A couple of years ago I checked out the first volume of Venus Versus Virus from ADV. The show had some promise and the premise was interesting enough to pique my interest, but considering the fact that another installment never landed in my lap I kind of forgot about it. Times being what they are and with ADV losing the market to FUNimation, it's not surprising to see this title shifts hands. FUNimation has just released a two disc boxed set with all twelve episodes from Venus Versus Virus. If you are like me and you either only saw a part of the show, or missed it all together, then you may want to consider renting this release.

The show was created by relative newcomer to the manga scene, Atsushi Suzumi, and was originally released in 2007 as an anime. Here in the States the show didn't really make much of a splash, but in all fairness this is kind of an obscure title. It's not one of those big budget releases that draw a lot of attention nor is it one of those exceedingly well-produced titles that rise above its lower budget. It's a middle of the road action show that plays it safe for far too long for its own good, but abiding to genre standards isn't always such a bad thing.

Full of school girls, demons, chicks with guns, and a bevy of goth lolitas, Venus Versus Virus throws a lot at you. If you've cut your teeth on anime and you can easily spot what's cliché and what's not, then this show will feel woefully generic. There's very little about it that stands out and says "watch me", however, there are some impressive elements.

When Venus Versus Virus starts out we are introduced to two girls who come from very different places. Sumire seems to be your typical school girl who is really just going through the motions, but things change when she meets Lucia, the Virus Vanguard. While Sumire may be rather stereotypical, there's really nothing about Lucia that is ordinary. She's got long blue hair, an eye patch, and she walks around wearing a gothic-style maid outfit. There's more to her than just bad fashion sense though. She's actually an elite Virus hunter who is out to exterminate their kind from the face of the planet. The two become friends and Sumire eventually joins her as a sidekick of sorts.

Now, if you're wondering what the heck a Virus is, let me just tell you that it's not the common cold. Basically a Virus is a demon that can only be seen by someone with a special gift. Sometimes they appear in strange forms and at other points they have the ability to possess innocent people. Their motivations are unknown early on in the show but it's fairly clear that they're the bad guys and naturally we want the Vanguards to kill them. Lucky for us Lucia and Sumire are more than happy to oblige. Well, at least Lucia seems eager to.

Sumire is kind of the demon slaying version of dead weight for the most part. She doesn't seem to possess many abilities, but eventually she displays impressive powers that make her a strong Vanguard. Throughout the earlier part of the show Venus Versus Virus really focuses on the relationship and development of the main girls. I'd go as far to say that it foregoes story in order to provide with glimpses of the girls. This is kind of a double-edge sword. On one hand it's great to see Sumire go through the changes that she does, but on the other having a cohesive story would have gone a long way to improving the overall experience. The show just kind of meanders about for more than the first half of its run and it becomes formulaic, repetitive, and dry soon enough.

That's a shame really because I truly enjoyed the premise in Venus Versus Virus. While it was nothing original I felt that the show offered up a fair number of unique elements amidst the generic ones. It's a shame that creator's didn't work on balancing out these elements enough, and in all fairness the show doesn't truly get interesting until it nears the finale. Even at that point it's too little too late and the ending ultimately disappoints and leaves you bewildered.

After enjoying the first installment enough to find myself curious of the series as a whole, I must say that ultimately I'm disappointed by Venus Versus Virus. It had a lot of potential, but it squandered it on generic plots, one-dimensional characters, and some poor choices. I'd say the series is interesting enough for a rental, but I wouldn't recommend buying this boxed set. There's just not enough steady quality in the twelve episodes to keep you interested or coming back for more.

Venus Versus Virus is presented on DVD with an anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio. The fact that the show aired only a couple of years ago it should have lead itself to a fantastic looking final product but unfortunately that's not necessarily the case here. Yes the character designs are interesting, yes the animation is fine enough, and sure there is very little in the way of compression, but overall the transfer just doesn't really cut it. The original ADV work on the film was full of grain and didn't look very good. I'm afraid to say that the same can be said for this presentation as well. The show just has a very soft look and gives off the impression that it's indeed much older.

With all of the action this series has it's relatively disappointing that Venus Versus Virus does not present itself with a 5.1 surround track for either language. The 2.0 English and Japanese selections do fine for what they are, but there's no channel separation and both tracks lack the "oomph" that would have pushed the action up a notch. Technically speaking there's nothing wrong with either track, though I preferred the Japanese dub more than the English one due to some obnoxious voiceovers. Otherwise the presentation is acceptable, but just a little flat.

Some trailers and clean animation are the only "features" you're going to find here.

Venus Versus Virus was a show with a lot of potential, but it ultimately played it a little too safe for most of its run. For the first three quarters of the show you'll get a lot of episodic content, repetitiveness, and generic character exposition. Some of the developments are interesting, but they don't really go anywhere. The series does rev up a little towards the end, though again it doesn't really push the envelope quite enough to make itself noteworthy. This one is a rental all the way. It's not bad enough to skip, but it's not good enough to shell out the cash to buy it either.

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