Hey everyone, I finally got around to playing Angel Beats! 1st Beat after putting it off for ages (figured the anime was enough). Honestly? I regret waiting so long. This VN hit me so much harder than I expected.
Yuri’s route absolutely shattered me. The anime showed her strength, but the VN lets you feel the weight she carries, her guilt, her loneliness, that raw moment in the warehouse… I actually cried. Hard.
The new depth for side characters is incredible. TK’s mysterious vibes, Iwasawa’s band struggles, Yui’s chaotic-but-layered personality… they all get room to breathe. It makes the world feel so much richer.
Maeda’s writing just gets you. One minute you’re laughing at Hideki’s dumb jokes, the next you’re gutted by a flashback. That bittersweet tone he’s famous for? It’s perfected here.
And the soundtrack? Not just recycled anime tracks, new piano pieces that hit right in the nostalgia. Yuri’s theme during quiet moments? Perfection.
The ending… No spoilers, but that final reveal had me staring at my screen in silence. The fact this is only Part 1? I’m already aching for the rest... good thing 2nd Beat's first route just got released!
If you skipped this because "the anime covered it," please reconsider. This isn’t just an adaptation, it’s a deeper, more intimate version of the story. The characters feel real, their struggles hit harder, and the emotional payoff is unreal. Maeda-sensei didn’t just re-tell a story; he made it better.
Now excuse me while I go replay Iwasawa’s route to emotionally recover.
(And Maeda-sensei… please, I’m begging you… give us 3rd/6th beat)

>Played Angel Beats! 1st Beat. Cried, laughed, fell in love with the characters all over again. 10/10 would emotionally devastate myself again.