Let’s Talk About “Koi Suru Tenshi Angelique: Kokoro no Mezameru Toki” (SUB)-Recommended

Watch Order Notice:

The Angelique franchise is based on a game, and it’s media I’ve honestly been watching out of order. Technically, Koi Suru Tenshi Angelique: Kokoro no Mezameru Toki, or Beloved Angel Angelique: When Hearts Awaken is season one of the two season TV series that is based in the same universe as the original OVAs (…2…3?) but with a different MC. Let me reiterate that: same 9 Guardians, original MC became queen, new MC is now MC during the TV series. Yes. Good. Okay, moving on.

Neo Angelique Abyss is a newer installment only loosely based on the Angelique franchise and is not relevant to the discussion today, though we’ll touch on this title another time. I specify all of this because I myself faced much confusion before figuring out how all this media was related.

So, anyway, the creation—and plot—order is thus:

1. Angelique OVAs (again… 2 of them? 3 of them? Oscar and the soon-to-be queen are in love? IDK? never saw them??)
2. Koi Suru Tenshi Angelique: Kokoro no Mezameru Toki (1st season of TV series, same guardians, original queen became MC, new heroine becomes Legendary Etoile *aka new MC*)
3. Koi Suru Tenshi Angelique: Kagayaki no Ashita (2nd season of TV series picking up where 1st season ended)
4. Neo Angelique ~Abyss~ (two season long spin-off series of the Angelique franchise)

I first watched Neo Angelique ~Abyss~ (season 1 and part of season 2). Before I rewatch and finish that series, I decided to go back and watch the previous installations, but I’d heard that the Queenie-to-be and Oscar (Guardian of Fire) were the series couple…

*spoiler?* Highlight here –> when she gave him up to take over the Queen role??

And I didn’t want to see that unhappy-to-me, less-than-romantic ending, so I skipped it and moved right into the TV series. (And dude, if what I heard was right…

*spoiler again* Highlight here –>  Oscar’s love clearly wasn’t that strong, yo. No residual romantic tension in the TV series whatsoever. Those two moved on fast!!)

Obviously, I’ve never played the game and I’m missing some introduction, but I jumped right into this series and so shouldn’t we do the same in this review? Of course! Let’s begin!

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As it stands, I’ve just finished watching the first season of Koi Suru Tenshi Angelique , and let me tell you….phew.

Fascinating Plot Premise:

Multiple parallel universes have their order maintained by queens who must give up their personal freedoms for the love and betterment of these worlds. The queen of the show’s developed focal universe lives in that universe’s center, The Holy Land, where one year marks several decades for those outside its borders. Her time is primarily devoted in prayer for universal balance, and she is assisted in alternate tasks by 9 Guardians, each of whom govern a specific sacrea or “force” of universal development.

The current queen of the focal universe, Queen Angelique, is a gentle soul in commune with the queen of one of these parallel universes; this specific parallel universe is young, however, and has not yet reached the point general humanity’s development, much less the sacrea guardians. Thus, this younger queen is left to guide universal development and maintain balance on her own. This proves disastrous; the parallel queen along with her castle staff fall into a deathly sleep, and a savior is needed.

Back in the focal universe, a young woman from the country, Ange, finds herself with the arduous task of becoming the Legendary Etoile; it is her predestined duty to resuscitate and guide the development of this parallel universe, saving its queen in the process. She navigates her tasks with the help of Queen Angelique’s 9 Guardians*.

Several of the guardians develop romantic feelings for Ange to varying degrees.

*Spoiler for OVAs, highlight here –> The Guardian of Fire, Oscar, was a lover Angelique had to abandon that she might fulfill her queenly duties.

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Commentary:

I’m going to be straight with you; I think this entire show was rife with shoujo fodder: the literal sparkles (and I love those), the obvious bishies (still not complaining), the love interests with no real romantic resolution (though I can hope in season 2??), the lack of empathy for anyone but the female MC, the characters with potential that was never fully explored…you catch my drift. I enjoyed the anime, and I think that if they remade it now there could be some serious potential if they expanded and elaborated upon the lore (I mean, that plot premise is killer), but I’m not going to sit here and tell you it’s my favorite anime ever. I am still, however, looking forward to watching season 2.

Aside from the obvious shoujo pitfalls it contained, the show did loosely play with several intersecting theories and made a genuine (abet perhaps unintentional) commentary on religion and evolution.

The formation of the in-show universes was driven by the combination of a powerful being and evolution. The guidance was clearly intentional, but evolution ran its natural course as well. Additionally, the first humans, ignorant of the true driving force behind creation (guided evolution), worshiped more fundamental deities like “the sky god” as they matured and society began to flourish. They prayed for little things and thanked their created god for what they had. There was even some Biblical allusion with Ange *spoiler* Highlight here –> taking on a Noah role, and reference was made to the necessity of a great flood to help a planet thrive.

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All in all, I’d recommend the season. It seems like classic shoujo and I’m ready to see where the plot takes me next!

Have you seen Koi Suru Tenshi Angelique? What did you think?

(✿◠‿◠) Shoujothoughts

Note: Technically, the title image and the final image are taken from season 2 (Koi Suru Tenshi Angelique: Kagayaki no Ashita) rather than season 1, but the first image from above the watch order notice is indeed directly from Koi Suru Tenshi Angelique: Kokoro no Mezameru Toki.

Secondary Note: I SHIP ANGE x ZEPHEL!