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| Rent |
 Stretch
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[series:913#628] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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I like this show! Somewhere I stumbled across a lukewarm review of Burst Angel, and thought I'd give it a try. After finishing volume 1, I wasn't sure what to think. This show doesn't give you much background--who are these girls? Bounty Hunters? Mercenaries? Vigilantes? How did they come together? Where did they get "Jango" and the money to operate it? Why should I sympathize with them? They sort of remind me of the Knight Sabers, except, of course, they are far less reluctant to reveal their identities (and certain other aspects of themselves). Jeez, they must be confident, because their costumes are a virtual invitation to molesters. I most like Joe, the mysterious and highly dangerous girl who has suffered some sort of memory loss, but remains fiercely loyal to her best friend, Meg. I think that Kyouhei seems to have been tacked on to make this a quasi-harem show. All sorts of weird stuff is going on in the Japan of the not-too-distant-future, and, like I said, the show doesn't provide many explanations. This can get frustrating and confusing, but I think at times it can also lend a certain charm to the show. Since you don't really know what's going on, just sit back and enjoy the ride. The girls battle giant robots, mutants, "cyberoids", a sea monster, a zombie mecha, a giant robotic crow--there's no end to it. The makers of this show must have done something right, because this was one of the shows I most looked forward to watching more of. I especially liked Episode 10, in which Amy (who another critic described as "the obligatory pedo bait") takes Kyouhei to visit the Akihabara of the future. The wacky cyber-adventure they experience seemed like a comic version of Ghost in the Shell. This is definitely my favorite episode so far--or something like that. Also good was the episode in which the team visits an amusement park on an artificial island. The animation is kickassical when Jango is in action (I think he's named after the spaghetti western "Django"). I thought the OP song started off in a cool, exciting way (especially the bullet-between-your-eyes sequence)--then it seemed that the composer couldn't think of all that good a way to end it. That is, it skillfully grabs your attention at the start, but couldn't let go of it with the same finesse at the end; still, I like it. It's a little known fact that rap music was actually invented in Japan :P I was hoping the show wouldn't try to get too dramatic towards the end, because I was enjoying the silly mishmash of improbable adventures. Actually, a more-or-less plausible explanation comes together towards the end, and I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe I should have seen it coming, but the revelation of Joe's origins seemed pretty cool to me. I don't exactly get the angsty business between Joe and Meg in the final episode (what was the deal with the very last clip of Meg and the red mecha?), but the bad guys got blown to hell, so I'm satisfied. I showed a couple episodes of Bakuretsu Tenshi to a friend who normally has little interest in anime, and he liked it. I think the key to enjoying this show is to not take it particularly seriously. I think this series will be worth rewatching someday. Don't miss Joe's montage at the Cute Girls with Guns page. My favorite line: "...or something like that" --Cyber Geek Catch Jo's montage at the Cute Girls with Guns page! Last updated Wednesday, March 17 2021. Created Monday, April 17 2006. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Buy | 9 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 |
 Destiny's Quill
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[series:913#2130] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Burst Angel is entirely underated. I blame it on bad advertising. At first glance, or when you watch the trailer, it seems like a really bad attempt at an anime western. I was more than a little afraid and was wondering what on earth was going through Funimations head. However, I gave it a chance and bought a used copy. Much to my surprise, the series is really worth seeing. Granted, it seems a lot like Kiddy Grade, but after the first few episodes it becomes its own show. The animation and art are of course top notch. The only problem that I have with the character design is the outfits, which could stand to be a little less revealing on the bodies of the well-endowed girls.
The action of the series is pretty sweet. The gun battles are always entertaining and Jo never fails to provide a good show with her amazig fighting skills. Meg, by the way is close to useless in battle, which by default makes her the damsel in distress about 90% of the time. You get used to it, and the fact that Jo is the only one who can really fight of the main characters. Kyohei the chef is an all but useless character. The only time he ever has a use is when he accidentaly gets involved with one of the girls jobs (see episode 1).
All in all, the characters, while some may be shallow, are amusing. Jo is my personal favorite since she causes the most trouble but seems to be the most far-removed from it all, and whether that is because of something in her past or that is just simply the way she is, I guess we will have to wait and see. Meg is pretty cliche, and depending on your point of view, can be quite annoying. Amy is a brat, but has some fun moments. Sei, well she is the levelheaded one and always seems to be scheming in the background.
The series doesnt appear to have an overarching storyine at first, but it starts to form in mid-series episodes, after a number of subplots that "fill in the bigger picture". Each episode (or set of two or three episodes) however, does suceed in having self-contained stories that eventually do play into the bigger picture, in addition to be fun to watch. The episodes tend to fly by, especially when they are two parters.
Burst Angel isn't the greatest series ever made (and it isnt the worst, or even close), but it is certainly worth watching all the way through, if for nothing more than action packed fun. Personaly, I think it is worth buying at least one volume and watching the rest. Don't go into watching this series expecting a philosopical wonder in a futuristic world, if you want that, RahXephon is usually farther down the isle. And the girls with real issues are in Noir, which isnt are far away.
Last updated Saturday, November 26 2005. Created Saturday, November 26 2005. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rent |
 Forbin
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[series:913#1573] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
All Episodes Watched Complete Review First, this came from a very Yuri manga. Gonzo toned down the yuri overtones, Meg and Jo share a platonic yuri relationship. This was pretty good. Funi did a great job of dubbing using the Kiddy Grade cast. Can you imagine that Jo is Lumiere? (Maria is Eclair but Maria doesn't show up until 18 or so) That boggles the mind. The opening Jpop song is nice. The ED is just some instrumental. The CG Gonzo uses for Jango is very good. The weapons are drawn to nice detail. The girls are drawn to nice detail (hehe). For a Yuri/ecchi rich manga, the anime is surprisingly low on both. The mangaka must've been pissed. Hehe So where did this anime go wrong? Well that's easy. PLOT. For 18 episodes you get about 15 seconds of plot. Then for the last 6 episodes they go and pull a  Noir type plot where there is some secret society that is trying to take over the world (/YAWN). Like I haven't seen that one before. That was a lame plot. They might as well used clones (Hold it, they DID use clones!) Well not real copy clones but close enough.The ending was one of those thinking endings. Who's still around? Why does Meg do that at the end? Questions, Questions. That can't be Gonzo, they don't do that, they usually finish it. Must be the Mangaka. So if the ending wasn't so lame I would've marked this a buy, but the ending was that lame (and not in the  Scryed lame. The lameness is part of the original script. Hence it gets a rent.You like Chicks with Guns and Robots? You will like this. Last updated Monday, February 20 2006. Created Sunday, July 17 2005. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Watch | 8 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 4 |
 Ian
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[series:913#1768] | |||||||||||||||||||
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This was an interesting anime to watch. The art was, for the most part, very impressive. The animation was a fuse of 2D/3D and worked very well. The Characters all had distinct backgrounds and motives, both of which were fleshed out as the story progressed. The music is, in my opinion, top notch. If anything, just go out and buy the soundtrack, or watch the anime for the music (and fight scenes, and fan service - because it's full of that) alone. The story is tough to review, since it starts out rather well and builds so much towards the end that you have no idea how they're going to wrap it up in one episode... until you realize that they cut every loose end instead of tie them up. Overall: If you watch this, don't expect a satisfying ending. Last updated Tuesday, January 04 2005. Created Tuesday, January 04 2005. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other Sites
| Name | URL |
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| Series Web Site | http://www.baku-ten.com/ |
| Funimation (R1 English) web site | http://funimation.com/burstangel/ |
