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  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Full Frame
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital Stereo
  • Japanese: Dolby Digital Stereo
  Subtitles
    English
  Extras
  • Teaser trailer - Extended episode previews
  • Production notes - Translator notes
  • Photo gallery - Production Sketches, original cover artwork, original manga covers
  • Animated menus
  • Behind the scenes footage - Photo shoot

Steel Angel Kurumi 2 - The Trouble With Angels

Madman Entertainment/AV Channel . R4 . COLOR . 90 mins . M15+ . PAL

  Feature
Contract

Let me make this perfectly clear. Although I sit here fingers poised, thoughts collected, ready to launch into a review of Steel Angel Kurumi volume 2, I have not, I repeat not watched the first volume of this perky little anime series. Let me state this categorically, unequivocally and, if the truth be told, rather ashamedly. Let me say further that, before receiving this disc from AV-Channel through our well-meaning editor here at DVDnet, I knew not one iota about Kurumi, her adventures, or her remarkably pert yet yielding breasts. Hmm? What’s that? I know, it surprised me as well – just what kind of steel is that? And while we're at it, why is Kurumi always sexed up? Isn’t she a robot? And what’s with the lesbian fantasies of her best mate, Saki…?

Ahem. I seem to have gotten a little off the subject. You see that’s what happens when you enter a series partway through. Details such as these become intriguing when taken out of their original context. Presumably there is a perfectly innocent explanation for it all. But in all truth I hope not…

Where was I? Oh yes, gallantly filibustering.

So what is a review of the second volume without the first? Not a lot, it might be said. But the Internet is a truly wonderful thing. Here you can learn everything there is to know about Kurumi, her yielding breasts, and most importantly the series’ backstory. And if you care to hear it, I will relate just enough of it to make sense of this second volume. No breasts though. Find out about those on your own dime…

Set sometime during Japan’s ‘Taisho’ period – the period of rapid industrialisation that preceded the 20th century’s second bout of ugliness - Steel Angel Kurumi tells the story of the Steel Angels; the brainchild of an ex-military scientist Dr. Ayonokoji. When the army, wanting desperately to reclaim the doctor’s research, launch an attack on his workshop, a snooping teenager Nakahito gets mixed up in the mess. Awaking one of the angels (Kurumi) with an accidental kiss, she becomes his devoted slave – just in time to beat the piss out of some of Nakahito’s bullying classmates. To cut a long story short, another angel, Saki is also awakened in the doctor’s crumbling workshop – this time by Kurumi herself (ooh-er) – and the three flee the pursuing military. Or something like that.

The opening of the second volume sees the three traveling across Japan under the care of one Dr. Amagi – a colleague of Ayonokoji – and making for Ayonokoji’s secret laboratory to try and find some answers to the bigger questions; presumably the origin of this weird breast-steel that I postulated above. But travel in 1920s Japan was not by shiny shinkansen, oh no, it’s the steam train for our heroes, and a particularly unreliable one at that. And so as the gang travel a bit, get held up a bit, and get set upon by other angels with big bouncing boobs a bit. Along the way we are privy to all manner of titillation, sexual innuendo and teenage robot angst. An interesting, if not totally unique mix for the genre, it's one that has withstood the test of time, and certainly managed not only to keep my enthalled, but also elicited the odd giggle. Though I'm rather ashamed to admit it.

  Video
Contract

Told in short, 15-minute episodes Steel Angel Kurumi is classic teenage anime all the way. The characterisations are all big hair and big eyes, and where the girls are concerned (especially the angels) impossibly long-legged and imbued with bountiful chests (if you hadn't already guessed). Basically they’re your classic, teenage-fantasy manga babes and I say let’s see more of it! Super-deformation abounds, adding spark to the comedic moments, and the animation is surprisingly smooth and detailed – especially during the action moments. In terms of technicals, the full-frame transfer is sharp and crisp, overflowing with colour - from Kurumi’s pink hair to her blue maid's outfit. Black level is perfect and the source material is clean and devoid of aliasing artifacts. So too, the compression process, has left no mark on the image whatsoever. Basically, it’s about as perfect as anime transfers come.

  Audio
Contract

Kurumi is a fairly ordinary production as far as anime for television goes, with Dolby Digital stereo soundtracks supplied in both the original Japanese and a serviceable English dub (if valley girls are ever considered reasonable) . Dialogue driven and remaining rooted mainly in the front channels for the duration, the mix displays some stereo effects from time to time. Although under-utilised, the surround channel is provided a little action from time to time, typically during the banging and crashing of the action scenes, at which time the subwoofer also plays a part, but channel separation is low. The English dub, while utilising some OK voice actors, does change the dialogue somewhat from the original Japanese; watering down many of the subtleties in the character relationships. My advice is to stick with the Japanese.

  Extras
Contract

Nicely animated menus provide access to what at first glance appears to be a wealth of extras, however but for one or two gems there is little of real interest.

  • A Steel Angel Photo Shoot (Yukatas): (20 minutes) behind the scenes footage from a photo shoot that serves to promote the female English voice talent behind ADV’s western release. The photographer and the other ADV staff behind the shoot give a running commentary. A pointless exercise in itself, this is interminably long and as boring as bat shit.

  • Original Cover Artwork: 19 still images give the original covers for the Japanese DVD, Laserdisc and VHS releases of the series. A hell of a lot more explicit than those we’ve been given.

  • Original Manga Covers: Six still images show the cover artwork for the original manga (comics) from which the series was drawn.

  • Production Sketches: A more standard anime inclusion, these eight still images give pencil sketches of all the major and supporting characters to be seen in these episodes.

  • Original US Trailer: (01:27) Kurumi and her friends punch, kick and fawn their way through the title music.

  • Translator Notes: The translators who produced the English substitles (not ADVs English script) provide nine pages of text describing the fan-sub Angel designs that are included in these episodes, fan-produced manga in general, the Taisho era of Japan, and other aspects and locations within the episodes. A great inclusion and a very interesting read!

  • Extended Episode Previews:The episode previews are presented complete with English translation. Most of them are kind of funny actually.

  • Saki Fortune Teller: Printed on the inside cover of the DVD and also on a printable PDF on the disc itself (accessed via a DVD-ROM drive) is a fortune teller – you know those things you used to make as a kid?. A pretty neat inclusion for the younger audience members.
  • ADV Previews: Trailers for Excel Saga, Noir, Martian Successor Nadesico, Samurai X: Reflection, RahXephon and Burn Up Excess.

  Overall  
Contract

If anime aimed at giggling teens is your cup of tea then you may well get a kick out of Kurumi. Providing lashings of titilation for the boys, giggling crushes and strong female protagonists for the girls, Kurumi is a piece of classic anime. Me? Well, despite approaching my mid-30s I still got a kick out of it. Sad really.


  • LINK: http://www.dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=2590
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      And I quote...
    "These steel angels are soft and squidgy..."
    - Gavin Turner
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Toshiba SD-2108
    • TV:
          Panasonic TC-68P90A TAU (80cm)
    • Receiver:
          Yamaha RX-V795
    • Amplifier:
          Yamaha RX-V795
    • Speakers:
          B&W 602
    • Centre Speaker:
          B&W CC6 S2
    • Surrounds:
          JM Lab Cobalt SR20
    • Subwoofer:
          B&W ASW-500
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard Optical
    • Video Cables:
          Standard Component RCA
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