Angelic Layer - Divine Inspiration (Vol. 1) with Series Box

Twelve year old Misaki Suzuhara arrives in Tokyo from the country to live with her aunt and to attend middle school. The day that she steps off a train at Tokyo station she is immediately captivated by the new fad of 'Angelic Layer', a popular tournament fighting game where people (Deuses) control their customized animated Battle Dolls (Angels) to fight against another using their own power of thought. Under the tutelage of 'Mr. Icchan', Misaki assembles her doll Hiraku, begins playing, and immediately wins. While she has natural ability that is amazing, Misaki has to make a determined effort and work hard to develop this ability further and become a better player. The fights feature pretty much every sort of fighting technique you could imagine, and every battle is filled with tension. Backflips, cartwheels, and every sort of acrobatic move you could hope for is integrated into the fights, and pretty much every fight features an opponent with a secret move, special strength, or hidden weakness. Although she never does any school work, Misaki befriends kindergartener Hatoko, her older brother Kotaro, and his rambunctious friend Tamayo. Not surprisingly, all their socializing revolves around the 'Angelic Layer' game. The story is about Misaki's progress from demure wallflower to confident idol. Her love of Angelic Layer is the driving force behind her growth. Angelic Layer is another series from the famed CLAMP.