You're Under Arrest: Mini Specials

By Paul Jacques     June 05, 2004
Release Date: May 17, 2004



What They Say
The mean streets of Tokyo are that much safer when the ladies of Bokuto Police Station are on patrol! When the fun-loving and free-wheeling Natsumi teams up with the mechanical wizard Miyuki, criminals don't stand a chance. From booby-trapped handbags to exhibitionists from beyond the grave to geriatric gear-heads, you'll be rolling on the floor with laughter at these 20 mini-episodes. Will they be able to protect their undergarments and co-workers from the depredations of an army of Tokyo's oversexed peeping Toms? Can Natsumi's finances hold out until her next paycheck clears? Chaos ensues and neither speeders nor sneaks stand a chance as Miyuki and Natsumi show that crime doesn't pay!

The Review!
This is a collection of short stories based on the YUA series and movie. Depending on what you found enjoyable about the original series you may find this hors d?hourve disk very enjoyable to watch (or not).

Audio:
Decent enough Dolby stereo sound reproduction on both English and Japanese sound tracks. I alternated the sound track between each episode, no problems detected, and either track is good to listen to, as the VA do an excellent job.

Opening track is called ?Brand new day?, the closing theme is called ?by your side?, and both are mildly catchy.


Video:
No problems in the visual department, although the style does look a little old (it?s a 90?s series).

Packaging:
The front of box has is adorned with the with the four main ladies and a Honda Police car. The rear of the box has three stills from the episodes. The single sheet insert has the same cover as the box, with a mini poster on the other side. The disk itself is very nicely printed with the cover\ insert image.

Menu:
A simple menu, with a graphic from the front box cover and the menu options down bottom left side. Menu links worked, although they were a tad slow.

Extras:
Extras, what Extras?

Content: (please note that content portions of a review will contain spoilers)
I must confess to have never watched an episode of YUA before, so the characters and their interactions are new to me.

What we have are a lot of ~7 minute episodes that follow the gals from Traffic through some bizarre encounters. These vignettes are generally very amusing, but don?t expect any John le Carr� style plotlines, there simply isn?t enough time! And as the episodes are so short, I can do little more than list their basic premise.

Ep 1.1 sees Miyuki and Natsumi get their revenge on a rich girl.
Ep 1.2 has Miyuki and Natsumi give scooter class to a bunch of guys.
Ep 1.3 has an underwear thief on the prowl.
Ep 1.4 finds Miyuki, Natsumi, Futaba and Yoriko giving a swimming safety class, and end up dealing with yet another underwear thief.

Ep 2.1 finds Futaba and Yoriko having had their smalls purloined. Yup, another purvey episode.
Ep 2.2 a young man with a crush on Miyuki and Natsumi attempts to be arrested by them, so that he can be in their lovely presence once again.
Ep 2.3 has the girls dealing with a masked robber who stalks the park at night.
Ep 2.4 has a peeping photographer this time, trying to get sneak picky of the ladies locker room.

Ep 3.1 has yet another peeping Tom, who has the ladies toilet under surveillance.
Ep 3.2 concerns the ladies efforts to get people start eating in the Police canteen.
Ep 3.3 finds Natsumi trying to arrest a very dexterous street performer.
Ep 3.4 has Miyuki and Natsumi on a day off, but crime is never far away in the guise of a purse snatcher.

Ep 4.1 is about a suicide jumper and some money.
Ep 4.2 concerns a traffic jam, a tunnel and nekkid ?ghost? woman.
Ep 4.3 is the sad tale of a flag girl, and the abuse she gets from motorists, until the ladies roll onto the scene.
Ep 4.4 where most of the Police Traffic department have had all their money stolen at a picnic.

Ep 5.1 is about a grocery store robbery, and is a clear example of how cunning the female of the species can be (gulp).
Ep 5.2 concerns a high speed pursuit of a Ferrari in an old Mazda.
Ep 5.3 has a female flasher with a shocking personality in it.
Ep 5.4 has a PR film following the ladies around in their daily duties.

It?s not a Hentai, and only barely creeps into the fan service\ ecchi category, so the 15 cert is a bit over the top (I?m guessing it was the false norks and the odd swear word).

I?ve got to admit, every episode brought out a chuckle from within in me. My favorite line being Futaba?s comment, after catching yet another panty thief, she says ?Is that all there is to men in the end??- prophetic words indeed ^_^

In summary-
If you already own and enjoy this series, then this should be a welcome addition to your collection, and at a 150 minutes it represents excellent VFM. At the end of the disk I did wish I had a couple of volumes of YUA to watch, as I really liked the characters and the humour.

Features
Japanese 2.0 Language ,English 2.0 Language ,English Subtitles

Review Equipment
JVC 28" Pure Flat Wide Screen TV, Pioneer 454 Progressive Scan code free DVD player, Logitech Z-680 THX DD/DTS receiver & Speakers. Secondary equipment, 21? Sony Trinitron monitor, ATI 9700pro & PowerDVD v4, Creative Audigy 2 & headphones