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The Great Adventures of the Dirty Pair




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GATSU



Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 15279
PostPosted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 5:22 pm Reply with quote
I've been semi-interested in the novels since I saw the Streamline dubs of the anime when they were on VHS. Essentially a predecessor to other female law enforcement series like YUA and Gunsmith Cats, Dirty Pair takes the idea a step further by setting it in space. Less like Barbarella
and more Lethal Weapon, Kei and Yuri are "Trouble Consultants" who solve mysterious crimes which don't seem to make sense in police reports. Their moniker is attributed to the destruction they unexpectedly leave in their wake. The first case in the book involves industrial sabotage, while the latter case involves a confusing murder. Both situations lead to realizations of larger conspiracies involving "galactic" terrorism; and both situations pit the female leads Kei and Yuri up against intense life-and-death battles to win.

Kei is the strong one of the two, rarely exhibiting emotion, and often
letting her tomboyish mannerisms supersede her femininity. Yuri is the communicative one. They're also teamed with a wild, telepathic beast named Mugi. Together, they investigate the scene of the crime, find something which was overlooked or covered up, and then go after the suspect. The story is told through Kei's POV.

I'll admit that I haven't seen enough of the anime to judge, but I appreciate the fact that the writer keeps the setting simple, and doesn't try to insert complex sci-fi concepts into the framework. Instead, he just expands the details of each world, and leaves nothing out, while not adding anything pointless, either. The action scenes are also nice and pulpy, with no special powers or flashy moves. You can easily believe what's happening, and you don't get lost on the terminology.

That said, the characters themselves might need a little more refining. Kei tends to be overbearing, while Yuri tends to be a whiny doormat. In addition, a future in which they can go on with their lives while casualties of random city attacks number in the millions is kind of disturbing.

The artwork from Yasuhiko is simplistic, yet fluid. It flows with the story and enhances the action you are "seeing" in the text. The book would definitely not come off as exciting without it, since it does get a tad repetitive and drawn out for its own good. That's not to say it's boring, but it takes itself slightly more seriously than necessary during dramatic moments, and not enough so during catastrophic moments.

All in all, Dirty Pair is a brisk-paced adventure which never loses steam. If you're looking for depth, though, you might want to consider Vampire Hunter D.
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cool3865



Joined: 31 Aug 2006
Posts: 770
Location: Austin, TX
PostPosted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 8:01 am Reply with quote
yea i found vol.1 at half-price books and im reading it, i like it alot. have always enjoyed the anime so this is a good change.
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