Cleopatra DC is a three-part OVA series that began its release in 1989 in Japan based on a manga by the popular Kaoru Shintani (Area 88). The series is about Cleopatra Corns (aka Cleo), the young leader of the most powerful corporation in the world.

The DVD contains all three OVAs, each of which serves as a stand alone story. The first concerns the leader of a rival corporation forcing a woman into his life by threatening to ruin her father. Cleo and her team of experts stumble into the situation and decide to help her boyfriend get her back by using corporate business tactics, followed by high-tech weaponry.

The next episode involves satellite-laser weaponry and the theft of the diamond that serves as a lens. The thief was working for British intelligence and was killed, leaving his only sister alone and unknowingly with the diamond. While Cleo is out driving her new corvette, she comes across the girl under attack. After helping the girl escape, Cleo and her team of experts help her get revenge for her brother.

Cleo gets serious as she prepares to confront the Colonel, a nemesis that follows her through all three episodes.	The Colonel gets some cyborg upgrades as the series goes on, probably because Cleo keeps blowing off little parts of him.

The final episode deals the corporate creation of a prototype ESPer as a human weapon. The prototype looks like a 10 or 12-year-old girl who makes good her escape after a massive display of power. Cleo stumbles across her during a vacation, and she and her team of experts work to protect her from the bad guys.

If you haven't noticed, there is a definite formula here: Cleo finds a problem, then uses her massive resources to solve the problem. The series is very reminiscent of VIP - yes, the VIP starring Pam Anderson. So, your enjoyment of the series will be directly related to your ability to enjoy kitschy TV.

The animation is better than the typical television anime from the same period, but is pretty limited, although it has hints of good action direction. While the transfer seems very clean, the animation itself wasn't very clean from the beginning.

The music has some nice jazz riffs from time to time, but in general it's typical 80s fluff rock. The sound effects are actually quite good, as are the voice actors.

There are some negatives with the disc. First, there are no extras. Next, the menus are quite bland, although they do have nice artwork from Shintani. Finally, the disc is hard-subtitled, meaning you can't turn them off.

Even with the formulaic nature and limited plots, the series was somewhat fun. It will never be considered a classic, but Cleo has some brains, there are some laughs, and some of the action is a bit exciting. If you like late night TV, and enjoy these kinds of romps, you'll probably enjoy the weapons and gorgeous women that they all have in common.

Note: There may be a scene that some people find disturbing. The opening sequence involves a plane flying into Manhattan, with the twin towers in the background. Of course, this plane flies into a skyscraper.

Plot: B-
Character Design: B+
Animation Quality: C
Music: B
Overall: B-