Search - Burst Angel - A New Tokyo v.2 on DVD

Worth Owning

M. Hencke | New York, NY United States | 08/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This show is definitely worth the money. Seen both volumes and I'm more than a little hooked at this point. Its got blood, impressive use of cgi and beautiful girls operating giant robots. Sound good? Its in many ways a darker version of Bubblegum Crisis but is so much better in my humble opinion (particularly in the violence department). Looks like its going to be about a five disc series. Hope to own all of them. Can't wait for Vol. 3."

Slow but Not Boring

Antonio D. Paolucci | Beaver Falls, PA | 12/22/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In volume two of Burst Angel, the constant, heart-pounding action that was everywhere in the first volume has slowed down a bit, but volume two isn't boring in any way. Where the action slows, the character revelations fill in, introducing us better to the protagonists. It also reveals a bit more of the history and the driving force behind the four-woman task force in Burst Angel.

The DVD itself has four episodes, but really should be considered two, as they are actually two, two parters, much like in volume one. This makes the sub-plots in each story seem less rushed than in single episode sub-plots, and lets you sink in a little better to the story. The advantage of having the DVD is that you are able to see these episodes in one shot. It wouldn't work if you were watching it on a weekly basis on TV. Episodes five and six deal with a mysterious hulucinatory drug that has infested an upper-class Christian School, causing the girls there to slowly slip into states of insanity and paranoia. Seven and eight deal with a giant Cybot crow that's been kidnapping girls and wants to use them to help claim an experimental virus. All of these episodes deal more with character interaction than action, but there still are good fight sequences.

Still, though, it isn't a perfect series, though very near to it. With all the fan-service, it's very hard to take the anime seriously, as it seems out to stimulate more than entertain. That's the one gripe I had, but beyond that my complaints were minimal. Maybe they should switch back and forth between the English and Japanese tracks during the end credits, but that's insignificant as most of the time I fast-foward it.

This anime is a stand-out among others in its genre (that being giant-robo/chicks-with-guns) and should be considered by fans of these types of animes. I'd recommend it also to Gonzo fans (Gantz, Samurai 7, Gankutsuou, Kiddy Grade, etc.), as it is a solid edition to their varied library."