An angel at the top of an angel school has descended to the human world! However, she has already
acclimated to the life of the human world so much that she ends up leading a self-indulgent life,
skipping school all the time and being absorbed in online games. Gabriel soon forgets about her
original goal to make human beings happy and has turned into a lazy and hopeless angel, or a “sloppy
angel” in short. Amazingly, she swears to continue to fully enjoy the pleasure of various
entertainments of the human world.
(Source: Crunchyroll)
I wanted to write a review on GabOut in the eve of it's finale episode, I don't really expect the last episode to change my opinion that much. Gabriel Dropout is a show that caught my attention early on in the season when I decided to try it. It had somewhat of a bad reputation coming into this season because of it's relationship with Himouto! Umaru-chan since the same studio and a lot of the same staff worked both on Umaru-chan and GabOut. I was disappointed to see that, while I didn't finish watching the entire season of Umaru-chan, there wasn't anything wrong with the adaptation itself. The presentation was good, it had a colorful artstyle and it was well-animated otherwise. The problem was the material, if you give the staff of Umaru-chan something good to work with for an adaptation, well, you get Gabriel Dropout. GabOut was a breath of fresh air for me, because I actually like skit comedy anime, or at least I like it when it works. A particular anime from a recent season that I had watched made me almost give up on skit comedy for a while, being This Art Club has a Problem!, or Konobi for short. The problem with Konobi as well as other skit comedies that I've seen recently, while in this case it's a bit different since it's a romcom and GabOut isn't, is that the author doesn't write the individual skits well. In every ten or so Konobi skits, two out of ten might have been good. Some were boring and some were so stupid that it was frustrating. For the material in GabOut, the mangaka is particularly good at writing skits, that is putting pen to paper and taking funny characters and putting them in interesting scenarios. Part of the wit in GabOut is the way it plays around with the concepts of morality, in a similar vein to Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei, though not as tongue-in-cheek. When I say "concepts of morality", I don't mean it is "deep" but that it simply takes some traditional imagery between angels and demons and does funny things with it. The writer mixes the aspects of good and evil between angels and demons in the main four characters. Gabriel, the main character, I believe is particularly written for a large number of people to identify with, possibly including a lot of otaku. She is a teenage angel from heaven (literally, not making a creepy metaphor) who comes to Earth in aspirations of doing a lot of good in the world. Over time she eventually becomes defeated by her inability to change the world, even for a powerful angel as herself. So she becomes obsessed with online gaming, a fantasy away from the reality she couldn't change. Although the way I describe this might seem "edgy" without context, the way it's presented is very light-hearted which makes it actually seem down to earth. The other characters have the same fundamental dynamics. Vignette is a demon who is kind-hearted and is quick to help others. Raphiel is an angel who has a mischievous side and she likes to concoct events for the other characters in order to laugh at their expense. Last, but certainly not least, you have Satania who is hilariously chasing the aesthetic that is a demon, but she is so naive to the point where she couldn't hurt a fly if she wanted. You bounce any two to all four of these characters from plot ideas on paper scraps from a hat and you have hundreds of funny skits that almost write themselves. The characters also have a lot of charm to them, like Gabriel who from time to time shows her kindness in subtle ways even though she is thought as someone selfish. GabOut is not for everyone I suppose, for people who aren't fans of the all-moe characterized cast types of genres, you might not see what it does right in comparison to it's contemporaries. People always bounce around the phrase that comedy is subjective and that you can't really compare it to content that is meant to be taken "seriously". Although I would combat that statement with this: skit writing is a form of writing that you can appreciate, even if you don't think the genre or delivery is funny _for you_. With all the charm, likeable characters and various moments that made me laugh, I give GabOut a
Gabriel DropOut -subbed Story: Gabriel DropOut is the about the daily life of a lazy angel, a friendly demon, a sadistic angel, and a megalomaniacal/incompetent demon going to high school in Japan. Honestly it's not that original as far as character personalities and activities go. That's not to say it isn't entertaining, just that it's nothing I haven't seen before with minor variations. The real standout episodes are 9 and 10 where they actually use the premise for something original, the Christmas party and the scenes in Heaven & Hell being pretty entertaining and making me wish more time was spent in those locations. I do like the idea that Heaven is super boring compared to Earth, due to its excessive wholesomeness. One thing the show gets right on numerous occasions are visual gags that it doesn't draw much attention to which makes them hilarious. Anyway, there isn't really much else to say, so I'll move onto characters. Characters: Gabriel- The show's titular character, she's the star student at her school in heaven, but quickly devolves into a messy and lazy shut in obsessed with MMOs once she starts living on Earth. Her deadpan attitude is pretty entertaining she's kinda like a combination of Tomoko (Watamote) and Umaru (Himouto Umaru-Chan). As an aside I really appreciate the lack of upskirt shots despite her wearing a red jacket with no pants a lot of the time, it shows that her design was done for character purposes and not fan service. Vignette- A character named Vignette in a show focused on comedic vignettes, hmmmm. . . Anyway Vigne as she's most often called is Gabriel's best friend and a demon who acts like an angel to directly contrast Gabriel. She's a pretty likeable character, although I question how she made it to high school when she constantly fails to act like a demon. She's probably my favorite of the cast. Satania- A, stupid, megalomaniacal, wannabe archdemon whose repetitive gags get so old that you want to slam your head against the wall repeatedly by the end of the 3rd episode. She's obnoxious, which she's supposed to be, but it's also supposed to be funny which to be fair she does have a number of good scenes, but the running gag with her shouting out her name and the dog stealing her bread get really really old. Raphiel- A sadist who puts on the air of being a role model of an angel. She constantly laughs at others misfortunes. Also boobs. There's a couple side characters as well, but for the sake of brevity and not boring you I'll leave it there. Animation: I'm going to start out talking about something I've never really discussed before and that's character design. I immediately noticed that Gabriel and Vignette looked a lot like Umaru and Ebina (Himouto Umaru-Chan) respectively and Satanica was pretty reminiscent of Riko (Love Lab) well a quick check of MAL showed that this was done by the same animation studio, Doga Kobo. So what's my point? Well it's just kinda distracting, not enough for me to detract points from the final score, just distracting. I wrote that when I first started watching, for most of the show Gabriel looks damn near identical to Taiga from ToraDora which ,again, is distracting but certainly not worth docking a point. The animation just generally looks like a Doga Kobo show, jumpy, comedic animation. It's colorful and lends itself decently well to comedy, but certainly isn't on par with Kyoani, which yes, I do have a massive hard on for them. Music: The OP is decently, and the chorus is relatively catchy, but nothing too special. The ED is downright forgettable. The music in the show is nothing to write home about either. Overall: I may have come across like I didn't like this show very much, and while I certainly don't love it, it's still a decent show that held my attention and made me laugh a few times. Now mileage always varies on humor and some people may absolutely love this show, but I'm not one of them. 5/10
img(https://orig00.deviantart.net/778f/f/2018/304/6/d/gabriel_dropout_by_overpowered99-dcqt7hf.png) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Then he created the sky and the land and all these other things we have now. And God saw that we became creatures of sheer laziness who get bored easily so he said, Let there be Gabriel DropOut: and there was Gabriel DropOut. And all's right in the world. Oh, but during the process, clumsy God accidentally reversed the biblical archetype when the angels turned demonic and the demons turned angelic. Yes, you heard that right. He somehow stuffed up! The angels are now in need of some heavenly rehabilitation while the demons are, well... they need to learn how to be hellish again I guess. But if you're wondering, I think this change is pretty nice. In fact, it actually succeeds in bestowing divine fun upon us! The thing is, this show is not spectacular storywise. It's simply about these cute angels and demons who have arrived to Earth to learn and live among humans. Where it really shines the most lies in the great comedic value, which comes from the role reversal I've stated above. It might be a small change, but it certainly is effective. The result is that the character dynamic is funny as hell to watch. And if you want to know how entertaining that is, then let's go meet them!
Another spectacular slice of life comedy from Doga Kobo. This anime feels like a twin sibling to Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, but one of the siblings is emo and just different enough to be considered a separate personality. As much as I'm a sucker for comfy slice of life anime with cute girls, I find it increasingly difficult to review them in a way that doesn't make them sound bland as ever. I really do like the genre as a way to wind down and relax at the end of the day, maybe get a few smiles before going to bed, but I understand why some people may consider it boring. It's not something I particularly find myself watching in the middle of the day when I'm bored. There's rarely any story and it can be very mindless entertainment at times. All that said, I'll still attempt to review this gem sprouted from the moe slice of life mines. Slice of life, as I stated, rarely has a story. It's easier to re-class story in slice of life reviews more as a premise. The premise of Gabriel Dropout is unique, and not overly fantasized, something I don't really care for in anime, especially when it's been done to death since anime was ever a thing. The setting allows for many laughs to consistently be had in every episode, so Gabriel Dropout succeeds in being comedic. Between the unique dynamics of character interactions and the tongue-in-cheek fanservice that just gets comedically strange at times, there's never a stale moment in this anime. I'm a fan of Doga Kobo's style. It's clean, the animations are lively, and the setting/background art isn't half bad. It's obviously no Kyoto Animation Koe no Katachi tier of artwork, but it's definitely above average when compared to many anime of the same era. Doga Kobo was not responsible for this, but the character design is very nice as well. Distinct family traits and unique appearances with minimal reliance on stereotypical neon pink anime girl hair designs and whatnot. Sound isn't terribly important for comedy, but I'm giving Gabriel Dropout a good rating for a nice OP/ED. Aside from the physical artistic design of the characters, they're written uniquely and lively. Every character is extremely distinct from one another, even within their own families. Obviously they rarely act realistic and human-like, as this is a comedic anime. Plenty of wacky shit happens that just makes this a fantastic comedy. As I mentioned earlier, the synergy between any given character really works well and makes every character likable in their own ways. Overall, this was one of the anime I reserved for watching before bed to just relax at the end of the day and have a few laughs. There's not a whole lot to say about Gabriel Dropout besides it being funny and having a relatively good production value. I might even look into reading the manga, as I could see myself craving more of these hilarious characters in the near future. I'm not really a manga person, but this was definitely an enjoyable watch that caught my interest and kept me interested through every episode. A good watch if you enjoy comedy or slice of life.
First things first, I'd like to mention that I haven't exactly been the kindest to the "cute girls doing cute things" genre. While I did try watching a handful of anime series revolving around this genre, I never bothered finishing them after getting bored halfway through. And yet, despite this, I sat through the entirety of Gabriel Dropout and I actually enjoyed it. Why? I'd say that it boils down to the characters' wildly clashing personalities and their interactions with each other. For me at least, it more than made up for the simple, thin plot. Gabriel Dropout basically tells the story of Gabriel Tenma, the top-scoring angel in Heaven, who becomes addicted to human technology and starts living as a hikikomori - a situation I'm pretty sure that at least some of you reading this can relate to! In terms of plot, the story is very simple, with each episode consisting of 2 or 3 unrelated plotlines. It's the type of series where you could probably skip several episodes/segments and not miss much, as the little segments generally don't seem to affect one another. In fact, it's only really at the end of the series that anything representing a direct threat for the characters appears. All in all, this isn't the type of show that you'd watch for its plot, though I highly doubt that that's what attracts viewers to this genre. What Gabriel Dropout lacks in plot, it more than makes up for it with its diverse cast of characters. Like most people who saw this show, I'd argue that Satania is the real star, with her vain, jaded personality and her belief that she's the future queen of Hell despite her warped idea of what counts as "evil." That's not to say that the others are anywhere near boring, with Gabriel and Raphiel inadvertently acting demonic despite their positions as angels, while Vigne serves as the group's straight man despite being a demon herself. (Albeit not a very good one) In short, I found the quartet's interactions hilarious, especially given the whole fish-out-of-water situation they were put in. On the other hand, this type of comedy can only last so long and some of you might get bored by the time you finish the series. In conclusion, Gabriel Dropout isn't a terribly deep show, but I'd argue that it's worth a watch thanks to the likeable characters and the show's overall lighthearted tone. In spite of this, I could just as easily see people dropping the show halfway through due to the lack of character development and the absence of an overarching plot. For those reasons, I still recommend the show if you're looking for a show that'll provide you with a good laugh and that doesn't take itself too seriously. On the other hand, if you're looking for something suspenseful, with a thrilling plot, I'd advise you to look elsewhere.
Who's the real demon here? Who's the angel here? Let me give you an answer: only one exists. In short, this is an anime about demons; cute, unassuming ones in the form of high school girls. I regret to inform you there are no angels here. Heck, if you want a real review, go read the other two drastically different Anilist reviews above this one. The Gabriel Dropout cultist and the so-so slice of lifer both hold valid points that this anime is is for a certain 'type' of people. I am here to say, that if you've made it this far into Anilist, you should probably check the box. Anyway, here's Raphiel, the most important character of the show- ~~~img220(https://pm1.narvii.com/6430/27a31b72f2483d271a6542147ff3538e8773f8d5_hq.jpg)~~~ _To avoid spoilers, I won't elaborate on what is happening during this scene._ ~~~img220(https://media1.tenor.com/images/aa6d975cb5318886db35f27f692d09d3/tenor.gif?itemid=14495461) ~~~All you gotta know is that this anime is incomplete without her. __The real demon is Raphiel Shiraha Ainsworth. __ Over the course of the show, she is the glue that ties the gang together. Being the comedy anime this is, Raphiel is the one whose gotta do the manipulating. Whether it be her use of her trained dog to harass Satania again and again, or her improper use of angelic power, she never disappoints when it comes to brewing up trouble. Going into this anime, the viewer might expect a clear delineation of what constitutes an angel and what constitutes a demon. This expectation is betrayed once Raphiel joins in to define the show. What we get is not one fallen angel, Gabriel, but another who makes the viewer ask whether she was an angel in the first place. In her own right, Raphiel's schemes much outdo the actual demons of the series to the extent she gets similar or even more screen time than Gabriel. I feel like this has greater connotation into what society expects of morally good or bad people at a grander scale. Those who may appear good at first glance, may have other intentions and vise versa. While at a comedic scale, the moral ambiguity of the assigned roles in this show demonstrate how a person could stray from the expectations society has placed upon them. In this case, they perform the complete opposite of what they're expected within their roles as angels and demons. __tl;dr__ if you wanted a review of this anime i'll give you numbers. __Art/Animation__ 7/10 - Pretty nice for 2017 slice of life. __Music/BGM__ 6/10 - The ED was ok, OP was not. BGM was a bit weak. __Characters__ 8.5/10 - Raphiel and Master carried, Gabriel was good too. __Plot__ N/A/10 - Don't expect a plot form a slice of life anime. __Gabriel discord emotes__ 10/10 Don't mind this review, just go watch for yourself. ~~~img220(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rOHjIg5seck/XvBqwWPXPnI/AAAAAAAAF54/wIW62r2tPGcC05blmdhQ5iTj8HjlsSWYQCK4BGAsYHg/s1600/Gabriel%2BDropOut%2B-%2B1.jpg)~~~