Review: Dirty Pair Flash 1-6 (Mission 1)

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

Fall 2010 Season Review

I won't lie. I had really low expectations for this season after the crapfest known as Summer 2010. As such, I wasn't expecting much from the fall shows. Man, oh man. I would be proven wrong in a heartbeat. I ended up finishing 4 series this fall, out of 7 that I started. Not too bad, if I do say so myself.

It was certainly progressive, but I initially picked up a single show: Shinryaku! Ika Musume. I think I can safely say it was the best show of the season. The mix of gag comedy and heartwarming moments created a unique show, without creating extreme mood whiplash.



The other 2 shows I picked up shortly after starting Ika Musume were MM! and The World God Only Knows. I would be sorely disappointed by MM! in the end, but TWGOK was a unique show with a character-heavy plot. That is, it was divided into "character arcs" of 2 to 3 episodes each.

The last show I picked up, about halfway through the season, and finished was Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt. This show was... unique, to say the least. The characters were bizarre, as was the premise: a sex-craving slut and a sugar-addicted goth loli come to the surface world to fight Ghosts. Did I mention that these two are angels?

As great as this season was, there were a few disappointments. One was My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute, or OreImo for short. A mid-season pick up, I enjoyed the show at first, before one of the characters started to get on my nerves. I ended up not finishing OreImo, dropping it after 10 episodes.

Another disappointment was the aforementioned MM!. A show about sadomasochism? Well, I like twisted humor, so sign me up! This was another show I enjoyed at first. Unfortunately, the show started to derail into a cliched romantic comedy, even putting in the Pocky kissing game.



There were 2 other show I started, but did not finish: Star Driver, and Princess Jellyfish. I didn't watch enough to really get interested, so I can't give an honest opinion here.

All in all, a great season. Winter looks to be pretty good. Expect reviews of Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica throughout winter season, as well as a review of Dirty Pair Flash, when ever the last tape decides to come.

Winter 2011 Season Preview

Well, fall season's already almost over. Guess time flies when you're actually watching anime, eh? Of course, the end of fall means winter season's right around the corner. Let's see what's in store for the holidays!

Winter seems to be a mix of new shows and continuing shows. Among the continuing shows are Kimi ni Todoke (2nd season), Suite Precure (8th season in the franchise), and Mitsudomoe (2nd season). New shows include Beelzebub, Is This A Zombie?. OVAs and Specials include Queen's Blade, and MM!: SS!, a set of 6 DVD specials that I had considered watching initially, but given the recent developments, or lack thereof, in the MM! anime, I will not be watching them.

Wandering Son, looking at the description, looks rather interesting. A feminine boy sits next to a boyish girl. Sounds like a comedy to me, so I'll add it tentatively. Another interesting (for me, at least) show is Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, a magical girl anime about a girl who can grant wishes. Hmmm... Animated by Studio SHAFT...

Speaking of Crunchyroll, I'll wait to see what they pick up. After all, they have 3 of the 4 shows I'm watching this fall.

I have Dirty Pair Flash coming on VHS by the new year. I'm likely to review it, so stay tuned!

Otaku in Review
Winter 2011 chart