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!
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