The Dirty Pair

Gonna Make It Over The Top
Dirty Pair: The Movie

Simply titled DIRTY PAIR: THE MOVIE the film has been called by a lot of erroneous names, including "Project Eden" and the unfathomable "Pink Typhoon." Project Eden is the title of the scheme hatched by Professor Wattsman in the film, so that at least makes some sense, but "Pink Typhoon" is just one of those things that make you wonder.
With a very James Bond-esque opening, the movie kicks into high gear—literally. Kei and Yuri attempt to stop some Vizorium (a rare metal) smugglers and end up catching all but one. The catch? The entire resort complex where they staged the bust goes up in flames as they watch helplessly from an escape pod. And all this before the opening credits!
The rest of the movie tracks the plans of a mad scientist to revive a hibernating alien race, a very expensive bottle of wine, the thief it was stolen from, said thief's budding relationship with Kei, and aliens popping out of the ground and killing people. (Mughi was glad they let him stay on the ship for this one!)
Clearly, Sunrise had learned its lesson after the less than successful performance of NOLANDIA, so Kei and Yuri reverted to the more accessible personalities and appearances they had in the television series. Changes from the television series were minor, but included updated uniforms and a lack of Nanmo. And, of course, the Lovely Angel was redesigned.
This film was much less intense than NOLANDIA, and managed to retain a lot of the humor and character interaction introduced in the television series. The return of the more familiar anime version of the Pair, as well as some quality animation and a memorable soundtrack made this film the biggest success that Kei and Yuri had experienced so far in their careers. With the success of DIRTY PAIR: THE MOVIE, it seemed that Kei and Yuri would return again soon to cause more destruction on an interplanetary scale.

Go Crazy Baby!
The OVA Series

Sunrise and VAP, following on the success of the film, created 10 new half-hour OVAs ranging in tone from mostly serious to outrageously funny. Learning that it's best not to tinker with success, the only changes to this version of the Lovely Angels were cosmetic. They both sported silver uniforms, and, in keeping with tradition, the Lovely Angel itself was redesigned (again).
The OVA series was also responsible for one of the most sought-after DIRTY PAIR collectibles. Although ten episodes long, a CD soundtrack for the series was never released. Instead, a CD single containing the full-length versions of the opening and closing, along with a couple of tracks of BGM and several answering machine messages by Kei and Yuri was released. The single quickly went out of print, leaving many fans starving for a full-length version of the opening song.

Attention All Passengers! Flight 005 Is Now Boarding!

THE FLIGHT 005 CONSPIRACY marked a departure for the animated DIRTY PAIR. This 80-minute OVA was a serious, plot-intense mystery that began with Kei and Yuri investigating the destruction of a passenger liner and ended up with Kei and Yuri embroiled in a large-scale conspiracy involving a brilliant scientist and two planetary governments.
While there was plenty of detective work done (most of it, of course, by Yuri), and a fair amount of property damage and laser fire, one thing was very noticeable. The humor element in this story had been reduced. This was not a comedic adventure of the Dirty Pair, with Kei and Yuri shouting epithets and witty rejoinders over the laser fire; instead, this was a serious story with very little room left for petty bickering. And, of course, the Lovely Angel was redesigned.
It was different; perhaps a little too different. Such a complicated plot was unusual for a DIRTY PAIR anime. It felt like NOLANDIA, but with the more familiar character designs left intact. In any event, FLIGHT 005 would mark the end of an era of DIRTY PAIR anime.

Magical Girls Kei and Yuri?

For many fans of the well-established Dirty Pair, the news of DIRTY PAIR FLASH was greeted with some skepticism. After all, fans had grown accustomed to the Pair that had started in the television series, and gone through a movie and eleven OVAs. Was there really a need for a complete redesign? Sunrise seemed to think so.
DIRTY PAIR FLASH launched a new era for the Dirty Pair, with completely redesigned characters. Now Kei and Yuri looked more like twelve year olds than adults, and many fans decried the obvious attempt to cash in on the popular "magical girls" craze that peaked with SAILOR MOON.
However, many other fans apparently enjoyed the series, as the new adventures of the latest incarnation of the Lovely Angels currently continues in DIRTY PAIR FLASH 3. The largest difficulty with DIRTY PAIR FLASH, however, is that it is very contradictory to what is known about the Dirty Pair. While the earlier anime never addresses how the Pair met or became partners, it is discussed at length in the novel. Yet, the version presented in FLASH illustrates how Kei and Yuri met, and it does not follow the novel at all. DIRTY PAIR FLASH is probably best viewed as a separate incarnation of the Lovely Angels, just as the television series, movie, and OVAs (excluding NOLANDIA) are one interpretation.

The designs for DP Flash are definitely "Magical Girl" oriented.

Move over, Charlie's Angels

Such a fan favorite could not escape notice of the anime companies in the United States. Streamline Pictures was the first to bring over any DIRTY PAIR; they licensed and released dubbed versions of NOLANDIA, the movie, and FLIGHT 005. This was no mean feat, either; Sunrise programs had previously been out of the reach of the American anime companies for a variety of reasons. Streamline was the first to license anything owned by Sunrise, so it was something of a coup. However, the success of the dubbed versions of these videos is largely a matter of personal taste.
Still, the door was opened, and A.D. Vision managed to get its foot inside by licensing both the ten DIRTY PAIR OVAs and DIRTY PAIR FLASH, both of which are scheduled for release in 1998.
One other version of the DIRTY PAIR exists in the United States. Starting in 1991, Studio Proteus and Eclipse Comics published an original DIRTY PAIR miniseries, with the story written by Toren Smith and art by Adam Warren. Takachiho himself is said to have approved Warren's character designs. And, like every other version, this one differed from the previous incarnations. The series proved popular among American fans, and has gone on to produce several sequels over the years.