Angel Beats - Analysis (Spoiler)
We all know from last two episodes how Kanade and Otonashi are connected. But I realized later it goes much deeper than that and I thought I should share it with you guys. (I'm NOT claiming that I'm the first person or anything ^^;)
I'm sure we realized the word "beats" from the title refers to music/sound unit from watching OP. However the connection + true meaning wasn't revealed until we got to see how Kanade was able to live thanks to Otonashi's heart, so the title is basically Kanade (Tenshi)'s heartbeat in literal sense.
Also our main hero name Otonashi means "no sound" which refers to missing heartbeat as he does not have a heart.
I am glad was able to find these little connections that made me appreciate this series even more.
P.S. - Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu 2nd season confirmed!
Thanks for sharing. I figured out the title, but didn't bother looking up the meanings of their names. Otonashi's name makes sense, kind of neat how they do that. Those who look for those things might realize it from the beginning, but others won't find out until the end, while others will never know. I love how authors use stuff like names to have hidden meanings. :)
They even explained the meaning of their names in the anime.. Heh.
That also occurred to me in the last episode^^
To add the name "Kanade" （奏）means to play or sound a certain instrument and "Yuzuru" (結弦) means to tie the string of an instrument so their first name also had some connection.
I also realized that after 2 hours watching it. Truly a great series.
Didn't know bout Otonashi's name but figured it out after said she got his heart cause I always wondered what was with the EKG thing in the angel beats logo
Loved Angel beats - a really great anime. Baka on the other hand was a total unfunny fail for me:)
This anime is funny. You can use the angle program (which is an Integrated Development Environment (IDE)) to communicate with god's server to alter the parameters of the world. To me author has a sound understanding of how computers work.
angel program*
Seriously, you're absolutely right. I realized Otonashi's name indicates his absence of heart, but it didn't occur to me that the "Beats" in the title refers to Kanade's (Angel's) heartbeat.
Reading this post also struck a meaning in the OP of the anime to me, which was rightfully named My soul, your beats. Not to mention the lyrics of the song also hint at their connection. But it was certainly something i never would've expected as an ending.
Otonashi's first name Yuzuru also means "to give." In this case he gave his heart as a donor for Kanade. ^^ So much meaning to his name <3
I loved it when I realized what the title meant finally!
The authors really know how to put things into perspective. The meaning behind his name really helped make the ending so great. Otonashi suffered so much. I'm so happy I picked up this anime.
I thought another great hidden meaning was how sometimes those things we fight against, angels or Gods, turn out to be blessings in disguise. Their lives sucked, but rather than going straight into their next lives, they all had a chance to meet each other and "heal" through their misguided unification. The enemy turns out to be a friend, and they make their peace with whatever God's plan may be including the possibility of being turned into sea fleas or barnacles.