Suna no Bara: Yuki no Mokushiroku

A fantastic action OVA that absolutely needs a sequel or at least needed to last longer. The animation strikes a balance of lanky and beautiful shojo characters with muscular guns and action all set to a rad soundtrack. The opening shoot out is awesome but Marie and her crew get enough character development in so they're not faceless. The casts leans more beauty than sexy and thats for the better so the OVA isn't mired in fan service. The plot is very James Bond but thats not a bad thing as its easy to follow.

There is a want for a final shootout to cap ... off this singular OVA.

This is an odd OVA. One episode, 44 minutes, with a lot of setup and implication of wider plots that there aren't time for. Nothing that's in here is done poorly, but at the end I was more confused than satisfied. It feels like an episode of some broader TV show that didn't survive and so we have this one remainder. I would still recommend it if you're in the habit of watching old OVAs like this, you might have fun. Bring a friend along to share in the bafflement. If you don't usually watch stuff like this, skip it, it's not a good entry ... point. Maybe record this onto a VHS and mockup some box art and prank someone with it, it's perfect for that.

I realize I've said very little about what IS here, but you pretty much get what you see: an all women's spec ops group. There's a lot less violence than you may want, and a lot more "wow they're pretty but can they actually shoot?" comments than I'd really like to see. In fact every time one of those comments gets made it feels like a gunfight or cooler action scene that got cut. If you liked this but felt hungry still, go try Gunsmith Cats.

I am going into this without reading the 15 volume source material, so I'm limited. I am also viewing this in a post 9/11 era so the idea of terrorism at airports is kind of a taboo thing and I was honestly surprised to see it.
Desert rose is another product of 90’s one-time OVA’s complimentary to their manga. A very simple plot and quick story, maybe a little too out there for 40 mins, but we get a swimsuit shot at the end so who cares right?
Following the story of C.A.T. , a small unit of women trained in anti-terrorism and led by ... captain Rosebank. Partially named after the scar she has on her chest from a quite horrific bombing at an airport. Her and her motley crew of young women embark to the pseudo Geneva conference- this time in the mountains to protect world leaders from the inevitable assassination attempts.

There is not much to say about Suna no Bara, other than the character design is a nice change of pace from conventional anime. Honestly the character interactions before and after the main plot hold more interest than the actual storyline. Nothing to write home about in any department. And quite forgettable. But, if you have 40 minutes to spare why not.