[FIRST IMRESSION] Ange Vierge

Plot:

Portals between alternate dimensions fuse, and the five worlds join as one. The special ability known as Exceed was awakened in several young girls, who unite as a group called the Progress. Each world is unique with its own characteristics. The red dimension, Tera Rubily Aurora, is ruled by religion. The white dimension of System White Egma is ruled by science. Glynnesert, the green dimension, is focused on its military and the black dimension, named Darkness Embrace, is focused on magic. The last dimension is Earth. The girls of the Progress come together to defend their worlds from the approaching threat of enemies known as the Ouroboros. But as the dimensions converge, it’s only a matter of time before they self-destruct.

 

Impression:

So far this looks like a standard magical girl anime.  The race against the apocalypse is interesting enough, but maybe a little too convoluted for the first episode because it felt like a massive info-dump at times. However, it’s clear that there’s been quite a lot of thought put into the worldbuilding of this series. There is a lot of fanservice here, with the vast majority of the first episode spent in the baths. While I’m not usually one for excessive nudity, it seems to work in this instance because each girl is confessing that they want to become stronger. It’s slightly unusual to see the characters’ motivations so early on, and pairing it with the lack of clothing, they’re very exposed and vulnerable on more than one level. There’s a lot of potential for becoming attached to these characters, as there are so many different personality types, and even though they’re working towards a common goal, their differences shine through anyway. Naturally, the protagonist is the one I feel the most attachment to at this point, but I think that once we are properly introduced to the other worlds, my allegiances may change.

 

Similar to:

Sailor Moon – Female warriors descend on Earth from their homes in different worlds, to right wrongs and triumph over evil.

The Rolling Girls – Both are ‘cute’ anime with a sci-fi undercurrent. Young girls are desperate to prove themselves as they race against time.

Myriad Colors Phantom World – Powers manifest in a select group of teenagers to defend the world from attacking creatures. Plus… fanservice.

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