Review: Dirty Pair: Affair of Nolandia

As a followup to my previous Dirty Pair review, I present Dirty Pair: Affair of Nolandia. This particular OVA covers the Lovely Angels' first mission. They are instructed to find a murderer while searching for a missing girl, aptly named Missinie. While better than the previous OVA, it still left much to be desired.



One of the first things I noticed was that the mood was not quite as dark as Flight 005 Conspiracy was, but it was still rather serious. Yuri was noticeably more serious, almost out of character, but she also had a more action-centric role than usual. As always, the original seiyuu reprised their roles for these OVAs, which is much-appreciated, I'm sure, by many fans.

I felt that the seriousness of the OVA distracted me from the plot a bit. Dirty Pair shouldn't be this serious, although it was quite a bit more lighthearted than the previous OVA. However, the plot was neither rushed, nor dragged along, with convincing plot twists to keep me interested. Additionally, the plot was very hard to read.

The visuals were pleasing, living up to the crisp animation quality of the series. This OVA was a bit more fearless about pushing the limits of the characters' bodies, going so far as to, at least to me, imply that Kei dreamed about getting tentacle raped, a scene I found rather disturbing. However, one scene rarely hurts the image of an entire feature.



Overall, the feature was definitely better than Flight 005 Conspiracy, addressing most everything I mentioned in my review of that OVA. The way Yuri was portrayed (very serious, and a bit of an action girl) made me wonder what happened after that mission that made her so girly. Crisp animation, deep dialogue, and Mughi actually being useful (sort of) made for a good watch. I would recommend this OVA to even casual Dirty Pair fans. I give this one a 4 out of 5.

Review: Dirty Pair: Flight 005 Conspiracy

Among one of my current favorites right now is the Dirty Pair franchise. Despite what the name may make you think of, it is NOT a porno. Instead, it's an 80s sci-fi cop-buddy anime. In particular, it follows the story of Kei and Yuri, 2 "Trouble Consultants" for the World Work and Welfare Association, or 3WA for short. Kei and Yuri will get the job done, though they have a knack for creating mass collateral damage.

The Dirty Pair franchise consists of a 24-episode TV series, several OVAs, and a full-length movie. This review is on one of the OVAs, Flight 005 Conspiracy. One of the first things I noticed about this particular OVA was the darker tone of the feature. Having only seen part of the TV series, this threw me off. Instead of the light-hearted comedy and action from the TV series, a noticeably darker motif was present.

Flight 005, a space liner, is mysteriously destroyed, apparently killing 300 passengers and 10 crew members. Naturally, the 3WA is called in to investigate, sending the Lovely Angels, better known by their nickname, the Dirty Pair. There's a twist, though. At the same time, Kei and Yuri must investigate a scientist gone missing. Can the Dirty Pa- er, Lovely Angels handles 2 cases at once?

I can't say I loved this particular installment in the franchise. While it had the action (and property damage) that I've come to expect, it was far too dark and serious to be worth re-watching. Also, the OVA spent far too much time getting Kei and Yuri into place to advance the plot along. Overall, though, the animation was decent (for 1990, anyway.), and the original voice actors came back for this one.

Taking everything into consideration, I'd rate this a 3.25/5. As I mentioned, too dark and serious to merit rewatching. As much as I like Dirty Pair, this was likely the low point for the franchise. At least, before Dirty Pair Flash. Makes me wonder what to expect from Affair of Nolandia...