Those awaiting a second Angel Beats! visual novel by Key and parent company Visual Arts may have a new reason to hope, as Visual Arts’s former president Baba Takahiro recently talked about the possibility of a sequel. Baba says that development rests largely on the shoulders of Jun Maeda, who served as a writer, composer, and designer for Angel Beats! 1st Beat.
Question: I’m sure you keep getting questions about this, but what happened to the sequel to the Angel Beats! game?
Baba: It depends on Maeda. If he wants to do it… I think the possibility is not zero.
Based on the 2010 anime Angel Beats!, Angel Beats! 1st Beat follows the story of Yuzuru Otonashi – an amnesiac boy who finds himself in the afterlife. Yuzuru gets enrolled into an afterlife high school and finds himself joining the Afterlife Battlefront – an organization that fights against God due to the cruel circumstances the members faced in life. The 2015 visual novel features multiple branching paths and endings, many of which hint at a possible sequel. Characters from Angel Beats! even found their way into Maeda’s most recent game, Heaven Burns Red, via a collaboration event.
Q: I’m a big fan of Tomoyo After, but is there any chance there will be any developments in the future for it? (Like the release of a Tomoyo After ultimate edition, or an anime adaptation…)
Baba: As someone who has already retired, I have no right to speak about the future of Key or Visual Arts. Of course, I have high hopes for them, and I also love Tomoyo After.
Another Maeda visual novel that was brought to Takahiro’s attention was Tomoyo After: It’s a Wonderful Life – an adult visual novel wherein two friends, Tomoya Okazaki and Tomoyo Sakagami, start to develop romantic feelings for each other. When asked about any updates to the franchise, Baba stated that he has no say in the matter, he loves Tomoyo After and has high hopes for the franchise.
Q: How is Jun Maeda doing recently?
Baba: Judging from Heaven Burns Red, he seems to be doing well. Your support is the best motivation for him, so please continue to support him.
With regards to Maeda (who has gone through medical difficulties and deactivated his social media accounts following criticism of the Seishun! 31A Mujintо̄ Survival Seikatsu ~Tokidoki Game Over~ storyline he wrote for Heaven Burns Red), Baba uses the success of Heaven Burns Red as an indicator of his colleague’s well-being. Maeda (who is a co-founder of the development studio Key) seems to be constantly busy writing stories and composing music for the ever-evolving game, so it’s hard to tell when he’ll have the time to consider sequels or updates to his past works.