The original damsels of destruction have returned to the world of animation in the update to the classic Dirty Pair series. Along with a visual makeover, the Lovely Angels greet viewers with a new (mis)adventure to sink their teeth into. Of course, with time comes change, and Flash is no different in this area. Granted, it can be argued that these changes are not all for the better, but they do help to create an excellent remake of a classic series.

Naturally, viewers have to expect that after such a long period, a few changes to the formula needed to be made. Of course, none expected them to be quite so dramatic. In actuality, the names Kei and Yuri, the World Works & Welfare Agency (WWWA), and the Lovely Angels codename are the only ties the new Pair have to to their older cousins. This is not necessarily an ill omen, however, since it allows the successors of the Lovely Angels to develop in their own way and allow for more substance without the limits of the original to hold them back.

In terms of storyline, the episodes in this arc tend to be very general and slightly cliche, although very coherent. Trouble Consultants (Tro-Cons, henceforth) Kei and Yuri, who in this storyline, would NEVER have made it into the 3WA if there wasn't a desperate need to fill vacancies. The computer paired Kei, a gun-happy, butch little firecracker, and Yuri, a somewhat airheaded, man-hungry ditz who would ditch work to go on a date. Seems like they would balance out in theory, but Kei and Yuri both hate each other with a passion and fight whenever they are within two feet of each other. The main story begins when a dying gent implores Yuri to deliver a card to the WWWA headquarters. Yuri, seeing more importance in a date, tries to give the duty to Kei, who conveniently happens to be around. Naturally, Kei won't hear it, and tries to get Yuri to do it herself, and before long, both are roped into the case. The two manage to accomplish their assignment, along with destroying several city blocks in the process, as the storyline begins to come together. Apparently Waldess, über-millionaire and owner of GCN, along with the crime syndicate Lucifer, have a large stake in that card and will do everything in their power to get it back and silence the syndicate's enemies in the process. The result of this leads to the entrance of Lady Flair, hitwoman extroadinaire, who serves as a major force against the Pair throughout the series.

Everything the Dirty Pair stood for since its creation: girls with guns.	Fortunately for Yuri, this guy won't be walking straight for the next two weeks.

In terms of audio, ADV did a very good job on the transfer. On review of both tracks, nary a distortion or a dropout could be heard. There are no crackles or inversions either, so a thought of a Slayers-esque hate mail-er... "polite complaint" drive is unnecessary. In terms of timing, the sound effects and voices are perfectly timed with the video (a small problem I have seen with a few older DVD series is that the audio track has a small delay, hence why this statement was included). Of course, the sound does the series much more justice than the video of this disc ever could.

Even though Flash has the good folks at ADV behind it, the video for this disc needed quite a bit of work, even for an older series. From the start there is a very noticeable amount of grain, especially in the darker colors, such as the night sky. Of course, this is a pretty serious factor, since several of the nicer details are lost in the grain, and it can even get to the point where attention gets diverted from the show. There is a minor case of color bleed, but there are no rainbows or aliasing, and everything else seems to stand strongly.

What would an ADV disc be without a truckload of extras? On the disc are six trailers for other ADV shows, as well as the three trailers for the Dirty Pair Flash series. Also, there is a textless opening for the series, uncut and unoverlaid by ADV's editors . There is also the Dirty Pair Flash "Production Portfolio", which is a fancy name for a collection of production sketches. A set of biographies for the main characters is included on the disc, as well, which is gives some insight on a few points that may have been missed in the initial viewings of the disc. An interesting bonus is the "DPF Trailers" section, which showcases the three trailers that were created for this one six-episode story alone. Of course, the standard trailers and DVD credits are present and accounted for.

Angels in trouble is a great disc that gives plenty of bang (pun intended) for the thirty bucks it costs. It is highly recommended to anyone looking for a night of action, or comedy broken up by light (emphasis on light) drama. The Lovely Angels have survived the test of time, now it is time to see if the younger generation can do the same.

Distributor: ADV Films
Creator: Sunrise / Studio Nue
Released: 1995

Video Quality: D
Audio Quality: B+
Presentation: B-
Content: B-
Overall: C+