I think that taking the dolls out of their box was a good call because, at the risk of sounding cruel towards this poor series, your chances of reselling them for anything that would feel worth it are super low, so these dolls really are just for your own enjoyment. The fact that you bought them at the same value that they were sold at shows that you might be the only consumer of these dolls lmao
When it comes to Japanese figures the concept of 'NMIB' really is no where nearly as huge a value increaser as they are for vintage American figures, so long as the box and packaging remains intact and undamaged. And in Japan that tends to be the case, as those figures are by default usually collected by collectors who care for them. Two reasons for this value gap being far lesser can be attributes to the packaging usually allowing the aforementioned preservation of the box with no damage being possible versus American blister packs, and that most collectors of those kinds of figures want to pose them anyway so buying an already opened box is not a deal breaker.
@@davidfitzsimmons2451 Japan also sees the most minimal damage as a decrease in value. Like stuff we see as normal, a small mark on a figure, a dent in a box, is seen as a huge downgrade in Japan and they’ll take down the value for it. So an open box probably lends itself to that “damage” idea
@KingOfGaymes an open box versus a sealed box usually sees a very minimal decrease in value compared to the western figure collector market. Again a big reason is they make it possible for there to BE minimal damage. A simple crease in the box is enough for it to go from grade A to B in the places that do pre-owned sales when I last checked. You are right that they are sticklers, but they also don't care as much for having it never removed from box. The collectors still usually want to pose the figures
You would think for Angelic Layer there would be tons of ball jointed dolls and posable action figures like GI Joes. Some video games where you can make your own custom Angel and battle the characters from the show or real players.
There were and still are. Around the same time there was Busou Shinki. Nowadays there are Frame Arms Girls, Alice Gear Aegis. The more normal (no weaponry) mix&match series is Shoujo Teien. Even Bandai the gundam makers has their own 30 Minute Sisters. Plus countless Chinese brands (they're not bootlegs but their own take of the concept, Snail Shell is pretty good imo)
@@Zypherfox1Psp Busou Shinki Battle Masters. A modern one would be Alice Gear Aegis on mobile (original), console version is subtitled Concerto of Simulatrix(PS4&Switch)
Angelic layer would be SUCH a great anime to reboot in the current year. The concept has stayed with me forever and i always thought about the character design in this anime. It’s so unique and cool… it’s definitely one of my favorite clamp works
The reboot would be perfect after the upcoming Magic Knights of Rayearth reboot finishes. Since the main doll is based off of Hikaru. And both series have mechs. Of which Rayearth had rebooted mech model kits. SO it's the perfect opportunity to give a little more hype to an Angelic Layer reboot.
I have never even heard of these before, but just looking at them I'm surprised they didn't have model kits. Model kits have always been more targeted towards a male audience, and many toward an older male audience. Today we have several extremely successful lines of armoured warrior style sexy girl model kits to compare it to- specifically the entire time I can't stop thinking about the Frame Arms Girls anime which is... About a sport where people build tiny custom dolls and then compete by having rhem fight! And the little robots have personalities and characters and cool designs! I actuallg very much enjoyed it, while the male target audience is still apparent the premise of the protagonist is that her father buys her her first model kit and BECAUSE model kits are targeted towards a male audience shes never really thought about them before, but once she builds one she realizes how fun it is and wants to really get into it. I found it interesting that even though it has designs and characters clearly meant to appeal to that demographic it still goes out of its way to acknowledge theres nothing inherently gendered about model kits. Thats all very tangential but it seems relevant. The evangelion connection is interesting. I'm not sure when the first evangelion model kits came out but they have always been made by bandai who also makes gundam. Takara makes zoids today but thats because they acquired tomy back in 2006. Im not sure but i think at the time takara didnt actually have any major model kit brands. I dont know anything about Clamps other brand collabs but i think cardcaptor sakura merch has historically been primarily takara? I wonder if perhaps clamp had a relationship with or at least usually partnered with takara for their metchandise and if tbey may have been hoping angelic layer could have appealed to takara as potential to launch their own model kit line- which would be in direct competition with zoids and gundam. Anyway thats just me spitballing theories, im only going off the info youve shared and my own random knowledge, i didnt do any research or anything lol. Also garage kits; theure made of resin which is extremely toxic and you usually have to sand down parts of garage kits which means you need a respirator lol. DEFINITELY not meant for kids. (Another note of licensing- this is the fiest video ive seen from you but im going to guess you likely know this but ill say it anyway; brands often offer microlicenses in japan so like the yearly wonderfests and doujin festivals allow artists to purchase licenses to sell their garage kits and doujinshi and even indie anime and sell them with permission, even though those licenses are usually only for one day. So a lot of those garage kits are likely in that category of "officially licensed" despite being fan made and having nothing to do with the official folks. especially if they have a mfc profile.) Thats it thats all my game theories for the day Great video! Thanks for all your work researching and presenting it lol
Personally I think this anime was the beginning of a lot of people's interest in bjds or a perfect one for people who were already a fan of dolls in general, because of the displays of creativity with outfits as well as essentially being in doll-based communities with lots of friends and people supporting your interests.
I am also a Blanche fan and very unhappy there is not a doll for her, same with Wizard. I wished for my own Angel when I saw the show as a kid as well, and never saw this as anything other than a little girls' show. Weird to think that's how it was meant to go. Justice for Blanche!!
SAMEEE! It’s so weird to look at it and realize they were possibly trying to sell it to boys/men because like HEY US GALS ARE ALREADY FIGHTING WITH OUR DOLLS WE ARE READY FOR THIS
As an adult male i had all 5 volumes of the manga and liked it. I might rebuy it someda it's strange how light the merch for this series is while sailor moon merch is just pushed out on auto pilot ( and I like sailor moon as well). It's 2024 shouldn't Angelic Layer be a real life thing by now? @MaryLoveMew
I didn't even know there WAS merchandise for this series!! CLAMP fumbled the bag a little with this series imo LOL I loved Angelic Layer as a kid!! That's literally crazy that a bar of soap and hand sanitizer is the most they got in official merch. 😭 I'll definitely keep an eye out now for the garage kits or the Hikaru doll (fingers crossed I can find her!). Thank you for the amazing writeup on the merch for this series. ❤❤😊
Best of luck finding Hikaru!! It's honestly still so surprising to me how little there is, like they could be making so much money off of me today ahah
I have several clear files and pencil boards, but sadly, never found any figures. This anime is a favorite of my family and a frequent rewatch, usually about once a year.
after years of searching for angelic layer videos I finally found one and I love it I've always found angelic layer to be very underrated which as a fan of angelic layer it is pretty upsetting but I can understand why some series don't do as well as others
thank you!!! recently picked up angelic layer from the library on a whim, was curious why it didn't have much merch even though it was CLAMP & had an anime adaptation. really want a manga reprint and an anime remake now!
I absolutely adore this series -- I first saw it as a kid at like 8 or 9 and that first episode made me feral because the angelic layer technology didn't exist in real life. I wanted to fight little robots with my mind SO BAD. I like, gasped out loud when I saw this video because I was under the impression that literally no one else has watched this series. Thank you so much for covering this, I feel like my soul has been put to rest T_T
Same! I wish these things were real. They could've made them like skylanders except you'd have the option to customize them externally and when you scan them into the game you can battle other players and level them up and upgrade their stats! 😍
I saw the picture you posted of these dolls on tumblr and gasped, I never knew they made them and I’m both a huge fan of CLAMP and a huge fan of dolls so I was so excited to see them. Then I realized you had a whole video essay about them?? I really can’t tell you how excited I was to see this video or how specifically catered to me it feels lol, I loved every part of it and how meticulously researched it was. Seeing the dolls up close and their tiny details honestly made me tear up a little bit. I almost never leave comments but I’m so glad I stumbled across this video today and it really made me happy :)
Angelic layer was my gateway anime, I loved it when I watcehd it when I was a akid. I have the hiakru fifure, and I've always considered gettign a garage kit, But I had no idea the dolls were so cute! Thanks for talkign about them , I will defiantely keep an eye out for a hiakru!
Oooo I hope you can get one of the garage kits! It’s my dream to have the time to get better at painting and do them but for the time being I just appreciate from a distance ahah
I LOVED Angelic Layer as a older teenager and used to collect the Newtype magazines before they stopped making them for the US. I think due to people constantly stealing the free merch that it came with. Cause we can't have nice things I guess! I always loved the theme song and really sad it never got a lot of merch. As a plush artist I want to make some of the characters into plush! I used to draw the characters as a teenager too! I'm glad to see so many other people that enjoyed the series too. Thank you for showing us your deep dive into the merch and history.
I loves this manga and the anime when I was younger. My friends got into it as well. Kind of a shame there isn’t any more stuff on it. I remember reading it in the Tsubasa Chronicles and I just went crazy over that chapter. CLAMP could surprise us with a reboot. Now I gotta rewatch the series.
Me? The creator of a successful anime and manga series? 😳 This was such a fascinating and educational journey!! My jaw literally dropped when you said the only Angelic Layer merch was a BAR OF SOAP; it really is their least favourite child, huh 😒 Speaking of physical reactions, I laughed out loud at the section titled "SINS" 💀 You did such a good job investigating this! More like NancyLoveDrew amiright? 😏 So typical that you stumbled upon the origin of the dolls by chance right after putting in all the work to discover it yourself! Thank you for preserving and documenting this unique niche of history! My takeaway: CLAMP are FOOLS 🤡 Video on Barbie's Japanese usurper next?
It was so interesting. But I wanted to revive and create a second season of the "Angelic Layer" anime, and also create an anime before the second season called "Angelic Layer: Holidays". If CLAMP hears my echo, they will try to create an "Angelic Layer 2" manga so that other anime studios can then adapt the manga into anime.
Oh wow, I’ve never heard of this series as I’m not really into manga or anime, but I do love dolls and doll history. These dolls are absolutely gorgeous. Thank you for the fascinating deep dive!
I found this video becuase I was ranting to my boyfriend about how this was also MY fav anime as a little girl in the early 2000s and how badly I wanted video games or dolls of them to be real. I wanted to hatch my doll in the bath and get her little accessories and then plug her into my computer and see her animate online. like some kinda webkinz battle doll thing. AAAAAAA. i wanted it so bad. When I went to google, your video came up and you nailed it. Tbh the moment you said they published it as Shonen, my heart sank and I just went "...oh." Like no wonder it didn't do well. It's a very girl series. They perfectly captured the feelings of being a little girl having a favorite doll and cutting her hair, sleeping with her at night, carrying her with you... it is an extremely young girlhood experience brought to life, with kind of a pokemon vibe (fighting with no real stakes involved). It had such potential. I want to see into the alternate reality where they published it as shojo and gave pokemon a run for its money in the global toy market haha.
Aww ahah we had such similar experiences as kids with this series!! That's so cute! And SAME it could have been a lot more I think but they just didn't quite set it up for secures
This was a really well done video as a fan of Clamp. I think if any dolls or any merchandise would be for more collectors. I'm a collector of ball jointed dolls and if anything i feel that an anime collaboration with the company Volks could do it. They are know to do those with other series like Fate/Stay, Ah My Goddess, Slayers, and recently with Disney to release some of their princesses for example.
Thank you so much! I would LOVE if they would do a VOLKS collab! Really of any CLAMP series in general, I feel like a Chii doll would really mesh well with the VOLKS style
@@MaryLoveMew I was also looking up why the Tokyo Babylon anime remake was cancelled in 2021. I found out there was a possibility of plagiarism regarding the anime's costume designs - specifically, from a costume of the Korean girl group Red Velvet and a Volks doll outfit!
As someone who owns a doll of Fuu from Magic Knight Rayearth (another Clamp IP), and had made several mods to her from replacing her mostly rigid body with a much more articulated Obitsu body, replacing/modifying some of her clothes/accessories (especially ones that had withered with age), and is in the process of forging her a new sword, I sure as hell won't judge you for any modifications you make to your Angelic Layer dolls. Also, as a MKR fan, I can't help but notice that AL's Hikaru is basically Rayearth's Hikaru as a cute robot girl.
I’d been in a similar situation regarding a Japanese mail order limited release doll of Eureka from the anime by Bones, Eureka Seven! It’s beautiful seeing a fellow collector like myself obtain their dream doll and participate in preserving physical media.
Angelic Layer was first pblished the same year Volks created the Super Dollfie, and they are very famous for their custom doll building service that is being advertised by the Angelic Layer manga. The target audience of the manga was, in my opinion, people who would want to build their own doll rather than buy a pre-existing character. So there was no call for dolls of the in-story characters becuase they were advertising customs. This is also why the story was published in a magazine with a slightly older readership. People who could afford custom Volks dolls.
God this and Megaman Battle Network just hit a very specific niche itch as a kid (human operators and cybernetic non-human partner proxy they cherish), glad to see other people still remember the former 😭 And considering MMBN got a recent revival that's hit like a truck, fingers crossed that maybe Angelic Layer will get a second chance too. I'm honestly surprised these never got model kits, nendoroids, or figmas (currently). Hikaru and Wizard just have such perfect designs for those.
I think there’s a bit of misunderstanding about anime merch. Merch isn’t officially made unless the series is moderately popular. Add to the fact that the manga was promoted as a shonen, and by extension I believe the anime was perceived that way, and figures and garage kits are the expectation for merch. Not to mention, looking at the anime, it’s not for kids that would still want to be playing with action figures, let alone dolls. The anime is for preteens and young teens (13-15). The anime meant for children, like ages 6~10 (maybe younger?) have art styles similar to doraemon, or crayon shin-chan. Anime that we see here in the west, are far from meant for “kids,” so dolls aren’t *really* made for anime unless, again, they’re skewed toward young children. There *are* exceptions, but that depends on not only the popularity of the anime, but the demographic it’s meant for. Garage kits and anime figures are the norm for the male demographic that is expected to be watching this anime (which might’ve actually skew more toward preteens, and *maybe* 13 year olds). Unfortunately if a series does poorly, even if it gets an anime, merch won’t be produced. I should say though, I’m only at 20:51 of the video, so if this is the conclusion, then I don’t know yet. Also, were the websites not scraped by the way back machine, or were they not discoverable by searching in general? Otherwise, I highly suggest using that in the future.
I'm sorry I'm just over here drawing an angelic layer / chobits piece and I put this essay on in the bg - I just SQUAWKED SO LOUD when you made the NGE connection slkjdflksdjf. your mind. subscribed
I quite literally can feel the good energy and passion for this - the happiness you have for this radiating off of you. I am watching this so joyous and spilling with love. Thanks for covering a topic close to our hearts from childhood.
Yeah it feels like Angelic Layer is CLAMP's Black Cauldron it's really wild. Except unlike Black Cauldron it's a beloved series by the fans that always begging for stuff. But they pretty much ignore that the series ever existed. Thank you for the video and the in depth look!! Amazing about the dolls! And yeah it seems like it was a mismatch of marketing. A Shoujou manga given a Shonen anime and published in a shonen magazine. So they didn't know how to market it at all.
So happy to see someone else is a fan! I watched it in like, 2006 I think? The whole series used to be on UA-cam and that’s how I saw it. I now own my own DVD box set, but I can’t watch it anywhere digitally and that makes me sad. I love this series even as an adult, Shirahime is my favorite, but I was a Sesshomaru simp so that explains that.
Oo yeah I feel like I must have originally watched it on youtube forever ago! I still mean to get a box set myself, I have the episodes on my PC now but it would be nice to have an easy way to watch
Angelic layer was my first anime, and it's still one of my favourites, and this is the first time I've come across anyone talking about it without having to dig for it.
I'm so glad someone is talking about this. As I was watching Angelic Layer I wanted a battle doll so badly and I am sure that was a common feeling. The customisability of the dolls made them PERFECT toys and collectables. Wild it was never capitalised on.
I hold a special place in my heart for this series. I was given the first volume of the manga as a birthday gift and I kinda just started reading it at my own birthday party. It was such a cute series, and like many others I really wanted to have a doll like that! Genuinely shocked that they didn't have even cheap action figures that would have tapped into the combat play of the series.
I loved the series back in 2002! I loved how the episodes run like one big tournament with drama sprinkled on top. The dolls are strange because they are collectors items but they have brushable hair - a staple of little girl’s toys.
I used to watch anime by checking out DVDs at the library. Cardcaptor Sakura and Angelic Layer were two of my favorites. I would check them out over and over. They were also some of the only anime DVDs we had at my small town library. I had to get the librarian help me get DVDs from other libraries in the county. I have great memoirs of bringing the DVDs to my friends house for us to watch during our sleepovers.
The amount of tools you would need for a garage kit would probably cost even more than a the garage kit itself even though GKs are already really expensive.
I'm glad this was recommended to me since I love Angelic Layer! I own CLAMP no Kiseki and there's CLAMP interviews about Angelic Layer. Nanase is the main writer, and her style is to plan out the entire story, start to finish. However, for Angelic Layer, this was the first time she tried making the story as it was serialized, like most shounen series. She realized quickly that doesn't work for her and wasn't satisfied with how it was going. So it's true that CLAMP never wrote serialized shounen stories again, but they still wrote for shounen magazines again, this time whole stories preplanned, like Tsubasa, xxxHOLiC, and Gate7.
Thank you for giving us clean footage of the dolls! I'm a long time Angelic Layer fan and it's unreal to see anyone remember this franchise at all. In the era of things like doll customization taking off and BJDs being more accessible than ever, it would be so cool to see the anime get a remake. Also fun fact if you were not aware - Chobits is a direct sequel to Angelic Layer.
I grew up around the same time, so (from my experience living in a small city in Canada before anime had taken off), most people were only exposed to whatever played on TV--CCS being one that a lot of us grew up with. Angelic Layer would be pretty damn impossible to access unless you were already a die-hard anime fan who knew how to torrent on your computer. Our local bookstore had two meagre shelves of manga and Angelic Layer was occasionally among them, but it just wasn't easily accessible here like Sailor Moon, Pokemon, or CCS. (I did read a few volumes, but I never really got into it like I did with CCS and later Chobits). I always sort of had the impression that Angelic Layer never really knew which demographic to cater to, and this video really helped solidfy that idea. Ofc I can't speak to how it was received in Japan, but I imagine even then, targeting boys while having a primarily-female cast and made by a group well-known for their shoujo series wouldn't do well. If they were to market it to kids, it would make a lot of sense to make action figure toys, replicate headsets, etc. Stuff like that. But to release expensive, fragile collector's items that are definitely NOT for kids is strange. From what I remember, the series didn't really have the sexual appeal that would draw older men in (like Chobits would), so it just seems like a very bizarre choice for merchandise. Again--hazy who this series was supposed to appeal to and why. Anyway, super interesting video! And so nostalgic too.
love watching this series years ago off fansub copies in early 2000s but was surprised later to learn of it's connection to other clamp works (somehow implied one of the Deus/Player was the deceased elder sister of one of the characters in Chobits) . This series later somehow was referenced by older fans when Gundam Build Fighters (similar premise of kids building gundam models and using them for arena based fights) aired pointing to some similarities and how good the AL series was.
Can't believe you didn't even hint at how the Gundam Build series successfully pulled off every single thing this series was trying to do... while also falling into the erroneous pitfall trap of "Evangelion was revolutionary because it was about the characters". I have no idea why this misconception is still so relevant in the anime community. Hell, you mentioned Magic Knight Rayearth, perfect example of a show that's about the characters. Gundam, the pinnacle of the genre and a major inspiration for literally all of Anno's works, is all about the characters too. Honestly, the only time this concept is relevant is for super robot shows aimed for kids like the various Brave series (where sometimes the robots themselves are straight up sentient characters) or the extremely neutered Mazinger and Getter Robo anime.
This was a really interesting retrospective and really helped answer my question of why Angelic Layer had like NO merch. Loved your passion about the cool collector dolls too!
I adore their works. I'm sad that they're not as popular today as they were in the 90s and 2000s. Meanwhile, overrated garbage manga like One Piece and Demon Slayer (both of which have hideous artwork) sells in the hundreds of millions. Extremely unfair.
Thank you so much for making this video!! I wanted that Hikaru doll so bad when I was younger. Seeing such high quality footage of these was so wonderful. I hope they do a remake of Angelic Layer someday, possibly with an updated story lol, this video tickled all my nostalgia fancies perfectly ❤
I’m so glad someone is talking about Angelic Layer, it was my first ever manga and deeply inspired me to make art, now I attend an actual art school. so whenever I see Angelic Layer it reminds me of my artistic roots
15:04 Here's the thing about garage kits, they can be both fan made and officially licensed at the same time! Garage kit licensing is funny because a lot of the times, they are sold with something called "one day licensing." A lot of them are sold at events (Wonderfest is the big one), that require all exhibitors to get permission from that IP holder to sell their goods. These licensing are temporary and only are permitted on the day of the event. While I think it's cool that this sort of fan culture is allowed to exist via the IP holder's permission, it also makes getting garage kits outside of japan INCREDIBLY difficult, as they are already often scarce in numbers.
Literally one of my favorite series of all time! Rewatched it as an adult with my partner recently, and it definitely doesn't hold up to my adult attention span lol. 😅 But I'll never get over how much this series defined my childhood! I would literally draw art of what my Angel would look like, and imagined being able to customize my own Angel someday. It was just as big to me as Sailor Moon or Cardcaptor Sakura! I seriously need Good Smile to release AT LEAST Nendoroids of all of the Angels for a 25th anniversary or something. They would literally get all of my money!
I clicked this video so fast! This have been a favorite Manga-Anime of mine, and while it didn't go into the depth of other Clamp works, I really loved it. And I was always wondering why it didn't have any dolls! this has been a huge mystery for me for ages. Thank you for putting this video out and for sharing your dolls with us. My old Otaku loving heart appreciates it!
i grew up being a huge magic knight rayearth fan and literally have never heard of angelic layer!! i gotta get into it im so hype to watch a doll centric shounen
About garage kits, most of them are “licensed” for ONE day of sales at that giant convention in Tokyo. Thus why they are expensive and rare. Leona has a video about it.
I have little to no interest in anime or dolls, but I love a good deep dive, and your investigation into these dolls had me riveted! Your love of the subject matter really shines through in this video. What a journey! 😎❤
Thanks for making this video. I remember really enjoying this anime at the time but i always wondered why it seemed like it was marketing toys but there was nothing i could see anywhere that you could buy.
I loved angelic layer as a kid. I remember it was on anime on demand/time warner cable. I used to go crazy watching it and thinking how badly i wanted angelic layer to be real. I didnt know there were dolls... i think i need my own, ty for showcasing them!
Finally! Someone made a content about the forgotten Angelic Layer. I love this anime soooo much as a gay kid. I remember being hopeful that they would come up with actual Angelic Layer dolls that you could customize because why not??? They made merch about Beyblade, Tamiya, YuGiOh etc so why won’t they make Angelic Layer dolls, right? And up to this day, this was my question as a 30yr old adult. So thank God, you made this content, I can say that this is my closure. *subscribed*
I remember I thrifted the first DVD to Angelic Layer when I was 15, I was so excited because it was so hard to find anime in the UK in the 2000-2010's . I was so sad I couldn't watch more, its such a good series concept!
woah I’ve never heard of this! reminds me how digimon or kirby were mainly targeted towards boys here in the states. Doll reveal pog! RIP flashplayer. WTF DON’T DRILL HER HEAD xD
This video just unearthed the memories of the manga from my brain. Loved it back in the day! Edit: Come to think of it, I don’t remember seeing the Angelic Layer characters pop up in Tsubasa, while a bunch of other CLAMP characters did (alternate universes and all). I’d honestly forgotten Angelic Layer even was a CLAMP series.
I don't even know what this show is, i dont collect dolls... but man i could watch you talk about things that interest you all day. I love all the passion and research you put into this.
Magic Knight Rayearth, like Angelic Layer, is also sadly underrated, even though Hikaru and Misaki (AL) are two of CLAMP's most pure-hearted heroines. That being said, MKR was, on the whole, more successful than AL: the anime was about twice the length (49 episodes), there was an OVA, and more figurines and merchandise.
@@MaryLoveMewYeah, *Gundam Build Fighters* (GBF) is like the Gundam version of Angelic Layer. But GBF didn't really copy Angelic Layer but more like loosely adapting the premise of an old Gundam manga (Plamo Kyoshiro) from the 80s where kids are fighting with their robot plastic model kits from the Gundam franchise.
Oh my goodness, I thought I was having a stroke when I saw the title of this video. Angelic Layer was my very first anime EVER and no one has ever heard of it. I wish this anime would make a surprise reboot like Fruits Basket did. I know this video is a year old, but thank you for bringing back some crazy memories of my first dip into anime. If a doll line came out now, I think I would grab it purely for nostalgic reasons.
I remember this show!! I thought I made it up. I've been looking everywhere for this! Thank you so much for talking about this, This was my favorite show as a kid.
Angelic Layer is one of my absolute favourite anime series , but I NEVER knew that TAKARA made these 2 figures . I always wondered why merch wasn't made for this anime series , I mean I found 2 Heart merch easily enough - now I know something was manufacture for AL . Thanks for the video highlighting these .. now off to BUYEE to see what I can find .
I know well the pain of smaller fandom. It used to irk. But I’ve made deep peace with it since so many series have gotten butchered lately…if not by major studios, then by fans. Once again, you’re so enjoyable and well spoken. Thank you.
Because of the people I personally know and discuss Angelic Layer with, and what other media we put in conversation with it, I genuinely never would have realized it was a shonen
The algorithm brought this video to me. & now I am obsessing over Angelic Layer again. If you get a chance play the GBA game is a retelling of the series. But the Battle system is like a Turn based Fighting game.
@@MaryLoveMew I am not sure. But I beat it on Japanese back then so its very intuitive. Once you best the game it lets you create an Angel from Scratch with any of the abilities you learn as the game goes.
AHHHH, I loved this game. Got it as on a simulator as I couldn't find it anywhere else. I don't think they made a translated version 🤔. I just remember memorizing what the words looked like for each move 😂
How am i just now finding this??? Omg i am so glad you made this video, because I LOVED Angelic Layer as a child and wondered why i could never find anything for it (meanwhile my tokyo mew mew merch collection continues to grow for eternity ;_; rip my wallet but its all WORTH IT)
It's worth noting that Angelic Layer was a prequel to Chobits, which is a Seinen ecchi romance. It's possible that was the reason AL was in a Shounen magazine, as it would have put it closer to the audience of the prior work. It would have been a lot better as a Shoujo as it is a show about customizing dolls, but alas.
I read and collected this manga when I was younger!! I wish they would do a reboot of this series. I think with how many people like to buy merch, the popularity of anime and the recognition of CLAMP it would have a better chance. Might just be my nostalgia. I really liked this series.
I was a fan of CCS in elementary school and then Chobits in middle school, and in general, liked other CLAMP stories, like xxxHolic, WISH, Tsubasa, Kobato, and Clover. I've always been curious of Angelic Layer but similarly found it hard to like find stuff about it, even when I was younger. I don't think I even recall seeing the manga in bookstores (in the US). Maybe I'll give it another try and watch or read it sometime. Congrats on finding the dolls! A side note, speaking of Clamp GBA games lmao, I bought the Chobits GBA game as a kid, even though I could not read any of it. Obviously was never really able to complete the game. I think it was essentially a VN of sorts. I probably still have the cartridge somewhere...
Angelic Layer was the first series I ever got a boxset for. I don't remember what drew me to it, but this was before streaming was super accessible (I'm old) and I saw a trailer for it somewhere and instantly wanted to watch it. Also got lucky since I was still in middle school when I watched it so I think that made it click with me more. It will always have as special place in my heart. Also crazy that the manga version is the prequel to Chobits. I prefer the anime version to Angelic Layer though cause I preferred how they rewrote the mom in it, lol.
I generally lean towards combat should pretty much always be on a grid, social scenes could be but are generally fine for theater of the mind (though some inspiration/bg images can be appreciated). Like you're saying with in-person, I like dry erase grids with multi-color markers. The tokens though are much better off with detailed images though. Some artwork printed out and glued to a manila folder can be prepped very quickly and cheaply and having a bunch of them ready to go permits tons of flexibility while still keeping people's spatial awareness grounded.
I got this video recommended to me because I like dolls. I decided to watch the show and really enjoyed it! I wish there was an Athena or Blanche doll. Thanks for introducing me to this series!
There's also a Misaki figure in Clamp no kiseki art set (a chess set with clamp characters as chess pieces), I own one, and it's also pretty rare. Love AL, it's a pity there's not so much merch for it ❤
I was an absolute fan of angelic layer as a young teenager. It was my dream to some day take a customizable doll, stuff some motors in there and make a functioning Hikaru. Now That I am older I of course know how difficult it would be to even get her walking, but buying a smart doll and customizing her seems reachable. I didn't really care for merch back then and only do a little bit now. Pins and stickers and letter paper are cool I guess.
There's not much Angelic Layer merch, but it does have a fair amount compared to some of their earlier series like the CLAMP School series, Legal Drug, Wish and Clover. It is definitely a shame though that Angelic Layer didn't get much merch. I'm not a doll collector, but anything Angelic Layer merch is a godsend. My personal favorite of their series is Tsubasa and while it has more merch, it's still a pretty low amount. We are starting to get nice scale figures and nendroids from CLAMP's past series recently though, so there's always hope we'll get a nice new Angelic Layer figure. Just a note- Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle (no s, just Chronicle) is also Shonen. CLAMP just doesn't go by the usual Shonen mold. X/1999 is also technically a Shonen and was one of the reasons it stopped being serialized in its magazine. While this was a good and enjoyable video, I feel a little more research on CLAMP and their other series should have been done. There is sooo much deep dive info you can find on each series in the CLAMP no Kiseki book volumes; like the character guide you found. I've been doing CLAMP informational panels at conventions for about 11 years and use to run a news page about them. If you do another CLAMP related video, I'm a plethora of knowledge open to chatting about them anytime.
Omg...I had totally forgotten this series! I watched it, dubbed (decent dub tho), and I just remember her going into the toy store and saying in exposition, "My angel! My very own angel!" And it has that early Clamp charm. It holds a place in my heart as a first experience into anime and manga. I went through Tokyo Mew Mew books voraciously, unofficial online scans of Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles translated to english (because I couldn't find them in print where I am), and then Xxxholic on...Hulu or Netflix.
I think that taking the dolls out of their box was a good call because, at the risk of sounding cruel towards this poor series, your chances of reselling them for anything that would feel worth it are super low, so these dolls really are just for your own enjoyment. The fact that you bought them at the same value that they were sold at shows that you might be the only consumer of these dolls lmao
I know of a second consumer for these dolls and I don't mean me. I suspect there may be dozens of such consumers for this 20 year old series.
When it comes to Japanese figures the concept of 'NMIB' really is no where nearly as huge a value increaser as they are for vintage American figures, so long as the box and packaging remains intact and undamaged. And in Japan that tends to be the case, as those figures are by default usually collected by collectors who care for them. Two reasons for this value gap being far lesser can be attributes to the packaging usually allowing the aforementioned preservation of the box with no damage being possible versus American blister packs, and that most collectors of those kinds of figures want to pose them anyway so buying an already opened box is not a deal breaker.
@@davidfitzsimmons2451 Japan also sees the most minimal damage as a decrease in value. Like stuff we see as normal, a small mark on a figure, a dent in a box, is seen as a huge downgrade in Japan and they’ll take down the value for it. So an open box probably lends itself to that “damage” idea
@@petman515as a doll lover I’m tempted to look for some, idc for this series but the dolls are so pretty to me
@KingOfGaymes an open box versus a sealed box usually sees a very minimal decrease in value compared to the western figure collector market. Again a big reason is they make it possible for there to BE minimal damage. A simple crease in the box is enough for it to go from grade A to B in the places that do pre-owned sales when I last checked. You are right that they are sticklers, but they also don't care as much for having it never removed from box. The collectors still usually want to pose the figures
You would think for Angelic Layer there would be tons of ball jointed dolls and posable action figures like GI Joes.
Some video games where you can make your own custom Angel and battle the characters from the show or real players.
Man I would have loved that
I would have loved a game like that.
There were and still are. Around the same time there was Busou Shinki.
Nowadays there are Frame Arms Girls, Alice Gear Aegis. The more normal (no weaponry) mix&match series is Shoujo Teien. Even Bandai the gundam makers has their own 30 Minute Sisters. Plus countless Chinese brands (they're not bootlegs but their own take of the concept, Snail Shell is pretty good imo)
@@Zypherfox1Psp Busou Shinki Battle Masters. A modern one would be Alice Gear Aegis on mobile (original), console version is subtitled Concerto of Simulatrix(PS4&Switch)
I think the concept evolved into Kotobukiya's Frame Arms Girls and Busou Shinki. After all model kits are a little bit more accesible than dolls
Angelic layer would be SUCH a great anime to reboot in the current year. The concept has stayed with me forever and i always thought about the character design in this anime. It’s so unique and cool… it’s definitely one of my favorite clamp works
Too bad there are already various other series that's more known now; Symphogear, Wixoss, various mecha musume
with doll customizing being more popular these days, it would stand half a chance
The reboot would be perfect after the upcoming Magic Knights of Rayearth reboot finishes. Since the main doll is based off of Hikaru. And both series have mechs. Of which Rayearth had rebooted mech model kits. SO it's the perfect opportunity to give a little more hype to an Angelic Layer reboot.
I have never even heard of these before, but just looking at them I'm surprised they didn't have model kits. Model kits have always been more targeted towards a male audience, and many toward an older male audience. Today we have several extremely successful lines of armoured warrior style sexy girl model kits to compare it to- specifically the entire time I can't stop thinking about the Frame Arms Girls anime which is... About a sport where people build tiny custom dolls and then compete by having rhem fight! And the little robots have personalities and characters and cool designs! I actuallg very much enjoyed it, while the male target audience is still apparent the premise of the protagonist is that her father buys her her first model kit and BECAUSE model kits are targeted towards a male audience shes never really thought about them before, but once she builds one she realizes how fun it is and wants to really get into it. I found it interesting that even though it has designs and characters clearly meant to appeal to that demographic it still goes out of its way to acknowledge theres nothing inherently gendered about model kits. Thats all very tangential but it seems relevant.
The evangelion connection is interesting. I'm not sure when the first evangelion model kits came out but they have always been made by bandai who also makes gundam. Takara makes zoids today but thats because they acquired tomy back in 2006. Im not sure but i think at the time takara didnt actually have any major model kit brands. I dont know anything about Clamps other brand collabs but i think cardcaptor sakura merch has historically been primarily takara? I wonder if perhaps clamp had a relationship with or at least usually partnered with takara for their metchandise and if tbey may have been hoping angelic layer could have appealed to takara as potential to launch their own model kit line- which would be in direct competition with zoids and gundam.
Anyway thats just me spitballing theories, im only going off the info youve shared and my own random knowledge, i didnt do any research or anything lol.
Also garage kits; theure made of resin which is extremely toxic and you usually have to sand down parts of garage kits which means you need a respirator lol. DEFINITELY not meant for kids.
(Another note of licensing- this is the fiest video ive seen from you but im going to guess you likely know this but ill say it anyway; brands often offer microlicenses in japan so like the yearly wonderfests and doujin festivals allow artists to purchase licenses to sell their garage kits and doujinshi and even indie anime and sell them with permission, even though those licenses are usually only for one day. So a lot of those garage kits are likely in that category of "officially licensed" despite being fan made and having nothing to do with the official folks. especially if they have a mfc profile.) Thats it thats all my game theories for the day
Great video! Thanks for all your work researching and presenting it lol
Wake up babe, Mary made a new laundry folding deep dive about magical girl dolls
DID THE LAUNDRY GET FOLDED IM LIVING IN SUSPENSE
@@MaryLoveMew 1 of 4 baskets 😭👍
@@MaryLoveMewfolded all three baskets of laundry while listening to this and the Secret Glamour doll video 🙏
omg thats so meeee 😂
Personally I think this anime was the beginning of a lot of people's interest in bjds or a perfect one for people who were already a fan of dolls in general, because of the displays of creativity with outfits as well as essentially being in doll-based communities with lots of friends and people supporting your interests.
it definitely was for me, I adored Angelic Layer and became obsessed with bjds when I was 15. Still obsessed and collecting dolls to this day!
Speaking as someone who was there, BJD was popular before Angelic Layer.
Accurate for me, this is what propelled me into wanting to get into BJDs when I was a teen as well!
This and Rosen Maiden. Especially when it came to customization. I just wish it was as easy to do as in the show lol.
Literally was my introduction to BJDs!!
I am also a Blanche fan and very unhappy there is not a doll for her, same with Wizard. I wished for my own Angel when I saw the show as a kid as well, and never saw this as anything other than a little girls' show. Weird to think that's how it was meant to go. Justice for Blanche!!
SAMEEE! It’s so weird to look at it and realize they were possibly trying to sell it to boys/men because like HEY US GALS ARE ALREADY FIGHTING WITH OUR DOLLS WE ARE READY FOR THIS
As an adult male i had all 5 volumes of the manga and liked it. I might rebuy it someda it's strange how light the merch for this series is while sailor moon merch is just pushed out on auto pilot ( and I like sailor moon as well).
It's 2024 shouldn't Angelic Layer be a real life thing by now?
@MaryLoveMew
I didn't even know there WAS merchandise for this series!! CLAMP fumbled the bag a little with this series imo LOL I loved Angelic Layer as a kid!! That's literally crazy that a bar of soap and hand sanitizer is the most they got in official merch. 😭 I'll definitely keep an eye out now for the garage kits or the Hikaru doll (fingers crossed I can find her!). Thank you for the amazing writeup on the merch for this series. ❤❤😊
Best of luck finding Hikaru!! It's honestly still so surprising to me how little there is, like they could be making so much money off of me today ahah
I have several clear files and pencil boards, but sadly, never found any figures. This anime is a favorite of my family and a frequent rewatch, usually about once a year.
after years of searching for angelic layer videos I finally found one and I love it
I've always found angelic layer to be very underrated which as a fan of angelic layer it is pretty upsetting but I can understand why some series don't do as well as others
thank you!!! recently picked up angelic layer from the library on a whim, was curious why it didn't have much merch even though it was CLAMP & had an anime adaptation. really want a manga reprint and an anime remake now!
Oooo I'm so glad I was maybe able to help answer some questions for you! I first found the series from my local library as well! SO to libarys!
I absolutely adore this series -- I first saw it as a kid at like 8 or 9 and that first episode made me feral because the angelic layer technology didn't exist in real life. I wanted to fight little robots with my mind SO BAD.
I like, gasped out loud when I saw this video because I was under the impression that literally no one else has watched this series. Thank you so much for covering this, I feel like my soul has been put to rest T_T
Same! I wish these things were real. They could've made them like skylanders except you'd have the option to customize them externally and when you scan them into the game you can battle other players and level them up and upgrade their stats! 😍
glad to see that i'm not the only one who remembers, and enjoyed Chobits' Ill-fated prequel series
I remember CLAMP! I had a manga named "The Legend of Chun Hyang," and I recall reading it a lot during childhood. :D
Omg yes! I don’t know if I ever read that one! I should check it out!
@@MaryLoveMew The art is beautiful! I only had the first volume, and wasn't sure if it was an ongoing series. But it's definitely worth a read! :3
@@musingsofmessaNo, it was just 1 volume. But Chun Hyang herself makes a cameo appearance in Tsubasa.
I saw the picture you posted of these dolls on tumblr and gasped, I never knew they made them and I’m both a huge fan of CLAMP and a huge fan of dolls so I was so excited to see them. Then I realized you had a whole video essay about them?? I really can’t tell you how excited I was to see this video or how specifically catered to me it feels lol, I loved every part of it and how meticulously researched it was. Seeing the dolls up close and their tiny details honestly made me tear up a little bit. I almost never leave comments but I’m so glad I stumbled across this video today and it really made me happy :)
Angelic layer was my gateway anime, I loved it when I watcehd it when I was a akid. I have the hiakru fifure, and I've always considered gettign a garage kit, But I had no idea the dolls were so cute! Thanks for talkign about them , I will defiantely keep an eye out for a hiakru!
Oooo I hope you can get one of the garage kits! It’s my dream to have the time to get better at painting and do them but for the time being I just appreciate from a distance ahah
This definitely has me wanting to try and make a custom now
omg PLEASE DO!
I LOVED Angelic Layer as a older teenager and used to collect the Newtype magazines before they stopped making them for the US. I think due to people constantly stealing the free merch that it came with. Cause we can't have nice things I guess! I always loved the theme song and really sad it never got a lot of merch. As a plush artist I want to make some of the characters into plush! I used to draw the characters as a teenager too! I'm glad to see so many other people that enjoyed the series too. Thank you for showing us your deep dive into the merch and history.
Oh man, i miss Newtype USA so much! I was so confused when it randomly ended
I loves this manga and the anime when I was younger. My friends got into it as well. Kind of a shame there isn’t any more stuff on it. I remember reading it in the Tsubasa Chronicles and I just went crazy over that chapter.
CLAMP could surprise us with a reboot.
Now I gotta rewatch the series.
Me? The creator of a successful anime and manga series? 😳 This was such a fascinating and educational journey!! My jaw literally dropped when you said the only Angelic Layer merch was a BAR OF SOAP; it really is their least favourite child, huh 😒 Speaking of physical reactions, I laughed out loud at the section titled "SINS" 💀 You did such a good job investigating this! More like NancyLoveDrew amiright? 😏 So typical that you stumbled upon the origin of the dolls by chance right after putting in all the work to discover it yourself! Thank you for preserving and documenting this unique niche of history! My takeaway: CLAMP are FOOLS 🤡 Video on Barbie's Japanese usurper next?
I make bars of soap for ALL of my children. Thank you so much Snughly! I might have to start digging into the Licca Chan LORE
It was so interesting. But I wanted to revive and create a second season of the "Angelic Layer" anime, and also create an anime before the second season called "Angelic Layer: Holidays". If CLAMP hears my echo, they will try to create an "Angelic Layer 2" manga so that other anime studios can then adapt the manga into anime.
I would be curious about a second season! There would be a lot of directions they could have gone for that!
CLAMP says all their manga are linked, and in a sense the future season of AL was Chobits
i kind of immediately guessed that these were distributed thru mail order especially once i saw the boxes
Fun fact! Takura Tomy also made some incredible Ghibli Girl dolls the past 10 years, including Sheeta and Kiki!
8:35 this is why the Internet Archive and Wayback Machine are actually important and useful sources that should be protected!
Oh wow, I’ve never heard of this series as I’m not really into manga or anime, but I do love dolls and doll history. These dolls are absolutely gorgeous. Thank you for the fascinating deep dive!
I found this video becuase I was ranting to my boyfriend about how this was also MY fav anime as a little girl in the early 2000s and how badly I wanted video games or dolls of them to be real. I wanted to hatch my doll in the bath and get her little accessories and then plug her into my computer and see her animate online. like some kinda webkinz battle doll thing. AAAAAAA. i wanted it so bad. When I went to google, your video came up and you nailed it.
Tbh the moment you said they published it as Shonen, my heart sank and I just went "...oh." Like no wonder it didn't do well. It's a very girl series. They perfectly captured the feelings of being a little girl having a favorite doll and cutting her hair, sleeping with her at night, carrying her with you... it is an extremely young girlhood experience brought to life, with kind of a pokemon vibe (fighting with no real stakes involved). It had such potential. I want to see into the alternate reality where they published it as shojo and gave pokemon a run for its money in the global toy market haha.
Aww ahah we had such similar experiences as kids with this series!! That's so cute! And SAME it could have been a lot more I think but they just didn't quite set it up for secures
This was a really well done video as a fan of Clamp. I think if any dolls or any merchandise would be for more collectors. I'm a collector of ball jointed dolls and if anything i feel that an anime collaboration with the company Volks could do it. They are know to do those with other series like Fate/Stay, Ah My Goddess, Slayers, and recently with Disney to release some of their princesses for example.
Thank you so much! I would LOVE if they would do a VOLKS collab! Really of any CLAMP series in general, I feel like a Chii doll would really mesh well with the VOLKS style
@@MaryLoveMew They did release a Chii. She was one of the earliest collaboration they did.
@@jlouisa OMG I never knew! Ahahah I feel so silly
@@MaryLoveMew I was also looking up why the Tokyo Babylon anime remake was cancelled in 2021. I found out there was a possibility of plagiarism regarding the anime's costume designs - specifically, from a costume of the Korean girl group Red Velvet and a Volks doll outfit!
As someone who owns a doll of Fuu from Magic Knight Rayearth (another Clamp IP), and had made several mods to her from replacing her mostly rigid body with a much more articulated Obitsu body, replacing/modifying some of her clothes/accessories (especially ones that had withered with age), and is in the process of forging her a new sword, I sure as hell won't judge you for any modifications you make to your Angelic Layer dolls. Also, as a MKR fan, I can't help but notice that AL's Hikaru is basically Rayearth's Hikaru as a cute robot girl.
Fuu is my favorite of the Magic Knight trio, do you have pictures online to show your custom?
I’d been in a similar situation regarding a Japanese mail order limited release doll of Eureka from the anime by Bones, Eureka Seven! It’s beautiful seeing a fellow collector like myself obtain their dream doll and participate in preserving physical media.
Ive always been convinced that Angelic Layer wasnt really made to be successful. It was just an extended prologue to Chobits
Chobits was my jam, but I did like how they tied it in with Angelic Layer.
Angelic Layer was first pblished the same year Volks created the Super Dollfie, and they are very famous for their custom doll building service that is being advertised by the Angelic Layer manga.
The target audience of the manga was, in my opinion, people who would want to build their own doll rather than buy a pre-existing character. So there was no call for dolls of the in-story characters becuase they were advertising customs.
This is also why the story was published in a magazine with a slightly older readership. People who could afford custom Volks dolls.
God this and Megaman Battle Network just hit a very specific niche itch as a kid (human operators and cybernetic non-human partner proxy they cherish), glad to see other people still remember the former 😭
And considering MMBN got a recent revival that's hit like a truck, fingers crossed that maybe Angelic Layer will get a second chance too. I'm honestly surprised these never got model kits, nendoroids, or figmas (currently). Hikaru and Wizard just have such perfect designs for those.
I think there’s a bit of misunderstanding about anime merch. Merch isn’t officially made unless the series is moderately popular. Add to the fact that the manga was promoted as a shonen, and by extension I believe the anime was perceived that way, and figures and garage kits are the expectation for merch. Not to mention, looking at the anime, it’s not for kids that would still want to be playing with action figures, let alone dolls. The anime is for preteens and young teens (13-15). The anime meant for children, like ages 6~10 (maybe younger?) have art styles similar to doraemon, or crayon shin-chan. Anime that we see here in the west, are far from meant for “kids,” so dolls aren’t *really* made for anime unless, again, they’re skewed toward young children. There *are* exceptions, but that depends on not only the popularity of the anime, but the demographic it’s meant for. Garage kits and anime figures are the norm for the male demographic that is expected to be watching this anime (which might’ve actually skew more toward preteens, and *maybe* 13 year olds).
Unfortunately if a series does poorly, even if it gets an anime, merch won’t be produced.
I should say though, I’m only at 20:51 of the video, so if this is the conclusion, then I don’t know yet.
Also, were the websites not scraped by the way back machine, or were they not discoverable by searching in general? Otherwise, I highly suggest using that in the future.
I'm sorry I'm just over here drawing an angelic layer / chobits piece and I put this essay on in the bg - I just SQUAWKED SO LOUD when you made the NGE connection slkjdflksdjf. your mind. subscribed
I quite literally can feel the good energy and passion for this - the happiness you have for this radiating off of you. I am watching this so joyous and spilling with love. Thanks for covering a topic close to our hearts from childhood.
I love Angelic Layer and want it IRL so baaad. Thank you for making this.
Yeah it feels like Angelic Layer is CLAMP's Black Cauldron it's really wild. Except unlike Black Cauldron it's a beloved series by the fans that always begging for stuff. But they pretty much ignore that the series ever existed. Thank you for the video and the in depth look!! Amazing about the dolls! And yeah it seems like it was a mismatch of marketing. A Shoujou manga given a Shonen anime and published in a shonen magazine. So they didn't know how to market it at all.
CLAMP is undefeated in character design, especially costumes and outfits.
So happy to see someone else is a fan! I watched it in like, 2006 I think? The whole series used to be on UA-cam and that’s how I saw it. I now own my own DVD box set, but I can’t watch it anywhere digitally and that makes me sad. I love this series even as an adult, Shirahime is my favorite, but I was a Sesshomaru simp so that explains that.
Oo yeah I feel like I must have originally watched it on youtube forever ago! I still mean to get a box set myself, I have the episodes on my PC now but it would be nice to have an easy way to watch
thank you for mentioning the CLAMP store, I found one of my earliest anime from it coincidentally
Angelic layer was my first anime, and it's still one of my favourites, and this is the first time I've come across anyone talking about it without having to dig for it.
I'm so glad someone is talking about this. As I was watching Angelic Layer I wanted a battle doll so badly and I am sure that was a common feeling. The customisability of the dolls made them PERFECT toys and collectables. Wild it was never capitalised on.
I hold a special place in my heart for this series. I was given the first volume of the manga as a birthday gift and I kinda just started reading it at my own birthday party. It was such a cute series, and like many others I really wanted to have a doll like that! Genuinely shocked that they didn't have even cheap action figures that would have tapped into the combat play of the series.
I loved the series back in 2002! I loved how the episodes run like one big tournament with drama sprinkled on top. The dolls are strange because they are collectors items but they have brushable hair - a staple of little girl’s toys.
I used to watch anime by checking out DVDs at the library. Cardcaptor Sakura and Angelic Layer were two of my favorites. I would check them out over and over. They were also some of the only anime DVDs we had at my small town library. I had to get the librarian help me get DVDs from other libraries in the county. I have great memoirs of bringing the DVDs to my friends house for us to watch during our sleepovers.
The amount of tools you would need for a garage kit would probably cost even more than a the garage kit itself even though GKs are already really expensive.
I'm glad this was recommended to me since I love Angelic Layer! I own CLAMP no Kiseki and there's CLAMP interviews about Angelic Layer. Nanase is the main writer, and her style is to plan out the entire story, start to finish. However, for Angelic Layer, this was the first time she tried making the story as it was serialized, like most shounen series. She realized quickly that doesn't work for her and wasn't satisfied with how it was going. So it's true that CLAMP never wrote serialized shounen stories again, but they still wrote for shounen magazines again, this time whole stories preplanned, like Tsubasa, xxxHOLiC, and Gate7.
Thank you for giving us clean footage of the dolls! I'm a long time Angelic Layer fan and it's unreal to see anyone remember this franchise at all. In the era of things like doll customization taking off and BJDs being more accessible than ever, it would be so cool to see the anime get a remake.
Also fun fact if you were not aware - Chobits is a direct sequel to Angelic Layer.
I remember watching it and calling it “Battle Barbies!”
I grew up around the same time, so (from my experience living in a small city in Canada before anime had taken off), most people were only exposed to whatever played on TV--CCS being one that a lot of us grew up with. Angelic Layer would be pretty damn impossible to access unless you were already a die-hard anime fan who knew how to torrent on your computer.
Our local bookstore had two meagre shelves of manga and Angelic Layer was occasionally among them, but it just wasn't easily accessible here like Sailor Moon, Pokemon, or CCS. (I did read a few volumes, but I never really got into it like I did with CCS and later Chobits).
I always sort of had the impression that Angelic Layer never really knew which demographic to cater to, and this video really helped solidfy that idea.
Ofc I can't speak to how it was received in Japan, but I imagine even then, targeting boys while having a primarily-female cast and made by a group well-known for their shoujo series wouldn't do well. If they were to market it to kids, it would make a lot of sense to make action figure toys, replicate headsets, etc. Stuff like that. But to release expensive, fragile collector's items that are definitely NOT for kids is strange. From what I remember, the series didn't really have the sexual appeal that would draw older men in (like Chobits would), so it just seems like a very bizarre choice for merchandise. Again--hazy who this series was supposed to appeal to and why.
Anyway, super interesting video! And so nostalgic too.
love watching this series years ago off fansub copies in early 2000s but was surprised later to learn of it's connection to other clamp works (somehow implied one of the Deus/Player was the deceased elder sister of one of the characters in Chobits) . This series later somehow was referenced by older fans when Gundam Build Fighters (similar premise of kids building gundam models and using them for arena based fights) aired pointing to some similarities and how good the AL series was.
Can't believe you didn't even hint at how the Gundam Build series successfully pulled off every single thing this series was trying to do... while also falling into the erroneous pitfall trap of "Evangelion was revolutionary because it was about the characters". I have no idea why this misconception is still so relevant in the anime community. Hell, you mentioned Magic Knight Rayearth, perfect example of a show that's about the characters. Gundam, the pinnacle of the genre and a major inspiration for literally all of Anno's works, is all about the characters too. Honestly, the only time this concept is relevant is for super robot shows aimed for kids like the various Brave series (where sometimes the robots themselves are straight up sentient characters) or the extremely neutered Mazinger and Getter Robo anime.
This was a really interesting retrospective and really helped answer my question of why Angelic Layer had like NO merch. Loved your passion about the cool collector dolls too!
With the clarity of hindsight, it really feels like Angelic Layer was the experimental transition piece that eventually led into Chobits.
I, “like anime and manga,” mostly meaning I like CLAMP. So I love seeing people talk about their lesser known works!!!
I adore their works. I'm sad that they're not as popular today as they were in the 90s and 2000s. Meanwhile, overrated garbage manga like One Piece and Demon Slayer (both of which have hideous artwork) sells in the hundreds of millions. Extremely unfair.
Thank you so much for making this video!! I wanted that Hikaru doll so bad when I was younger. Seeing such high quality footage of these was so wonderful. I hope they do a remake of Angelic Layer someday, possibly with an updated story lol, this video tickled all my nostalgia fancies perfectly ❤
I’m so glad someone is talking about Angelic Layer, it was my first ever manga and deeply inspired me to make art, now I attend an actual art school. so whenever I see Angelic Layer it reminds me of my artistic roots
15:04 Here's the thing about garage kits, they can be both fan made and officially licensed at the same time! Garage kit licensing is funny because a lot of the times, they are sold with something called "one day licensing." A lot of them are sold at events (Wonderfest is the big one), that require all exhibitors to get permission from that IP holder to sell their goods. These licensing are temporary and only are permitted on the day of the event. While I think it's cool that this sort of fan culture is allowed to exist via the IP holder's permission, it also makes getting garage kits outside of japan INCREDIBLY difficult, as they are already often scarce in numbers.
Literally one of my favorite series of all time! Rewatched it as an adult with my partner recently, and it definitely doesn't hold up to my adult attention span lol. 😅 But I'll never get over how much this series defined my childhood!
I would literally draw art of what my Angel would look like, and imagined being able to customize my own Angel someday. It was just as big to me as Sailor Moon or Cardcaptor Sakura!
I seriously need Good Smile to release AT LEAST Nendoroids of all of the Angels for a 25th anniversary or something. They would literally get all of my money!
I clicked this video so fast! This have been a favorite Manga-Anime of mine, and while it didn't go into the depth of other Clamp works, I really loved it. And I was always wondering why it didn't have any dolls! this has been a huge mystery for me for ages.
Thank you for putting this video out and for sharing your dolls with us. My old Otaku loving heart appreciates it!
I have been wanting to re watch this for *years* but could never remember the name. I'm so glad you showed up in my recommends so I can re watch this!
i grew up being a huge magic knight rayearth fan and literally have never heard of angelic layer!! i gotta get into it im so hype to watch a doll centric shounen
What an amazing detailed video now a fan of dolls but i could listen to you talk about them all day your passion really comes through
About garage kits, most of them are “licensed” for ONE day of sales at that giant convention in Tokyo. Thus why they are expensive and rare. Leona has a video about it.
I have little to no interest in anime or dolls, but I love a good deep dive, and your investigation into these dolls had me riveted! Your love of the subject matter really shines through in this video. What a journey! 😎❤
Aw thank you!! I really enjoyed putting this together! It felt like everyday I ended up down a different rabbit hole aha
Thanks for making this video.
I remember really enjoying this anime at the time but i always wondered why it seemed like it was marketing toys but there was nothing i could see anywhere that you could buy.
I found this Manga series in the library as a kid and fell in love. I'm glad it's getting some attention online
I loved angelic layer as a kid. I remember it was on anime on demand/time warner cable. I used to go crazy watching it and thinking how badly i wanted angelic layer to be real. I didnt know there were dolls... i think i need my own, ty for showcasing them!
this is still one of my favorite videos of yours ive ever watched. i plan to read angelic layer!
Finally! Someone made a content about the forgotten Angelic Layer. I love this anime soooo much as a gay kid. I remember being hopeful that they would come up with actual Angelic Layer dolls that you could customize because why not??? They made merch about Beyblade, Tamiya, YuGiOh etc so why won’t they make Angelic Layer dolls, right?
And up to this day, this was my question as a 30yr old adult. So thank God, you made this content, I can say that this is my closure.
*subscribed*
I remember I thrifted the first DVD to Angelic Layer when I was 15, I was so excited because it was so hard to find anime in the UK in the 2000-2010's . I was so sad I couldn't watch more, its such a good series concept!
woah I’ve never heard of this! reminds me how digimon or kirby were mainly targeted towards boys here in the states. Doll reveal pog! RIP flashplayer. WTF DON’T DRILL HER HEAD xD
Taking my doll to the dentist brb
Omg I was obsessed with this anime as a kid and never even knew that there was merch
This video just unearthed the memories of the manga from my brain. Loved it back in the day!
Edit: Come to think of it, I don’t remember seeing the Angelic Layer characters pop up in Tsubasa, while a bunch of other CLAMP characters did (alternate universes and all). I’d honestly forgotten Angelic Layer even was a CLAMP series.
I don't even know what this show is, i dont collect dolls... but man i could watch you talk about things that interest you all day. I love all the passion and research you put into this.
Magic Knight Rayearth, like Angelic Layer, is also sadly underrated, even though Hikaru and Misaki (AL) are two of CLAMP's most pure-hearted heroines.
That being said, MKR was, on the whole, more successful than AL: the anime was about twice the length (49 episodes), there was an OVA, and more figurines and merchandise.
MKR is also getting a new anime reboot
@Phenom0420 I need it, along with the continuation of Clear Card! :)
@@Artfanbookfan25 MKR already added in the SRW game too.
@@mazinquartz9781 That's cool.
This is like the equivalent of Gundam Build Fighters so I’m so game to watch this too😫
Okay now I’m super curious about that!! I’ll have to check it out too!
@@MaryLoveMewYeah, *Gundam Build Fighters* (GBF) is like the Gundam version of Angelic Layer. But GBF didn't really copy Angelic Layer but more like loosely adapting the premise of an old Gundam manga (Plamo Kyoshiro) from the 80s where kids are fighting with their robot plastic model kits from the Gundam franchise.
Oh my goodness, I thought I was having a stroke when I saw the title of this video. Angelic Layer was my very first anime EVER and no one has ever heard of it. I wish this anime would make a surprise reboot like Fruits Basket did. I know this video is a year old, but thank you for bringing back some crazy memories of my first dip into anime. If a doll line came out now, I think I would grab it purely for nostalgic reasons.
I remember this show!! I thought I made it up. I've been looking everywhere for this! Thank you so much for talking about this, This was my favorite show as a kid.
You could say that this video is full of layers, angelic layers
Angelic Layer is one of my absolute favourite anime series , but I NEVER knew that TAKARA made these 2 figures . I always wondered why merch wasn't made for this anime series , I mean I found 2 Heart merch easily enough - now I know something was manufacture for AL . Thanks for the video highlighting these .. now off to BUYEE to see what I can find .
I know well the pain of smaller fandom. It used to irk.
But I’ve made deep peace with it since so many series have gotten butchered lately…if not by major studios, then by fans. Once again, you’re so enjoyable and well spoken. Thank you.
How does this have so few views??? Great video. You just got a new fan lol
Man I remember this series from when I was in high school! I wasn't really into merch at the time so this was a fascinating watch
Because of the people I personally know and discuss Angelic Layer with, and what other media we put in conversation with it, I genuinely never would have realized it was a shonen
The algorithm brought this video to me. & now I am obsessing over Angelic Layer again. If you get a chance play the GBA game is a retelling of the series. But the Battle system is like a Turn based Fighting game.
OOOO I'm super curious! Is there a translation online?
@@MaryLoveMew I am not sure. But I beat it on Japanese back then so its very intuitive. Once you best the game it lets you create an Angel from Scratch with any of the abilities you learn as the game goes.
AHHHH, I loved this game. Got it as on a simulator as I couldn't find it anywhere else. I don't think they made a translated version 🤔. I just remember memorizing what the words looked like for each move 😂
How am i just now finding this??? Omg i am so glad you made this video, because I LOVED Angelic Layer as a child and wondered why i could never find anything for it (meanwhile my tokyo mew mew merch collection continues to grow for eternity ;_; rip my wallet but its all WORTH IT)
omg what a blast from the past! great video
It's worth noting that Angelic Layer was a prequel to Chobits, which is a Seinen ecchi romance. It's possible that was the reason AL was in a Shounen magazine, as it would have put it closer to the audience of the prior work. It would have been a lot better as a Shoujo as it is a show about customizing dolls, but alas.
I read and collected this manga when I was younger!! I wish they would do a reboot of this series. I think with how many people like to buy merch, the popularity of anime and the recognition of CLAMP it would have a better chance. Might just be my nostalgia. I really liked this series.
I was a fan of CCS in elementary school and then Chobits in middle school, and in general, liked other CLAMP stories, like xxxHolic, WISH, Tsubasa, Kobato, and Clover.
I've always been curious of Angelic Layer but similarly found it hard to like find stuff about it, even when I was younger. I don't think I even recall seeing the manga in bookstores (in the US). Maybe I'll give it another try and watch or read it sometime. Congrats on finding the dolls!
A side note, speaking of Clamp GBA games lmao, I bought the Chobits GBA game as a kid, even though I could not read any of it. Obviously was never really able to complete the game. I think it was essentially a VN of sorts. I probably still have the cartridge somewhere...
Angelic Layer was the first series I ever got a boxset for. I don't remember what drew me to it, but this was before streaming was super accessible (I'm old) and I saw a trailer for it somewhere and instantly wanted to watch it. Also got lucky since I was still in middle school when I watched it so I think that made it click with me more. It will always have as special place in my heart.
Also crazy that the manga version is the prequel to Chobits. I prefer the anime version to Angelic Layer though cause I preferred how they rewrote the mom in it, lol.
Honestly just someone talking about angelic layer made me so happy but the factvthat the doll series DID at least have a couple dolls? ❤
I generally lean towards combat should pretty much always be on a grid, social scenes could be but are generally fine for theater of the mind (though some inspiration/bg images can be appreciated). Like you're saying with in-person, I like dry erase grids with multi-color markers. The tokens though are much better off with detailed images though. Some artwork printed out and glued to a manila folder can be prepped very quickly and cheaply and having a bunch of them ready to go permits tons of flexibility while still keeping people's spatial awareness grounded.
thanks for the "kiss, kiss, fall in love-🌹" jump scare, really appreciated
I got this video recommended to me because I like dolls. I decided to watch the show and really enjoyed it! I wish there was an Athena or Blanche doll. Thanks for introducing me to this series!
There's also a Misaki figure in Clamp no kiseki art set (a chess set with clamp characters as chess pieces), I own one, and it's also pretty rare. Love AL, it's a pity there's not so much merch for it ❤
I was an absolute fan of angelic layer as a young teenager. It was my dream to some day take a customizable doll, stuff some motors in there and make a functioning Hikaru. Now That I am older I of course know how difficult it would be to even get her walking, but buying a smart doll and customizing her seems reachable. I didn't really care for merch back then and only do a little bit now. Pins and stickers and letter paper are cool I guess.
There's not much Angelic Layer merch, but it does have a fair amount compared to some of their earlier series like the CLAMP School series, Legal Drug, Wish and Clover. It is definitely a shame though that Angelic Layer didn't get much merch. I'm not a doll collector, but anything Angelic Layer merch is a godsend.
My personal favorite of their series is Tsubasa and while it has more merch, it's still a pretty low amount.
We are starting to get nice scale figures and nendroids from CLAMP's past series recently though, so there's always hope we'll get a nice new Angelic Layer figure.
Just a note- Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle (no s, just Chronicle) is also Shonen. CLAMP just doesn't go by the usual Shonen mold. X/1999 is also technically a Shonen and was one of the reasons it stopped being serialized in its magazine.
While this was a good and enjoyable video, I feel a little more research on CLAMP and their other series should have been done. There is sooo much deep dive info you can find on each series in the CLAMP no Kiseki book volumes; like the character guide you found.
I've been doing CLAMP informational panels at conventions for about 11 years and use to run a news page about them. If you do another CLAMP related video, I'm a plethora of knowledge open to chatting about them anytime.
Omg...I had totally forgotten this series! I watched it, dubbed (decent dub tho), and I just remember her going into the toy store and saying in exposition, "My angel! My very own angel!" And it has that early Clamp charm. It holds a place in my heart as a first experience into anime and manga. I went through Tokyo Mew Mew books voraciously, unofficial online scans of Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles translated to english (because I couldn't find them in print where I am), and then Xxxholic on...Hulu or Netflix.