WINTER 2017 triggered me with so many series, Gabriel DropOut [ガヴリールドロップアウト] is not an exception. Gabriel DropOut along with Demi-chan wa Kataritai made me curious although the story is basically school life & slice-of-life genres which often make me back down because of boringness.
Sadly, I allowed only to pick one series to watch within my tight schedule. I haven't watched Demi-chan wa Kataritai with half-monster creatures living in human world concept yet, but I'm sure Gabriel DropOut won't lose to it with its angels & demons live in human world concept because of several reasons mention here.
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STORY Gabriel is now graduated from Heaven's school above-world and must deepen her knowledge about human by seeing them firsthand to human world. As an angel, of course with angelic personality, she has a dream to become a great angel who will lead people to happiness. She is considered as the best alumnus, gained reputation as a worthy-of-being-a-role-model angel. When the time starts to rhyme with her new experience in human world, Gab―short for Gabriel―is exceptionally addicted to game in her PC. The MMORPG that she plays all the time, almost nonstop, is made excuses as the way to observe human by learn it from human entertainment. Don't you think it's another game-like series, no, it's absolutely not! Gabriel DropOut surpasses it in terms of enjoyment and laughter. STORY IMPRESSION The concept of angels & demons is not special at all. We have so many of it especially in supernatural genre series. It goes along too with the slice-of-life theme, we have several series of it, namely The Devil is a Part-timer! as an example. Nonetheless, Gabriel DropOut brings something fresher and much more laughter as well as slice-of-life spice. When it's common to find male demon race, we won't be offered males, instead we get extraordinary demons with its uniqueness. Watch out! The angels aren't angelic at all and the demons aren't demonic at all. It's like fucking parody of reverse side of angel and demon race in regard to the personality. What's cute and enjoyable is the story...they enter schools, mingle in the human world, learn how to life like human (eating in cafetaria, learn cooking, summer break, part-time, partying). There are times when they get holiday in human world then visiting back their realm (heaven and hell). So funny futuristic upper realm with goodies there far from the expectation of mine where Heaven and Hell of them are such sacred places. CHARACTERIZATION A bit of its personality has been mentioned. In regard to personality, the major characters here, the angels and demons: Gab, Vigne, Satanichia, and Raphi are all like the opposite of their race reputation. They aren't represent the angel race as angels and demon race as demons at all. Gab and Raphi, one of the best students in Heaven, one of them is a fallen angel who's addicted to video game like trash lol and another one is actually corrupted with her hidden-yet-visible sadistic and mocking deeds. These two brings already uncountable laughter and added with the dunce demon, Satanichia, and angelic demon, Vigne. The demons are kinder than the angels itself and vice versa. Their friendship and characters development itself is good. Well, for friendship is great, because their ties as friends growing stronger. They try to help each other with their own (funny) way. There are several problems present and they manage to handle it together. Every character has their own problem even if it's not much illustrated. However, it's not a real big problem, just small one, that later involved all of them because they're friends OMG SO CUTE AND FUN LOL For additional information, we're also being given the background information about their lives both in Heaven and Hell at a glance too. The 4 main characters aren't easy to be bored. However, we still get some minor characters too. Like the angel junior named Tapris who's prone to get fooled and has a racism over satan race. Yet she is still so pure with virtue concept that makes her act inbetween to still act good and respective to goodness or do racism over good satan. We also got the class rep figure as the normal human. She is funny for being respectful to her responsibility, or it's as she thought she have to. But, she does it in an overly way she does it sometimes burdening herself of course that brings us laughter. Other minor like the major characters family members give us background information of what kind of environment the major were raised. |
VISUALIZATION & MUSIC
For the visualization, let's start from the characters design itself. Well, there's nothing fancy here but keep it mind that their simple design combines with the personalities and story will make them hard to forget and easy to make you fall in love. Blonde girls, red-haired rather devilish, an angelic looks from white-haired character, dark-haired as the most mature, it's common to find yet I really like them. The facial expressions are really well-animated and that's how the funny moments can reach its funniest state. The changing on their normal faces and its irritating expressions in an instant is like a grenade for lots of laugh. The visualization in broader sense to its surrounding makes use gradation of colour which makes it look smooth and boost the aura of characters. This aspect of Gabriel DropOut mixes well with the sound aspect in which the seiyuu(s) successfully encouraging the jokes. What's more the background music is really fit for this comedy genre.
The theme song itself for the OP "Gabriel Drop Kick (ガヴリールドロップキック)" is sung by Miyu Tomita, Saori Oonishi, Naomi Oozora & Kana Hanazawa (the 4 major characters' seiyuus). ED "Hallelujah☆Essaim (ハレルヤ☆エッサイム)" is also sung by them. The OP has catchy beats with bright colours as background. It's like they have conversation when singing with catchy beat. A mixing of pop and the drum beat like rock genre. What's best is the seiyuus' voices here. The ED is great too! The seiyuu(s) fill(s) the blank space perfectly without being annoying to the rhythm and it's clearly pump up the energy. Funny background scenes for ED soundtrack. The ED of Gabriel DropOut has many changes on tempo/beat like in Sabagebu!
The background music when something is in tight situation or funny-comedy can change so sudden and it is impressive. It brings laughter and it never made me bored with this classic way. There are always no jokes and unpredictable things as outcome. The seiyuus are really into the characters, like when it's in the cornered situation, background music comes and passes, the seiyuus will voice up the characters both funny and interesting like "how can you sound it out like that?!".
Although it's a school life theme but the diversity aspects in it are so great! (RATE: 9+)
Pros:
- Theme songs. I like the seiyuu(s) so much there!
- Despite of common theme of angels and demons, the series delivers something new as a plot and the friendship of them growing up in an awesome way.
- So much fun and laughter by the jokes and the visualization.
Tenma Gabriel White [(Fallen) Angel]. She is called Gab by Vigne. She has an appearance of angelic beauty like a foreigner with long smooth blonde hair of her. Not too petite but rather mini stature makes her looks adorable (well...at first) lol
Tsukinose Vignette April [Demon]. She is often called Vigne by Gab. Amongst the four of them in class, she resembles the figure of a big sister. She can lead Gab and Satanichia to be more human in school. She can be angry with them like a cute older sister and mother lol
Kurumizawa Satanichia McDowell [Demon]. She declares herself as the future queen of Hell. She is really adore the "image" of being the queen of hell and try her best to do any bad deeds to gain point as a demon. But, since she is silly and dumb lol, she often get bullied and made fun by her friends.
Raphiel Ainsworth Shiraha [Angel]. She is ranked two after Gab in the first place before in Heaven. She is also study about human in the same human schools with Gab. She is truly demonic in angel form with wicked thoughts to toy people, but I love it how she makes it like a normal speech. She is a sadistic ojou-sama.
Tapris Sugarbell Chisaki. Tapris is Gab's junior in heaven. She adores Gabriel as an upperclassman so much. Gab is even her role model as an angel.
Prez, Class 1-B President. She is called Prez ever since she becomes the class representative. Her real name is Machiko. She is really mature, but sometimes innocent too. Because of her high awareness to responsibility, she takes the duty wholeheartedly like reminding and collecting Gab's homework.
All of them except Tapris is studying in Maiten High School, human high school.
Tenma Zelel White. Zelel-neesan has always been a square. Visiting Gab in human world. So discipline and talented angel.
【増原 紀花】