Review of Kiddy Grade: Vol. 2

Introduction

Having thoroughly enjoyed the first volume of Kiddy Grade, I was certainly looking forward to the second set of three episodes from MVM, and they certainly didn`t disappoint. Kiddy Grade relates the adventures of the GOTT, the Galactic Organisation of Trade and Tariffs, policing trade throughout the galaxy of the distant future. The stories focus on two cybernetically enhanced warriors working for ES, Éclair and Lumiere, both capable of taking on the toughest of opponents and facing the most trying of circumstances. They are also teenaged girls, of course.

Like the first disc, Volume 2 contains three stories as well as some frothy extras.

High/Speed sees Éclair entering in gladiatorial contest on Kubos station as a cover while she tracks down some stolen cyborg technology. The same kind of enhancements that make her such a formidable GOTT agent in the wrong hands could spell trouble, but when she meets the subject of the stolen enhancements, she is torn between her duty and her desire to help.

Day/Off is a rare day of relaxation for Éclair and Lumiere. Éclair decides to spend it on a night out with her friend, while Lumiere decides to soak up some culture at an opera. So how is it that Éclair ends up in the middle of a firefight between rival criminal organisations, while Lumiere is kidnapped along with several other children?

Turn/Star. When the planet Satyros` transport network becomes easy prey for thieves and hijackers, GOTT is sent to investigate. Éclair poses as a humble secretary for a rather nervous and inexperienced agent on her last mission. They have to escort a delicate diplomatic package on an outbound flight, but the bandits aren`t who they expect them to be.

Video

The picture is presented in the original 4:3 format, and the transfer is perfectly adequate. Like most modern animation, computers have taken the place of pencils and paper, and that is immediately apparent from the precision of the animation. However, that fact soon faded from the awareness, and I was left to appreciate the design of Kiddy Grade`s world. The character design is simple but distinctive, and the realisation of the future world is intricate and well thought out. Space elevators and orbital rings, as well as gargantuan Warp gates are all realised with a grand sense of scale. High/Speed`s gladiatorial arena is a wonderful execution of design, a zero-G battlefield where the audience surrounds a central sphere and the combatants battle in a space where there is no up or down.

Audio

There are a fine choice of soundtracks here, DD 5.1 and DD 2.0 English as well as DD 2.0 Japanese. As per usual, my preference is for the original language whenever possible, and the dialogue is clear throughout. Kiddy Grade also has some nice pop lite tracks for the credit sequences (the opening credits sequence for the final episode is truncated by about 10 seconds, the episode is all there though), and the incidental music has a sense of scale and orchestration more often associated with feature films. It`s all very impressive. You can only select one subtitle track from the menu, and it`s for the dubbed English version. However, using your remote, you`ll find a second subtitle track with a translated English version. The choice of the two is a welcome addition, and I wonder why it isn`t stated on the menu screen.

I`m usually loath to sample the English dubs, but Kiddy Grade makes a welcome exception. Instead of merely translating and filling the extra lip movements with extraneous dialogue, the voiceover has gone back to basics and provided a dialogue that not only conveys the story accurately, but also sounds natural when spoken. The actors also suit the characters, so it`s fair to say that you don`t lose anything by going with the English dub, indeed the DD 5.1 track gives that surround sound oomph to the space opera action, so no matter what your personal preference is when it comes to soundtracks, you`re in a win-win situation here.

Features

MVM have provided a nice selection of light extras to complement the disc, though none of them are particularly insightful or serious. There`s a 90-second slideshow of images from the episodes. There are seven text profiles for the characters. The original adverts for Kiddy Grade are here, you can see the title sequence minus the text, and there is a 5-minute promo slide show of pencil sketches for the series set to a non-descript pop track.

There is the usual jacket picture that is displayed when the disc isn`t spinning, and thanks to seamless branching, you`ll either see the English or Japanese credits played depending on which language you chose from the menu.

Conclusion

Kiddy Grade, I can`t get over the daftness of the title, but it belies just how much fun this series is. This second disc has three more episodes that continue in the same vein as the first disc. They are three varied and interesting stories, that may be short but are perfectly formed and never insult the intelligence. At the most basic level it is pretty childish stuff, bad guys do bad things and our pretty heroines save the day each time. What raises this above the level of mindless Power Rangers stuff is that the stories are demonstrably different each time, there is distinct originality in each episode and you never see the same thing twice.

There is a certain mindset to get around first. You have to accept the incongruity of the galaxy being saved on a regular basis by teenaged girls. There`s plenty of childish behaviour as well as moments of action and drama, and while the characters are drawn as objects of fantasy, with plenty of skimpy costumes, they are portrayed as naïve and innocent.

The individual stories make use of some nice sci-fi and cyberpunk concepts, but keep it light-hearted and cheerful. The scripts are well written and a nice mix of comedy, action and character moments, and the characters are well developed through the episodes. As well as the individual stories, there are threads established that work their way through the series, with the ES not as united as they try to present themselves. There isn`t as much development in the characters as in the first three episodes, which I found a little disappointing, but enough ambiguity remains to keep things tantalising.

There are plenty of tongue-in-cheek moments, Éclair in particular is fond of costume changes, and her weapon, the ultimate lipstick of power has to be the most ridiculous I have yet seen on screen. Her sidekick, Lumiere is obsessed with status and elegance and disapproves of Éclair`s rough and ready nature. These two, and GOTT auditor Armbrust journey around the galaxy enforcing the law, and the light cheery take on the characters give the stories a freshness that makes them feel new.

Kiddy Grade is one of the better cyberpunk anime series that I have seen of late. No matter that the material isn`t dark or moody, indeed the light and comedic take on the stories is refreshing. The scripts are excellent and the stories well worth watching, extending and adding to the entertaining stories on the first disc. The characters are well rounded and enjoyable to watch, and there are undercurrents to the over-riding story that promise to grow into something substantial. Swashbuckling sci-fi anime, and a nice addition to the Kiddy Grade collection, certainly recommended.