs and republished them from March 17, 2004 to April 21, 2004. The soundtrack to those four drama CDs was also released by Prhythm on April 21, 2004.
and Hal Film Maker
. Bandai Visual released the three episodes from May 25, 2000 to August 25, 2000.
The English-language release was originally licensed in North America by Central Park Media
, which released the OVA in 2001 as well as rereleasing it in 2005. After the license expired, Media Blasters
acquired the license for the OVA and released it in 2008 with new cover art in addition to extras.
In Manga: The Complete Guide
, Jason Thompson felt Angel Sanctuarys plot line was difficult to follow due to the page layouts, the large cast of androgynous characters, and the "barrage of events and names". However, Thompson felt the story improved after the first few volumes, becoming a "complicated, inconsistent, but interesting story". He also noted the "stylish" and "elaborate" artwork throughout. Holly Ellinwood of Active Anime described the "heavy crossover of religions combined with social issues and personal lines of integrity" as "spellbinding". Ellinwood also praised that art as "absorbing.... more detailed than most, beautifully Gothic even when depicting the most foul horrors" and noted that the series focused on unconditional love
. Another reviewer stated: "Angel Sanctuary, both the story and the art, is overly crowded, somewhat confusing, mildly disturbing, and potentially addicting." Manga Life's Kat Collyns praised the "unbelievably pretty" art and "fantastically (and beautifully) detailed" characters. Collyns noted that the issues of transgender characters and incest would discourage readers.
Aimée Schafer of THEM Anime Reviews praised the artwork of the OVA, but criticized the English voice cast as well as Setsuna's incestuous love for his sister, calling the relationship "completely unnecessary and totally ruined what could otherwise have been a solid and, I dare say, good story". Theron Martin of Anime News Network
found that Angel Sanctuary OVA to be "remarkably graphically violent shōjo
fare" which "confronts the central incest issue head-on, handling it in a far less elegant or delicate manner than Koi Kaze
but dealing with it and all its potential fallout nonetheless". Martin also noted that the OVA was meant to be more of an introduction to the manga, rather than a stand alone anime. Mania Entertainment's Chris Beveridge liked the animation quality of the OVA, stating: "The look of Setsuna and the others when they sprout their angel wings and use their powers is very attractive, extremely fluid. This is a top notch batch of OVA quality animation from just about a year ago, and it really does show." He described the story as having "its own beginning, middle and end, but an end that leads onto the larger story." Dave Merrill described the OVA as a "pretentious, confusing claptrap; a Frankenstein's monster stitched together out of pop-culture religious iconography and girls' comics cliches, told in a deliberately confusing and obscurantist style designed to conceal the lack of coherent plot, animated by robots programmed to imitate CLAMP
; in short, it's angel-winged junk."
In his review of The Art of Angel Sanctuary 2: Lost Angel, A.E. Sparrow of IGN Comics
praised the artbook, describing it as "more of an encyclopedia or compendium for the series". He complimented the artwork, stating,"I was absolutely blown away with each turn of the page, figuring it couldn't get any more brilliant, and was proven wrong every time. If I had any complaint, it would be that the artwork doesn't go on long enough."
Kaori Yuki
is a female Japanese manga artist best known for her gothic manga such as Earl Cain, its sequel Godchild, and Angel Sanctuary. Yuki debuted in 1987 with which ran in the manga anthology Bessatsu Hana to Yume published by Hakusensha. Her work is typically serialized in one of Hakusensha's two shōjo...
. Originally serialized in Hana to Yume
Hana to Yume
is a semi-monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Hakusensha.The magazine is published on the 4th and 22nd of every month. It is often nicknamed as among the readers...
from February 1995 to February 2001, the chapters were collected and published in twenty tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes by Hakusensha
Hakusensha
is a Japanese publishing company. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo.The company mainly publishes manga magazines of various genres and is involved in certain series' productions in their games, original video animation, musical and their animated TV series....
; the first volume was released in 1997 and the final volume was published in 2001. It focuses on a reincarnated angel named Setsuna, proclaimed to be the "Messiah", and his struggle against the corrupted angels of Heaven.
The manga was adapted as a three-episode original video animation
Original video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...
(OVA) by Bandai Visual
Bandai Visual
, is a Japanese anime, film production and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai Co., Ltd. and a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings, Inc., which is based in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Since the reorganisation of Namco Bandai Holdings in 2006, Bandai Visual now heads the group's Visual and...
and Hal Film Maker
Hal Film Maker
is a Japanese animation studio founded in August 1993.-Anime produced: is a Japanese animation studio founded in August 1993.-Anime produced: is a Japanese animation studio founded in August 1993.-Anime produced:(Please note that this list only includes original productions or co-productions...
; it was intended to be an introduction to the manga rather than a stand alone anime. Originally licensed by Central Park Media
Central Park Media
Central Park Media was an American multimedia entertainment company based in New York City, New York, that was active in the distribution of East Asian cinema, television series, anime, manga and manhwa titles in North America prior to its bankruptcy in 2009...
, the OVA is currently licensed by Media Blasters
Media Blasters
Media Blasters is an entertainment corporation founded by John Sirabella and Sam Liebowitz, based in New York City. They are in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American market manga compilations and anime and live-action movies and television series to home-video...
. A series of drama CDs based on the other story arcs was also released.
Angel Sanctuary is licensed by Viz Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
for an English-language release in North America. The final volume was released June 2007.
Plot
In this series, Assiah (EarthEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
) and the upper levels of Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
(Gehenna
Gehenna
Gehenna , Gehinnom and Yiddish Gehinnam, are terms derived from a place outside ancient Jerusalem known in the Hebrew Bible as the Valley of the Son of Hinnom ; one of the two principal valleys surrounding the Old City.In the Hebrew Bible, the site was initially where apostate Israelites and...
) are mirror images of each other. As mankind polluted and destroyed the Earth, the lands of Hell also began to weaken. Taking advantage of their creator's sleep and the weakening of their enemies, the angels of heaven wage war on the Evil race (a group of demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
s who have turned away from the Devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
, Lucifer
Lucifer
Traditionally, Lucifer is a name that in English generally refers to the devil or Satan before being cast from Heaven, although this is not the original meaning of the term. In Latin, from which the English word is derived, Lucifer means "light-bearer"...
and God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
; they live in Gehenna and worship "Holy Dragon Gods"), wiping most of them out. In doing this the angels fighting the war are corrupted. They commit vile crimes and murders under the name of God and righteousness
Righteousness
Righteousness is an important theological concept in Zoroastrianism, Hinduism , Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
. This deeply sickened Organic Angel Alexiel. She feels that the Evils are more pure in their actions since they do not put up a charade of purity
Virtue
Virtue is moral excellence. A virtue is a positive trait or quality subjectively deemed to be morally excellent and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being....
to cover their crimes. She joins the Evils' side of the war and declares an official revolt against God.
The war comes to a climax and end when Alexiel fights against her brother Rosiel. Earlier, Rosiel had found out that he is decomposing and that his mind will rot. He went to Alexiel to ask her to kill him before he goes crazy, which she agrees to. But when she is about to deal the killing blow to him, he yells: "Would you kill your own twin brother, Alexiel!?" She then is filled with pity and remorse, so she seals him within the Earth using a barrier of forbidden magic. However, in doing this, she used every ounce of her power and shatters Nanatsusaya (the "Holy Sword of God", that made every bearer before Alexiel go mad with its power and kill themselves and countless others). The result is that Rosiel is now sealed inside Assiah and Alexiel is captured and tried by the Angel of Judgment
Judgment
A judgment , in a legal context, is synonymous with the formal decision made by a court following a lawsuit. At the same time the court may also make a range of court orders, such as imposing a sentence upon a guilty defendant in a criminal matter, or providing a remedy for the plaintiff in a civil...
, Uriel
Uriel
Uriel is one of the archangels of post-Exilic Rabbinic tradition, and also of certain Christian traditions...
.
For her crimes, Alexiel is sentenced to the most severe punishment given to the fallen: Her body and soul are separated. The body is frozen in an angel crystal and locked away in the deepest depths of angel security on the fourth circle/layer of Heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
, Machonon. Her soul is sentenced to be incarnated into a human mortal. That mortal's life is sentenced to be filled with physical and emotional pain. Every time Alexiel is re-incarnated, the cycle begins anew. But in every incarnation
Incarnation
Incarnation literally means embodied in flesh or taking on flesh. It refers to the conception and birth of a sentient creature who is the material manifestation of an entity, god or force whose original nature is immaterial....
, Alexiel's personality is still present under specific (e.g. dangerous) circumstances, which causes her incarnation to have strange spiritual patterns and powers at times; it is as if the incarnation has a multiple personality disorder. In the storyline, she is incarnated into a boy named Setsuna Mudo. Setsuna Mudo is a problematic delinquent high school student, who is in love with his sister (thus producing the emotional pain required by her punishment). To add to his problems, he gets caught up in the complex war between heaven and hell.
Main characters
- The current incarnation of the Organic Angel Alexiel, retaining many of Alexiel's high astral powers. Like all of Alexiel's reincarnations, Setsuna is doomed to live a miserable life and die a slow, and very painful death. He has incestuous feelings for his sister.
- Setsuna Mudo's younger sister. She is in love with her brother.
Alexiel
- One of the most powerful angels in heaven, Alexiel was loved by many, including UrielUrielUriel is one of the archangels of post-Exilic Rabbinic tradition, and also of certain Christian traditions...
and LuciferLuciferTraditionally, Lucifer is a name that in English generally refers to the devil or Satan before being cast from Heaven, although this is not the original meaning of the term. In Latin, from which the English word is derived, Lucifer means "light-bearer"...
. Disgusted by the corrupt practices of heaven, Alexiel rebelled against God. As punishment for her treason, Alexiel's soul is doomed to be endlessly reincarnated into miserable lives. Her current incarnation is Setsuna Mudo.
- A seven year old who was killed in a car accident. At the moment of his death, Nanatsusaya appeared to him and offered Sakuya another chance at life, if Sakuya would lend his body to Nanatsusaya.
Lucifer
- The Demon Lord of Hell, Lucifer was told by God that he was born with only one reason - to become the Prince of Darkness and rule the demons. As revenge, Lucifer planned to rape Alexiel, believing that she was God's "beloved daughter," but soon fell in love with her, and, though he tried to, could not follow through with his plans to rape her.
Rosiel
- The younger twin of Alexiel, once wise, kind and benevolent, Rosiel eventually went insane and became destructive. He asked Alexiel to kill him before this happened, but her feelings prevented her from doing so and she sealed him within the earth instead.
Sevothtarte and Metatron
- Sevothtarte or Sevy as most call him is the prime minister of Heaven and the guardian/aide to the prince of angels Metatron, a high ranking Seraph.
- Metatron was made in the image of a child so that he would be 'loved by all' but as of now is neutralized by the return of inorganic angel Rosiel. Sevothtarte used his position (until recently) to rule Heaven and the angel council with fear. Though he was being challenged by a guerrilla rebel force.
YHWH
- The ultimate villain of the story, YHWH, presumed to be God, is actually a being from another universe. He is a megalomaniac with no real physical form, who created the current universe in order to test an equation that he had fashioned.
Production
Many of the characters' names and concepts were taken from the Jewish and Christian texts.Manga
Written and illustrated by Kaori Yuki, Angel Sanctuary was originally serialized in Hana to YumeHana to Yume
is a semi-monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Hakusensha.The magazine is published on the 4th and 22nd of every month. It is often nicknamed as among the readers...
from February 1995 to February 2001. Hakusensha
Hakusensha
is a Japanese publishing company. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo.The company mainly publishes manga magazines of various genres and is involved in certain series' productions in their games, original video animation, musical and their animated TV series....
collected and published the chapers in twenty tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes; the first volume was released February 17, 1995 and the last one was published on February 19, 2001. Hakusensha later rereleased Angel Sanctuary in ten volumes, from June 14, 2002, to June 13, 2003.
Angel Sanctuary is licensed by Viz Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
for an English language release in North America. Volume one was published 2004 and the final volume was released June 12, 2007. Angel Sanctuary is also licensed in Taiwan by Tong Li Comics
Tong Li Comics
Tongli Publishing Co. , most known as Tong Li Comics, is a publishing company which distributes a variety of domestic and imported comics in the Republic of China .-History:...
, in Hong Kong by Culturecom Comics, in Germany by Carlsen Comics, in Italy and Brazil by Panini Comics
Panini Comics
Panini Comics is an Italian comic book publisher. A division of Panini Group, best known for their collectible stickers, it is headquartered in Modena, Italy...
, in Spanish by Norma Editorial
Norma Editorial
Norma Editorial is a Spanish comics publisher, with its headquarters in Barcelona.Founded in 1977 by Rafael Martínez, it publishes both original Spanish comics , Spanish translations of Japanese manga as well as Spanish translations of American or European comics and...
, in Poland by Japonica Polonica Fantastica
Japonica Polonica Fantastica
Japonica Polonica Fantastica, also known as JPF, is a Polish manga publisher, located in Mierzyn near Szczecin, Poland. The founder of JPF is Shin Yasuda.-Titles published:*.hack//Legend of the Twilight*Akira*Angel Sanctuary...
, in Hungary by Delta Vision, in France by Editions Tonkam, and in Russia by Comix-art
Comix-ART
Comix-ART is a comics imprint of russian book publisher Domino It serves as a translator and the licensor of graphic novels, manga, manhwa and Original English-language manga. Comix-ART, founded in 2008 with headquarter in Saint Petersburg, releases its titles in collaboration with Eksmo, another...
and Eksmo
Eksmo
Eksmo is one of the largest publishing houses in Russia. Eksmo and its rival AST together publish approximately 30% of all Russian books.Established in 1991 as a small book-selling company, they gradually developed into a major player on the Russian market, discovering and developing detective...
.
CDs
Multiple Angel Sanctuary drama CDs have been released by LantisLantis (company)
is a Japanese company that specializes as a music publisher label for Japanese musicians, anime soundtracks and video game soundtracks. It was established on November 26, 1999, and in May 2006, it was bought by, and became a subsidiary of, Bandai Visual...
. The first set of drama CDs was published on August 3, 2000 to October 25, 2000, totaling three in all. The next two drama CDs, focusing on a different arc, were released from March 21, 2001 to April 25, 2001. Two more drama CDs focusing on another arc were published from June 27, 2001 to August 25, 2001. The final drama CD followed on September 29, 2001. Lantis then collected all eight drama CDs onto four drama CDs and republished them from March 17, 2004 to April 21, 2004. The soundtrack to those four drama CDs was also released by Prhythm on April 21, 2004.
OVA
The three episode Angel Sanctuary OVA was produced by Bandai VisualBandai Visual
, is a Japanese anime, film production and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai Co., Ltd. and a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings, Inc., which is based in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Since the reorganisation of Namco Bandai Holdings in 2006, Bandai Visual now heads the group's Visual and...
and Hal Film Maker
Hal Film Maker
is a Japanese animation studio founded in August 1993.-Anime produced: is a Japanese animation studio founded in August 1993.-Anime produced: is a Japanese animation studio founded in August 1993.-Anime produced:(Please note that this list only includes original productions or co-productions...
. Bandai Visual released the three episodes from May 25, 2000 to August 25, 2000.
The English-language release was originally licensed in North America by Central Park Media
Central Park Media
Central Park Media was an American multimedia entertainment company based in New York City, New York, that was active in the distribution of East Asian cinema, television series, anime, manga and manhwa titles in North America prior to its bankruptcy in 2009...
, which released the OVA in 2001 as well as rereleasing it in 2005. After the license expired, Media Blasters
Media Blasters
Media Blasters is an entertainment corporation founded by John Sirabella and Sam Liebowitz, based in New York City. They are in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American market manga compilations and anime and live-action movies and television series to home-video...
acquired the license for the OVA and released it in 2008 with new cover art in addition to extras.
Art books
Hakusensha published two Angel Sanctuary art books. The first, , was released on July 25, 1997, and the second, , followed on September 27, 2000. Viz Media released both from September 6, 2005 to October 30, 2007. Both feature an interview with Kaori Yuki and series information along with artwork from the series.Reception
In March 2004, the first volume of the manga sold 1,767 copies, putting it in the 49th spot. In May 2004, the second volume sold 1,768 copies, putting it in 42nd place. The third sold 1,567 copies, reaching the 61st spot. The third volume also ranked 7th on the BookScan in August 2004. In October 2004, the fourth volume sold 1,819 copies, placing 71st. The fifth sold 1,644 copies in December 2004, placing 65th. The sixth ranked 75th, selling 1,439 copies in February 2005. The seventh sold 1,465 copies, ranking 65th. The eighth sold 1,472 copies, ranking 79th. The ninth reached the 74th spot with 1,481 copies sold.In Manga: The Complete Guide
Manga: The Complete Guide
Manga: The Complete Guide is a 2007 encyclopedia written by Jason Thompson and published by Del Rey which provides basic details and short reviews of over 1000 Japanese manga titles that have been translated and released in English in North America...
, Jason Thompson felt Angel Sanctuarys plot line was difficult to follow due to the page layouts, the large cast of androgynous characters, and the "barrage of events and names". However, Thompson felt the story improved after the first few volumes, becoming a "complicated, inconsistent, but interesting story". He also noted the "stylish" and "elaborate" artwork throughout. Holly Ellinwood of Active Anime described the "heavy crossover of religions combined with social issues and personal lines of integrity" as "spellbinding". Ellinwood also praised that art as "absorbing.... more detailed than most, beautifully Gothic even when depicting the most foul horrors" and noted that the series focused on unconditional love
Unconditional love
Unconditional love is a term that means to love someone regardless of one's actions or beliefs. It is a concept comparable to true love, a term which is more frequently used to describe love between lovers. By contrast, unconditional love is frequently used to describe love between family members,...
. Another reviewer stated: "Angel Sanctuary, both the story and the art, is overly crowded, somewhat confusing, mildly disturbing, and potentially addicting." Manga Life's Kat Collyns praised the "unbelievably pretty" art and "fantastically (and beautifully) detailed" characters. Collyns noted that the issues of transgender characters and incest would discourage readers.
Aimée Schafer of THEM Anime Reviews praised the artwork of the OVA, but criticized the English voice cast as well as Setsuna's incestuous love for his sister, calling the relationship "completely unnecessary and totally ruined what could otherwise have been a solid and, I dare say, good story". Theron Martin of Anime News Network
Anime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
found that Angel Sanctuary OVA to be "remarkably graphically violent shōjo
Shojo
The term refers to manga marketed to a female audience roughly between the ages of 10-18. The name romanizes the Japanese 少女 , literally: "little female". Shōjo manga covers many subjects in a variety of narrative and graphic styles, from historical drama to science fiction — often with a strong...
fare" which "confronts the central incest issue head-on, handling it in a far less elegant or delicate manner than Koi Kaze
Koi Kaze
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Motoi Yoshida. It premiered in the September 2001 issue of Evening and ran for 29 chapters until its conclusion in the October 2004 issue. The individual chapters were collected and published in five tankōbon volumes by Kodansha...
but dealing with it and all its potential fallout nonetheless". Martin also noted that the OVA was meant to be more of an introduction to the manga, rather than a stand alone anime. Mania Entertainment's Chris Beveridge liked the animation quality of the OVA, stating: "The look of Setsuna and the others when they sprout their angel wings and use their powers is very attractive, extremely fluid. This is a top notch batch of OVA quality animation from just about a year ago, and it really does show." He described the story as having "its own beginning, middle and end, but an end that leads onto the larger story." Dave Merrill described the OVA as a "pretentious, confusing claptrap; a Frankenstein's monster stitched together out of pop-culture religious iconography and girls' comics cliches, told in a deliberately confusing and obscurantist style designed to conceal the lack of coherent plot, animated by robots programmed to imitate CLAMP
CLAMP
, is an all-female Japanese manga artist group that formed in the mid 1980s. Many of the group's manga series are often adapted into anime after release. It consists of their leader , who provides much of the storyline and screenplay for all their works and adaptations of those works respectively ,...
; in short, it's angel-winged junk."
In his review of The Art of Angel Sanctuary 2: Lost Angel, A.E. Sparrow of IGN Comics
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
praised the artbook, describing it as "more of an encyclopedia or compendium for the series". He complimented the artwork, stating,"I was absolutely blown away with each turn of the page, figuring it couldn't get any more brilliant, and was proven wrong every time. If I had any complaint, it would be that the artwork doesn't go on long enough."