Review of Kiddy Grade: Vol. 1

Introduction

Two worlds stand at the brink of a bitter conflict over trade. One has even gone so far as to enforce a rigid blockade of the local trade route. Into this tense situation, the benevolent galactic body sends two warriors, gifted with amazing powers, to mediate a peaceful agreement, but all is not as it seems.

You can almost see the yellow text scrolling off into the distance, but this isn`t the Phantom Menace, rather it`s the first episode of the curiously named anime, Kiddy Grade. The galactic organisation in question is the GOTT, the Galactic Organisation of Trade and Tariffs, policing trade throughout the galaxy of the distant future. The policemen of this particular organisation are cybernetically enhanced warriors working for ES, capable of taking on the toughest of opponents and facing the most trying of circumstances. They are also teenaged girls, of course.

This disc contains the first three episodes of the series, Depth/Space I`ve already described, although there is a slight difference as the two heroines Éclair and Lumiere have to escort a GOTT auditor to act as mediator. Armbrust has a secret agenda though.

Tight/Bind begins with the ES confiscating a proscribed substance Hi-G, used in gravity control equipment or gravity weapons. When the confiscated material goes missing, it`s up to ES to track down the stolen material, beginning by going to a secure prison to interrogate the criminals who had it in the first place.

Prisoner/Escort begins with Éclair and Lumiere in action once more, taking down a wanted criminal. But their trouble is only beginning, as the prisoner has to be escorted back to face trial, and their own ship the La Muse, is insufficient to carry the prisoner`s elaborate life support equipment. Trouble waits in Warp space, as the Insurers are ready to pounce.

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

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 original whenever possible, and the dialogue is clear throughout. Kiddy Grade also has some nice pop lite tracks for the credit sequences, 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, as well as trailers for other anime titles from MVM. You can see the title sequence minus the text, and there is a 5-minute promo video 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

What is it with anime titles nowadays? I`ve recently reviewed Fruits Basket and now I get Kiddy Grade to review. I`ve no idea what Kiddy Grade means, or how it relates to the story, and I dread going up to a shop counter and asking for anything with Kiddy in the title. And I probably will have to, as I found Kiddy Grade to be a highly enjoyable sci-fi series, and I definitely want to see more.

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 are rivalries between the agents and people working at cross-purposes. Not everyone is who they appear to be, and an overriding story begins to develop in these first three episodes.

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 (there`s that name again) 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. 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 anime, certainly recommended.