Burst Angel: Infinity (UK)
© MVM Entertainment

Mania Grade: D+
Audio Rating: A-
Video Rating: A-
Packaging Rating: N/A
Menus Rating: B-
Extras Rating: C-
Age Rating: 12+
Region: 2 - Europe
Released By: MVM Entertainment
MSRP: £15.99
Running time: 100
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Disc Resolution: 480i/p (mixed/unknown)
Disc Encoding: MPEG-2

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Burst Angel: Infinity (of 1)

 Over a year and a half has passed since the last volume of the TV series was released, so is it really worth going back for a single episode of Burst Angel?

What They Say
Catch Jo and Meg in their very first adventure, off duty and ready to celebrate! That is, until recent events in New York City deflate their good cheer. Meg's old gang's been broken up with one in the hospital, recovery uncertain. And the freak responsible is still on the loose, a coward preying only on those weaker than himself. Jo calls for vengeance and the girls are on the hunt again... and this time it's personal!

The Review:

Audio:
I opted to listen to the English dub track for this review. It sounded really good when the action kicked in with the sound effects making nice use of the channels. Music and dialogue sounded crisp and clear as well, and I didn’t notice any dropouts or distortions during regular playback. The dub is up to the same standards as the rest of the series. I also spot-checked the Japanese track and noticed no problems with it.

Video:
Much like the TV series, we get a really nice anamorphic widescreen transfer for this series. I noticed no compression problems, no anti-aliasing and colours came out really vibrant and life-like. The series has quite an interesting look to it with its blend of a Western and sci-fi vibe, and it just looks really nice and helps you focus on the show itself. Subtitles are in a nice yellow font, and are a good, clear size. Thankfully the subtitle problem that reared its head on the last volume seems fixed here.

Packaging:
No packaging was included as this was a check disc.

Menu:
The menus are all static, with the main menu featuring a nice image of Meg and Jo on the right; selections run down the middle. The two sub-menus are also static, with just text over black and white images. Access times are fast, so while they’re a bit boring, the menus are quite functional.

Extras:
To try (and fail) to make up for the lacking runtime of the main feature, there’s a decent extras list. The first feature is a “2005 AX Special – The Light and Darkness of Jo”. This is a reworked episode of the TV series with other scenes intercut, and is actually quite pointless. Likewise is the 90 minute recap of the whole series that is the “Battle Record of all 24 episodes”, featuring every fight from the TV series. For some reason, we also get the previews of all the TV series episodes as well, and the preview for this OVA. Finally there’s a “Ugetsu Hakua (Character Designer) Special”, which is a short video set to the opening theme featuring new animation. It’s amazing that for all the content on the disc, this is the only “new” piece.

Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The question you have to ask yourself when deciding whether or not to buy Burst Angel: Infinity is this: do you really want to pay full price for a single episode of a TV series? If you loved the series, it might be worth it if the episode was exceptional. But in this case, it’s not. Infinity simply panders to the fans and is pointless in both plot and execution to the point that it really is nothing more than an attempt to gouge a bit more money from fans of the show.

Generic as it is, the story goes something like this. Jo and Meg return home to see an old friend called Shirley for her birthday, right around the time an “incident” occurs. Shirley has been attacked and is on life support, and her police officer father isn’t doing a great deal to find out what happened. Jo and Meg naturally take it upon themselves to investigate the mystery murderer, and so head to the crime scene to do some digging. Unsurprisingly, they are attacked as they rest, and the two end up separated.

Meg goes back to the house and finds out some interesting information from Shirley’s father, that makes her wonder whose side he’s on. From there, it just devolves into more pointlessness, as we discover the truth about the police’s involvement, Meg gets kidnapped as always and Jo saves the day.

To be honest, there’s not a great deal you can say about this episode. Producing an OVA like this after the conclusion of a TV series is always an interesting exercise, but when it’s a reasonably fleshed out side-story, or a short tale set within the series, it can work. But usually, if it’s not a regular episode just released on DVD, without a decent running time to do something worthwhile with the characters it ends up being a clunker.

Unfortunately, this episode of Burst Angel does nothing with the characters, and has one of the most pointless plots you’ll find in the whole series. Yes, it’s worse than most of the bad episodes of the TV series. I actually thought this series could be one that is worth revisiting, but sadly it really isn’t on this evidence. When I finished it I couldn’t help but think that the creators just decided they’d make an OVA, and threw together the first thing that came into their head, not putting any effort in at all. There’s just so little to talk about because there’s nothing to it; the plot is wafer thin, and the characters just go through the same motions they did in the TV series.

One interesting point is how MVM seems to be justifying the price point by stacking extras on the disc, much like was done in the US. In this case though, it doesn’t cut it. A 90 minute pointless cut of all the fights from the TV series and some other fluffy extras that only serve to increase the total run time of the disc do not make up for the pricing.

In Summary:
Despite my thoughts on some of the worst discs in the TV series release, this is the most disappointing release of the show by far. A pointless plot, nothing happening with the characters, and the ridiculousness of releasing such an effort at full price make this disc just not worth owning at all. Avoid at all costs, unless you can get it for free. There’s so much better from MVM that you could spend your money on.

Features
Japanese Language (5.1), English Language (5.1), English Subtitles, The Light and Darkness of Jo, Battle Record of all 24 Episodes, Previews of the TV Series and OVA, Ugetsu Hakua (Character Designer) Special

Review Equipment
Samsung LE40M86 1080p HDTV, Philips DVP 5980 region free DVD player upscaling to 1080p via HDMI, Pioneer HTP-GS1 5.1 Surround Sound System.