A prison riot has the Dirty Pair out on assignment in the first volume of Dirty Pair OAV's (named as such to prevent any questioning by those nursed and weaned on Dirty Pair Flash). The two gun-crazy chicks in skimpy outfits were one of the true anime staples in the 80's, and it's nice to see that some of their stuff besides the three installments from Screamline are finding their way onto American shores.

If you don't already know, Kei and Yuri (the self-proclaimed "Lovely Angels", but better known as the Dirty Pair) are trouble consultants for the WWWA that usually do more harm than good-- nine times out of ten, blowing the entire vicinity to smithereens. The two are the ultimate 80's valley chicks, constantly bickering over who has to do the paperwork and gushing over whatever good-looking guys are around. Of course, their trademark outfits are barely more than bikini's.

A well-orchestrated prison uprising has resulted in the capture of the warden, and it's the Dirty Pair's job to get him back alive... if they haven't already killed him. Once they find the guy, he's a bit less than cooperative. In fact, he wants revenge on the prisoners that ruined his reputation 6 months before retirement. Then, Halloween brings a bunch of costume-clad bandits wreaking havoc, and the Dirty Pair are none too pleased with having to give up the usual parties to deal with this mess.

Dirty Pair, even at the age this series is at, is a lot of fun. Sure, it's campy. Sure, it's silly. But you just can't beat two scantly clad valley girls blowing the crap out of everything. Pamela Lauer is a fairly good Kei (being a bit too deadpan in a few places), but Jessica Cavello really shines as Yuri, milking every bit of humor out of her part. (I was lucky enough to catch the outtake reel at Project A-kon, so I have some idea how much fun these recording sessions must have been.)

One small complaint: the reverb problem that was so obvious in the dub of Golden Boy is back in a few sections here. Didn't detract from the viewing much, but it sure was annoying. Still, ADR Director David Williams deserves credit for keeping the Dirty Pair spark alive... as well as for peeling Jessica Cavello's used Kleenex off of the recording booth window.