Burn Up Review

Merry Christmahannakwanzaa! With all of the holiday happenings going on in my family, I almost forgot to do a second review. Luckily, there was a lull in the festivities, and I managed to watch my copy of Burn Up, another one of those sleeper hits most anime fans may not know about. So, here for you is my review of Burn Up.

Directed by Yasunori Ide way back in 1991, it was dubbed and released in the U.S. in 2005 by ADV Films (R.I.P.) then re-released in 2009 by Sentai Filmworks, Burn Up tells the tale of Team Warrior, a high-end SWAT team within the Japanese police. Lead by the blonde and buxom Maki, Team Warrior takes the assignments that the regular police can't do. With the rise of young women being kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery, Team Warrior is alerted to these crimes by the kidnapping of one of their own. After strapping up, they come to the rescue, and look good while doing the rescuing.

There are some strong positives in Burn Up, and the first is that it's very easy to find. Although I got my copy from a two-for-one deal (see my Plastic Little review), new & used copies of the dvd are rather plentiful. Used copies of the 2005 version are relatively common, while the 2009 version is especially common. The DvD's are also cheap, as used copies of the 2005 version start at $3.07, while the 2009 version cost $8.26. The newer version is a little more expensive, but it isn't that extreme, so you're getting a good product either way.

Burn Up's second positive is the sheer cheesiness of it all. Trust me, if you haven't watched this show, you won't understand. Since this was done in 91, there's still a little bit of a 80s vibe to everything. There's a club in the middle of the show, complete with flashing lights and people dressed up in clothes that looked like they were ripped from a rainbow on acid. Not only that, but Burn Up also manages to take a stab or two at popular culture, with a Rambo poster in an alleyway, and a game called Quest Dragon (a spoof on Dragon Quest) being advertised at the halfway point in the show. Burn Up even feels like one of those buddy cop shows that were popular in the 80s, but with three main characters instead of two.

The length of Burn Up is the 3rd positive. Just like Plastic Little, this show is 50 minutes long, and can pretty much be watched in one sitting. Also like Plastic Little, the story fits within the allotted time, despite some of it's problems.

Burn Up's 4th positive are the main characters. As I typed earlier, Maki is the leader of Team Warrior. She blonde, stacked, and beats the crap out of guys who hit on her (then complains why guys won't get near her), yet she suffers few of the stereotypical traits associated with blonde characters, and is actually quite smart. However, to be the leader of a team you have to have partners, and that's where Yuka and Reimi come in. Yuka is Team Warrior's computer expert, and happens to be as cute as a button, and has a attitude to match. Reimi is the gadget master of the team, and she always has some kind of gizmo with her at all times. Towards the end of the show, one of her devices breaks, and she goes apeshit in what is perhaps one of the funniest moments in Burn Up.

The 5th & final positive of Burn Up is it's melding of action, comedy, and science fiction. The comedy portion of the show is pretty much between Maki, Yuka, and Reimi. It seems like they've known each other for a long time, and because of this they often seems to know what the other is going to do, resulting in some of the funniest scenes in anime. The action's pretty awesome as well, consisting of some gun battles and high-speed chases. At times the comedy and action mix, such as moment when Reimi's gadget breaks. That leads to the science fiction parts of the show. The Sci Fi in Burn Up is composed of Team Warrior's equipment, and just the general vibe of the show. The Science Fiction isn't as prevalent as one might think, but it's definitely in there, and in the right places as well.

The positives were all well and good, but now it's time to look at the negatives. Luckily, there's only two bad things about the show. The first is the voice acting, and here's where it gets strange.

Usually, I praise a show's dubbing, but I have a hard time doing so in this instance. Some of the voice acting is actually really good, especially when it comes to the main characters. As for the other characters, that all depends. Some of then do a fair job, while others don't seem to give it their all, and at least one or two characters sound boring.

Secondly, the story is predictable. It's not quite as predictable as Plastic Little, but it's close. It's a real shame, cause there is a surprise or two in Burn Up that you won't see coming. I swear that Burn Up must be a story that Satoshi Urushihara worked on, but didn't want to animate, so he sent it to someone else to do.

Burn Up gets a 8.5 out of 10. It's plentiful and cheap, the cheese factor is high, the length of the show is easy to take & digest, the main characters are sexy & smart, and the mix of genres is well done, but the voice acting can flop at times, and it has a predictable story.

See you all next year. Until then, stay Otaku!

Plastic Little: The Adventures of Captain Tita Review

Happy early December! It's pretty cold where I am. A few trees were down along the roads, and there's a good chunk of snow on the ground. However, I got a review that'll warm up just the right type of person. So, without further delays, here's a review for Plastic Little: The Adventures of Captain Tita.

Originally created by Satoshi Urushihara back in March of 1994, and released on DVD by ADV Films (R.I.P.) back on February 5, 2002, Plastic Little: The Adventures of Captain Tita tells the story of Captain Tita Mu Koshigaya. She and her crew make their living aboard the Cha-Cha Maru as pet shop hunters (people who go out, find animal and whatnot, and sell them) in the cloud sea on the planet Letta. Tita does some shopping for her crew in the streets, when a blonde girl by the name of Elysse Aldo Mordish runs into her. Elysse is on the run from the military, and to tell you more would ruin the story. Suffice it to say, running into Elysse triggers a whole chain of events that draw Tita and her crew into perhaps the greatest adventure of their lives.

As usual, I'm gonna list all the positives & negative, but I have a different kind of positive that, to my knowledge, haven't done yet. What new kind of positive, do you ask? Well, just take a look below and see.

Plastic Little's first positive is Satoshi Urushihara. Satoshi is a very legendary artist and illustrator in Japan, having worked of famous titles like Legend of Lemnear, Another Lady Innocent (a very well-done hentai title), and many others. Mr. Urushihara has a very distinct animation style that is easily recognizable (more on that in a little bit), and is known for his use of fan service (Yuri is common among some of the things he's worked on) when it's needed. In short, Satoshi Urushihara is a saint among anime directors.

Another positive of Plastic Little is it's visuals. About the only thing I can say is that this show is f@#$ing gorgeous! The environments look awesome, the animation looks awesome, and the characters look awesome! In particular, the girls (at least the main character girls) look especially awesome. Mr. Urushihara takes careful steps to make his girls look absolutely lovely. When you see one of his female characters naked, you'll never forget the image of their bodies. Trust me when I say that you'll jump at the screen when uncovered breasts appears. Even the eyes are captivating, as their particular shape & size seem to captivate somehow.

Plastic Little's 3rd positive is the voice acting. The english dub is very good, with staple voice actors such as Amanda Winn-Lee, Marcy Rae, and Tiffany Grant breathing life into the characters. It should be noted that most of Tita's crew speak with a Russian accent, despite their Japanese names. Even the one black character has a Russian accent, and I swear to the anime lords above that he's voiced by the guy that did Keitaro Oe in Goldenboy. The only characters (among the good guys) that don't have a Russian accent is Tita, and Elysse, even though she has a British accent.

The 4th positive of Plastic Little is how long it is. At 50 minutes, it's makes for a great viewing with friends one afternoon. Though normally I tend to criticize shorter shows, for some reason this show's length seems to suit it. It even manages to fit the story (more on that later) into it's entire viewing time without leaving many plotholes. I've watched this in one sitting, and I'm sure that most of you will too.

The final positive of Plastic Little is the price. Despite it's availability (more on that in a bit), you don't necessarily have to pay a pretty penny to enjoy this show. New copies range from a little over 6 dollars, and extend into the 20 dollar range. Used copies are much cheaper, as they usually cost from 2 dollars to 5 dollars. Either way, you're making a good purchase, especially if you buy your copy used.

Now that the positive are out of the way, it's time to see what keeps Plastic Little from rising up to become a full-blown anime legend. There are some pretty significant weights on this show, and the first is the story.
Despite this show being a edge-of-your-seat thrill ride that's enhanced with humor & fan service, the story is rather standard. A lot of what will happen can be easily predicted by observant viewers, and the ending is pretty standard as well. Not to disappoint you, but if you were expecting this one thing to happen, you may cry.

Secondly & final, Plastic Little can be kinda hard to find, and this is one of those rare circumstances that may cause you to look somewhere else besides Amazon. That's where I got my copy, so I'll stick with it.

Anyway, I got my copy in a two-for-one package (the other title was Burn Up, which I'll review soon), but individual copies are a little difficult to find. There's 6 new copies of the 2002 version, and only 2 copies of the 2004 remastered edition. Luckily, there are plenty used copies of the 2002 version, and a handful of the 2004 version. Like I said above, the used copies cost anywhere from 2 dollars to 5 dollars, and a purchase won't punch your wallet in the private area.

Plastic Little: The Adventure of Captain Tita gets a 8 out of 10. Satoshi Urushihara wrote & directed this, it looks absolutely stunning, the voice acting is top notch, the length of time makes for a great way to kill a afternoon, and the cost isn't a burden, but the story is rather weak, and finding a copy can be trouble.


I'll see you later this month, when I'll put up a review for Burn Up. Until then, stay Otaku!