You're Under Arrest Mini Specials

Publisher
ADV
Director
Junji Nishimura
Production
Bandai, Studio Deen
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
20 mini-episodes
Year
1999

You're Under Arrest Mini Specials

By John Huxley
12th Jul 04

Being a self-confessed cheapskate, I was deprived of anime for long periods of time. My stingy budget limitations restricted me to sale items and those rare charity shop finds (where I'd feel obliged to point out to the dear old ladies serving at the counter that Urotsukidoji really shouldn't be on the shelf next to Noddy's Adventure in Toy Town). As is, I'm unfamiliar with a whole host of 'classic' titles, ranging from Samurai X right through to the anime featured here, You're Under Arrest. But unlike Samurai X, You're Under Arrest is one of those anime that you can pretty much summarise by taking a quick glance at the cover artwork. Busty ladies in tight police uniforms, guns in hand, grins on face...we're in screwball comedy territory for sure!

My lack of familiarity with this series prevents me from giving you a run-down of the plot prior to this release, but the concept is a pretty simple one to grasp. You're Under Arrest follows four female police officers (well, three females...I'll explain later) as they patrol the mean streets of Tokyo, fending off petty thieves, speeding motorists and the obligatory perverts. The mini specials on this disc are four to an episode, with all five episodes on this disc totalling twenty individual stories that run around seven minutes each. Each of these stories is self contained, although the characters involved often repeat from one story to the next, sometimes in slightly different roles depending on the situation. It's a format that works well for the most part, allowing the simplistic characters and straightforward plots enough time to entertain whilst not affording you long enough to dwell on their shortcomings. Adversely, the unrelenting onslaught of mini special after mini special results in an undeniable feeling of deja-vu that's increased by the repetitive nature of the stories. You're unlikely to watch all 20 mini specials in one sitting, but it's not something I'd advise - these are best sampled in short bursts of one or two at a time, with some other activity sandwiched in-between (such as giving this site a quick visit!).

The stories themselves tend to revolve around perverts and panty thieves terrorising the local community with their lecherous but mostly non-violent criminal activities. While these nerdy buffoons that spy in the ladies toilets provide a few cheap laughs, it's all too obvious that (willing or not) we're partners in their voyeuristic fantasies, gifted every opportunity to ogle the fine lines of the perpetrator's unwitting victims. Of course, this isn't totally unique to You're Under Arrest; it's an established trait of the genre and something that goes a long way to define it - unless you've never come in to contact with the likes Burn Up Excess or Colorful, you should know exactly what to expect here. The content may be no more offensive than an average Carry On film, but by the time you've sat through the umpteenth story about a pervert with a penchant for panties, you're desperate for something - anything - that will add a little variety into the mix. The occasional story that doesn't involve any sort of perverted criminal does offer some respite, but they're too few and far between to really make a difference.

The four central characters, two of whom see most of the action, are likeable but every bit as shallow as you'd come to expect from a show of You're Under Arrest's ilk. There's the trigger-happy, hotheaded Natsumi and her timid technical genius of a partner Miyuki, along with the happy-go-lucky bespectacled Yoriko and her partner Aoi, an extremely convincing transvestite who looks, sounds and acts like one of the girls. There may be little to this motley crew beyond these cliched characteristics, but the quick-fire mini special is an ideal format for their stereotyped personas to make an impression in what would otherwise be a restrictive time frame. Their sickly-sweet demeanour may be too much to stomach for those who prefer their anime in a straight glass, but you can't deny their effectiveness.

With repetitive plots, stereotypical characters and a restrictive formatting, you probably won't be expecting much of You're Under Arrest's attempt at comedy. And you'd be right! Relying mostly on timeworn gags and predictable set pieces, this show fails to raise a belly laugh or even a girlish titter. The jovial atmosphere is effective and you're bound to smirk at a few of the better gags, but this lacks the sharp scripting of Nadesico or Dragon Half to set it apart from the crowd.

I'm eager to see how You're Under Arrest fares with the less restrictive format of the feature film, whether or not the characters are given room to expand or if we'll see any improvements in the scripting. These mini specials do have their own unique appeal, though, with their condensed time frame and simplistic plots ever so slightly reminiscent of the Warner Bros. shorts of old. They may not be as thoroughly entertaining as a Tex Avery classic, but fans of the original You're Under Arrest series and the genre in general are bound to garner some enjoyment from this. However, anyone with slightly more demanding expectations had best look elsewhere.

R2 DVD Notes

Features: English & Japanese 2.0 audio, English subtitles, ADV previews

Release information: UK: 17th may, ADV

Notes: While the extras are almost nonexistent, a total of around 150 minutes of entertainment on one DVD is nothing if not good value for money. The presentation is typically clean and neat, with easy to navigate menus taking you to one of the five episodes available. There's also a single sheet leaflet included inside the box with some colour artwork, but little else of note. Not a great DVD, but it should be tempting if you're on a tight budget.

-- John Huxley 12th Jul 04

You're Under Arrest Mini Specials Images