Galaxy Angel Beta Vol. #02

By Eduardo M. Chavez     March 20, 2006
Release Date: March 15, 2006



Creative Talent
Writer/Artist:Kanan
Translated by:Koji Tajii
Adapted by:

What They Say
Secrets are revealed on the White Moon, as fragments of Chitose's past begin to surface and Prince Shiva's story is finally told.

Meanwhile, the Space Whale's picking up bad vibes, so Kuromie warns Takuto to be on alert. The Angel Troupe is up to something secretive-could they be the source?

With the discovery of a new Emblem Frame, the Angels are poised to take on Eonia once more. But when he launches his ultimate plan, hope begins to fade as the troupe is dealt a devastating blow.

The Review
Packaging:
Typical of a Broccoli Book title, Galaxy Angel Beta has some of the highest production values in North American manga. First, the cover is great. This volume features Angel Troupe members Ranpha and Vanilla hanging out in front of a starry background wearing matching space angel outfits! This is a completely new cover that actually matches the previous series much better than the Jive Publishing’s version. The Galaxy Angel logo (with kana) is above them and the volume number is on a star gone supernova. The opposite cover has a long volume description, an SD version of SPACE WHALE Jr!!! Yes! Finally a male on the cover of a Galaxy Angel title!! WOOT! The spine continues the sexual revolution, as it had a framed image of Prince Shiva on it.

Inside is where Broccoli really shows off there superiority. They have four pages in full color. The printing is perfect, but that is expected since Broccoli uses original source materials for this title. They also have the luxury to be able to include a nice sample of extras – a character art gallery, an ato-gaki describing Kanan’s trip to see the GA musical at Kinokuniya Tokyo’s Shinjuku Sunshine Theater (located on the 7th Floor of their Shinjuku South Branch at Shinjuku Station), a preview of volume 3 and 2 volumes of “imagine theater” (ato-gaki manga that ran in the Jive Publishing reprint of the original Galaxy Angel).

Readers can also send in a form with $1.50 in stamps for a dust jacket! Now, that is a service I wish other publishers would try.

Artwork:
Kanan's art is perfect for this series. If you are a Broccoli-phile, you should appreciate Kanan's line-work. Lines are not very clean, but they are strong. Angles are a little sharp, which helps her cast look a little long. Moreover, there is not much detailing outside of lines used for texturing. Characters are very cute, with some interesting variety amongst the designs. Costumes are also really creative, even though they are based on military themes. Kanan has made sure each of the cast has customized their costume so each character looks unique.

Backgrounds are rather stale. However, I have been consistently surprised by how much Kanan uses them. I would have expected much less frequent usage of backgrounds giving the comedic nature of this title, but Kanan makes an effort to use them for the space action as well as to set up comedic situations.

SFX/Text:
SFX are all translated in subs that reflect the art used for the original SFX but in a smaller size. They were all very easy to read but ever so often, some of them were translated into actions instead of onomatopoeias.

The translation here is very good. The translation is simple; no overuse of slang or Americanization, but it is still able to maintain the personalities of each of the Angels well. One of the ways they do this is by using honorifics. This shows how these characters interact with each other and how their social structure is set.

Contents: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
While most of her new crewmates worry about her condition, Chitose is slowly regaining her memory on her own. The fears that suppressed her past must have been profound, for once unleashed they are going to force her to betray those who have taken her in as family. This might be a dramatic change from her typically gentle demeanor; however Chitose might not be under her own will whenever she fully regains the memories of her not so distant life.

The Angel Troop might be concerned for Chitose's well being but there are those on board their ship that are more worried about whom she might be. They do not want to even think about her or anyone else on board being a traitor, but the possibility is definitely there when you consider her mysterious history. Then there is the sudden increase of strange behavior she is exhibiting. After opening up a bit, she has become increasingly aloof to those closest to her. She has begun to sleepwalk; moreover, she is easily distracted now and this has begun to influence her work. This negative attitude has turned into negative attention, at a time when the Angel Troop needs as much support as it can get. Hopefully, this is all their imagination, though given the circumstances of the war they cannot be caught off guard. Nevertheless, even if Chitose seems to be slipping from the rest of the Elle Ciel she will always be in the hearts and minds of all those she has touched

Chitose's secrets are not the only ones that will be revealed. The crew will solve the mysteries of the White Moon and the role Prince Shiva plays in this war. So much of this war is riding on the safety of both, yet so little was known about them. Even those who sacrifice their lives to protect these entities were left in the dark about the gravity of what they were dealing with.

Then again the Angel Troop might not care. They are the kind of people that believe friends like Chitose are just as important as Royals like Shiva. They will work as hard to protect both as much as they work to protect each other.

Comments
One of the cool things about Galaxy Angel is how you really do not need a plot to make this property work. Basically this is the type of comedy that can go on in perpetuity without making much sense and therefore without compromising on the space comedy this series is famous for.

What Kanan decides to do with Beta is not just develop a plot (something she introduced at the end of the original GA), but she has also tried to bring in all of the tangents she created to make sense of all she had worked hard to put into this series. Storylines are quickly tying up together bringing in the critical plot points as the series moves towards its finale. So what started as an irreverent comedy making fun of the popular space opera genre has developed into a fine opera itself with its own share of betrayal, romance and comedy. Moreover, with only one volume left in this series everything is being revealed. Yes, I meant everything. Curious about the relationship between some characters? Done! Wondering about the identity of some characters? Revealed! Worried about the well-being of your favorite Space Whale? Your worries are over! Kanan is able to do more in this one volume than she has in practically the 6 volumes before it combined.

With good timing, too. I was a concerned coming into this volume about how Kanan begins to wrap this series up. She made headways around volume 5 of GA, but then introduced a new character in volume 6. That made her go through another round of character close-ups this time with Chitose at the center of each story. Fortunately, she moved away from that at that start of this volume to focus instead on the loose threads she had created in this version of the GA universe. The execution is great. As she begins to unravel the mysteries behind the White Moon, she takes time to present the significance some of the characters play. And as we find out more about the supporting cast, then many moral and emotional dilemma arise bringing in a real conflict the crew will have to overcome in the end. There is much more to this story than just protecting Prince Shiva. This is about protecting each other and the friendships made. A little schmaltzy but effective, especially when considering how cheesy Kanan’s version of GA is in general.

Good art, the resurrection of a plot and some of the most random sci-fi comedy you can imagine make Galaxy Angel Beta a fun title for anyone looking for more from this well-known property. In many ways, Beta and its drama has really surprised me because it ended up really saving a series that was going nowhere while keeping the romance and silliness that made this series charming.