Since its creation in 1991, the Burn-Up! series has become a perennial favorite in the "girls with guns" subgenre. The series' over the top humor and engrossing police action have captivated fans with each new installment. Therefore, it comes as little surprise that the latest addition to the Burn-Up family upholds the standards set by its predecessors. Viewers can expect a barrage of bullets, babes, and breasts as they accompany the cast through Scramble's first four episodes.

The series' first four episodes play out like Kosuke Fujishima's You're Under Arrest!, had it been inundated with fanservice. The female characters show a lot of skin, but the shows presented are entertaining police cases. The story focuses around the Warrior Team: Rio, Maya, and Lilica as they take on the jobs the normal police can't handle. As members of such an elite team, each of the three members specializes in one field or another. Rio is an impulsive martial arts mistress, Maya is a calculating weapons specialist, and Lilica is a shy, well-meaning psychic. While much of the cases presented are of the more serious persuasion such as biker gangs and terrorist bombings, everything is carried out in such a manner that the situation never loses its playful edge. However, it is unfortunate that the third Warrior, Lilica, receives very little screen time. Her character and role have potential for use in the context of the show. Fans of Burn-Up W and Burn-Up Excess should be warned that outside of character names, Scramble is a completely new continuity, and bears no ties with the rest of the franchise.

Unlike the other series in the Burn-Up! franchise, Scramble takes a more subdued approach toward its characters. While the female members are still busty beauties, they do not have the same Barbie-doll figures of past incarnations. Instead, the entire cast attempts a look that does away with the "bowling balls on dental floss" look, with more natural choices for hair colors and skin tones, as well as more natural body characteristics. Unfortuntely, the animation does not always prove to be the cleanest of presentations. There are several scenes where character animation is unusually jerky, especially in comparison to the slick, smoothly animated action scenes. On a technical level, the series has transferred to DVD with no noticeable signs of aliasing, cross-coloration, or other visual defects.

The damsels of destruction are quite the motley crew.	Fanservice is still a staple of the series.

To help accent the action onscreen, composer Kazuo Shinoda has created a bevy of tunes that would make the Miami Vice team blush. Along with the usual adrenaline-pumping action melodies and bouncy tunes for comdic moments, Scramble sports a range of harmonic pieces that can fit any situation. The show's opening theme, "ACTION!" is a catchy, guitar-heavy piece that really captures the spirit of the show with its aggressive, yet playful nature. The ending theme, "Love or Unlimited," is an upbeat song performed by ATENA (comprised of the show's three leading cast members). The Japanese track brings several popular actors and actresses to the mic, including Rie Tanaka (Steel Angel Kurumi, Chobits) and Mamiko Noto (Boogiepop Phantom, World of Narue). The result is a brilliant performance that shows a strong chemistry between characters. The English track brings its own set of heavyweights to perform, such as Wendee Lee (Tenchi Muyo!, Love Hina), and Michelle Ruff (Chobits, Ai Yori Aoshi). The English performance is spirited and fairly well-acted, but appears to be lacking the chemistry that the original Japanese performance has. Technically, the audio is clear, with no audible signs of dropout or distortion on either track.

Like many recent Geneon titles, the first volume of Scramble proves to be a lightweight in the extras department. The first volume is available in two forms: a disc-only edition, and a release that is available with an artbox. The disc itself is in a clear keepcase that uses a reversible cover. The front of the packaging utilizes an image of the three Warriors in their uniforms, set in front of a simple pink backdrop. The back of the cover features a shot of the Warriors as they pose in their combat suits, which accompanies a brief summary, an episode list, eight screens from the show, and a list of the disc's content. The reverse cover is identical to the first cover, save the fact that the two pieces of art switch places. The disc's insert uses a soft shot of the three leading ladies clad in bikinis. The back of the insert contains an episode list and release dates for the remaining two discs in the series. The menu begins with a short animation, and settles into a shot of the Warriors as they pose in front of a burning building. Outside of the now-standard textless opening and closing, the only extra offered is a twenty-piece line art gallery.

Burn Up Scramble has a solid foundation for what could be an excellent police comedy. If the series can keep its focus on the cases it presents instead of the ever-prevalent fanservice element, then Scramble will have no difficulty in delivering an exciting and fun experience.

Distributor: Geneon
Creator: AIC
Released: 2004

Video Quality: A-
Audio Quality: A-
Presentation: B
Content: B
Overall: B+