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Tyneisha Lewis
Sci-fi 1980's anime, along with a lot of chaotic fun await both new and current fans of the well-known Japanese light novel series, Dirty Pair!
The Dirty Pair anime takes place in the 22nd century, and is about a pair of "trouble consultants" who work for the 3WA (World Welfare Works Association) to solve a variety of problems. They're called the "Lovely Angels," however they are nicknamed "Dirty Pair" due to the fact that their solutions to the problems usually end up in chaos and mass destruction.
The Dirty Pair anime series came out in 1985, with the OVA series in 1987. This review is for the Dirty Pair OVA series.
The inspiration for the series came about when the creator Haruka Takachiho, witnessed the legendary woman tag team Jackie Sato and Maki Ueda known as the 'Beauty Pair', in a women's pro wrestling match during his trip to Japan in the 1970's.
The Dirty Pair anime has a manga (Japanese comic) series, 26 episode tv series, OVA (Original Video Animation) series, and movie films.
The OVA series has 10 episodes, and viewers have the choice of watching in the original Japanese language with subtitles and/or the English dub.
For the English dub of the OVA series, voice actors Pamula Lauer, also known as Pam Lauer plays as Kei and Jessica Calvello plays as Yuri. The Japanese voice actresses who play Kei and Yuri respectively are Kyoko Tonguu and Saeko Shimazu.
What I enjoyed most about the Dirty Pair OVA series are the characters and story, along with the music soundtrack. The main heroines, Kei and Yuri, bring a charm to the series. Yuri is the more ladylike strategist of the pair, while Kei is a loud, tomboy who prefers head on action. The two have clashing personalities and yet somehow are able to work together.
Along the OVA, we see different sides of both Kei and Yuri. While they both have their antics, and bicker with each other, they are best friends and work well together as a team. The pair's antics throughout the series is hilarious and fun to watch.
The OVA series is episodic, so both new and current fans of the anime can watch it in no set order. There's wonderful character writing and action in the series. Each episode in the series has a good range of comedy and lightheartedness, along with darker/more serious themes.
The soundtrack for Dirty Pair is influenced by Japanese city pop music, also known as "Jpop city pop." City pop came about in the 1970's -80's, and drew on fusions such as Funk, Soul, and Disco music. The result is a funky, upbeat, retro sound with a catchy classic feel that adds well to the series.
The 1980's/futuristic theme is felt throughout the OVA series through the characters' fashion and outfits, animation, music and more. Teens and adults will enjoy this anime. It's a retro time capsule of an era, that is fun to watch in these modern times.
Retrocrush and Crunchyroll offer the classic Dirty Pair anime series on their streaming services. The series is also available for purchase here:
https://www.rightstufanime.com/
In anime news, Right Stuf and Nozomi Entertainment held a Kickstarter campaign to dub this classic series in English and bring it to Blu-ray! The Kickstarter is exciting news for anime fans.
“We’re incredibly excited to revisit some of the classic anime titles of yesteryear, many of which have not been on the radar of today’s fans," Right Stuf and Nozomi CEO, Shawne Kleckner said. " The original TV series was never dubbed, and this project will make that seminal series more accessible to fans.”
Even the original voice actresses for the English dub of the OVA series, will be reprising their roles as Kei and Yuri for the new English dub!
In recent news, the Kickstarter campaign was held for October 2021. It was successful in reaching its goal to bring an English dub to the series!
You can find out more about the Dirty Pair anime along with the Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/160939828/lets-dub-the-dirty-pair-tv-series
The Dirty Pair anime is a hidden gem worth checking out. The combination of great protagonists, exciting storylines, and a Japanese city pop soundtrack makes Dirty Pair an anime for both new and current fans of the series.
My thanks to Right Stuf, INC. for a copy of the Dirty Pair OVA series for this review. Check out the series, stream, check out the manga series and show your support to the Dirty Pair anime and Kickstarter. Let's preserve and spread the word about the Dirty Pair anime for future generations of anime fans!
