The Original Dirty Pair are called that because they are a couple of female government agents who leave a trail of destruction in their aftermath as they solve crimes committed by various groups and individuals throughout the Universe. They are deemed "original" by ADV because the characters were later revised (like those in the Tenchi Universe) and the company wanted to differentiate the thematic issues and characters of the two. The two, Yuri and Kei, are agents of the World Welfare Work Association and are like intergalactic versions of James Bond.

In the movie, they are set to investigate a civil war of sorts on a planet called Argerna. The planet is the major source of an element used for space travel, similar to the spice in the Dune series. Because of its strategic importance, the team needs to solve the problem going on that has seem refining plants destroyed and production lowered (Outland similarities abound here too). As they get closer to the truth, they find a dangerous breed of creature that is genetically enhanced by a mad professor (similar to the concepts, and actual design, of the critters from Alien). How the element is tied into the creatures and what exactly is "Project Eden" become the main thrust of the movie as the pair seek to uncover, and stop, the plot of the mad scientist.

Okay, the use of a number of clichés and homage's to various science fiction movies (not to mention anime references) made this a fun movie to watch for anyone into those genres. The original series was always a lot of fun to watch too but we'll have to wait and see if all those episodes ever make it to dvd in a decent release. The anime style itself looked dated, almost retro compared to some of the newer stuff on the market, but it wasn't bad. The voice acting of the dub was slightly mixed in terms of quality but the overall impression I got was that it was solidly entertaining. That it was released in anamorphic widescreen was just icing on the cake. I think this one was worth a rating of Highly Recommended for fans of the original series due to all these factors and more.

Picture: The picture was presented in 1.85:1 ratio anamorphic widescreen color. For such an old anime feature, I have to admit it looked really solid with hardly any grain or other problems. I did notice some minor scratches on the source print but that was only when I was concentrating and they weren't nearly as frequent as with most older releases.

Sound: The sound was presented in a choice of Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo English or Japanese with English subtitles. I preferred the original language track to the dub but each had its own merits in terms of entertainment value. If you get the chance, listen to each of them and make up your own mind since this was one of those cases where each track was well done. The stereo separation was most noticeable on the effects and music but this is to be expected.

Extras: trailers and a paper insert listing the chapters

Final Thoughts: I prefer the newer anime releases and some of the older series from my youth but this one had plenty going for it too. The plot was a bit disjointed, the style older than optimal, and the heavily borrowed nature of many elements of the show sometimes cumbersome but it seemed to work when all those elements came together. This is by no means the best ADV has to offer but it's definitively worth getting for any anime fan into the aforementioned anime genres.