Kiddy Grade Collection

Released By: MVM

Rating: PG

Running Time: 600 Mins

Audio: English & Japanese DD 5.1

Release Date: Out Now!

Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes

The original story for this title was written by gimik of GONZO and directed by Keiji Gotoh, and serialized in Monthly Shonen Ace and Monthly Dragon Jr. and published as a Kadokawa Sneaker paperback. FUNimation took up the license and distribution for the anime, putting it on air in 2007. The series itself was re-released as three different movies 80-90 minutes in length to a rapt audience, called Ignition, Maelstrom and Truth Dawn. Later due to great interest in the series, there was news of a sequel known as Kiddy Grade 2. A DVD preview was put out for all to see and later it was announced that there would be a new series called Kiddy Girl-and plus another anime called Kiddy Girl and Pure.

There have been many manga series made out of this concept, Kiddy Grade Reverse, Kiddy Grade Versus, with Light Novel Kiddy Grade EX Partner by Fumihiko Shimo, and Kiddy Grade Secret Affair.

It is set in Star Century Zero-One-Sixty-Five, which is 162 years ago when a Global Union was set up. The Galactic Organization of Trade and Tariffs known as GOTT when it was inaugurated. Once it was on Earth, and its role was to promote the settlement of agreements and contracts between the governments. The premise of this story sounds very serious, but that isn't what the anime is actually like. There are a few bursts of fan-service for the guys, and some rather handsome bishonen men to balance it all out.  At GOTT everyone has a right to be protected by the team there, they are the ES Force that has only twelve physically fit and well young people who also happen to have extraordinary powers. It is their job to have their mettle put to the test with organized drills where their team can stop any threat to their safety and the peoples as easily and quickly as possible. It does cause trouble though. As the girls go about their mission they soon find out that the organization they so know and love are not as nice as they thought. GOTT contains many secrets, and they have to uncover them as well as do their job - for Lumiere and Eclair this is a dangerous time.

Kiddy Grade Collection is a slick and well animated show where it shows a team of young girls employed by GOTT can kick ass just as good as the men who work there. Behind the scenes of their perfect planet, Lumiere and Eclair have to mediate in order to prevent a possible devastating war. All they have to do is deliver a man to Medeia, a distant planet and to their Prime Minister there. Traveling in their S-2 Cruiser La Mine they are in one scrape after another as far as their missions are concerned with the possibility of danger and even death. The girls wonder around in unusual and comical outfits but know how to fight when the time comes. Science fiction seems to be a staple of Japanese anime and manga, and there are plenty more series where this one came from that are of that genre, including Ghost in the Shell.

Bonus Material: Image Gallery, Character Profiles, Promo Video, Original Commercials, Text less Song, Trailers and DVD credits.

Verdict: Bouncy, fast, energetic and laugh out loud!