Back when I was a teenager, I often babysat for friends and family. From this experience I gained a certain confidence in my ability to raise my own lil 'uns once the time came to do so. It seemed simple: you lay down the ground rules, hit the tykes when they fail to follow said rules, and in ten minutes you've got them singing "Edelweiss." And yet, since that time of innocence I have come to a much different understanding than my original preconception: I am truly, truly horrible with kids (shocking, I know). I just don't get them. Whenever I'm alone with one in a room we just end up staring at each other silently like cats, until finally one of us walks away, usually under the pretext of getting something to eat (again, much like cats).

So, what's the point? Well, I mention this fault of mine because it also explains why I hold a great deal of respect for people or products with the ability to connect with children on their level. The amount of creativity and intelligence it takes to produce a worthwhile experience for them is not at all lost on me, and thus I must give "Risky Safety" its dues. After watching the first volume of eight nine-minute shorts, I find it to contain just the right amount of story, characterization, and general cute fluff to both entertain and broaden the horizons of youngsters of any age.

"Risky Safety" concerns Moe, a young middle school-age girl, and as the series opens she's seen better days. Moe believes her longtime boyfriend is cheating on her, and in response she has taken to some hardcore sulking sessions in her bedroom. This attracts the attention of Risky, an apprentice shinigami (death spirit) on assignment to collect his quota of souls for the King of Hell so he can get his promotion. Risky begins his manipulation/condemnation routine on Moe, but his klutzy antics and cute appearance work against him and actually help to raise her spirits. This causes an unexpected turn of events: it seems Risky is actually sharing his body with an apprentice angel named Safety, and it is her divine duty to save those souls her alter ego threatens. The deciding factor in which personality dominates at any given time is determined by the auras of the people around Risky/Safety; happiness brings Safety into supremacy while sorrow summons up Risky. Once all this is established in the first two episodes (which, given the short length of the individual segments, makes the anime have an altogether much faster pace than most of its peers), "Risky Safety" then delves into lightweight soapy drama for kids territory with Moe going through the trials and tribulations of adolescence while being helped and hindered by Safety and Risky, respectively. Kind of a "Degrassi High" meets "Tenshi Ni Narumon" really.

In relation to other anime of its kind, "Risky Safety" has what could almost be termed a low concept plot, but that can be just fine if the series has the writing to back it up. This is especially hard to grade, as "Risky Safety" is one of those shows that originally aired in an hour-long anime showcase with other short series, so the pacing is a little unusual. I'm not sure the writers are used to this format, as far too many episodes end abruptly, where the plot itself pauses but the general flow of the story doesn't. Also I can't help but feel that they were a little uncomfortable with some of the more serious aspects of the script. Several times the shows dips its feet into some unexpectedly mature themes, most notably suicide, but just when you think it might raise a few insights or at least expand on the general notion it immediately jerks its toes right back out and goes back into its more familiar cutesy routines. Those are really the better things to begin with, but a few glimmers of depth did indeed surprise me and I wonder what these writers could do when working for an older audience (Safety's comment on a suicidal person's passage to Heaven struck me as particularly poignant, whether the profundity was intentional or not). However, the writers do a fine job in general with most of the material, especially the scenes with the angel and the demon just goofing around and messing with each other, which are indeed great fun. The sense of playful rivalry between the title characters is definitely there.

What struck me first about the series was the art, which is quirky and very fun. It's all very 2D with a soft, nearly pastel palette, making this a charming if abnormal visual experience, though unfortunately a little stiff at times. The character designs are simplistic and kid-friendly, which probably gives Moe and later episodes' Fazzy a more relatable appearance for a young audience. Risky's and Safety's designs are particularly good though, as they carry a sort of quirky otherness that helps them to really stand out from amongst the human characters. Really, given the atypical thin lines and narrow curves, I would surmise that the original manga's art was translated very faithfully to the TV screen, and thus the original personality behind the visuals is still there.

The DVD, produced by anime superstore AnimeNation's new production department, is quality through and through. The case seems to be lifted directly from the Japanese DVDs (that's an educated guess - I don't care enough to read any emails if I'm wrong), and that was a fine choice as the appealingly lovable image of Risky makes a good and accurate advertisement for the contents of the disk. I was a bit surprised at the subtitler's decision to include Japanese honorifics and phrases like shinigami and yoroshiku untranslated, given the apparently young age range; but, the definitions are dutifully explained in the (surprisingly complete) liner notes, so I can't argue too much. The menus are nicely animated and easy to navigate, and the credits supply both English and Japanese seiyuu listings (heck, they even gave a nod to uber-fansubber Sachi Gumi, who provided the first translated episodes to Western shores so long ago), so no criticisms there. The transfer is perfect, with no glitches in either the video or audio, and the subtitles are timed correctly. Really, the only qualm with the presentation I have is that the sole semi-unique extra-dub bloopers are not the least bit funny. But, then again, that's not exactly a mortal sin.

"Risky Safety" is a delight, pure and simple. The characters are adorable, the writing above-average, and there's a genuine sense of fun in it that's missing from lots of the newer releases. The dramatic scenes do require a good deal of improvement, but in general the good outweighs the bad in this release, as the humorous scenes are well done and plentiful. I'm not the intended audience, but the quality and cleverness behind the production is there for all ages to enjoy. YOROSHIKU!!!

Distributor: AN Entertainment
Creator: Pony Canyon
Released: 1999

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