Review of Kiddy Grade: Vol. 3

Introduction

The story is beginning to get interesting as the third disc of Kiddy Grade is released. While the first six episodes set the scene and introduced the characters in the GOTT universe, the three episodes on this disc take a slightly more sinister turn as conspiracies are hinted at, with one or two shocking revelations. Not to worry though, the established format of skimpy costumes and high-octane action still remains.

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.

Volume 3 of Kiddy Grade contains episodes 7-9 as well as a few extras.

Trial/Child sees Éclair and Lumiere protecting a young boy as he goes to claim his inheritance of one of the largest corporations in the galaxy. But not everyone is pleased with the new boss, especially as he`s not as purebred as the rest of the board. Meanwhile unbeknownst to Éclair, GOTT are up to some clandestine machinations.

Forbidden/Instrument refers to the Geo Sort bomb. A planet-cracking weapon used in the last great wars. GOTT is the only organisation to have access to these doomsday weapons, so when the planet Atoth is destroyed, the natural suspicion is that it is an inside job. When Éclair and Lumiere are in position to make an arrest though, their boss Eclipse withholds the authority.

Mirage/Snare is the trap on Planet Dardanos that awaits Éclair when she goes there undercover to trace some missing company bigwigs. The planet is curiously placid, and no one has any memory of the missing people. It`s a mind control plot to takeover the galaxy through some horrendous muzak. But while the average person is being brainwashed, the tune awakens some deeply buried memories for Éclair, of another life.

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. I did feel that the animation was a little less polished than in earlier episodes, but the cotton world of Dardanos was still atmospherically designed.

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, and you can see the title sequence minus the text.

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

Oh wow, Kiddy Grade steps up a gear on this third disc of adventures. The format has been well and truly established in the earlier episodes, as Éclair and Lumiere are assigned various missions around the galaxy. But while the earlier episodes have been varied stories with little linking them except the tiniest undercurrent of an ongoing thread, the three episodes on this disc are more interesting as the machinations in the background become more important.

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. The stories on this disc are beginning to get darker though, and while Mirage/Snare`s mind control plot device is probably the least original yet, it`s Éclair`s realisation that all is not as it seems that tantalises.

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 two discs. The characters are well rounded and enjoyable to watch, and on this disc the story steps up a gear as dark hints to Éclair`s past and intrigues at GOTT begin to take centre stage. I`m practically salivating to find out what happens next.