It's no secret that I'm a moderate Dirty Pair fan. But given the age of the series, finding it on physical media is tough. I was fortunate enough to come across Dirty Pair Flash Mission 1 on VHS, though.
Flash is a 1994 reboot of the Dirty Pair franchise, featuring alternate versions of Kei, Yuri, Mughi, and the 3WA. I'm personally not a big fan of reboots, but I was pleasantly surprised by Flash. The excellent animation and great voice-acting made up for the alternate personalities.
Mission 1 has the Lovely Angels chasing down a woman named Lady Flair, although she is not shown in the first 2 episodes. While different, Flair was a decent foe for Kei and Yuri, who, as always, have their own squabbles. Along the way, Kei quits the 3WA, but comes back later.
What set Flash apart from the 1985 TV series was the presence of a running plot, something the '85 series did not have. Across 6 episodes, Kei and Yuri hunt down Lady Flair and stop a madman from conquering the galaxy. A bit cliche, but add the Dirty Pair's destructive nature in, and you have a fresh story.
Overall, I enjoyed Mission 1 of Dirty Pair Flash. The quirky humor that I've come to expect from the franchise was present. While it had its flaws, they weren't big enough to detract from the series. Not a must-watch, but you'd be missing out as a fan of the franchise if you didn't.
Episode 1-6:
Plot Advancement: 4/5
Comedy: 1.5/5
Characters: 4/5
Episode Plot: 3.5/5
Overall: 3/5
I remember buying Missions 2 and 3 on VHS about 13 years ago. Dirty Pair Flash was a good OVA. I agree that often reboots are not the greatest, but this was a decent series and was still pretty entertaining to watch.
ReplyDelete