Three hot teenage women and a young girl are mercenaries who recruit a weak boy to cook for them. They are built to kill and also have one of the most bad-ass Mechs around. Ban Lie is the organization they work for and they have all kinds of wild times killing crazy human monsters or other Mechs controlled by shiny, glowing monster brains. What is really going on? I don't know, but it looks great on Blu-ray.
Highlights:
Burst Angel is fast furious and yes, there is plenty of fan service here. The future of Tokyo is very much post-apocalyptic in this very lively show. The RAPT has taken control of Tokyo and there seems to be a hidden force that is bubbling up with the glowing brains and crazy human monsters. Jo, the bad ass gun slinger of the bunch, also has a hidden secret that is finally revealed. It explains a lot, but the fact is that she is tough and all about the smack down. It is fun to watch these women go about their business, but what is their business? The premise is that they work for Ban Lie, which is run by Sei's grandfather… or is it? He foots the bill and Sei is the ring leader anyway. She gets all the jobs and pays all the bills. She is also the mother figure for these young ladies.
I would have to say that my favorite episode was mid-way through the series where Amy, the 11 year old computer genius, goes out on the town and takes the wimpy boy cook, Kyohei, with her. Amy takes Kyohei to the world of the geek and gets sucked into the cyber world's dark place, where some cyber punks try to get her to join them in a new way of life. She is not too hip on changing her existence and becoming an android or cyberbot or some hybrid creature, so Kyohei steps up and saves her, and in doing so helps prove that he can be more than just a wimpy cook.
Overall:
From the opening tract to the last episode, I found Burst Angel to be very entertaining and lively. The one area that I feel they could have lightened up on was the Fan Service. All too often the panty shot ruled. It became distracting at times. Although the action was over the top, the CG was so well done that the mech battles were outstanding, and many of the gun fights were some of the best I've seen. I cannot go so far as to put the CG at the same level as Final Fantasy, but it was some of the better work I've seen come out of Gonzo Studio. The plot was strong enough to carry the 24 episodes and the OVA. The character development was slow to come but, it did come and by the end of the series I felt as though I understood the main cast. The animation was bright and colorful, which was deserving of being reworked into Blu-ray. The images popped and made the experience even better.
Much of what was offered up in this show came across as an American western, or maybe even one of those now infamous Spaghetti Westerns Clint Eastwood is famous for making. FUNimation even went so far as to make characters from Osaka sound like they were from the deep south in America. I found that comical and somewhat odd. I am sure that people from Osaka do not have the same dialect as those from Tokyo but it was still very odd.
Extras
This Blu-ray set came with a lot of extras. From the OVA to several interviews to a great set of battles from all 24 episodes. I am impressed with the overall quality provided. The OVA was a nice bonus, it was a historical look at the two main characters, Jo and Meg. It brought a little bit of their relationship and history together into perspective but was also exciting and packed with action. The best was the Battle Record of all 24 episodes, it was worth the time to go through the list and enjoy the recap. There was also a piece called the Light & Dark of Jo, which was a montage of different scenes depicting the different modes of Jo. The funny thing is that Jo is a very monotone character and it had more to do with those around her. There is also a very entertaining commentary with the four english actresses and voice director talking over the final episode. It was funny to hear them talk about the characters and add a little humor to the somewhat melancholy ending. The soundtrack was also good enough for it to be worthy of a mention. For all you action and adventure fans, you need to check this one out.
ComicsOnline gives Burst Angel: The Complete Series on Blu-ray a 4.5 out of 5 Pâtissiers.
