Anyone who has/had taken a huge interest into anime as I did had at least heard of the Dirty Pair series and films. I never took the time to find these tapes since the preview before Akira's Orion Home Video release didn't leave a good impression of the films which may had prevented me from trying to find out how good the series truly was. Since it's now pretty difficult to just go to Suncoast to find these videos, I figured I had to give ADV Films release of Flash a chance. At the time, I felt it was worth it since I needed a hyper, gun toting chick anime and Burn-Up X hadn't come out yet.
Sadly, I'd say 2 years removed, this series is pretty forgetable. It is not a knock on the animation, but it just does not stand out as a tease anime. Any incarnation of Burn-Up can do a better job at keeping one's attention, and with the release of the Kite franchise, you don't need humor to have hyper action. Again, I hadn't gotten around to the original franchise (and I had the chance when ADV got the rights), so I don't want to discourage anyone from exploring this universe. This is a series that just didn't stand out to me.Runaway Angel
The head of the 3WA cannot stand the responsibility that is put on his shoulders by the new Lovely Angels Yuri, a trouble consultant who misses work 74% of the time for dates, and Kei, an officer on her fourth probation due to her temper and violent tendencies. For these two, it's another normal day off just being glad to have a salary instead of wages until a dying man gives Yuri a card that has to be taken to the 3WA. Yuri and the reluctant Kei must now avoid the police, incompetent hoodlums, and being seen in torn up (and revealing) clothing to get this card to headquarters.
What a way to open a series. They take a simple concept, and successfully use it for a half hour of material. Like Burn-Up W, this series is based on another generation/incarnation of characters and that usually seems to work. I still wonder how anime can do this so well.
The main characters do seem a little overly mean to each other, but you can't help liking them for their quirks. All the action is executed well, so for what this episode was, you can't get much better. Technically, it looks a lot better that the original DP's animation and art. With a good sound track, this is what I call high quality anime.
Darkside Angel
Being a little too over confident with air port security, Kei inadvertently lets the body she was guarding get killed. The two give chase after the assassin who eventually gets the best of the Lovely Angels, but spares their lives. Surprisingly, the assassin is captured by the military police. Kei smells a rat, and despite Yuri's objections, Kei is preparing for round two.
This episode gives us some great insight into how the main characters think, and the assassin is far more interesting than one would think. The episode does feel rather slow moving though which is probably due to saving most of the action until the end. It makes the episode seem overly serious. Fortunately, seeing the full violent power of the angels make this episode worth seeing.
Dirty Pair Flash © Takachiho & Studio Nue - Sunrise
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