Customer Reviews

Burst Angel Box Set

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I really did even think about buying this series until bored one day while browsing the titles at best buy (over priced!!). So, compulsively, i bought this box set...and the rest is very pleasant history. I really enjoyed this series. Not the most complex that i have watched, but it was fun. It reminded me of Elfen Lied, which i also enjoyed. My suggestion is this...want to consume your time with a fun anime...watch this one...

In the near future, Tokyo, Japan allows every citizen to carry guns, by doing this the country has called in a group called (RAPT - Recently Armed Police Taskforce) to clean up the mess, but without the citizens knowing what (RAPT) is all about, the crime has gone up and arrest have gone down, that's because (RAPT) takes who they think is bad and does illegal experiments on them.

So this is where our "Burst Angel" story begins with all that mess, the story opens with Kyohei Tachibana, a student at a culinary arts school with dreams of someday becoming a patissier (pastry chef). Motorcycling down an inner city street and becoming caught up in a shoot-out between a mysterious white-haired woman and a wanted gangster. Kyohei escapes unharmed and ends up cooking as a cook for a group of four girls named Jo (the white-haired woman), Meg, Amy, and Sei in an effort to gather up enough money to travel to France. The girls, ranging in ages of eleven to nineteen, turn out to be pseudo-mercenary agents for a larger international group known as Bai Lan. The anime focuses on the group as they investigate a series of mutated human monsters with odd glowing brains (can you RAPT), that cause various amount of mayhem mostly throughout the Tokyo, Japan, area. There are also a couple of side characters (namely the group's Mecha Robot, Jango, that is maintained by a man named Leo) along with various third persons that occur throughout or in specific parts of the series, such as a new Japanese Prime Minister that takes over via an assassination of an early, newly-elected Prime Minister nearing the end of the series.


(For the discs & etc.)

The discs are the exact same from the volumes they released already, their just put in this boxset to make them look new again, so I don't recommend if you bought all the volumes to buy this boxset, you'll just be wasting your money on something you already have. But if you haven't bought all the volumes or seen them, like I did because I stopped on volume 2 and waited for the boxset to comeout, then your in for a treat. The boxset is a foldout cardbox that shines, it comes with all 6 guide books that were in the volumes. The books are full of beautiful photos from the settings of the show, to the information on the characters and drawings of different movements their in on the show. For the discs you get all 24 episodes; in English or original Japanese language with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound; the picture format is in Widescreen 16:9; it also comes with Anime trailers; English actor commentarys from the 5 stars; voice casting director too, textless songs, original radio dramas, outtakes from the English actors too and English subtitles.

Burst Angel is about a group of 4 'outlaws' living in future day Japan, where the common person can carry a gun and is even allowed to use it. It is up to the team of 4 'Angels' to keep the peace and unrail the corruption taking place in Tokyo. From watching the entire series, the story focuses on Jo (a 17 year old girl who has forgotten her past and armed with only her name and fighting skills) and Sei (19 year old heir to her families Bai-Lan organization and leader of the 4 girls) while at the same time involving the other chars of Meg (15 year old orphan who saved Jo and joined Sei's team) and Amy (the 11 year old hacker genious). So long story short, it focuses on two chars while at the same time involving the other chars as an essential parts.

The character designs aren't what I am used to watching but I have to say that the anime designs were great. From long haired to short haired, shapes and sizes, every character was excellently designed. Each character also had their own figures of speech and dialect I guess you could say. Jo with the short answers, Meg with the American slang, Amy is childish when not involving computers, and Sei as the mature calm one. Gonzo and FUNimation did an excellent job on the angels I must say.

Music in the series wasn't the best I had heard but then again it did fit the purpose. Some points I found myself bobbin' my head alittle bit to the beats. I noticed that another reviewer had said that the music kept chainging from a 'western' style to a techno like style and that they kept getting confused (or something along those lines). I personally did not have this problem, I thought that the music was actually pretty consistant.

The extra features in the series has got to be mentioned. I can't go through all of them but the one thing that stood out to me were the episode commentaries. These were HILARIOUS because of people like Monica (Jo) and the others who participated in the project were always having a good time and making jokes about one another. I was laughing so hard I watched all of them over again! The box set also comes with guidebooks for the each of the disks, which can help greatly with undersatnding what is going on in the series.

The series did have some bad spots but not many. The 'bads' being that the series left some things unanswered. The series also is built for non-linear (people able to look back and say 'ah ok so thats why this was shown and that happened) thinkers. If you are a linear thinker (a person who has to have everything put out there and not able to look back), you might have some problems following the series.

This can either be good or bad depending on how you look at anime. The angels are sexually dressed, I guess would be the best way to put it. Meg has more undergarment shots than the rest and Jo just doesn't wear much in general. There is also an episode where it is clear as day, called the 'Swim-suit Episode' by all who watch the set.

Stick with the ratings if your getting this set for someone. Like I said, the series does contain 'sexy' shots and does contain alot of killing and blood, not as much as other series, but a fair amount none the less. Other than that this series kicks a** and takes names! I love the Angels!

Burst Angel is your standard giant robot and gun fighting series that have come out recently but still good effects,good soundtrack,and good voice dubbing from the american actors one of the things you usually expect from Funimation company or ADV Films Of course you are going to get fanservice in this series but no outright nudity or hentai scenes so don't worry about it.
I also like the extras you get with this collection some outtake reels,trailers,audio commentary tracks,and some anime shorts.




I like to update this a little bit better now. The story for the series has that the nation of Japan has become to violent, corrupt, and with a sense of little law has forced the country to allow its police force as well as private security companies to use lethal force if necessary to subdue or capture violent criminals and outlaws from the law. Thus you have four hard-core females the first is Sai(The team leader and financial backer of this all female team), Jo(With an unknown past who has great fighting abilities and firearms skills and she only seems to truly care for the well being of Meg who she was with before meeting and teaming up with Sai), Meg(A young well-endowed women with good street smarts but is somewhat of a ditz and seems to truly care for the care of Jo who she was with before teaming up with Sai), and finally Amy(A young child hacker who hooked up with Sai before getting caught by the police for hacking crimes). Along the series they get a young man whose to be their cook by the name of Kyohei Tachibana who while taking a chief cooking school in Japan is also trying to make some money so he can begin studying to be a chief overseas. The series has of course some sexual undertones both heterosexual and a little Lesbian undertones but nothing r-rated and no nudity for any of the characters. The only thing that's a little frustrating with the series is the ending it leaves it just to open for my taste. I'm sure there might be another season for this series and I'll definitely try getting it but for now for newcomers to the sci-fi anime world I say this is a good choice for your collection set....

Burst Angel got 4 stars from me. Why? Well for a couple of reason. Before I begin a warning, this show is not for the young. There is a lot of fan fair and I mean every few minutes, though usually nothing more then a slight pantie shot or something. Then there is also truly grotesque imagery that could disturb a young audience.

Now then to the review, first the positive. The character designs, appearance wise, are excellently done. Everybody is rather atractive and a lot of detail was given to each characters appearance. The voice acting was also on the good side, though as usual the English dub left a good deal to be desired. The mech. designs were also excellently done, though they weren't on the realistic side of things. The animation and art work were top notch everything was very fluid and pretty. The choreography was also well done especially near the end. The plot was also well done, subtle and suspenseful which is always a good thing. That's it for the positive stuff.

Now then to the bad, which is pretty much everything else. The characters though likable were shallow, I never once felt attached to any of the characters. Nor do you learn anything about them beyond the surface stuff. This is especially a shame as the characters were begging to go into more detail. Another glitch was not until you're 3/4th threw the series do you realize whom is actually the main character. Also they start out by describing the main character as an outlaw then half way threw start trying to depict it as an angle. Needless to say such a server change just didn't work right. Lastly on characters while I do highly respect their gender reversal from the typical usual standard I think it would have been more effective, given where they ultimately went with it, if they had done it completely rather then only half in order to lure fan boys by lesbians. The next bad thing was the music, it felt completely out of place. Half the time the music was cowboy movie music the other cyber anime rap/rock stuff. I had a great and deep desire to grab the music director and shake him and yell at him to make up his mind already. Next was the shows attempt to have the main world to be betrayed as a lawless place full of brutal criminals and worse law enforcement. However in a few episodes from the start the series falls completely flat leaving you wondering how was it any more dangerous then a normal city. Even at the end with the exception of a few times the cops act normal. Next was the fluff, I can usually forgive a little fluff in most series but there was absolutely no need for it in this series as the time could have been used much better. Lastly and worst, at least to me, was the ending. It wasn't bad so much as it left you with the feeling of, "Huh? That's it?", that is the only way I can describe it. You were left staring at the screen scratching your head thinking there had to be more then that. In the end Burst Angle had everything it needed to become a truly legendary series with the exception of the most important thing, a skilled writer that could have fixed and over came the amateur-istic mistakes in character designs and plot made threw out the series.

In the end Burst Angel is one of those series that had promise and only partial lived up to it. This said there are better choices to spend you're money on. If you want fan fair with decent plot go buy Ikki Toushen or Mouse. If you want political intrigue based plot line with awesome giant robot fight go buy Gundam Wing. If you want a dark gritty show buy Elfin Lied. If you have all these and can buy Burst Angles for about $50 dollars do so, if not then you're not missing anything all that special.

Now then for the actual box set review. The six discs come in one of those cardboard all in one holding cases with the booklets held in a separate slim cardboard sheath both of which are held in a even bigger box. The is rather sturdy and is covered in nice artworks and is quiet nice too look at. The problem with the box set that everything is made to exact measurements. Sounds like common sense right, not really. For example I've only removed the booklets from their sheath twice and already the things falling apart dew to the difficulty of trying to get booklets back in their case. This wouldn't be a big problem except the box can't be stack with other DVDs unless it had the support of the booklets sheath, with the booklets in it. Still it's a very nice pretty box set just don't expect it to stay in top quality for very long.

It's not often that there's truth in advertising these days...but when it comes to "Burst Angel" the reviews hit home. This anime is excellent on all fronts. Visual effects, story, drama, comedy, action, and most importantly...hot chicks in skimpy outfits and big guns. Studio Gonzo really outdid themselves on this series.

Admittedly I was a bit put off to buy this one when I first heard about it but I got the first two discs of the series and was hooked in. However I didn't have the time or money for a long time to purchase the rest of the series. Finally the boxed set came out and I said, "Ah, why not." and picked it up. It was WELL worth it.

The box is really nice looking with a metallic sheen that really sells the whole imagery, which is equally complimented by the amazing artwork of Ugetsu Hakua. Inside the box are two smaller boxes, all decorated with more of Hakua's stunning art. One box has all the guide books for each disc that you normally get with the single discs. This is unlike usual boxed sets, in a good way. The discs come in a special 6 disc case which is pretty well designed to not take up the massive space the whole collection would if you just bought the single discs. Each disc has loads of extras and everything you'd expect from a series of its caliber.

My vote: BUY IT! For any fan of giant robots, sci-fi, westerns, gun slinging on a matrix-esque playing field, and did I mention the hot chicks in skimpy outfits and big guns?

It's a good series with light stories, there were one or two episodes where there are a little more 'fan service' than you'll expect from this series and it actually threw off one of the characters out of well.. 'character'. The animation is good and the 3d robots blend well with the 2d backgrounds and characters.

Burst Angel takes place in a future tokyo where there is a lot of crime because of this there was a law placed letting civilians walk around with guns. the main characters are a group of mercenaries consisting of 4 girls: there is Jo the 17 year old silver haired girl she has some super human ablilities and comands a Mech called Jango. then there is Meg the 15 year old redhead she has a close connection to Jo (The only thing she is really good at is getting kidnaped). Then there is sei the 19 year old leader of the group and she really does not do anything but give the missions she recruits a cook to well cook for them. Then finally there is Amy the 11 year old computer wiz, she is an awesome hacker.

Burst Angel's fight scenes are total EYE CANDY there is not just Mech fighting there is also a lot of gun play involved it and it has it's share of funny moments and Drama.

First things first, this show has some of the best action sequences I've ever seen in an anime. The ending seems to come far too early but does answer all your questions. All in all a fantastic anime that just doesnt make it to my top 10.

Alright, I'll admit it, I like action movies. I also like giant fighting robots like in Battletech and Mechwarrior. Based on what others have said, I'm more than likely going to enjoy watching this. Yes, my foray into Anime continues and I greatly enjoyed this action packed series. The series began on fairly loose footing, but by the end I was sucked into it. I won't pretend that Burst Angel is going to revolutionize the industry or even has a wildly new kind of story line, I won't even say it's worth the full five stars, but I think it's a strong 4/4.5 (so I'm rounding up since Amazon doesn't let me rate something in halves). If you're looking for a really fun anime to watch that's action packed, I would definitely recommend this. It's not the kind that makes you sit down and question existence or anything profound, although towards the end they do have a bit of that, but for the most part it's pretty straightforward.

Welcome to a future Tokyo that is mostly in shambles. Citizens can legally carry guns to defend themselves and society has simply degenerated. The organization RAPT has been called in to "police" the city, but their motives are almost anything but dealing out justice. Instead they look upon the populace as their little area to conduct strange biological/technical experiments. It feels like there are only four people ready to stand against RAPT and they make up the main team for Burst Angel. Granted some new friends step into the ring from Osaka as things escalate.

The primary fighter is Jo and her Cybot Jango. She has a mysterious past, but has a huge purpose and destiny to fulfill. The series mainly focuses around her character, especially since she basically does all the fighting... and this is an action Anime of course. Then we have Meg, who was a character I really didn't like at first, and granted she is kind of useless, but I really did end up enjoying her in the end. Basically she's more there for comic relief and it seems like she's always getting captured. I really did wish she had some serious fighting skills, like martial arts of something to go with Jo's intense gun wielding prowess. I smiled with pleasure during the episode when the old guy enhanced her warrior chi; I was hoping she would stay in that mode! Alas, my wish was not granted, however, she does seem to have a bit of a purpose in performing a lot of reconnaissance missions for the team. She's also one of the main characters that adds the "sexiness" into the show with her practically "bursting" out of her clothes, if you will, for an animated person at least. I did really like the comic relief she provided when interacting between the other characters though. I tend to like this humor a lot more because it's based around wit rather than solely on slap-stick humor where characters are falling all over the place or what have you. Although, I have to point out I really didn't get her outfit. I know she was American, but what's with the cowboy styled outfit? In her background story she's from New York. (Yes I know people from New York can dress like that if they choose, but it's hardly a defining element of that region.) That's really the primary thing that made no sense to me. The youngest member of the team is Amy. She's certainly not to be underestimated, because she's actually the computer hacker genius of the group and in a technological charged world of this Tokyo, she's absolutely essential. She was really funny to watch interact with the others, especially when she gives Meg a hard time! The final member of this four angel team is Sei, heir to the Bai-Lan organization and basically the source of all their funding. She's basically the voluptuous organizer behind all their missions that get directed through Bai-Lan. Now the stage is set for action to start!

The opening episode was sort of loosely put together and I thought the show was going to focus more on the misadventures of Kiyohei, the aspiring pastry chef. But that was more of a random chance meeting between him and Jo to preface the fact he would be hired as a cook for the girls. The bizarre thing is he ends up going on a few missions here and there with them. Considering he's usually afraid of most of those intense situations, I always wondered why... I assume it's for the general comedic factor. Anyway, there isn't a huge amount of character development, but this is an action film. You do get into the characters a little more and their backgrounds do get explained for the most part, which I thought was really awesome and interesting. For example, Jo likes to spend her free time watching a lot of grotesque horror movies, but is otherwise very unemotional about almost everything except when fighting. Other than that there isn't a huge amount of depth to the characters until you really get to the end with the tragic ending, but it really is a blockbuster ending for sure! There are a lot of story arcs based on government intrigue and what seems like average missions turns into so much more throughout the series.

I have to say I did enjoy the animation in this. I really appreciated the character designs a lot, because it didn't rely on overly busty females being put in provocative situations. Rather Jo is average sized and should be for her role! I think this was a smart move because you're not going to have a single audience group watching it for that reason. The Mech's were awesomely designed though, and Jango was one of the coolest. Granted it's completely unrealistic for robots of that size to pull off some of the martial arts maneuvers Jo does with Jango... but this is animated after all. All the monsters had a really cool and strange design, at least different from most of the monsters I'm used to viewing.

If you like an action packed anime then I definitely have to recommend this. It has just enough comic relief throughout the show to make you laugh when it comes up, which made me glad because sometimes these shows can be overly saturated with such things. The writing does take a serious tone most of the time as the characters try to overcome new obstacles and new missions. I was also surprised at the low levels of gore, there were some parts that were pretty violent and bloody, but nothing compared to something like Elfen Lied. The box set is wonderfully designed and comes with six booklets of character overviews. These include sketches of the characters, some backgrounds, weapons detail or common items the character has. It was a really awesome addition to the box set and I'm really glad they included that. So, are you ready to fight with the Angels now?