Search - Burst Angel: The Complete Collection (includes OVA) [Blu-ray] on Blu-ray

Angel Eye Candy on Blu-ray

Ender84 | USA | 09/29/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I personally enjoyed Burst Angel, but I realize it is not for everyone. It seems to be a series that is either loved or abhorred. While the former category might be more accurate for me than the latter, I will try to be as objective as possible with this review.

A futuristic Tokyo is plagued with crime. The corrupt agency RAPT is in charge of keeping the peace, which is of little comfort to the city's upstanding citizens. As if that was not enough to keep the average Joe on edge, there is a secret lab that has managed to fuse organic cells with machinery, creating the ultimate weapon. This city needs a hero. They are getting four.

Jo, Meg, Sei and Amy are Tokyo's Batman, though the Dark Knight has never looked this good in a bikini. The buxom beauties, with a little help from their friends and giant robot, Jango, strike fear in the hearts of criminals, and are the only ones equipped to take on the menacing bio-machines.

The spaghetti western overtones sets this series apart. It is an amazing mix of east meets west, old v. new. Mech battles often resemble a high noon duel more than a traditional battle of the titans, while the many gun play scenes could easily take place in a dusty street of a ghost town. All this while a Spanish guitar plays over a jazzy progression. However, the western feel never smothers the futuristic urban vibe. Meg and Jo's clothing is a good example - contemporary with a western spin. The balance is perfect.

The story is easily the weakest part of this series which can be a deal breaker depending on your taste. While it's an interesting premise, the story is never fully fleshed out. The girls relax, Meg is kidnapped, the girls fight bio-machine, Meg is rescued. Lather, rinse, repeat. There are no twists or surprises, just straight up action. There are a lot of sub-plots going on, but none of them are fully realized. For instance, it is hinted at that Jo and Meg are more than just friends, especially in the final episodes, but this is never fully realized. Had this conflict been more in the forefront from the beginning, Meg and Jo would have been more three dimensional. You would care about them, and the decisions they make. All the characters suffer from this same issue - they are 2D.

The action, however, is excellent. Bullets fly, explosions erupt, and buildings crumble. Battles are always fast paced and interesting. In between the action, you are beat over the head senseless with fan service. Panty shots are frequent to the point that you start to notice when you're NOT staring at Meg's cotton clad crotch. The girls clothes couldn't possibly get any skimpier. The lower half of Sei's breast are always exposed, Jo wears little more than a pair of panties, and at least one of the bad girls wears even less. This said, it never feels sleazy for the sake of sleaze. However, there is one episode, which takes place at the beach, that is a bit over the top. All four girls are clad in very revealing bikinis. Meg's bottoms barely conceal anything while Sei's breasts struggle to escape her skimpy one piece. While it is treading sleazy water, it is just one episode.

This box set includes all 24 episodes as well as the OVA, Burst Angel Infinity. Infinity digs a little deeper in Meg and Jo's background noting of real substance is revealed. It shares the same weaknesses and strengths of the series as discussed above.

Picture quality is excellent. Lines are crisp and colors are vibrant. Audio is equally impressive. Blu-ray is definitely an improvement, and worth the upgrade. Special features are what you expect them to be - commentaries, behind the scenes, etc. Nothing too exciting, though the commentaries are often funny as the discussions digress from the episode to what kind of underwear men really prefer women to wear and why white is always best regardless of style. I said funny, not enlightening, insightful, etc. The English dub is generally good, but never exceptional. Packaging consists of 3 discs in 2 standard size Blu-ray cases with a box.

Burst Angel had great potential, but it feels half baked. The spaghetti western overtones and frequent action is fantastic, but there is little else beyond the surface. The writers attempted to create some deep, three dimensional characters and even added the resemblance of what could be subplots to make us care about them, but this too ended up an uncooked, gooey mess. This is not Elfen Lied - amateur philosophers need not watch this. However, if you can forgive the structural short comings, you will be rewarded with a kick butt action packed jiggle fest lightly seasoned with a cool spaghetti western vibe.

Tech Specs
Video: 1080p, 16x9
Audio: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English"

A simple review...

maskedgamer | 07/26/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Anime checklist...

1.Boobs (check)
2.Serious Heroine (check)
3.Goofy damsel who always gets into trouble (check)
4.Bossy chick with big boobs (double check)
5.Robots of some sort (check)
6.Fan Service (do you even have to ask? Check)
7.Crazy chick that wants to kill serious heroine (check)
8.Over the top villains (check)
9.Under-aged and questionable but oddly mature girl (check/Not my preference)
10.Wardrobes that lack a significant amount of fabric (check)
11.Fan Service (check)
12.Swimsuit Episode (check)
12.Wild girl,serious girl,bossy girl,and nerdy girl combination (check)
13.Wimpy and annoying guy (check)

Welp... that's the check list if you like boobs, robots and swimsuits you'll enjoy this one... I know I did. P.S. If you down-rate this review you honestly won't like Burst Angel.
"

Far from angels.

James E. Lindsey | 09/30/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This anime was really good in alot of ways. With this boxset you also get the OVA which is really good since it explains more about the two female main characters and their past. I don't know what it is, but this series has a slight feel of Heavy Metal mixed with like Full Metal Panic!. I don't really know how to explain it without giving any spoilers away.

It's actually not as violent as you might expect and the characters really depend on eachother. Jo the main herione while cold to some still has a tight nit bond with Meg. They have been together since the begining. Unfortunatly I don't want to go into too much detail, but I do recommend the series. I am sure one of the other reviewers might have explained it better, but I am trying to stay away from possible spoilers."