>Be me
>Decide to finally give Angel Beats! 1st Beat a real shot instead of replaying Clannad for the 40th time
>Didn't expect much, just wanted a nostalgia hit
>Start reading…
>Holy kino
Maeda-sensei really snapped with this one. I don’t care what anyone says, this is peak Key. Everything that worked in the anime? It's here but 10x better. Hinata and Ooyama routes were actually good, like emotionally resonant good. I didn't expect to feel that much for characters who barely had time in the show.
The pacing? Way better than the anime.
The character moments? Heartbreaking in that classic Maeda-sensei way.
The comedy? Legitimately funny, not just wacky Key randomness.
The scene with Yuri and Otonashi in the club room near the end of her route? Straight-up Maeda-sensei's soulcrush moment. If you know, you know.
KINO-tier soundtrack too. My Soul, Your Beats! in visual novel form hits hard.
This is what Angel Beats! should have always been. And it's only 1st Beat. Imagine if we actually got the rest sooner than we got them...
The fact that this didn’t blow up is a crime.

Maeda-sensei you are a genius.
I kneel.
Real /vn/ hours: Who else unironically considers 1st Beat one of the best Key VNs?