I threatened to do this the other night when I instead elected to do a quick and dirty ranking of the original run of Dirty Pair, but now we're gonna go deep on 43 seconds of footage that I lazily captured on my phone (without sound, naturally, because I am too lazy to figure out how to get the damn thing to record sound). Don't worry though, this is all visual storytelling anyway. I have been going back through the tv series in preparation for a thing (the thing is a watchalong podcast that my brother and I decided needed to exist, I will become insufferable about it when it launches, don't worry) and the whole beginning of episode four makes a strong argument for being a great way to quickly establish both the current status quo and also provide insight into the relationship between our two main characters. I'll touch on what leads into this scene briefly but mostly it's just these 43 seconds I'm interested in and, unfortunately, unable to stop thinking about. Meet me under the jump and we'll get into this whole mess.
Before we get to the clip itself, I wanna quickly shout out the way the beginning of the episode sets up both stuff that is going to come into play later on in the episode as well as gives the viewer an update on the status of the reputation of the Lovely Angels: the episode opens with a shot of a construction crew working to repair some of the damage caused by our heroines way back in the first episode. This gives us some important information - namely that the people of the city are now all-too aware of who the Lovely Angels are (though they probably still wouldn't recognize that name, referring to them exclusively as either "those two girls" or "the Dirty Pair." The scene switches to the hallway of Kei and Yuri's apartment building (which is the giant leaning tower that dominates the cityscape) to see some people bitching about how their doors don't close properly anymore (again, blame for this falls on the shoulders of the Lovely Angels) and we see Yuri hustling through the hallway in an attempt to pass by unrecognized. It is likely nobody would have made the connection to her anyway, because she's not wearing her uniform, but she ain't taking any chances.
Then we cut to Kei in the apartment, working on repairing some damage to their own apartment which presumably was also caused by the events of episode one - but she is multitasking by also watching pro wrestling. Then we get the following scene:
The primary reason that Dirty Pair works as well as it does (at least if you're asking me) is because from the first episode it sells you on the way that Kei and Yuri function as a team. They are friends (yes, yes, plenty of people (including myself) can and have mustered a pretty strong argument they are more than friends, but let's just say friends for now), but more than that they are partners who are, as this scene wordlessly demonstrates, completely in sync.
It is obvious from the jump that Kei and Yuri both have their assigned tasks for the day: Yuri went out to get food, Kei stayed in the apartment to work on repairs - hence Yuri's annoyance when her question of whether or not things were fixed is ignored because Kei's been watching this wrestling match (which, because nothing is wasted in this sequence, is actually a plot point that comes back later in the episode). There's also a weariness to Yuri's delivery (okay maybe I should have captured this with sound) when she says "sucked into yet another droll daytime program" that, if Kei were paying attention to anything Yuri's saying, she might take offence to - but she has indeed been sucked into her wrestling match, so the two don't end up swapping insults like they otherwise would.
In spite of her annoyance, however, Yuri tosses Kei an apple (presumably because Kei hasn't eaten anything yet and Yuri knows this and because Yuri cares about Kei and is the one handling food in this instance, she tosses the apple). Kei doesn't even look away from the screen, she just catches the damn thing, because this is an interaction they have probably done a million times before at this point. The Kei and Yuri of the show (and of the books) have known each other for years - they went through school together and they've been roommates (oh my god they were roommates) basically the whole time. So of course Kei doesn't need to look up or even really register there's an apple coming her way, it's just kind of expected. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that both Kei and Yuri are supposed to be pretty competent in terms of physical prowess, so catching an apple without looking isn't the most difficult thing Kei's ever done (certainly not the most difficult thing she'll do during this episode, but I digress).
Then we get the rest of the wrestling match - a match that Kei is extremely invested in, and Yuri could give less of a shit about. This fits with the overall characterization of the two - Kei is generally the more tomboyish in both appearance and action, so obviously if one of them was going to be into pro wrestling it would be her. Yuri is the more traditionally feminine (except for when she isn't, something the show delights in demonstrating now and again) so instead of joining Kei's breathless wrestling watch, she sits down and pulls out a magazine with some cute boy or some shit on the cover. She's finished her task (grocery shopping) so now it's on Kei to finish fixing whatever the hell that panel is. I'll note here that Kei does not do this - though it's not really her fault, the plot demands they leave the apartment pretty shortly after this scene (although maybe if she'd spent more time working and less time watching buff women wrestle she would have).
Then we get to the second demonstration of how much Kei and Yuri are in sync with each other: the match ends, and Kei finishes eating her apple. She tosses it in the general direction of the trash can, trusting that she'll make the shot - and she does! But not because her aim was particularly good - no, it's because Yuri (presumably without looking up from her magazine, because she sure seems focused on it in the next shot) gives the can a little kick to the side, because Yuri knows the exact way in which Kei's aim is always off and makes the necessary adjustment automatically. This, the show is saying, is an interaction these two have all the time, so much so that not only can Kei catch an apple from Yuri without looking, but Yuri can kick a trash can to compensate for Kei's shitty aim without needing to look up and actually track the core's arc. It is a great illustration of their domesticity and the way in which the two are in sync with each other - plus it really must be said they animated the hell out of that trash can. It wobbles (because it's been kicked over there). The animators spent time making sure you fucking noticed this interaction, because this extremely mundane interaction is shining a light on how close these two are. It's their entire relationship encapsulated in forty seconds. Even though Yuri's annoyed that Kei hasn't done her share of the chores yet (fixing the panel) because she's been watching pro wrestling, she nevertheless tosses her an apple because she knows Kei's probably hungry. Then she makes sure that Kei's apple core goes where it's supposed to go - because they're partners, after all. To her credit, Kei goes back to working on the panel once the match is over, although like I said before it ends up not mattering because they get summoned for a mission shortly after this sequence ends (it's fine, Mughi probably completes the repairs while they're out being briefed).
The show is full of these little interactions, but for whatever reason this one has stuck with me. It's probably the mundanity of the interaction - you get a sense of how comfortable the two are with each other, and how in sync they are - all while also introducing some plot elements for the episode that will come up later (the wrestling match). It's good as hell is what it is, a real fucking efficient use of minor interactions that give the viewer a better idea of who these characters are and what they mean to each other. Forty seconds!
Little moments like this in shows - particularly in animated shows, where someone had to put real effort into making them happen - are some of the most delightful things in the world to me, and honestly why I love going back and rewatching shows because I'll let you in on a little secret: I absolutely did not notice Yuri kicking the trash can over the first time I watched this show. You go through again, however, and all sorts of shit will start to pop out at you that you didn't notice before. Anyway, please look forward to hearing me ramble about this on a podcast episode at some point in the next month or something, I am sure you will be just as delighted by it as I am.