Dirty Pair Flash (ダーティペア Flash) is an anime and manga franchise based on the light novel series by Haruka Takachiho. Although it is often said that these are younger versions of the original Lovely Angels Kei and Yuri, in truth this series is an alternate universe telling of Dirty Pair. When Sunrise originally began the project, their idea was to make a sequel to the original Dirty Pair series, but Kyōko Tongū, the original voice actress for Kei, had long retired and moved to North America, and Saeko Shimazu, the voice of Yuri, refused to work with anyone but her original partner, forcing the project to be a remake of the original series instead. Dirty Pair Flash was first aired in North America on PBS San Jose station Superstation KTEH as the English-subtitled version and also on Showtime’s SHO Beyond channel as the english-dubbed version. The English version of Dirty Pair Flash was licensed by ADV Films.

Plot summary

Compared to the wealthy and affluent world of the original Dirty Pair, Flash takes place in a universal human civilization where mankind is recovering from a major galactic economic crash which then spurred an intense decade of wars and conflicts before the setting's current era of stable if rather uneasy peace. In a somewhat more down to earth if cynical backdrop, mankind continues on its leaps and bounds of technological and scientific progress despite economic struggles and recoveries throughout the galaxy. Many remnants and reminders of the economic crash still remain throughout. Kei and Yuri were originally junior auxiliary agents in the Worlds Works and Welfare Agency (W.W.W.A. or 3WA for short) when the two were paired together under the codename "Lovely Angels." Kei was coming off her fourth probation for something she had done, and Yuri's dating exploits were common knowledge, not to mention the two had an instant dislike for each other when they met. Unlike the original pair, the two suffer from both the struggles of everyday working life and their own human faults; Kei is hotheaded and headstrong, Yuri is capricious and passive, and both share many things in common than they would like to admit: both come from backwater colonies and outpost worlds, both only have their jobs presumably as merely a headway in their yearning for something more in life, and both barely passed 3WA's academic and training screenings, despite holding one of 3WA's most renowned positions as 3WA's historically famous namesake Trouble Consultants. Kei and Yuri were not the first to receive the codename Lovely Angels. Years before, during the Gamorian Riots, two other women, Iris and Molly, had been given the designation Lovely Angels. Molly was killed in action, and her partner Iris, who had lost her left arm trying to save Molly, became bitter about the lack of response from the 3WA and vanished, later becoming the notorious assassin known as "Lady Flair." At first, Kei and Yuri refused to work with each other, and Kei even resigned from the 3WA. However, when the "Siren" crisis erupted, Kei returned. This was decidedly a good thing, as Yuri's ditsy new partner, Lily, had abruptly quit just as the response to the crisis started, and Kei's return came just in time, as Yuri was about to be killed by Waldess. Afterwards, the two continued to work together, although they earned their nickname, "the Dirty Pair" because of all the collateral damage the two (unintentionally) cause in the completion of their cases. And even though the two now get along with one another, they continue to bicker and complain to each other. In addition to the sixteen anime episodes, there have been three novels (1994, 1997, 1999) and four "Stereo Dramas" (one in 1994, the others in 1996) written by Takachiho, as well as two sanctioned manga series (1995–96) published by Dengeki Comics.

Characters

Kei

Yuri

Secondary characters

Episode list

Dirty Pair Flash (1994)

Dirty Pair Flash 2 (1995)

Dirty Pair Flash 3 (1995–96)

Reception

Mike Crandol of Anime News Network said in a review of Mission II that Kei and Yuri in this series "manage to entertain in their own way," praised the animation as "incredibly polished," and the musical score as well-done. Even so, he criticized these two protagonists for having an inadequate redesign, saying both have become "stereotypes of their former selves," and said that the voices of the characters leaves "something to be desired."