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Title: Burst Angel vol 4 - Hired Gun
UK Distributor:
MVM (DVD Only)
BBFC Certificate: TBA
Suggested Retail Price (SRP): £19.99
Episodes: 13-16 (of 24)
Audio Options: English 5.1 & Japanese 2.0
Subtitles: English
Reviewer: Rich (Webmaster)
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I’ve got to admit that Burst Angel
has thrown me a little lately. To start with it was a an action packed drama
with a great futuristic setting and some cool characters, but somewhere along
the lines it started to focus more on ‘fanservice’ and lost the element of
seriousness it once had.
This time round we return to Osaka where the beleaguered Hanshin Police Force –
along with Jo, Meg, Amy and Sei – attempt to retain their autonomy and defend
their city. The corrupt national force RAPT is trying to bring them down so they
can take over the region, but the legendarily no-nonsense Osakans are having
none of it, and will fight tooth and nail to keep their identity. So after
fighting in Osaka where next but the obligatory swimming pool episode? Yes, a
gratuitous excuse for skimpy swimsuits to show off the Burst Angel girls’
charms (which seem to have swelled considerably for this volume…) with a daft
subplot about a giant squid, so it is thankful that things take a more
interesting turn for the last two episodes on the disc. We finally get to see a
glimpse into Meg and Jo’s past, in which a raven-haired Meg is the eldest member
of a group of homeless orphans. They find Jo unconscious in a river, but get
more than they bargained for when they take her in and a super-powered soldier
comes looking for her. Back in the present Jo starts suffering flashbacks and
ends up battling an unknown adversary in the deep forests around Tokyo, what is
the enemy she is facing, and why does it have this effect on her? Also where the
hell did the silent samurai and ancient Japanese village come from??
As you can tell things have changed a lot from the start of the series, and
because I was really taken with the series at the start I must admit I find this
more than a little frustrating. Originally the focus was on RAPT, the
paramilitary police force which seems to be rotten to the core, and its secret
agendas. The story was intriguing and seemed to avoid a lot of the usual
trappings of the ‘girls with guns’ genre, whilst the music and animation was
excellent. But the plot drifted away from the RAPT storyline, and in many ways
the series has become a lot more generic.
There are still plenty of good aspects though, the music in particular is one of
the series’ strongest areas and the action scenes are great. The flashback
episodes on this disc are pretty good too, and I especially like the fact that
you see Meg doing stuff (makes a change from her constantly being kidnapped),
and the moments with the silent samurai are quietly reflective. It’s always good
fun, and Jo is a really cool character – in fact most of the best stuff comes
from episodes she is in so the fact that they are delving into her past can only
be a good thing. However, there are problems too.
All series – anime or otherwise – create their own boundaries simply by the
setting and focus of the story. In this way any amount of cyborgs and
battletanks are fine in Ghost in the Shell (for example) but if a wizard
dropped in on Section 9 and started tossing spells about it just wouldn’t work. In the same way gigantic squid, ghostly flashbacks and mutated monsters seem a
bit out of place in Burst Angel. In the last couple of volumes it has
frequently teetered on the edge of its own standards of believability, adding
some supernatural aspects that seem to be out of kilter with the rest of the
series. There is also the problem that Meg doesn’t seem to have any skills. She
seems to be little more than a liability (something this volume tries to
address, but with only partial success) and Kohta – who at the start was our
window into the characters – has become utterly peripheral, appearing only
occasionally and seemingly as comic relief.
I do still have a soft spot for the series, the action is great, the designs are
excellent, the music is superb and the story seems to be picking up again
towards the end of this volume. However, I must admit I have been disappointed
that it couldn’t keep the quality of the first volume going. Instead of having a
defined story arc Burst Angel vol 4 shows signs that the series is being
made up as it goes along and the flashback episodes cut short before showing
where Jo came from, how she came to join Bailin and why they accepted the pretty
useless Meg. It is still enjoyable and action packed, and some of the added
comedy works well – particularly the bike gangs, stallholders and transvestites
defending Osaka – but the more intriguing story is hiding in the background and
anachronistic elements are sneaking in. I expect better from Burst Angel
and there are signs that the next volume may deliver, but sadly this volume is
frustratingly average.
Extras:
As with the previous volumes Burst Angel
vol 4 contains a commentary track for one episode from the show's US dub
staff alongside the usual clean opening and ending sequences and trailers.
Also included once again are the frankly bizarre but very amusing radio shows
from the seemingly insane Japanese voice actresses, a great extra which I always
thoroughly enjoy! Considering many anime series scrape by with a couple of
galleries and trailers on each volume having this amount of quality extras
really sets Burst Angel apart from the pack, great stuff!
Ratings
Feature:
Extras:
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