Burn Up W

Following the exploits of special police squad Warrior, this is a comedy from the word go. Unusually for anime, this is genuinely hilarious for all the right reasons, featuring, amongst other things, a naked bungee jump by blonde bombshell Rio!

Warrior, the elite Police anti-terrorism unit, is made up of a whole host of nutcases, including Rio, a gal who always needs money, Maya the gun nut (no one should get this excited fingering a bazooka!), the cute-as-a-button Lilica and sensible chief Maki, who keeps them all in line. There are various other nuts thrown in for good measure, the most notable of which is Nanvel Candlestick, the Washu-esque mad genius who invents a good deal of the weaponry employed by the gals in the field.

I should also point out that Burn Up W is pure fan-service - ridiculous but enticing proportions, artistic camera angles and plot devices such as naked bungie jumping are all aimed at keeping the male contingent happy, but luckily it has just enough about it to prevent it being pointless filth...

The voices are a little grating, and sometimes they're so frenzied that you can't understand what they're saying, which is a bit disappointing considering that some of these lines are funny when you can work them out. The action quota is pretty satisfying, the direction is bright and lively, but the most striking aspect is the character designs. They're really sharp, and add a great deal to the appeal of the tape. these are *really* great ^_-

It's a shame that the second video was so disappointing - the voices became even more high pitched, the storyline weaker and the jokes lamer. As a stand alone title though, episode one is well worth shelling out for - just carefully consider the rest...