Original Dirty Pair, Vol. 3: Project Eden (1987)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Original Story by Haruka Takachiho
Screenplay by Hiroyuki Hoshiyama
Directed by Kouichi Mashimo
Music by Kenzou Shimura

Dindrane's Anime Warnings:

• Extremely unladylike poses
• Minor nudity
• Lots o' violence and fighting
• Mildly scary monsters
• Crazy scientists

Released by: ADV
Region: 1
Rating: 15+
Anamorphic: Yes.

My Advice: DP fans will want to own it.

The Lovely Angels are back with a new adventure, and this time, a full-length movie addition to their police career. We join Kei and Yuri as they are trying to finish a sting on some Vizorium smugglers; after the usual collateral damage and wise-cracks, we move to a massive refinery on the planet Agerna, where one refinery faction is about to destroy another. Given that what this planet is refining is Vizorium, the Dirty Pair is sent in to this hot political situation and manage to end up almost immediately in a fight with their government contact. It seems a mad scientist is determined to bring an ancient alien race to their ultimate evolutionary form, and use them to take over the universe. After a whole lotta destruction, gun-fighting, some WWII wine, smart-aleck comments, and maybe even a little detective work, Yuri and Kei again get their man.

Dirty Pair has always been unabashed about its fan service, but even the sexiest of costumes are worth little if the plots stink. You can see panties and jubblies just about anywhere in anime, after all, so the producers have to give us something else to keep us entertained. Luckily, what they give us is not hentai nudity, but clever, fun dialogue and a genuinely engrossing friendship to watch. Yuri and Kei both have distinct personalities and play off of each other beautifully. The show deserves more credit for its freshness and genuinely solid writing, but of course, it was never meant to be taken all that seriously. This is perhaps not the best DP offering, but it's still lots of fun and a nice introduction to the team.

The features list is very short: nothing. We get some trailers of other ADV releases, all of which seem interesting, but nothing related to this show. It would have been nice to have had some outtakes, maybe a list of all the DP movies, even some interviews with cast and crew, Japanese or English. At least it's not in a cardboard case.

The sound and visuals are both good. The colors are crisp and saturated, without be overly bright or smudgy. The sound is great, and while the Japanese cast is perhaps a bit more skilled than the English one, if you aren't used to listening to English dubs, give this one a chance. Don't be a snob without reason.

If you enjoy comedies and action flicks, then this one's for you. As long as you can maintain a sense of humor and put aside your feminist PC agenda long enough to just laugh, then you should enjoy Project Eden. And, if nothing else, bear in mind these Lovely Angels are smart, competent, and even if they destroy a few buildings here and there, they always get their man.