Burn Up Excess
Publisher
ADV
Director
Shinichiro Kimura
Production
AIC, Magic Bus
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
13 episodes
Year
1997
Burn Up Excess Volume 2: Crimes & Missed Demeanors
By John Huxley
27th Apr 04  Episode Summary Episode 5: An Idol Never Sleeps! After a series of death threats from a creepy stalker, the famous pop idol calls for help from Policetown with a request for Rio. Of all the officers in Policetown, why did they have to request the only one who doesn't like her? Not that Rio doesn't like her singing voice, she's just jealous of her popularity, and probably her metabolism, too. Episode 6: Rambo! Bravo! Rio Bimbo How exactly did a klutz like Rio get herself in an elite force like Team Warrior, anyway? Well, yeah, you're going to find out in this episode as Maki remembers how she first met Rio. Back then she was a rookie cop with out a penny to her name...some things just don't change, eh? Episode 7: Short Vacation A murder, right in the heart of Policetown? Not to mention the numerous thefts, corrupt data and missing persons case, too. Sounds like a job for Team Warrior! But...where's Maki when you need her? She's on holiday reminiscing about her former fiancee, which leaves the rest of the team in a bind. It looks like it's up to Rio to solve the crimes...oh dear... Volume Review The second volume of Burn Up Excess continues in much the same vein as the first. We have fanservice aplenty, along with the usual helpings of action, comedy and silly plots. The episode 'An Idol Never Sleeps!' follows Rio as she protects a pop idol from a stalker. Although she's made cameo appearances before now, this is the first episode that Team Warrior come face-to-face with one of the series' main villains - a blue haired woman who mislays a special DNA pen. Ending up in the hands of the pop idol, Team Warrior are able to decode the information stored within the pen's ink and establish that the owner is an arms dealer operating on the black market. This is the first clue to the overarching plot of Burn Up Excess, although you won't be given anything else for a few episodes yet. The next episode is dedicated to our lovely blonde haired heroine, Rio. She arrives at Maki's office pleading for more Team Warrior jobs so she can earn the reward money (to pay for more clothes, presumably). Maki only has three rather paltry jobs on offer, but Rio takes them all. As Rio runs off to catch the criminals, Maki remembers how they first met in a convenience store. Rio was working part-time at the store to raise funds because the regular Policetown wage just wasn't enough to keep a fashion-conscious young girl like herself happy. Despite her more obvious shortcomings, Maki sees her potential and plans to run her through a trial to test her real abilities. Flashback or not, the characters, jokes and fanservice are much the same as any other episode. The story does help establish Rio's background somewhat, but it doesn't really succeed in adding anything to the character. The final episode on this DVD gives us some more background, this time on the Team Warrior leader, Maki. Taking a well deserved vacation she travels to the country where she was to be married. In a tragic turn of events, the boat on which the marriage was to take place mysteriously exploded, sinking into the sea and taking her fiancee with it. A trivial piece of information maybe, but the more eagle-eyed viewers will have spotted the significance to this. The rest of Team Warrior, meanwhile, have to solve a series of baffling crimes in the absence of their leader. This is the comic relief to the dangerously sober Maki sub-plot, so don't worry about things going all serious just yet. All in all, another good show for the Burn Up Excess team. These episodes are perhaps even more Rio-centric than the previous four, which is a little disappointing considering the large cast on offer. I'd like to see at least one episode dedicated to each Team Warrior character, even if it is doubtful that this will happen since the series is half over and we've hardly begun to scratch the surface of the central storyline. That said, Burn Up Excess is at its best when it forgets all attempts at a decent storyline and just concentrates on jokes, gags and fanservice. Which is exactly what we have on this volume - more of the same! A good thing.
R2 DVD Notes
Features: English, Japanese and Spanish audio, English subtitles, Scene selection, Clean open/close, Production sketches, Jiggle counter, ADV previews
Notes: The Jiggle counter makes a welcome (?) return. I mean, how could we watch Rio an co. without keeping track of their breast bouncing? This laudable feature will enrage some viewers, but they shouldn't be watching it in the first place. The production sketches are indicative of the kind of high quality artwork we see throughout the series, and the notes are interesting (if occasionally cryptic). The image and audio quality are pretty much identical to the last volume. Which is good.
-- John Huxley 27th Apr 04
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