The supernatural drama series Angel Beats is an original anime that premiered during spring 2010 and has since become known for its innate ability to tug at the heartstrings of its viewers. The series is often praised for balancing fun, comedic scenes with a deep and emotional story that leaves an impactful impression on its audience. As such, it is considered a cult classic by some -- and not just for its themes and storytelling, but also thanks to its diverse cast of complex and compelling characters and the relationships they share with one another.
Although the anime's finale felt pretty conclusive, let's discuss the likelihood of this well-loved series ever getting a second season.
The Plot & Origin of Angel Beats
The original concept and music composition were both created by Jun Maeda, a Japanese writer and co-founder of Key (a visual novel studio), who has also worked on titles such as Clannad, Charlotte, and Kanon.
Produced by P.A. Works and Aniplex, Angel Beats ran for 13 episodes and follows Yuzuru Otonashi, a young man who wakes up in a high school setting in the afterlife with no memories of his previous life or even who he is as a person. Here, he meets other deceased individuals, including Yuri Nakamura, leader of the Afterlife Battlefront -- an organization created to rebel against God for the unfair treatment inflicted upon its members during their lives. Their fight is led against Kanade Tachibana, nicknamed Angel, who has supernatural powers and is believed to be associated in some way with God.
Yuzuru doesn't fully believe that Kanade is their enemy, but joins the Afterlife Battlefront to learn more about her as well as to unlock his own memories, all while uncovering the secrets of the afterlife. During his adventures, he assists in creating peace among the afterlife's two factions and makes plenty of new friends. Eventually, the group discovers that the environment in which they've been living is actually a holding point for people who have experienced great hardships or traumas in life. They are meant to overcome such strife in this setting in order to move on to whatever lies beyond death.
Will There Be a Season 2 of Angel Beats?
The series generated fairly positive reviews, with four manga series and a light novel following the anime's popularity. Two of the four manga series are a retelling and a summary of the original anime with no new content. However, the third manga, Angel Beats: Heaven's Door, is an adaptation of the light novel, Angel Beats: Track Zero, a prequel to the series that explains how the Afterlife Battlefront was founded.
The final manga series, Angel Beats: The Last Operation, may feel a bit more fulfilling. While Maeda's original concept made it difficult to cram such a rich story into a mere 13 episodes, this manga is a retelling of the anime series, but with additional scenes and more depth to the characters and their backstories to fully flesh out the narrative. The Last Operation is written by Maeda himself, with art by Yuriko Asami, and is currently being serialized by Dengeki G's Comic.
While remaining a prominent title within the anime community, Angel Beats was given a proper ending 11 years ago, suggesting that another season would be highly unlikely. Although Maeda is still contributing to the Angel Beats franchise through The Last Operation, this manga does not continue the story; instead, enriching the one that aired back in 2010.
