Ask John: Can You Provide background on the Dirty Pair?

Question:
Could you please provide me with some information about the Dirty Pair series, ie. how long is the manga series, how many TV series (number of episodes), OVAs, movies have been created and how much of it is available in North America? And is there a difference in the personalities of Kei & Yuri in the different series? (I heard they’re more childish in the Dirty Pair Flash series.)

Answer:
Given the recent release of the entire Dirty Pair OAV series on DVD, and AD Vision’s announcement of their intention to re-release the movies and possibly debut the TV series in America, it seems like an appropriate time to discuss the Lovely Angels.

The Dirty Pair first appeared in hard science-fiction stories written by Haruka Takachiho and published in the Japanese SF Magazine. These stories were evolved into a series of 5 novels published between 1980 and 1998. These novels contained the first visual representation of Kei & Yuri, and a very panther-like Mughi, in the form of cover and interior illustrations by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko (better known for his character designs for Mobile Suit Gundam and Arion). In 1983 the gals (with character designs very similar to the original “Yas” designs) appeared in a 20 second cameo in the theatrical Crusher Joe movie, based on Takachiho’s other, more popular series of sci-fi novels. This brief appearance created enough interest in the two unidentified action heroines from Crusher Joe to urge Sunrise to create a 26 episode Dirty Pair TV series in 1985.

The Dirty Pair TV series suffered from some flaws in production quality, partially due to the limitations of Japanese animation production at the time, but captured a small but very loyal Japanese fan following with its sharp wit, and subtle “in-jokes” referencing everything from H.P. Lovecraft to Star Trek to Urusei Yatsura. However, the series failed to catch on with mainstream audiences and was canceled after broadcasting only 24 episodes. However, the first Dirty Pair “movie” was already in production. Affair of Nolandia, released straight to video at the end on 1985, went back to the “hard sci-fi” look and style of the original novels rather than the cute and “fluffier” look of the TV animation, and even hinted at Kei & Yuri’s psychic powers which exist in Takachiho’s original novels but were excised from the TV animation. Affair of Nolandia, likewise, was not a resounding success with fans and consumers. Hardcore fan demand for the Dirty Pair, and the award winning success of the novels, spurred Sunrise to release the unaired final 2 TV episodes to home video in 1987 under the title “From Lovely Angels with Love.” Also that year Sunrise took a chance and created the Dirty Pair motion picture, commonly known as “Project E.D.E.N.”

The Dirty Pair movie turned out to be a massive success, almost single handedly reviving the original TV series from relative obscurity and forcing a home video re-release of the series. In response to the movie’s popularity, a new 10 episode OAV series was produced in 1988. After another two years of lounging in obscurity, the Dirty Pair returned in the highly publicized (and excellent) Flight 005 Conspiracy OAV.

After another 4 years of relative inactivity, the Dirty Pair returned in Dirty Pair Flash as Haruka Takachiho’s totally new vision for a completely different Dirty Pair. While the younger, more antagonistic and less intelligent Dirty Pair Flash was met with resounding disapproval from hardcore American fans, the series was popular enough in Japan to spawn a 6 episode original OAV series, a second 5 episode series and the 5 episode Dirty Pair Flash 3 series.

The first Dirty Pair novel, “The Great Adventures of Dirty Pair” was translated by David Lewis and published in a small bilingual paperback in Japan, intended for Japanese students of English language, in 1987. This translation has been out of print in Japan for many years and is now a highly sought after Dirty Pair collectable. Streamline Pictures dubbed the three Dirty Pair films and released them in the early 1990s. All three of these dubs have likewise been out of print for many years, although AD Vision currently has the rights to rerelease them. AD Vision released all of the Dirty Pair Flash animation beginning in 1998. At the present time, Dirty Pair Flash series 2 & 3 are out of print in America, although at least the second series will be forthcoming on DVD soon.

Excluding the American Dirty Pair comics published by Eclipse and Dark Horse comics that first premiered in 1988, the only official Dirty Pair manga that exists is a short SD manga story published in the long out of print Dirty Pair Mook (TV series “Magazine Book”)

Both in Japan and America, support for the Dirty Pair has always been relatively small, but fanatically devoted. Numerous long-time anime fans including myself and Chris Beveridge of Anime on DVD still cite Dirty Pair as one of the greatest anime series ever created, and a pinnacle choice in our personal favorites lists, classic Dirty Pair, that is. As Trish Ledoux of Animerica magazine said long ago, the ditzy, air headed, mindlessly destructive Dirty Pair Flash girls simply can’t compare to the self-deprecating, sophisticated, intelligent and absolutely self-confident original Lovely Angels.