Dirty Pair Flash

©Takachiho Haruka & Studio Nue · Sunrise
Released in North America by A.D.V. Films
English Subtitled VHSDF/001S $24.95
English Dubbed VHSDF/001D $19.95
60 minutes

—by Charles McCarter

When in graduate school, I had the (mis)fortune of studying Tokugawa ideology; while that in itself is not really important, one of the things the professor said really stuck with me. During discussions, she would remind us, "It's not right or wrong—it's just different." Strangely, or perhaps serendipitously, this kept echoing in my head over and over while I was watching DIRTY PAIR FLASH.
After all, FLASH is the latest incarnation of the DIRTY PAIR, and it is arguably the one that has the highest cuteness factor. In fact, longtime fans of Kei and Yuri may find themselves immediately disenchanted with the character designs, which make the Pair seem about twelve years old. But certainly it can't be all that different.
And in many ways, it is not. After all, creator Takachiho Haruka oversaw the dialog and story planning for the first time since the AFFAIR OF NOLANDIA. But revisionist history is practiced even in the DIRTY PAIR universe. Kei and Yuri are now both sixteen, and their planets of origin have been changed (not that that's a big deal). But what is a big deal is that they are both portrayed as washouts who just barely scraped by and got into the WWWA. In addition, they seem to despise each other. While the Kei and Yuri of old certainly bickered and argued and fought, they didn't hate each other like the new Pair seems to.

The first episode, "Runaway Angel," has Kei on suspension and Yuri going to meet a guy for a date when she is handed a magnetic card by another agent. Before he dies, he tells her to get it to headquarters. She and Kei argue about who should get it there and why. The episode then becomes one long (and often humorous) chase sequence. Cars chase cars. Helicopters chase cars. Transforming cars that turn into robots chase pedestrians. And all with the requisite amount of explosions.
The second episode shows a bit more plot development. Kei and Yuri are sent to bodyguard a government official. Unfortunately, there is a sniper named Lady Flair (or Flaya depending on which part of the subtitles you read) who is on the job. She outshoots Kei, which of course makes Kei mad enough to follow her to the ends of the Earth and drag Yuri along, who protests, whines, and begs the chief for a new partner all the while.
At this point, another plot development ensues—apparently Kei and Yuri are only the latest to inherit the code name Lovely Angels. The last Angels had tragedy befall them—one died, and the other disappeared mysteriously. This is hammered into both Kei and Yuri's heads enough times to make viewers take note.
The animation is of good quality, and the opening and ending themes are quite catchy. The BGM is of average quality, which means it doesn't really add or subtract from the total mood of the show. The character designs do take some getting used to, however. New fans will probably not bat an eyelash, but the old guard may find themselves wincing when the Pair go through what can only be described as their "magical transformation" sequence.
One thing that I found incredibly amusing was the computer that Garner, the Pair's boss (what happened to Gooley?) uses. It speaks Osaka dialect, which is about the equivalent of the computer on STAR TREK talking in a southern accent. A minor detail, but a funny one.
The series starts off with a bang (several of them, actually) and does promise to build to a more intense story-line than what it starts off with. It is up to the individual, however, to determine if he or she can really enjoy this most recent incarnation of the Lovely Angels without wondering why things were changed so drastically.