About seven years ago a little-known anime video game was released in the States called Psychic Force. It didn't sell well here, but has quite a following in Japan. In order to please Japanese (and the few foreign) fans of the game, the creators decided to make a four episode OVA featuring the game's characters and storyline. Unfortunately, they didn't give the project enough time.

In the future, there are a small number of humans who have awakened latent psychic abilities within themselves. When the government discovers this, they kidnap these people in order to use them as weapons. Keith, a young man who can launch ice from his hands, is one of the lucky few who escapes. During his flight from the law he meets up with Burn, an extroverted, high-spirited young man who is inherently kind to strangers. The two meet when Burn almost runs Keith over on the road. In order to pay for his mistake, Burn takes Keith home and gives him a room for a night. The next morning Keith has left, not wanting to get Burn or his family wrapped up in his troubles; but when the government comes looking for Keith they attack Burn's home. Keith comes back to save Burn but is he taken away in the process. Burn, frustrated at himself, seeks out Keith. And that's where his quest begins.

Psychic Force has potential. Unfortunately, primarily due to its short length, it fails to meet that potential. All of the scenes are too rushed and there is no time given to Burn's quest to find Keith. Too much is packed into too little time, battles and poignant parts of the plot are rushed through in order to meet the time allotted More episodes to develop the story would have made for a much better Anime.

Dialogue, music and effects are all decent. Both dub and sub are decent, but the dub has a few common dub problems. A few scenes are done too childishly, and the lip flap is off at times. Otherwise, the audio is not a problem.

Animation is one of Psychic Force's better points. Character designs, are at best, original, if not then just bizarre. The art is nice with a style similar to Slayers or Rurouni Kenshin. The psychic powers such as the fire, are very flashy, well-drawn and animated. Some of the best character designs include Brad, the split personality psychic, one persona being a humble man, the other being a crazed killer.

The extras are very entertaining. The “Psychic Force convention” clip is very funny, featuring interviews with the seiyuu of each character. Many of them make wisecracks and jokes about their characters, and it makes for a very humorous scene. The commercials are good, but are somewhat pointless for those who are not familiar with the video game series. All in all the extras are entertaining, but they do not warrant the purchase of the DVD.

Psychic Force doesn't cut it for a purchase, even if you are a fan of the game like I am. While it can be nice for collectivity, it still isn't a great work. The scenes are just too rushed; no character is given proper airtime, and each event is pressed in to fit the time frame. Psychic Force proves that producers should let the product choose its own running time, and not pre-determine the length before it is made.