I did not realize how late it was when I sat down to start this so good news, it probably means I will do another one of these posts later and this one will not be so goddamn long.
But hey, this past week I finished the original run of Dirty Pair, which spanned a TV series, some OVAs, a couple hour-long specials, and a feature-length release. Which really means I just started with the first part of Dirty Pair Flash today so I wanted to get a couple thoughts about the original down before my fizzing, sparking lump of a brain forgets all about them (unlikely, these are very good and I refuse to forget them).
Since it is past midnight and I probably ought to pretend to be responsible and wake up in time for work tomorrow, here's a quick and dirty ranking of the materials available (after the jump, naturally, because I am a gentleman).
- Dirty Pair (TV series)
Yeah that's right I am giving the top spot to the TV series, what of it? Episode one of the show does an amazing amount of work setting up all you need to know about the Lovely Angels, their alien cat buddy Mughi, the way the cops suck (seriously, the police in Dirty Pair are almost without fail fuckin' awful and generally only show up to make things worse. Truth in fiction, amirite?), and the fact that nobody knows who the fuck the Lovely Angels are (but they know who the Dirty Pair are). It also features a use of Die Walküre that is the best thing since What's Opera, Doc? (plus it functions as a sort of nod to 2001: A Space Odyssey. Believe me when I say this rules extremely hard). It is difficult to pick a favorite episode (maybe I'll do a list of standout episodes later), but honestly just start with the first episode. If that doesn't sell you on it, I honestly don't know what would (episode 3 and episode 8 are also really good, if you just want the Trans Rights episode, it's episode 7 (and kicks ass, for the most part). With the additional two episodes tacked on to the end (released after the actual broadcast run ended), it's really the only thing you Must Watch if you are gonna pick one of these things to watch.
- Dirty Pair (or Dirty Pair 2, as it is sometimes known) (OVA)
The character designs are a little different (I don't think they look quite as good) but it's a good follow-up to the show. Kei and Yuri both get some solid spotlight episodes, and we walk away from the show with a good feeling in our hearts, because the 10th and final episode is possibly the best of the lot. End on a high note! Endings are important! Let your characters ride off into the sunset, and if you can't do it seriously at least make a good joke at the end. This does both, and it was a fun trip. No Nanmo though, which is a bummer - she exists only in the TV series, which is why this is number two and not number one (well, some other reasons too). Anyway, the third episode is a standout because the girls kill god.
- Flight 005 Conspiracy (feature)
The last thing with the original tv series character designs (more or less), it's an okay send-off. You get some gorgeous art and the story has sufficient twists and turns (and also some real impressive explosions). It stumbles at the finish line though! The end is kind of... off, tonally-speaking, which is what kept it from taking the top slot. Oh, and the soundtrack is deeply lacking, which is a shame because every other entry on this list has a kickass soundtrack. Alas, Flight 005's soundtrack sounds like someone fell down in the studio after setting their keyboard to "Sega Genesis" sound font and kept slipping while trying to stand up. There are an okay couple of moments but mostly I just kept thinking "the Chemical Zone music did it better," which is not a thought I should have while watching Dirty Pair, or frankly, ever in my fucking life. Fortunately the story is the best of the feature-length stories, although it's kind of a tossup between this one and...
- Project Eden (theatrical feature)
The only one of these things that isn't in 4:3 and boy howdy it's a gorgeous fucking film. The scenery is amazing, the animation has a bunch of money behind it, and the soundtrack rules. There is a musical stinger that made me bark a laugh like a fuckin' seal, no joke. The plot is solid enough, although if you wanted to criticise it for focusing mostly on Kei and not giving Yuri enough to do, I guess you can make that argument. I think it's good for what it is though, and the finale is action packed and also really lets the girls do what they do best, which is inadvertently become involved in the destabilization of an entire fucking planet. Did I mention it is extremely pretty to look at? You should probably go look at it.
- The Affair of Nolandia (feature)
This is a weird one. The character models look off (they get a redesign that I don't think works very well), and there is some real old-fashioned "well, we're not airing this on TV so throw some tentacles and tits in there for good measure" business that ain't exactly necessary. Plus the whole story is a real downer! Remember how I said Flight 005 Conspiracy has a tonally weird ending? Multiply it by a factor of ten or so and you've got this thing's ending. Not a complete waste of time, but also if anyone ever tells you to use it as someone's introduction to Dirty Pair, get away from them immediately. There's no telling what the fuck they might do next, but it will probably be deeply unpleasant. They'll probably ask you for money or try to kill you or something. I'm being hyperbolic here, but seriously, this one is the least enjoyable. That said, I do like some parts of it! There's a whole sequence that is just Kei and Yuri dicking around in the jungle and that's fun, plus there's some real Space Marine-looking motherfuckers that show up for a little bit to get completely owned by local wildlife. While the character redesigns don't really hit for me, everything else looks pretty fucking good. Oh, and Yuri displays a level of cardiovascular fitness that is frankly uncanny in this thing. It's wild. Not the best (the worst, in fact), but still a decent watch.
Anyway, I was originally going to just go hard on this one interaction from episode four of the tv series but I thought "it's late, a numbered list will not take that long" and now it is... closer to 1 am than it strictly ought to be, so fuck me I guess.
Gonna have so many more words about Dirty Pair floating around soon enough, don't you fret. I realize this sounds like a threat, and that is because it is, motherfucker.