Burst Angel Infinity

by George Thompson

Don’t go out in bad weather.

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This animé movie, although only 25 minutes long, is not short on action.  New York City is the backdrop for this movie that weaves a tale of adventure along with a dose of woe.  One friend, Shirley, has been severely injured, her life hanging by a thread in the hospital and the two other girls set out on a journey to find the culprit responsible for the wrongful deed that put her there.

These girls, Meg and Jo, seem to have super human powers when it comes to fighting crime.  Their arms become shields, they can leap great distances and they do not have to shout to be heard.  They don’t fly, but halfway through the movie, you almost suspect they might be able to.  They are able to throw opponents great distances with ease.  Jo, of course using her dark side, seems to have the upper hand in using her powers moreso than Meg.

They scour New York City and come up empty handed each time they look for the culprit who is wreaking havoc on the city.  The mayor gets involved but admits his hands are tied and the police are of little help since they are bogged down with so many cases they can’t do anything, either.  Meg and Jo must fend for themselves and that’s exactly what they do.

At one point, one of them shows her fear and animosity by breaking down and crying.  Consoled by the other in an “uncustomary” way, she stops crying and vows to be brave and strong and fight for Sarah who still suffers in the hospital.  When I listened to the special features in Japanese, I could not pick up on tone of voice, inflection or diction.  The 25-minute DVD, though, had all three qualities and I was able to judge for myself.  When it was time for either Meg or Jo to speak quietly, she did so.  If anger, doubt, or any other type of anxiety or emotion was needed, it was there.  When the script called for loud talking or shouting, it was present.  I was also impressed by the “absence” of profanity.  There was laughter on the soundtrack and the dubbing matched perfectly in each category where an emotion was called for by the actor dubbing the voice.

Meg and Jo finally catch up with the crook who is about to leave the city, but they have other things in mind for this evil doer and it doesn’t include leaving town.  With each other’s help, they bring him down for good.  We see in the last scene that Shirley is okay but her recuperation is going to be an uphill battle.

There are extra features galore and if that weren’t enough, you can go online at www.burstangel.com.  I was surprised with the costumes worn by Meg and Jo; they are more revealing than if humans were playing the parts.  There is little left “for” the imagination in the skimpy outfits worn by both girls.  In fact, the costumes are less offensive—to me—in the DVD movie I reviewed than what is shown in the special features portion.  Close proximity of Meg and Jo’s bodies to each other could also lead some to speculate of their sexual orientation.

The special features (110 minutes) are chock full of imaginative stories themselves.  There’s the story of the dark and light side of Jo that fills in the back-story of where Jo came from and what she was doing before joining the other girls to fight for justice.  Then, there’s the marathon race to show all 24 episodes of the series, and a preview of the TV series and the trailers.  Extra treats for everyone in the family.

All in all, a good picture that gave me a brief respite from the everyday fracas that goes on in my life.  I watched this is good faith and enjoyed the entire movie.  I think you will, too.