Search - Cleopatra DC on DVD

High-fashion heroine a feast for the eyes in high-tech anime

Brian Camp | Bronx, NY | 07/21/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"CLEOPATRA DC is a rather unusual three-part OAV anime series, in Japanese with English subtitles, that doesn't quite fit the usual categories. Its first two episodes offer up plots of international/industrial intrigue, laced with broad comic touches, while the third is straightforward science fiction dealing with a genetically created android girl on the loose after escaping a secret lab. Even these labels, however, don't do the series justice. Its distinguishing feature is its perky blonde heroine, Cleopatra Corns, the teenaged chair and CEO of the super-rich conglomerate, the Corns Group. Cleo is extraordinarily sexy and parades around in an endless array of elegant, but eye-popping fashions that will have the boys in the audience silently mouthing, "Wow!" and the girls exclaiming, "Oh, that's so cool!" So there's something for everyone here: a nonstop fashion parade, sexy, proactive girls, semi-nude scenes, handsome male helpers, high-tech adventure, sci-fi, comedy and a fast-paced global backdrop that takes Cleo and her crew from New York to Nice to Saudi Arabia to the Rocky Mountains and back to New York. Cleo never has time for romance and there's never any hint of sexual activity. She's always too busy helping out even younger females in distress and fighting off the aggression of a rival corporate group. The animation style and design date this unmistakably back to the 1980s (the first two episodes were done in 1989 and the third in 1991). The character design is quite stylized, with angular facial structures, small mouths and huge eyes, but boasts some intriguing and original touches. The girls' eyes are invariably encircled by long black lashes and contain painstakingly detailed oval pupils. The bodies are all long-limbed and slender. The backgrounds, while not as detailed as we've come to expect from anime, are rendered boldly and in bright colors. New Yorkers will enjoy the glimpses of Times Square, Central Park and Coney Island. The jazz-inflected score includes a couple of catchy songs sung in English. Overall, it's not the most compelling storytelling we've ever gotten from anime, but it does add up to a charming and moderately engaging entertainment, suitable for adolescents and older."

An angel from the underworld

madnessmark | Maple Grove, MN | 02/16/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Think that nothing can top the girls of Charlies Angels? Try this. A blonde girl who performs goverment missions and (unlike Charlies Angels) takes her job seriously and actually thinks. The tape contains two 30 minutes episodes and one 50 minute episode. The first episode concentrates with warfare over an oil feed. The second involves some crytals, satellites and lasers which made it very exciting. The last one is by far the best involving an android who wants to set off a bunch of nukes! The best thing I like about this movie is that it is all about political intrique. No romance or that crap you found in Charlies Angels. The music is a nice jazz mix and puts this tape on a level of Lupin 3 and Cowboy Bebop. Overall, a great video that I recommend to anyone who enjoys a good old fasioned action movie. Highly recommened."

Miss Cleopatra Corns Strikes Gold

Justin A. Swartz | 09/09/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"CLEOPATRA DC is something that pretty much slipped under the radar of most anime viewers when it first came out on VHS. The DVD edition is a simple transfer of the VHS master with hard-subbed subtitles and no English dub, although it appears as though the subs are written "like" they were the script for an English dub that just never happened.

But, on to the story. Cleopatra Corns is the head of a economic group called (duh) The Corns Group, and assisted by "The Four Aces" (Swen, Shorty, Nakky, and Eric), takes on everything from stopping a fire at an Iranian oil field to stopping a psychic android from nuking the world. I'm serious. It's this kind of loopiness that makes Cleopatra D.C. that much more fun, and I mean FUN. I never get tired to watching this anime, because of its well-placed humor, delicious character designs (by none other than Nobuteru Yuki), and late 80's animation. The music leaves a bit to be desired, as in there isn't much of it at all, but what music there is tends to be fun and jazzy pop numbers like "One Very Special Girl" and the tender "Someone Who'd Care."

One thing I didn't get, however, was what Tina Badam's job was supposed to be within Corns. Is she a paid friend of Cleo's, like the way Elvis had a paid group of friends that kept him drunk and happy? I'm only teasing though, because if you can overlook little fudges and smudges like that, and the fact that it's hardsubbed, Cleopatra DC will keep you laughing with its jokes and on the edge of your seat with its action and doses of political intrigue.

I would probably rate this title 16+, due to some heavy fanservice (Cleo and Swen in skimpy swimsuits, Tina in lingerie) but no nudity.

BTW, make sure you check out the poster in episode 2 for Dirty Harry 6, and the early 80's style red Corvette that Cleo drives. Man, I miss the 80's..."

Actually entertaining with real stories

Edward L. | USA | 07/05/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you are looking for Hentai or Manga this is not it. The episodes are tightly written stories featuring the richest girl in the world, who is also a super cool agent(?!) or corporate boss or leader of the free world shadow government ... it doesn't matter.

Its breezy, but still tells some really great stories with some pretty great animation."