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 (3WA) and are like intergalactic versions of James Bond. In Dirty Pair: Project Eden, the agents fought vast conspiracies, managing to blow up half the Universe along the way. While that adventure was somewhat more ambitious than this latest volume, this one was cute too.

The story followed the pair as they investigated the explosion of a space liner. The catch that interested the 3WA was that no one filed a claim with 300 passengers presumed dead. Such things don't happen and while a few of the passengers might have no family, it's unlikely that none of them did. The gals are also assigned a related case involving finding a missing scientist and family, which are possibly related. As the team investigates the matter, secret government agents attack them, something almost unheard of considering the power of the 3WA and this leads them into the conspiracy involving a top secret material with potentially tremendous possibilities.

I've always thought of this series as being cute and worth a look. This volume was no exception although it didn't have the depth that some of the other movies released over the years. The anime style itself looked a bit rushed compared to the previous volumes too but those of us who enjoy the older material of goofy agents bungling through a case, eventually solving it, is just too good to pass up. As long as you aren't looking for an intellectually stimulating show, any of the Dirty Pair releases is fun, even if this was perhaps the weakest of the lot.

I'm going to rate this one as a Rent It strictly because I'm a fan too and don't want to color said rating by my appreciation for the content. The DVD itself didn't have a lot of content and non-fans will likely think the price a bit steep for the lack of extras on an older show lasting under an hour. Fans, on the other hand, will probably seek this one out just to complete their collection and therefore rate it higher.

Picture: The picture was presented in its original 1.33:1 ratio full frame color. Like all older shows, there were print scratches and minor problems indicative of the source material used for the DVD transfer. There was some grain throughout the show, although nowhere near as much as earlier reports would have you believe, and no compression artifacts were noticed.

Sound: The audio was presented with a choice of the original Japanese track or a dubbed English track, both in 2.0 Dolby Digital stereo. The original material was, I believe, in monaural Japanese and the Dolby Digital was used to clean it up a bit (it worked) more than add directionality to the sound. The music was clear and the vocals usually crisp although in a couple of sections a bit hollow.

Extras: trailers and a paper insert listing the chapters

Final Thoughts: The show and series as a whole were always cute and worth a look to me. The fact is that we really shouldn't abandon the older series just because the newer series are often much better looking, employing various modern day techniques and styles as well as far better audio tricks. Not all shows have to be deep in terms of intelligent discourse and the dumb science fiction good shows are often great for a guilty pleasure viewing. The Dirty Pair series, especially the older ones, are perfect for such moments when we want to kick back and put the brain in neutral. ADV Films should be commended for taking chances on the older stuff while concentrating on the newer, more advanced series although I think better extras wouldn't be that tough to add in for fans (those are the ones who buy the movies, not rent and copy them).