Do you remember the television anime 'Heaven's Lost Property?" It was a romantic-comedy harem show about a boy who gets surrounded by fallen robotic-angeloids. The boy is kind-hearted but otherwise an extreme pervert. Comedy ensues. I remember liking the character designs and some of the plot elements, but the lack of focus and mean-spirited humor seemed in poor taste.You had better seen and remember the show's two seasons before going into the sequel film "Heaven's Lost Property the Movie - The Angeloid of Clockwork." It tries to bring you up to speed in a clever way after a brief newly-animated segment involving an angry baby chicken from the second season. After that bit, the film reveals a new character named Hiyori, a girl who goes to the same school as Tomoki and friends. For the first half of the movie, we are shown recycled scenes (and a few new ones) that took place over the course of the show, but with her added in the background. It is meant to show how the shy Hiyori slowly became to have a romantic crush on Tomoki, as well as reminding us of some of the events of the show. Except most of the actual plot details, including what angeloids are, get skipped, making sense in the context but not making sense for both old and new viewers. It feels much more like looking through an old school yearbook that you can't fully remember: "Hey, remember that?... Those were fun times... I think... I don't remember exactly, but they look fun in the photo!"The new story finally kicks in at the film's halfway point (signaled by a title cared used in the series at the commercial break). Hiyori finally gets the courage to join the "New World Discovery" club to be closer to Tomoki. Except this makes the club officially bigger, which means more work for the professionally lazy Tomoki, so he spends a good chunk of the movie trying to humilate Hiyori in perverted ways to get her to quit. It feels on par with the show's style, but its worst aspect (mean-spirited humor) is the only highlight to look forward to. Eventually, it is revealed that Hiyori is actually an angeloid living a dream to enjoy life among humans, and when she is forced to end the dream, her emotional toll backfires and threatens to destory the town. Of course, these twists are entirely revealed through exposition right at the moments where required, making each plot detail seem more convoluted than the last. This poor script and uneven direction make this a difficult story to salvage.Ultimately, you are getting the equivalent to four new episodes of the show, the first two being recaps of the previous seasons. It's not entirely a waste of time for fans: there are a few fun character moments, and in general, it is fun to see the gang again. The character designs are still solid, although I'd say the animation actually got worse in its attempt to go bigger. The dialogue does briefly reveal an important plot point that was possibly a misinterpretation on my part, but if legitimate, would have significant meaning to the backstory of all the characters in the world. But this is only said in passing and not expanded upon, something that might be kept for another new season or film when the artists feel they are ready to give a proper ending.
So while not entirely lacking in character, "The Angeloid of Clockwork" is exclusive to existing fans, and is also entirely skipable, which is recommended since its best qualities only represent the worst of "Heaven's Lost Property."