Jun 16, 2024
I’ve only got to watch Dirty Pair quite recently (so no nostalgia factor) and having now watched both the original show from 1985 and this entry that is basically a "season 2" made two years later, I thought it was fair to share some of my thoughts comparing the two.
As you know, Dirty Pair is a old-school sci fi comedy about 2 female agents that are hired to solve all types of world issues, small or big. They always get the job done although also always breaking a lot of stuff in the process. Add to that a bit of sexiness to the formula and
...
you have Dirty Pair. Once again, the episodes are all stand alone, with no continuity between them.
Now, is this one worth watching? Well, compared to the first original "season", I would say: No.
- The art level got a downgrade and the animation also got worse;
- Yuri and Key’s individual personalities are less pronounced;
- The surrounding world and characters are less developed, making them all feel quite generic;
- Despite its setting, the show also lost a bit of its sci fi elements;
- The writing is really inconsistent. Some episodes are borderline childish and goofy while others (like ep.9) are quite violent and without anything comedic;
- The whole "sexiness" of the original show is also lost in favor of just some tired old man jokes - that often feel out of place - and some even more revealing outfits;
- The overall product felt a bit "less adult" than its predecessor for most of the time.
As I see it, most these issues boil down to bad writing, and you can notice that even further in the amount of predictable clichés and lack of emotional attachment throughout the show. There are even some continuity issues: where did that bazooka come from? why did the car color and model change out of nowhere? since when is Yuri good at neuroengineering?
This altogether ended up leaving me disappointed. I know that this is a show that is not supposed to be taken seriously, but the original one actually got some laughs out of me and made me at least care. It managed to find a way to mix in the comedy and absurdity of the shows' premise with some degree of seriousness and interesting elements. This one though, felt just kind of dumb, unfun and all over the place. You can see that the original foundation is there, but the execution is really lacking.
To be fair, I wouldn't say that either this or the original are a "must watch" since both of them I thought about dropping at some point. The difference, though, was that the original one kept me going, while this current entry I only finished "to get it done with".
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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