"Outlaw Star" is shaped around the motto: "Nothing is what it seems," a fitting philosophy for "Angel Links" as well. It opens with a wealth of confusing flashbacks and repeating animation. But as the series matures, characters develop, questions are answered and the repetition spins into oblivion. The third DVD marks a turning point in this series as the storytellers begin to divulge what's really going on and what's in store for our heroes. Though Angel Links is quite a different creature than "Outlaw Star," it operates in accords with a similar algorithm.
Meifon's myriad of flashbacks start out strange and unexplained, but become incrementally clearer and longer, proving to reveal more about Meifon than even she would have ever imagined. It's a shame such depth begins to take shape so later in the series, especially since the opening credits and first few discs seem to focus on the Angel Links' mothership rather than the characters - in the epicenter of all the action, the ship dominates the action with continuous reuse of its main cannons as the definitive answer to stopping the enemy and ritual Links' launch footage. However, Meifon didn't hire Duuz to punch buttons. Sure enough, problems arise that just can't be solved by vaporizing the subject, and the real big guns are brought in - the characters. In fact, in the eighth and tenth episodes, the Angel Link is barely seen at all.
And just as the characters become more directly involved in the action of the present, more becomes clear about their pasts. Several important plot twists pop up including the truth about Meifon and Leon Lau, which effectively changes the direction of everything in the series. Furthermore, episode nine is all about Valeria, flashing back to her fall from a post in the Einhorn Empire's military, one of the most emotionally dynamic moments thus far.
The series begins with a witty, linear plotline without much development. Only later does the plotline really take shape, when the action takes a breather and the characters get some air.
