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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/angelic_layer.png]]
->''Angel wings, please guide me and Hikaru!''

A typical shounen TournamentArc series, save that it's done by Creator/{{CLAMP}} (who are better known for their [[ShoujoDemographic shoujo]] works), has a predominantly female cast without being a BishoujoSeries, and involves fighting {{dolls}} controlled by the player's mind.

Suzuhara Misaki is the new girl at Eriol Academy, living with her aunt Shouko in Tokyo after growing up with her grandparents. Her mother, Shuuko, has been so busy with work in Tokyo that Misaki hasn't seen her since she was five years old, but she refuses to feel sad about it or look into her mom's whereabouts, feeling that she'd be a burden. Upon arriving in Tokyo, she sees a crowd gathered around a screen playing an intense match between two fighting dolls, called Angels, in a game called Angelic Layer. With some persuasion from a MadScientist, Misaki jumps at the chance to get her own Angel and start competing nationally.

Besides the twists to the formula, ''Angelic Layer'' starts out like a regular shounen adventure series of the same mold. Misaki meets new friends, begins to fight and realizes that she has a vast, incredible talent for the game. All the while, the MadScientist Icchan is watching her progress in the tournament, revealing to the audience the reason that he cares so much about Angelic Layer and about this particular little girl.

The manga treats certain plot elements completely differently from the anime, which also makes big changes to the battle system later on. Either is recommended, as while the anime's changes make more sense later on, the manga is still quite good.

''Angelic Layer'' is either an AlternateContinuity or {{prequel}} to ''Manga/{{Chobits}}'' and ''Manga/{{Kobato}}'' This series is also notable for being a tournament series that broke conventions by featuring a ''female'' leading protagonist, though Misaki isn't the first female shonen protagonist overall-- that honor goes to ''Anime/CuteyHoney''.

The manga originally ran in ''Shonen Ace'' from 1999 to 2001. It was initially brought over to North American markets by Creator/{{Tokyopop}}, though Tokyopop's financial troubles caused the license to lapse. The manga license was later picked up by Creator/DarkHorseComics for distribution, so the manga is in print in omnibuses. As for the anime series, it was initially brought over to North Americans markets by Creator/ADVFilms with an English dub, but following their collapse, the license went to Creator/SentaiFilmworks, ADV's successor, reusing the ADV dub.

Despite the ''very'' similar premise, no relation to ''VideoGame/CustomRobo'', which first appeared a mere six months after the manga.

Compare ''Anime/BusouShinki'' and ''Anime/FrameArmsGirls'', where there are cute fighting robot girls as well, but the series focus is on the robot girls rather than their Masters.

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!!This program provides examples of:

* ActionMom: [[spoiler:Shuuko, Misaki's mother, is the national champion and wipes the floor with nearly everyone she meets.]]
* AdaptationalContextChange: The reason the Layer exists and why [[spoiler:Shuuko will not meet with Misaki at first]] is different between the anime and manga. In the manga [[spoiler:Shuuko suffers from anthropophobia related to her family and instead watches Misaki from afar before reuniting with her]]. In the anime [[spoiler:Shuuko uses a wheelchair due to a neurological disease and is terrified of Misaki seeing her in her current condition]]. This ties into the existence of the Layer [[spoiler:as in the manga it was a precursor for the Persocom program in ''Manga/{{Chobits}}'', and in the anime it was to help with the research to find a cure for Shuuko]].
* AdaptationExpansion: In adapting a short, five-volume manga series into a 26-episode anime series ([[OvertookTheManga and before the manga even ended, no less!]]), a lot of content had to be added to pad the show out. BONES opted to provide a few new characters, improved development, backstory and personality for existing characters, a more arc-based narrative (as opposed to the defined beginning, middle and end of the manga), and even [[spoiler: a more tragic explanation as to why Misaki's mother can't see her.]] And astoundingly, [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools fans and critics alike have both been rather supportive of these changes]].
* AliceAllusion: Arisu and the angel she named after herself.
* AnimeChineseGirl: Not by ethnicity, but Madoka and Arisu wear Chinese clothes and Madoka's Angel, Mao, is a Chinese-themed {{catgirl}}.
* ApologeticAttacker: Misaki, who loves her Angel dearly and worries about her well-being, extends this worry to other Angels and apologizes to her opponents for hurting their dolls.
* AttackHello: Tamayo whenever she meets Koutarou. ''Every. Single. Time.''
* AwesomeByAnalysis: Easily Misaki's strongest attribute. She wins her fights by figuring out her opponents' strengths and attacks, finding ways around them, and copying moves she's seen even just once.
* BadassAdorable: Most Angels and their operators are cute girls engaging in a battle game.
* BarbieDollAnatomy: For the dolls, obviously.
* BarrierWarrior: Wizard exploits the electricity the Layer runs on to create a shield.
* BeachEpisode: And it's not filler! The beach episode of the anime is used to move along the various romance plots, though the standard elements like watermelon splitting and fireworks are there too.
%%* BlowYouAway: Ranga, who's also a DanceBattler.
* BrickJoke: In the anime, Ohjiro explains to Misaki that he hates chesnuts, but lied and told his stepfather they were his favorite after his stepfather gifted him some, in order to spare his feelings. Next episode, after he loses to Misaki, his stepbrother, Icchan, goes to buy him some to cheer him up...
%%* BunnyEarsLawyer: Icchan.
* ButtMonkey: Ogata, Icchan's subordinate. The things he is "[[CoolAndUnusualPunishment penalized]]" for are rarely his fault, though Icchan never seems to care.
* CallingYourBathroomBreaks: Tamayo does this a couple of times early in the series, usually to show that she's still pretty childish. As she matures over the course of the series, she eventually stops.
* CannotSpitItOut: Icchan, toward [[spoiler:Shuuko. Eventually, he manages to confess his feelings, even going as far as ''asking her to marry him''. We never hear her answer. At least in Episode 20, She does agree to live with him after the project that spawned Angelic Layer is over.]]
* CatchPhrase: Misaki's "Naaa!" whenever she gets surprised, and Icchan's "Icchan nyoro!" whenever he's trying to surprise Misaki.
* ChickMagnet: Oujiro tends to attract fangirls wherever he goes.
* ChildhoodFriendRomance: Kotaro and Tamayo in the anime; in the manga, she has a crush on him but loses out.
* ChivalrousPervert: Oujiro in the manga. He's still the young nobleman, but he also brings up Misaki's panties in convetsation.
* ClingyJealousGirl: Tamayo towards both [[LesYay Misaki]] and Koutarou, more so in the anime for the latter.
* ComedicLolicon: PlayedForLaughs by showing the typical reaction of fans of various ages -- a man in the audience screams how he loves Misaki.
* CompanionCube: The Angels. They may seem like {{Mons}} at first glance, but the whole point is that they're really just dolls who can only move on the Layer. Shuuko points out that treating one's Angel as a CompanionCube is required to fully enjoy the game.
* ContinuityNod: The various one-shot characters who Misaki faces over the course of the series all show up as spectators to the final fight between [[spoiler: Athena and Hikaru]].
* CoolAndUnusualPunishment: Icchan's subordinate Ogata often gets penalized for things that go wrong, with punishments including making him eat spaghetti through his nose and dropping a live octopus down his pants.
* CurbStompBattle: Pretty much any fight that Misaki isn't in. Or isn't between two supporting characters (see SpoilerOpening below. Especially if [[spoiler:Athena]] is involved).
* DavidVersusGoliath: Most battles Hikaru gets involved in.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: Happens after just about every single fight.
* {{Determinator}}: Invoked by most of the Deus' but played straight with Misaki and Hikaru, particularly when Hikaru [[spoiler:gets up after Athena's [[EnergyBall Astral]] [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill Emission]].]]
* DisappearedDad: Besides Misaki's aunt and mother, where are the rest of the parents of every child?
* DittoFighter: Hikaru, due to Misaki possessing the gift of AwesomenessByAnalysis.
* DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale: Tamayo constantly practices her martial arts moves on Kotaro ever since they were four, and all of this is PlayedForLaughs.
* DoItYourselfThemeTune: Misaki's seiyuu, Atsuko Enomoto, performs the opening theme "Be My Angel".
* ElevatorSchool: Eriol Academy is one. When Misaki meets Tamayo and Koutarou, she's asked if she's new because she didn't move up with them from the elementary school.
%%* EmotionlessGirl: Sai comes across as this.
* EngagingConversation: Both Shouko and Tamayo say it... to ''Misaki'', even if they're only joking. Her cooking and sewing are apparently just that good.
%%* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: Sai.
* ExplosiveOverclocking: Kaede's Angel Blanche and Sai's Angel Shirahime both have "Hyper Mode", which maxes their power but risks destroying the Angel's core components permanently the longer it is used. In the manga, where only Blanche has the capability, it's risk-free.
* {{Expy}}:
** Hikaru resembles [[Manga/MagicKnightRayearth Clamp's other Hikaru]]. In the manga, Misaki was outright inspired by her, as [[ShowWithinAShow she's fictional in this world]].
** Misaki can be seen as one to [[Manga/CardcaptorSakura Sakura]].
* FacialMarkings: Mao has some triangle marks on her face.
* FightingSeries: Though the main focus is still the drama that happens ''outside'' of combat.
* FlashStep: A favored technique of Blanche.
* ForegoneConclusion: Anyone who knows about the connection between this and ''Manga/{{Chobits}}'' knows that Shuuko and Icchan's relationship is [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption doomed before it begins.]] Although, one should take into account the anime can easily be interpreted as taking place as a separate and alternate timeline from the manga considering how many differences there are.
* FragileSpeedster: Hikaru is a speed build who can't take many hits. Misaki built her specifically to be "small, but cool."
* GenkiGirl: Tamayo is loud, excitable, and a big presence in any room.
%%* GiantPoofySleeves: Athena. With [[SpikesOfVillainy spikes]].
* GirlishPigtails: Arisu has afro puffs, Ringo has high pigtails, and Misaki's frontlocks look a little like pigtails.
%%* GratuitousEnglish: Entry Angeeeeeel!
%%* HiddenEyes: Athena.
%%* HugeSchoolgirl
%%* IdolSinger: Ringo Seto.
* InTheNameOfTheMoon: In the anime, everybody is required to come up with a quick blurb for when their Angels enter the Layer.
%%* IndirectKiss
* InvincibleHero:
** Misaki only faces one major loss in the entire series. [[JustifiedTrope Jusified]] in that the series itself takes place during a single tournament. When she lost, the tournament was at a stage were losing didn't immediately result in elimination.
** To a larger extent, Oujirou is one, he almost never loses a fight [[spoiler:except against Misaki, who he at this point has fallen in love with. It became clear that he was going extremely easy on her and had no intention of winning.]]
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: At least in the anime, Oujiro has this towards [[spoiler:Shuuko, even going so far as to tell his brother he'll never forgive him if he doesn't maker her happy]]. He eventually shifts his affections towards [[spoiler:Misaki]] when he realizes how much like [[spoiler:her mother]] she really is.
%%* LightningBruiser: Suzuka and Blanche.
* LightningLash: A minor Angel illegally wielded electric whips.
* LikesOlderWomen: Oujiro is in love with [[spoiler:Shuuko, though his feelings eventually shift to Misaki.]]
* LimitedWardrobe: Ringo, especially galling since she is supposed to be an IdolSinger, who are known to be fashion plates. In the manga, pretty much everyone.
* LittleMissBadass: Hatoko is a top-level Deus despite being in kindergarten.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: All the adults and some of the kids in Misaki's life know the big secret [[spoiler:that Champion Shuu is Suzuhara Shuuko]] and won't tell her. In the anime, the viewers find it out quickly, too.
%%* LukeIAmYourFather
* MaamShock: Shouko refuses to be called Oba-san (auntie), despite actually being Misaki's aunt, because it makes her feel old.
%%* MadScientist: Icchan is a non-evil example.
%%* MissionControl
* [[DaddyHadAGoodReasonForAbandoningYou Mommy Had A Good Reason For Abandoning You]]: [[spoiler:Shuuko isn't in Misaki's life because of a crippling fear of her own inadequacy. In the anime, she's very ill and confined to a wheelchair.]]
%%* MyNameIsInigoMontoya
%%* MysteriousParent
%%* MysteriousProtector
* NeverTrustATrailer: A lot of promo art has Angels expressing emotion while their Dei are holding them or while otherwise off the Layer. In-series, Angels only express the emotions their Dei are feeling while they're being controlled on the Layer.
* NiceGuy: Oujirou, who is referred to as "The Young Nobleman". He's even has Wizard [[spoiler:divert an attack that would have finished off Hikaru at the end of round one during their fight.]]
%%* NoGuyWantsAnAmazon
* TheOneGuy: Oujirou is the only male Deus shown in the manga and the only one who matters in the anime.
%%* {{Odango}}: Madoka.
* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: Hatoko and Misaki to each other. And Madoka feels this way towards Hatoko
* PaperThinDisguise: Ringo's attempts to escape from her manager leave a lot to be desired.
* PimpedOutCape: Misaki and Hikaru each wear one as tournament champions at the end of the manga.
%%* PinkySwear: Misaki and Hatoko's promise.
* PowerCopying: Misaki/Hikaru, once again due to Misaki's gift of AwesomeByAnalysis.
%%* PowerGivesYouWings
* PrestigiousPlayerTitle: A player is referred to as a "Deus".
%%* RaisedByGrandparents: Misaki.
%%* ReplacementGoldfish: [[spoiler:Icchan]]'s hidden agenda.
* RobotGirl: The angels, naturally. (Wizard is a Robot Boy, by the way.)
%%* ScaryShinyGlasses: Icchan is quite the expert at this.
%%* SecretLegacy
* SeriousBusiness: Subverted. There are a number of Dei who treat Angelic Layer as SeriousBusiness, but according to a number of characters, including the man who invented the game itself, they're doing it wrong and should just be having fun.
* ShipperOnDeck: Tamayo often teases Kotaro about his crush on Misaki, and makes unsubtle hints about their growing relationship when she has to leave them together, though [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy she's denying herself in doing it]]. In the manga, she succeeds in getting them together. In the anime, she ends up with Koutarou herself.
%%* ShockAndAwe: Athena.
* {{Shorttank}}: Tamayo is the energetic tomboy of the group and Koutarou's childhood friend.
* ShoutOut:
** Hikaru is actually based on Shidou Hikaru, the heroine of ''Manga/MagicKnightRayearth''; also, Eriol Academy is named after Hiiragizawa Eriol from ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura''. Plus the manga has newspaper clips of how the Manga/CLAMPSchoolDetectives have vowed to investigate the disappearance of three girls from Tokyo Tower (Another ''Rayearth'' ref.)
** There are also two points in the manga where Misaki is shown singing the anime theme tunes for CLAMP School Detectives and Rayearth season 2.
** The show's title is a shout out to ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam Kidou Senshi Gundam]]''.
* ShrinkingViolet: [[spoiler:Shuuko. In the manga, this is more or less the reason why she left Misaki, and it's true in the anime too, though not the only reason.]]
%%* SmokeShield
* TheSpeechless: Angels aren't even programmed for battle grunts.
* SpoilerOpening: The opening contains clips of the final climactic battle. Also, if you want to know if Misaki's current opponent is just a one-shot character, or has a bigger role in the story... if they don't show up in the opening, they're a one-shot.
* StealthHiBye: Icchan loves doing this to Misaki.
%%* StockFootage: The "Entry Angel" sequences.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Probably a more apt description of Sai; as Kaede points out, she is fiercely driven under the ice queen exterior.
* ThrowTheDogABone: After spending the entirety of the series as the ButtMonkey, Ogata eventually gets back at Icchan during the BeachEpisode by putting him through the exact same treatment that he constantly endured. It's also heavily implied that he [[spoiler:hooks up with Fujimori]] at the end of the series.
* TournamentArc: Tournament Series: The entire series is basically one big TournamentArc.
%%* TricksterMentor: Icchan is a perfect example of this.
%%* TwoScenesOneDialogue
%%* WaifFu: Hikaru, along with other smaller Angels.
%%* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue
%%* WingedHumanoid: Athena; in the anime, filler character Eagle, Hikaru in the opening, and [[spoiler:Hikaru again in the last battle.]]
%%* WiseBeyondTheirYears: Hatoko, though she does relapse on occasion.
* WorldOfActionGirls: The only notable male combatant is Oujiro/Wizard.
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