<<< SPCVXA::DUA2:[NOTES$LIBRARY]X-ANIME-L.NOTE;1 >>> -< X-Anime-L >- ================================================================================ Note 20.55 Anime-L Postings for 02/18/90 - 02/24/90 55 of 65 SPCVXA::ANIMEL "USENET News System - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Path: uvaarpa!haven!wam!highway From: highway@wam.umd.edu (Tze-Chang Wu) Newsgroups: rec.arts.anime Subject: Synopsis for Dirty Pair Summary: It's Not Our Fault!!! Message-ID: <1990Feb19.211918.24054@wam.umd.edu> Date: 19 Feb 90 21:19:18 GMT Sender: usenet@wam.umd.edu (USENET Posting) Reply-To: highway@wam.umd.edu (Tze-Chang Wu) Organization: 3WA Dispatch Center Lines: 2237 # Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 01 of 43 =========================== DIRTY PAIR ========================== The year is 2141 AD. Man has achieved his dream of colonizing the stars. However, the problems that plagued him on Earth have followed him there... overpopulation, resource depletion, and especially crime. With the larger-than-ever population of humanity it is even more impossible for conventional law enforcement to control illegal activities. One private agency which has sprung up to supplement conventional law enforcement is the World Welfare Work Association or WWWA. Their motto is, "I will solve any problem for you." Their two most famous employees, billed as "trouble consultants," are named Kei and Yuri. Although their official code name is "Lovely Angel," they are best known, to their dismay as the... DIRTY PAIR INTRODUCTION The Dirty Pair, Kei and Yuri - two scantily clad, but well-armed girls - have been seeking danger and excitement for over ten years in japanese novels, comics, and currently TV and movies. They are best known for the television series that aired in Japan during 1985 and 1986, the motion pictures and most recently, the numerous original animation videos. The history of the characters date back much further to author Haruka Takachiho's college days - and to a female wrestling team known as the Beauty Pair. The Dirty Pair first appeared as a series of stories that ran in SF Magazine in Japan. The stories later became a series of novels released by two different publishers, demonstrating the popularity of the stories. In 1984, Sunrise decided to animate the characters in a television series to be aired in 1985. The Dirty Pair was the second project of Takachiho to be animated by Sunrise, Inc. The first was Crusher Joe. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 02 of 43 Takachiho was allowed to choose the animators for Crusher Joe as he retained rights and control on the project. However, as he sold the right to Dirty Pair, he chose not to watch as carefully over the production. Complete control for Dirty Pair was given to Sunrise because as a weekly television show, there was no way for one person to oversee the entire project. Because of this there were bound to be changes in the original story line of the books. For example, in the Dirty Pair stories Mughi is the last survivor of a planet of vicious, predatory and very intelligent cat-like creatures that are capable of controlling magnetic waves with feeler-like antennae. In the TV episodes, Mug(h)i (Military Utility Genetic Higher Intelligence) became a creature specifically designed for the Pair... although he didn't turn out quite as his designers intended. Mug(h)i becomes a comical, oversized caricature that retains intelligence but is cute, too. A more noticeable change is in the attitude of the Pair towards the destruction that seems an inseparable part of their nature. In The Great Adventures of the Dirty Pair (Kodansha English Library) Kei and Yuri don't seem to lose a moment's sleep over dropping a space station on a populated area, but they go into fits over messed hair and broken nails. Quite a change from the cute-but-still-accident-prone Pair in the TV episodes. Contrary to popular belief, the Pair appeared in print long before the Crusher Joe movie, where they made their first animated appearance. It is also interesting to note that the relationship between the Dirty Pair and Crusher Joe isn't limited to existence in the same universe. In another Takachiho novel Crusher Joe's father, Dan, and Crusher Joe's partner (then a much younger) Tallos team up with the Pair. Tallos eventually marries Kei and it is implied that Yuri may be Crusher Joe's mother. Whatever the relationship, the Dirty Pair remain two of the most popular characters in Japanese animation and it is likely that they will continue to appear in some form or another. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 03 of 43 =================== DIRTY PAIR BIO-BACKGROUNDS ================== STATISTICS YURI Planet of Birth : Yocha Date of Birth : March 18, 2122 Age : 19 Earth years Height : 168 cm Weight : 55 kg Measurements : 84 cm | 56 cm | 90 cm Hair : Black Eyes : Hazel Blood Type : A + Education : Planet Mezuil University Code Name : Lovely Angel Code Number : 234K Civil Service # : 101161 Yuri is the least outward of the Dirty Pair, though she still is enraged when referred to by that name. Yuri displays more girlish attitudes than Kei, wearing dresses and spending more time with her make-up and beauty creams. Yuri is a crack shot and also quite skilled in unarmed combat. Yuri is not seen dating as much as Kei, though she did have a childhood sweetheart, named Billy Galet. Yuri frequently reads the gossip magazines, and shares a different taste in much than Kei. Yuri's favorite color is lime green. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 04 of 43 KEI Planet of Birth : Niogi Date of Birth : November 27, 2122 Age : 19 Earth years Height : 171 cm Weight : 57 kg Measurements : 85 cm | 57 cm | 91 cm Hair : Red Eyes : Brown Blood Type : A + Education : Planet Mezuil University Code Name : Lovely Angel Code Number : 234K Civil Service # : 101761 Kei is the more outward of the Dirty Pair. Her fiery red hair matches her temper and woe betide the person whom faces her wrath. She is highly motivated and will often move forward, sometimes regardless of the consequences. Kei is an expert shot and is highly skilled in unarmed combat. Kei apparently dates a number of men. However, despite her evident charms, she has not managed to gain a steady relationship. Kei favorite food is cheesecake. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 05 of 43 ==================== DIRTY PAIR EPISODE GUIDE =================== EPISODE #1 "We'll Teach You How to Kill a Computer" Welcome to Damocles Tower, a sprawling, sparkling building that is home sweet home to over five thousand happy resident...not the least of who are two certain female World Welfare Work Association (3WA) Trouble Consultants. When "Brian," the tower's master computer, goes berserk the Dirty Pair are called upon to put things right (although at first they are thought to be pro wrestlers!). The girls soon devise a plan to warp a shuttlecraft into the computer's brain housing from a space terminal orbiting above using their space cruiser, the Lovely Angel, as a decoy. This, thankfully, works but not without the expected unexpected results. EPISODE #2 "Do Lovely Angels Like Chest Hairs?" After a brief series of incidents the owner of a fleet of star liners enlists the aid of the 3WA when his newest ship, the Tenian, is threatened with destruction on its maiden flight. Suspecting a rival company the Dirty Pair are sent in as "bodyguards" for the liner and soon find themselves in an unwanted (although temporary) partnership with another agent, Mr. Nova Greb. Fortunately the culprits are swiftly weeded out and a bombing attempt is thwarted... but not before the Tenian's automatic control system is disrupted. Yuri, using her navigation skills, lands the liner in relative safety with the aid of Greb. EPISODE #3 "Don't Fall in Love... Love is Russian Roulette" Kei and Yuri take a working vacation to a popular resort planet to repossess a stolen gem from the keep of a big-time syndicate crime lord known as King. After landing King. In an attempt to lure his interest, Yuri throws a high-stakes card game in his favor and loses 30,000 of 3WA's credits in a matter of moments. Unfortunately Yuri's plan doesn't work. It does, however, attract a mysterious and handsome man named Sydney, who helps the two past King's security system. After much commotion they get away with the gem and soon discover Sydney's true colors. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 06 of 43 EPISODE #4 "Pursuit Has the Smell of Cheesecake and Death" Guillaume de Malatesta XIII is a cat, a pedigreed Persian. This feline is the subject of a highly successful top-secret government experiment involving heightened strength and perception, and has an almost unnatural appetite for cheesecake. As out story opens the creature has just escaped from its lab holding cell. A fat reward is offered for its return. Enter Kei and Yuri. Enter the syndicate. Finally, enter Ran and Jerry, known as "The Elegance," two classy pro female wrestlers who presumably moonlight for the government on occasion. A hectic scramble ensues as they all search for the spoiled super-cat. EPISODE #5 "Cleardos Dokkun Dokkun" (Dokkun dokkun is the Japanese sound effect for a heartbeat.) With the Lovely Angel unavailable, the Pair are flying a rental craft when they receive a sudden communication announcing their "execution." The ship is thrown about by a powerful force and a large unknown object is glimpsed. After this rattling incident, the girls fly on to the planet Popos to wind down. But it proves to be far from relaxing when they are attacked by flying battle mecha. The two manage to escape and fly off into space in the rented ship. They encounter the strange unknown force again and the large object is revealed as a gigantic space fortress. The brain behind all this is the unseen Dr. Cleardos -- an ex-convict taken into custody in a previous criminal case. Apparently freed, the doctor wants to take revenge upon the Dirty Pair. Entering the huge station, Kei and Yuri booby-trap Nanmo with a self-destructing device and aim him for the central computer system of the fortress. The resulting blast destroys much of the station and takes the lives of all inside. EPISODE #6 "Lot of Danger, Lot of Dummies" The Lovely Angel is now back in action and the Pair is recruited to convey a prism crystal to its proper destination. Things become difficult as a group of space pirates known as the Devil Syndicate want to get their hands on the prism as well. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 07 of 43 Kei and Yuri run into the cutthroats and are shocked to discover that their leader, the roguish Kaiya, is one of Kei's old boyfriends. After a lot of space battle action the gals give the pirates what they want...sort of. The container box that that held the prism is sent to the Devil fleet but the crystal has been removed and stored by the Pair. In its place the gals left a nicely sized explosive. This little surprise package wipes out the fleet. Things get tense again near the end, as a small misunderstanding between the Pair, the owner of the gem, and Gooley results in the impression that the prism was left inside the box with the bomb! Fortunately, things work out for the best. EPISODE #7 "Love is Everything, Betting Their Lives on Escape" An impressive wedding ceremony is underway as Crikey, the teenage son of resort magnate Gold Jeff, is led against his will to the alter by seven future brides (all hand-picked by his father). The mysterious and beautiful Joanka suddenly makes an appearance and kidnaps the lad. Upon receiving a ransom Gold Jeff calls 3WA. All is not as it seems, for Crikey and Joanka are in love and are actually plotting to revenge themselves upon Crikey's scheming, dictorial father by bilking him of a few cool billions. In the meantime (in a decidedly odd story twist), the young lovers win an all expensive-paid vacation to "fabulous" Grebus Island for being the umpteenth customers to enter a fast-food restaurant. They determines to makes Grebus their pickup site. Enter Kei and Yuri, whom have been hired to make the ransom drop. However, Gold Jeff has secretly installed a mind control device in the handle of the money case, which forces Joanka to proclaim that she only used Crikey to get the dough and has never truly cared for him. Fortunately, true love gives Joanka the strength to overcome the device's control and she flings away the case, money and all, and thus forces Gold Jeff's hand. It is revealed that Gold Jeff has known about the young couple all along and objects deeply to their relationship on the grounds that Joanka in his former employee and was once (he claims) a man. There is a brief skirmish, and Gold Jeff make off with the star-crossed lovers. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 08 of 43 The Pair, seeing Gold Jeff for the man he is, are furious at having been used and decide to come to the couple's aid. Alas, they arrive at Gold Jeff's base too late to save Joanka from being launched in a rocket on a fifty-year course through deep space. At sublight speeds, only a year or so will pass for her, but Crikey will grow old and grey... The girls have no recourse other than to assist Crikey to takeoff after his beloved in a similar vessel. Filled with remorse for his wicked deeds and with the love of his son Gold Jeff breaks loose from the 3WA agents' grasp and launches himself after Crikey and Joanka in yet another projectile, leave poor Kei and Yuri to wonder about the meaning of it all. EPISODE #8 "Gotta Do It! Love is a Woman's Detonator" Yuri receives a message from her childhood sweetheart, Billy Galet. It seems Billy is being held captive in a remote prison complex, Poison Building, and forced to work on a secret project. Kei and Yuri prepare to come to the rescue. The Pair sneak into the prison and launch a devastating guerrilla attack. Kei plants explosive charges and prepares an escape vessel for the prisoners and Yuri sets out to free the prisoners -- all the while searching for Billy. Kei finds out that poor Billy has long been dead and mercifully tells Yuri that Billy got away on the escape vessel saying that he would come back for her sometime on a future date. The Pair stay behind to deal with the remaining forces. EPISODE #9 "Hire Us! It's Better to Get Good-Looking Bodyguards" The planet Plastone is a world combining current technology with the lifestyle of the Old West. Plastone's criminal element is confused as two rival syndicates are fighting for control. The Pair are sent in to destroy both groups. Disgusting themselves as competing gunfighters (Kei wears the traditional cowboy outfit, while Yuri goes for the Clint Eastwood look) the gals split up and join the two syndicates. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 09 of 43 The Pair succeed in their mission by destroying a large ore deposit that could have ensured the superiority of the group possessing it. As per Dirty Pair custom, a slight underestimation is made: in the resulting chain reaction, planet Plastone is reduced to rubble! Fortunately, most of the population gets away, sparing the Pair from a charge of genocide. EPISODE #10 "What! We're the Brutal Kidnappers?" Assassins have targeted young Prince Heace of planet Caspia for death. Gifted with the incredible IQ of 250, young Heace is destined to be future ruler of Caspia...provided the assassins fail in their plans. Kei and Yuri are assigned to escort and protect him. As events progress the Pair flee into the desert with the prince and there discover that they've lost their earrings, which prevents them from contacting Mughi and Nanmo abord Lovely Angel. Battles break out between the three, the police, an assassin, and some of the prince's subjects. Whew! By the time it's over, all involved except the prince are tossed into the prison. The Pair are accused of his kidnapping! -- but they have by now recovered their earrings and as they beep and flash, the Lovely Angel hovers overhead.... EPISODE #11 "Ho Ho Ho, Dresses and Men are Better New" Things go badly for the Pair in this episode. It starts out well as they finally get some vacation time and a chance to date some neglected boyfriends. However, it seems that all the boys have previous obligations! They decide to spend the time together visiting a pleasant shopping mall, but there they are mistaken for two criminals-at-large by the police! They Pair end up running into the criminal later. To make matters worse, a bunch of little kids are amusing themselves by playing around Lovely Angel. Chased by the cops the Pair are forced to take the children inside. Of course, they are charged with kidnapping...not to mention that the kids drive Kei and Yuri crazy. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 10 of 43 After all is settled the girls blast off to a homely little world where, via a short short note and personal photo, a handsome young named Francis has invited them to a party. But when the Pair arrive, all dressed up, what they find waiting for them is Gooley and a bunch of old fogeys. They girls have been tricked into attending a dull dinner for Gooley's birthday! The photo of "Francis," incidentally, is a shapshot of Gooley taken in college. EPISODE #12 "The Little Dictator! The Curse of the Touchy Secret" A genetically mutated mouse name Algernon is the newest form of security system developed by 3WA scientists. Possessed of increased intelligence and the ability to speak, this little fellow has unfortunately escaped and must be recaptured. Algernon and his love, Chitchi have made other plans. The two plan galactic conquest using the 3WA building as their base of operations. Aided by millions of their fellow rodents, they seem unstoppable and all Kei and Yuri can say is, "Aw, rats!" Fortunately, the scientists develop a chemical to reverse the development of the rodents' intelligence. It works on Chitchi. Algernon, crushed by his loss, commits suicide by jumping from the window of an upper floor. EPISODE #13 "What's This? Our Fair Sin is Getting Dolon Dolon" [slimey] Last episode involved ridding the city of small problems; this episode involves things much bigger. Huge monsters resembling slugs have invaded the city sewer systems and are munching on various things, including sewer workers. The Pair are assigned to handle the problem, much to the delight of the Damocles Tower superintendent. This fellow has carried a strong grudge against the girls since they bent his building back in Episode 1. Now he would like nothing better than for Kei and Yuri to meet their premature end. After several unsuccessful solutions the Pair decide to put the creatures into deep freeze. Despite the appearance of the enormous Mother Slug, this is accomplished. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 11 of 43 EPISODE #14 "The Vault or the Election? The Convention Hides the Killer" The mysterious Pandora Vault, located inside 3WA HQ, is the next hit planned for Phil, an expert vault breaker. A transvestite, Phil enters the vault by disguising himself as a female employee. The Pair are aware of his plans and arrive on the scene. Kei, trapping Phil inside the vault, is unfortunately locked inside with him. The two learn firsthand why the vault is called Pandora: as its computer-controlled defense system senses intruders, the air is pumped full of hallucinogens! Meanwhile, Yuri and Nanmo try to free Kei and Phil and simultaneously defuse a bomb that Phil has placed on Pandora's entrance. After this trial, Kei and Yuri take their revenge on the politician Gilda, who had hired Phil to break into the vault in an attempt to discredit 3WA. EPISODE #15 "Dig Here Nyan Nyan, The Reward Comes in the Very End" (Nyan nyan is the Japanese sound effect for a cat.) Kei and Yuri encounter an old man, Joe, an Indiana Jones-type adventurer with a taste for roses and garlic. He seeks a vast fortune hidden away in an ancient Temple of Doom. The Pair go along on the hunt. All kinds of traps await them within the place, as well as Miss Clementine, who wants to gain the treasure any way she can. The three find no treasure per se but Joe retrieves some old parchment which was worth a lot more than it appears to. He collects a cool 170 million credits which he chooses not to tell the Pair about. Naturally, this ticks them off. But he makes up for it in the end by sending them a truck filled waist-high with roses. Kei and Yuri are content. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 12 of 43 EPISODE #16 "Leave It to Us! The WWWA is a Wonderful Job" Seventeen-year-old Sakurako is head of the Yorozya Conglomerate. Her position can be likened to that of a royal princess, since at this time corporations act something like monarchies. The childish Sakurako is targeted for assassination by a rival corporation. Enter Kei and Yuri as her bodyguards. This job proves less than easy. Sakurako decides she need no protection and runs off, leave a big "BYE BYE" note scrawled on her mirror. Kei must take on the role of Sakurako to keep the bad guys from realizing that Sakurako is 1) gone, and 2) unprotected. Yuri goes off in pursuit of the girl. Yuri and Sakurako encounter all kinds of villains; snipers, fighter planes, motorcycle hoodlums. Their survival is critical -- otherwise Kei will have to assume Sakurako's role for the rest of her life! EPISODE #17 "Come Out, Come Out, Assassin!" One fearsome, stormy night somewhere in Elenore City a 3WA agent is murdered in an almost forgotten alleyway. When his body is later found by authorities there is no doubt that his executioner was the infamous superspy known as Sanderrick. It is believed that Sanderrick has booked a flight on the star liner Babel 107, but finding him may prove difficult as none of the handful of passengers are quite what they seem, Kei and Yuri notwithstanding. Kei poses as a nun on sabbatical, while Yuri goes undercover as a stewardess. Events move quickly. One of the passengers seals the ship's emergency shuttle; Kei and Yuri discover the flight crew murdered; and worst of all, the navigational computer has been rigged to send the ship plunging into a black hole. To further complicate matters, the stolen shuttle explodes only a few parsecs away. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 13 of 43 EPISODE #18 "Excuse Us, the Running Trouble, Violent Breakthroughs" The Pair travel to the planet Slum (no kidding), where they're been hired to capture and transport a young confidence artist named B.J. under protective custody to Slum's police headquarters. While mysteriously being hunted by gangsters and police alike, Kei and Yuri discover that the head of the criminal organization is none other than the police commissioner himself! It's a no-holds-barred fight for survival as the Angels must capture they quarry and bring hims in one piece to HQ in time for the hearing! ======================= DIRTY PAIR EXCERPT ====================== When the infamous Dirty Pair hit these shores in October, they'll be looking a little different to anime fans. The mini-series scripted by Toren Smith and Adam Warren, and drawn by Adam Warren, will feature brand-new character designs and costumes for Kei and Yuri. "Sunrise was very supportive of our plan to publish a Dirty Pair comic, but we decided at the last minute that both of our needs would be better served if Studio Proteus came up with the original designs," said David Lewis of Studio Proteus. "Adam Warren came up with several designs based on the descriptions as given in the original novels, and Takachiho (the writer) chose his favorites." The four-issue mini-series will pit the Dirty Pair against an unscrupulous manufacturer of biochemical warfare agents, in an effort to recover the kidnapped computer-encoded personality construct of the manufacturer's main business rival. In the process, they have to battle genetically-engineered "warbeasts", military assault androids, and unexpectedly, themselves... If the mini-series is well received, Warren and Smith intend to continue the series. "I'm looking forward to getting the Dirty Pair into more trouble than they ever dreamed of," says Adam with a smile. Publication will be handled by Eclipse Comics, once the necessary contracts are signed. ================================================================= Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 14 of 43 EPISODE #19 "Let Love Dispel the Returned Hatreds and the Hatred of Love" As the story opens the Angels complete a successful sabotage run on a large munitions plant operated by Gillos, commander of a mercenary outfit. A swift chase culminates in a climactic aerial battle. Gillos' fighter is shot down and the girls' fighter engine shorts out during a high dive. Kei and Yuri escape death by employing their flight packs but in true Dirty Pair style, their plummeting fighter crashes into the dining room of a seaside manor. Tragically, one fatality results from this terrible event -- the girlfriend of the manor's young lord, a lovely, winsome, granite statue which wore a blonde wig and a blue dress. It seems that Lord Leamon is allergic to real women and becomes catatonic if even touched, in any way, by one. At any rate, 3WA soon thereafter sends the girls to apologize and to offer their services in exchange for the damage. Little does anyone know that Gillos has survived the crash. He stakes out the manor from a battle sub somewhere off shore and slowly moves in... EPISODE #20 "The Pursuit of Blues is the BGM [Background Music] of Murder" In a dramatic change-of-pace episode, Kei and Yuri voyage to the volcanic planet Saradin to track down a killer known only as Blues. They soon meet with resistance in their efforts when they come to blows with a biker gang in a saloon. At first, it seems the Pair is vastly outnumbered... until a mysterious and valiant stranger comes to their aid, Blues. He reluctantly surrenders himself to the two (Kei handcuffing herself to him) but warns them that he will not leave the planet until he has carried out his mission: to avenge the death of his mother. Saradin, it seems, is the base of operations of the Colonel Sanders-esque Melpott, known as "The Ice Cream King," founder and chief executive officer of the galaxy's largest premium ice cream factory. Once a year his company sponsors a beauty pageant, "The Creamy Gal," to select its next spokesperson and poster girl. many years ago, Blues' mother Jan was a Creamy gal. While fending off Melpott's amorous advances she was "accidentally" hurled into a lake of molten lava. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 15 of 43 Blues intends the same fate for Melpott. he intends to heave him into the lava lake from the monorail he currently uses as a publicity tour for the pageant. On top of this, Blues informs the Pair that the indidious Melpott is planning a major insurance swindle, plotting to destroy a company-owned hotel by causing the eruption of a volcano. EPISODE #21 "You're Kidding! 463 People Disappear" The first half of the only two-part show in the series begins with a mystery. A passenger star cruiser has landed on schedule at Elenore City Starport but the control center can't seem to hail the pilot or crew. An emergency team sent to investigate finds the cruiser completely empty of all passengers and flight crew; it was apparently landed by remote control. But how? By whom? And what happened to all the people? Eddy Ross, an accident inspector for the travel company that chartered the cruiser, calls in the Pair to aid his investigation. Their efforts are hampered by Eddy's ex-wife, Shannon, who is desperately conducting her own search -- one of the missing passengers happened to be the Ross' five-year-old daughter! Meanwhile, Yuri meets Arthur, the Ross' twelve-year-old son, and forms a warm, big-sisterly friendship with him. Kei displays a pronounced appetite for cute, innocent, young boys! EPISODE #22 "We Did It! 463 People Reappear" At last episode's end it was learned that the cruiser passengers had been taken hostage, for ransom, by Crocker, a disgruntled ex-business partner of Eddy Ross. Still unknown is how the capture was accomplished and where the passengers are now being held. Aided by Arthur and Mughi the Pair and Shannon set out to find the missing. The first stop is the planet's orbiting space station, where Eddy Ross has gone to negotiate the ransom demands, a meeting which turns out to be nothing more than an ambush. EPISODE #23 "Uncertainty...? Our Magnificent Revenge" In a near-catastrophic encounter at a maximum security condominium the Pair fail in their efforts to trap Mahogany, a balding, obese narcotics supplier and entrepreneur with heavy underworld connections, who has somehow maintained a clean slate with the authorities. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 16 of 43 Kei and Yuri accidentally become separated after a melee with Mahogany's private security force. Yuri is wounded in her right arm, bleed profusely, and quickly loses consciousness. She wakes in the care of a handsome blond stranger named Daniel, a man who has reasons of his own to oppose the infamous Mahogany. Yuri and Daniel reunite with Kei and set up a scam; Yuri poses as an Asian princess who must sell her estate and holdings for tax reasons, while Kei reveals herself to be a veritable master of disguise. She poses as a bartender, a newscaster and a stockbroker, all male, in order to convince Mahogany to invest his entire ill-gotten fortune in a fictitious asteroid gold mine. This almost works but at the last moment Daniel becomes greedy and double-crosses the girls, trying to make off with all of the money. He doesn't succeed but even so, Daniel takes it all in stride. EPISODE #24 "Are You Serious? The Apartment is a Dangerous Address" It's another dark and stormy night as the Dirty Pair pose as new tenants in a luxury condominium in order to investigate the brutal murders of several female residents. Things soon get interesting as, one by one, a group of salesmen show up at the Lovely Angels' door, peddling their wares... and one of them is the killer. EPISODE #25 (Special Video) "What?! The Boy in the Mansion is a Terminator!" Someone is out to ruin the Elenore City Bank (and secondarily, the economy) by flooding the money supply with counterfeit credit bills. The chief suspect is Jobs Garu, a retired master forger who now runs an inn on scenic Tamaru Island with his wife, Milenu. Gooley is reluctant to assign the Pair to this case but his right hand man, Calico, intercedes on the girls' behalf and persuades him they're the ones for the job. Gooley relents and tries to contact the two but it seems only Kei is available. Yuri is out on a particularly unsuccessful date. Gooley decided to provide Kei with a temporary partner -- Calico. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 17 of 43 It turns out that Calico in action is more trigger-happy and casually destructive than both Kei and Yuri combined and his reckless quickly gets him and Kei involved in a fire-fight with the island's automated security. They are soon captured and immobilized. Kei learns that the motivation behind Garu's actions is vengeance; Garu's son Max died in an accident while being hounded by the bank's overly zealous collection agents. Meanwhile, Yuri has ditched her beau and returned home where she receives a frantic call from Gooley. She sets out for the "odd couple." Once at the island Yuri has no trouble entering the inn undetected until she meets up with... Max Garu? A scuffle and a few rounds of ammunition prove that her assailant is not a member of the undead, but rather an android. After much mayhem the Pair determine that the actions of Jobs and Milenu Garu against the Elenore City Bank were justified and that the Garus meant no harm to anyone else. They persuade (read: blackmail) Calico to allow the elderly couple to escape. EPISODE #26 (Special Video) "Seriously? The God Cannon is a Beauty's Keyword to Escape" A 3WA weapons research facility has been constructed within what is considered a dormant volcano. While on a routine inspection tour of the new mountain institute, Gooley brutally discovers firsthand that the facility has been seized by the insanely ambitious security chief Captain Marcus. Gooley is immediately taken prisoner and held for ransom. The terms: one hundred=billion credits in 24 hours or Marcus will kill Gooley and wreak untold destruction upon Elenore City with the institute's most terrible weapon, the God Cannon. Kei and Yuri learn of this and are ready to dash to the rescue but shockingly, they find themselves forbidden to take any action whatsoever! They protest and threaten action anyway, upon which they are stripped of their agent status and their ship and weapons are confiscated. With great determination and skill (and a certain amount of immodesty on Kei's the institute, find Gooley and vanquish the mad Captain Marcus! Well, not quite. It seems that in his last moments of consciousness Marcus sealed off all available exits and initiated the self-destruction of the institute's reactors, which by itself wouldn't have caused that much damage, but... there's this volcano, and... Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 18 of 43 ======================= DIRTY PAIR UPDATE ======================= Two fabulous female special agents on a collision course with adventure and mayhem, that's the Dirty Pair. A dynamic duo of capable young women, aptly code-named the Lovely Angels, on their way to solve your planetary or galactic problems with irresistible force. The Dirty Pair have been on the scene for over ten years and have entries in the television, motion picture, and original animation video (OAV) markets Affair of Nolandia, the Pair's first OAV, was released in December of 1985. The video features new character design for the Pair's spaceship, the Lovely Angel. The OAV is written by original author Haruka Takachiho and incorporates more of Takachiho's original ideas; the girls' clairvoyant powers and infamous bloody card (neither of which appeared in the television series) are a visible feature in the OAV. Masaharu Okuwaki is the director Unfortunately, Affair of Nolandia received a lukewarm reception from fans, many of who were dissatisfied with the new character designs. It was not until the release of Project Eden (also known as the Dirty Pair Movie) that the Dirty Pair achieved the popularity they enjoy today. Project Eden, an 80-minute feature from Matsutake Film, was released in March of 1987. The film is directed by Koichi Mashita and features character designs by Tsukasa Dokite. The screenplay is written by Hakuhiro Hoshiyama. Riding on the popularity the Pair has achieved since the days of the television series, VAP Video released a ten-volume OAV series beginning in December of 1987, with one two-episode, 50-minute installment released each month thereafter. Tsukasa Dokite is once again the character designer, and Katsuaki Tanidabu is the director. Bandai has announced plans to release a 60-minute Dirty Pair video in January, 1990. It is said that character designs will not be changed. Just when you thought it was safe to go back into space. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 19 of 43 YURI KEI Planet of Birth : Yocha Niogi Date of Birth : March 18, 2122 November 27, 2122 Age : 19 (Earth years) 19 (Earth years) Height : 168 cm 171 cm Weight : 55 kg 57 kg Measurements : 84-56-90 85-57-91 Hair : Black Red Eyes : Hazel Brown Blood Type : A + A + Education : Planet Mezuil Planet Mezuil University University Code Name : Lovely Angel Lovely Angel Code Number : 234K 234K Civil Service # : 101161 101761 YURI Like any good team, the Dirty Pair is composed of two distinctly different personalities. Yuri displays a more girlish demeanor than the tomboyish Kei, affecting frilly, feminine attire and an "approachable" attitude. Surprisingly, she dates less often. Long ago she had a childhood sweetheart named Billy galet. Of the two, Yuri is less outgoing, although she can be provoked by the name "Dirty Pair" as easily as Kei. She is a crack shot and skilled in unarmed combat. Yuri reads gossip magazines frequently. Her favorite color is lime-green. KEI Without doubt, Kei is the more outgoing of the Dirty Pair. her fiery red hair matches her temper; she is usually the first to vote for action -- any action -- and has little patience for people who aren't as energetic as she is. Like Yuri, Kei is an expert shot and highly skilled in unarmed combat. Both Kei and Yuri depend on their skills as sharpshooters to save the day... sometimes they depend too much, using firepower where tactics might perhaps be wiser. Kei believes one can never try too hard when it comes to dating. her obnoxiousness in pursuit of "handsomes" has landed the Pair in hot water more than once. However, despite a brief involvement with the thief Carson D. Carson (Project Eden), she has yet to enjoy a steady relationship. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 20 of 43 Kei's favorite food is cheesecake Affair of Nolandia Dirty Pair OAV Released 1985 A sinister, deep voice encourages the young Misuni to use her power. As she begins to concentrate, a spacecraft landing far away on another planet carrying the fleeing research scientist Dr. Hakuji Kishida pitches wildly, trying to match the twisting images of runway that Misuni has created with her mind. The craft disintegrates on impact into a ball of flaming wreckage. Aboard their spacecraft Kei and Yuri watch the recording of the crash and contemplate the destroyed craft's origin point and their next place of assignment -- the mining planet Ukball. As Yuri reaches over to give Kei a hand up from her chair, the Pair slips into a strange pastoral vision of a blue lake and an unusual-looking young girl who turns to them as the vision fades. They regain consciousness and Kei asks, "What was that?" A dumbfounded Yuri replies, "Uh... clairvoyance?" Back on Ukball, Connie Brighton answers her door assuming that it's Misuni. As she unbolts the door she is pushed back across the room and is brutally murdered by a huge man wielding a large energy weapon. The Pair has landed the same evening on Ukball, and although Kei wants to go out in pursuit of male flesh, their attention is drawn by a wailing ambulance. At the scene Kei and Yuri recognize Connie Brighton as the woman they were to meet to take custody of Misuni. The two are escorted at gun point to the local law enforcement official, Samara Gallon, who informs them in a none-too-friendly way that the young girl they seek has earlier stolen a small spacecraft and escaped to the south side of the planet to the only other habitable area on the world, the forest of Nolandia. The girls follow their lead and upon nearing their destination lose control of the ship and crash in the forest. They continue on hover cycles and find the stolen horizontal take-off plane in a vertical position, as if it were placed there by a giant hand amongst the trees. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 21 of 43 Mughi, the Pair's constant companion, notices a rustling in the bushes and flushes out a unicorn, which begins to walk back into the forest as it begins to rain. Kei has a nightmare vision of an incredible nature in which reality and illusion are indiscernible. When she awakens, she finds all sorts of strange dead flora and fauna, just as she had seen in her vision, and is unsure whom she should trust. That evening, back aboard the ship, Yuri's analysis of collected forest matter samples offers some strange results. There appears to be the existence of two kinds of mirror-image matter that should not exist according to modern scientific knowledge. Yuri hypothesizes that some kind of genetic tampering has been taking place. The following morning, the duo discovers what appears to be evidence of a bloody battle between the strange forest creatures and men in armored battle suits as witnessed in Kei's previous vision. It appears Misuni had the creatures ward off the invaders. They follow the unicorn they had seen before by its bloody footprints which lead to a strange and ancient set of ruins. Kei and Yuri follow the prints to the edge of a familiar lake and watch as Misuni appears to hug her horned friend and then vanishes, allowing the injured animal to sink beneath the waters. The girls then begin to coax Misuni into coming and playing with them as they noisily engage in hide and seek and water-skiing. In the meantime, Samara Gallon is dispatched to stop the Pair from making any further progress with Misuni. Kei and Yuri finally lure the frightened Misuni out of hiding by leaving two lumpy dolls for her to play with. Misuni comes out of hiding and when questioned about going home becomes enraged and begins to use her psionic powers. Misuni is struck down immediately by an energy blast from above by a small craft carrying Samara Gallon and the bodyguard of the mining company executive, Director Olan. The bodyguard claims they shot the girl in defense of the Pair and quickly retreats back to the city with both Misuni's limp body and Samara gallon in tow. The Lovely Angel streaks into the stratosphere, apparently ending the Pair's involvement in the Nolandia Affair. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 22 of 43 Later, Kei and Yuri break through the Director's office window, catching Olan and his bodyguard by surprise and confronting them with evidence of the two previous murders and the grotesque genetic manipulation responsible for Misuni and the unnatural creatures in the Nolandia forest. Samara bursts in at an inopportune moment, allowing Olan to escape and Jules is shaken off Kei's tail by being pushed out the office window, only to show up on her trail after she and Samara have found Misuni and usurped Olan's power with a minor coup d'etat. Yuri chases Olan to the Ukball spaceport where a spacecraft awaits his timely escape. Both Kei and Yuri's chases come to a head as Kei finally wipes out the cybernetic bodyguard and Yuri, with a heavy revenge tack for all the innocents Olan has killed during her pursuit, blows up his large craft with one well-placed rifle blast. Misuni, discovered alive during the coup, has awakened and with the help or her bio-engineered friends makes quick work of the large mining city as the girls streak skyward pondering the significances of the adventure-filled assignment and the vast paperwork looming on their horizon. Project Eden Dirty Pair Film Released 1987 The woman -- a gorgeous blonde in a dress slit to the hip, feat squeezed into a pair of fire-engine red heels. The location -- a luxurious vacation resort ring, scene of a WWWA sting operation. The substance -- the most precious in the universe... Vizorium, a rare metal that powers the hyperdrive engines vital to maintaining interstellar civilization. The operation proceeds smoothly until yuri misses her cue, encouraging the Vizorium thieves to overtake the woman in the dress... Kei, whose eyes widen momentarily as she catches sight of an escaping thief. Yuri finally arrives and the pair makes short work of the remaining criminal. Unfortunately, they don't pay attention to the bomb in the Vizorium case. it begins to detonate, sparking a chain reaction that begins the destruction of the entire, heavily populated, resort. The Pair watches from their craft, dismayed. * * * * * Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 23 of 43 Kei and Yuri are sent on a brand-new assignment: settle the economic dispute between the rival factions of Edia and Urudasu, both connected with the mining of Vizorium on the Planet Agarna, both suspicious of the other. Several Urudasu experimentation plants have been destroyed and Edia is being blamed. Edia contacts the WWWA and asks for its intervention. In the ravaged experimentation plant the Pair discusses the recent events with the production manager, who explains his own theories behind the attack. Unfortunately, the pair accidentally renders the last remaining plant completely inoperable. Yuri later complains about the dirt in her hair. After a brief scare with a mirror, they discover a bathtub and waste no time in undressing and jumping in. Kei meets her mystery thief once more, and this time she's covered in bubbles rather than a cocktail gown. She introduces him to Yuri as Carson D. Carson, a petty thief with a specialty in rare metals. After a ingot of Vizorium falls from his pocket Carson has a difficult time convincing Kei and Yuri that he is not responsible for the Urudasu attacks. Yuri handcuffs him just in case. As Kei bends down to pick up the ingot a monster's hand reaches up from below. Clad only in rags the Pair and Carson battle several of the horrific creatures and make a narrow escape with the aircar they parked earlier. The Pair strips Carson of his clothes and fashions makeshift garments for themselves. Carson laughs at their ignorance of the case's finer details, but is quickly persuaded at gunpoint to share his knowledge. Carson tells them about the mad scientist Professor Wattsman, who is responsible for the monsters and the Vizorium attacks. The Pair grudgingly agrees to work together with him for the length of the mission. After landing the aircar they come across an electrical ion belt which Carson cleverly circumvents. Yuri notices Kei's growing attraction to Carson and shows her annoyance. Carson disappears into the distance and the Pair is left trying to find a way to follow him. The trio is re-united by accidentally knocking him to the ground. Yuri jokingly cautions Kei not to fall in love with him as they leave him behind. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 24 of 43 Yuri and Kei watch the Professor and his mad experiments unnoticed from above and are almost startled into dropping into the crazed Professor's lap by the sudden appearance of Carson. The trio eventually falls to the ground but only after the Professor has left the scene. Kei and Carson engage in fisticuffs over a minor misunderstanding and fall even deeper in love. Carson attempts to leave the Pair so they can all fulfill their mission, but the ground suddenly dissolves under them and the three are dropped into a nightmare setting of the Professor's genetically engineered monsters. The Professor notices the battle and runs screaming down the hall to his control room. Yuri is separated from Kei and Carson by an explosion. Later, Kei dreams of herself and Carson and wakes to find both of them imprisoned. Soon they're pulled into separate areas for analysis. The Professor begins to speculate about samples and about Project E.D.E.N. (Environmental Displacement by Evolutionary Necessity). Elsewhere in the complex, Yuri searches for Kei. The Professor's butler, Bruno, passes Carson's eyes with a wine of unequaled quality. Carson flashes back to a time when he attempted to steal that very wine. Kei realizes that the reason Carson stayed in the complex was to recover the wine, General de Gaulle, bottled in 1945. The wine's vintage is said to grant victory to whoever drinks it. Kei berates him for such a foolish choice but Carson feels he has no choice but to recover it, as he can't bear the thought of someone stealing from him. Yuri manages to escape her predicament and ends up in the same area as Kei and Carson. Mughi sends in a remote-controlled pod which knocks the captives loose and disrupts the Professor's plans. They sieze weapons and combat-armor systems from the pod and begin their final battle against the unholy creatures. Carson breaks away from the Pair and follows Bruno who still has the prized wine in his possession. The two face off, Carson with a razor-sharp knife and Bruno with a paralyzer stick. They are evenly matched until Carson looks away for a moment. Bruno delivers a killing blow to Carson. Kei witnesses the injury and cries out, rushing to his side. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 25 of 43 They exchange tender words. Carson spots a new group of monsters following and urges Kei and Yuri to leave. Kei leaves her combat armor with Carson for his final stand, and reluctantly departs. He faces his death bravely; standing tall he drinks the General de Gaulle and says, "Good wine and a good woman... too good for a small-time thief like me." Yuri activates the systems of her combat armor to provide the getaway to the Lovely Angel. On the way they encounter Professor Wattsman and Bruno. Kei is tempted to end the miserable life of the deranged scientist. Ignoring his pitiful pleas she severs the computer's connections to the planet instead, causing massive disruptions. Kei look miserably into the aftermath and mourns Carson... and see the silhouette of a man near death but alive nevertheless--Carson! Kei, Yuri and Carson leave with Bruno and the Professor tied together. The empty wine bottle is tossed carelessly over the side of the aircar and unfortunately manages to collide with the paralyzer stick that was implanted in the ground as a memoriam to Carson. It sparks a chain reaction all over the planet, causing the death of everyone there as the Professor's horrors are released upon the population at large. The aircar flies into the horizon with the Professor exclaiming, "It's the dawn of a new race! It's the beginning of Eden! Bruno, next... space!" "Again, Professor?" Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 26 of 43 Dirty Pair OAV's 1-10 Dirty Pair OAV's Released 1989 Synopses by Yumiko Yamamoto ================================================================= EPISODE ONE "We hate persistent people!" The Prisoners' Troublesome Revolt Planet Palos -- a mostly uninhabitable place due to the constantly violent atmospheric conditions except for one stabilized piece of land, floating on a cushion of air, which is utilized as a maximum-security prison, currently the scene of a massive breakout. At World Welfare Work Association (WWWA) headquarters, Kei complains that it's her turn to do paperwork while Yuri, in Dr. Kueblestein's laboratory, flirts with his lab assistant. The Doctor asks, "How did my last invention work? It should have caused a big explosion." "It exploded, all right -- on us!" The Doctor sighs and hands her a new invention, a ring-laser able to cut through p to two meters of steel. The Pair is called upon to rescue the warden of the maximum-security prison who has been taken hostage. It is imperative that he be rescued as he is a key witness for an upcoming trial. The Lovely Angel docks with a marine battlecruiser orbiting the Planet Palos. The Pair attends a debriefing session with the space marines, who are mounting an attack upon the planet, even though they will conduct an independent operation. Kei and Yuri "surf" to the prison upon the turbulent air currents. The marines provide an unintentional diversion by performing a frontal assault. The Pair easily infiltrates, locates and secures the warden but before they can remove him to safety he escapes their custody, bent upon revenge against the prisoners, who have marred his hertofore-clean retirement slate. Locked in the control room the warden begins the extermination of the prisoners using various automated security systems. The Pair is determined to recover the warden before the arrival of the marines, who can only complicate their task. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 27 of 43 Kei attempts to blast down the door with her bazooka. "Must be two meters thick," she says. Yuri recalls the deadly ring-laser upon her finger and obliterates the prison door, along with a goodly portion of the control room. The warden is knocked unconscious by the force of the blast and is successfully transported away from the main complex. In a transport cart, Kei, Yuri and the warden are being pursued by a persistent prisoner also bent on revenge. As Kei is unable to eliminate him Yuri decides to use the ring-laser once more. It misfires and causes a gigantic boulder to drop from their pursuer. Recover and foolishly standing upright in the cart, the warden is knocked flat by a low overhead ceiling beam. He slumps back into the cart. "At least we're taking him back alive." notes Kei. EPISODE TWO "Don't involve us..." The Ultimate Halloween Party It's Halloween night en Elenore City. Several gangs in various outlandish costumes are planning crimes, unable to resist the fortunate convenience of the holiday. Kei and Yuri look down upon the celebration in the streets from a rooftop stakeout. Kei is complaining of having to work on a holiday when they spot their target moving past them in a hovercar. They fire up their flightpacks, pursue and board the suspect's car. Several shots are fired and cause the vehicle's control to be damaged, nose-diving the craft into the ground. From the crash site the Pair contacts Manager Gooley. He is incensed at their careless handling of the situation and is especially concerned about the vehicle's cargo. "What cargo?" they ask, bewildered. Gooley goes into a frenzy and tells them that the suspect was heisting top-secret military hardware and that they had better check into the matter. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 28 of 43 Kei and Yuri return to the site of the crash. They notice a large hole in the side of the craft that appears to have been made from the inside. The Pair informed that the cargo consisted of an experimental piece of military hardware, a Tactical Robot Weapon, and must have been self-activate by the crash. The robot is currently unfinished and lack the artificial skin which creates an illusion of humanity. Ideally it is designed to blend with a native population and gather information in enemy territory before initiating its lethally dangerous combat mode. The robot will transform exactly one hour after activation. With all the costumed revelry going on in the city the robot has no difficulty in avoiding undue notice. When the pair locates it Yuri tries to persuade it to come along peacefully. Kei mocks her for conversing with a machine and fires missiles at it from her bazooka. The robot, undamaged, manages to escape. The robot leads Kei and Yuri on a merry chase throughout the city, incidentally foiling the various attempted crimes of the costumed crooks. As they finally manage to corner the robot atop a building and prepare for a final assault the clock strikes the hour -- and the Tactical Robot Weapon enters its superlatively equipped combat mode. Fireworks from the Halloween celebration are initiated simultaneously, masking the events atop the roof. In their attempts to destroy the robot the Pair destroys several buildings in the environs. The crowd cheers, thinking the commotion a part of the celebration. The pair runs of ammo without so much as scratching the robot. An unknown number of innocent civilians are killed in the destruction. As a last resort Yuri secures a huge launch tube and packs it with the fireworks stored around them. The robot is destroyed in a blaze of glory as the crowd goes wild. Kei and Yuri enjoy a drink after a hard day's work and idly wonder if the boss will be angry. "We did destroy a lot of things," remarks Yuri. "At least we got the job done," says Kei. As the Pair prepares to enjoy the remainder of Halloween night, a paddy wagon filled with the outlandishly attired criminals speeds by. "Alice" (heading for a prison Wonderland) cries out: "I hate Halloween!" Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 29 of 43 EPISODE THREE "We're not afraid of the wrath of God!" The Challenge of God Kei and Yuri arrive at Planet Hazaal to investigate the mysterious destruction of the city of New Haven and the deaths of the employees of the Jason Hughes Company who were mining the rare ore, Manium. Kei complains about their modest clothes they're obliged to wear because of the planet's strict religion. Kei doubts aloud the validity of the god and draws the attention of everyone in the terminal. Yuri pulls her hastily aside and cautions her to watch her tongue, as everyone on the planet is religiously loyal to its one god. Outside the terminal they notice that there are no rental vehicles and wonder how they're going to get to New Haven. Yuri manages to secure a ride with a good-looking young man who explains the basic nature of the religion and admits his doubts about the recent changes. The man's neck snaps as his head makes a 270x turn, sending the crimson spray of blood through the cab of the truck. An ominous voice is heard over the truck's radio which warns the "blasphemous females" to leave the land as the driverless truck plummets over a cliff. The Pair escapes by means of their armlet/grappling hooks. Kei laments the death of such a handsome man and they walk the rest of the way. They investigate the ruins of the city and wonder at the means of devastation. Wouldn't it be more likely, they think, that a god would send a storm of fire, or a great flood? The Pair runs closer to the sound of chanting and observes the torture of a Jason Hughes Company survivor, whom the Pair rescues. The priest conducting the ritual shears a nearby building with power summoned by a prayer. The Pair eventually manages to stop the priest and soon, Yuri deduces that his power came from a transparent, radio-controlled razor-like object. They return to the wounded man and discover rods of orichalcum (memory-metal) implanted in his body, which enabled the priest to invoke the spectacular "acts of God" seen earlier. The man tells the Pair that evidence proving the god false can be found in the space citadel orbiting the planet. To Kei's great dismay the man dies. She stands angrily and says, "We're going to go arrest this god! No one kills my handsomes!" Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 30 of 43 The pair works their way into the shuttle traveling to the space citadel. The god reveals himself to the selected priest and announces the presence of two blasphemers. The stunned audience beholds the pair in their "naked" uniforms as Yuri tells the god that he is under arrest. The god encloses the pair in a transparent container floating high above the ground and threatens to destroy them. Kei fires upon him, breaking his concentration, which causes them to drop to the ground. The god chases them to a narrow catwalk above an energy storage center. Playing a hunch, the Pair opens fire on the batteries below. The god begins to weaken. The outer casing of the god disintegrates, exposing the human brain inside. Kei contacts Mughi and tells him to bring the Lovely Angel for a pickup. The god cries, "I am undying!" and explodes. As the ship pulls away from the citadel Kei congratulates Mughi and Yuri remarks that the destruction wasn't too bad this time. Mughi points to the chaos on the surface and they remember a weather satellite destroyed on a previous mission. "Wasn't it a storm that lasted seven months and wiped out the entire population?" At WWWA headquarters, Gooley reaches for the antacid. EPISODE FOUR "So what if they're kids!" Wargames Equal a Firing Squad? Planet Amega -- location of an energy research station which has just been hijacked by children of high-ranking officials. The Dirty Pair is called in to resolve the situation. Kei wants to know why the WWWA is being involved in the case of children. It's because the station contains the Dimensional Vibration Destruction Cannon, explains Gooley, and if activated it will destroy the planet and most of the nearby galaxy. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 31 of 43 The Pair arrives at the station confident and unworried. How much trouble can a few kids be? They're surprised to find out just how much trouble as they're greeted with machine guns, bazookas and automate defense systems. The Pair is also treated to the young boys' warm welcome as they're ridiculed and insulted. They leader, Mike, tells Kei that she's not going to get any boyfriends if she keeps yelling. "I don't have any boyfriends because I choose not to have any!" "Oh, is that what it is?" says Yuri innocently. The captured administrator, by now decorated like a Christmas Tree, warns the boys their parents won't let this go on forever. "I know," says Mike. "This is the Dimensional Vibrator Destruction Cannon! As long as we hold this, the military wouldn't dare attack us!" The forces outside the station ask for their demands. They boys begin to shout them over the loudspeaker, including a request for round-the-clock animation shows on TV. They advise the military to go up to their rooms and go to sleep. Kei and Yuri enter the sewers beneath the station and make their way toward the control room. The boys spot their approach and send guardian robots to intercept. The smallest boy walks too close to the administrator, who has managed to free himself, and is taken hostage. The little boy escapes by biting the man's ear and fires once at him in warning but soon loses control of the gun and begins to fire wildly throughout the room, accidentally activating the Cannon. In the sewers the Pair is cornered by robots and escapes into the waters. They later emerge closer to the control room and receive a message that the problem has been solved and the mission aborted. Kei unsatisfied, tells Mughi to tap into the military channels. The administrator, who has escaped, is ordering the military snipers to kill the kids if necessary to stop the Cannon. Kei decides to continue the mission, hoping mainly to get even with them for their disrespect. The Pair has one half-hour before it's too late. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 32 of 43 A firefight between Kei and Yuri and the boys begins with the Pair gaining control. They try to make the boys realize what's happening but they refuse to believe in the potentially lethal consequences. "It's not a wargame anymore!" says Kei urgently. Mike accuses the Pair of setting up a trick. Kei snaps at them and calls him a fool. "If you can't believe the word of a woman who's putting her body on the line, then stop being a man!" Mike confronts Kei and asks if they are really in danger. Kei lets him know the answer and then delivers an uppercut, knocking Mike unconscious. "I'll tell you one more thing," she says, "boys grow up into men by being tricked by women." kei laughs, feeling much better. As the administrator calls in the final assault the pair calls that the crisis has been averted and the Destruction Cannon deactivated. "Please call us again!" says Kei. Lovely Angel returns home while the Pair bandage each other's wounds. EPISODE FIVE And Then No One Played The scene opens at casino station Shangri La. The main attraction is a game involving meteors launched onto a nearby star, Xanadu, while gamblers guess which sector the meteor will land in. A Chinese man smiles arrogantly and gathers in his piles of chips. A WWWA video screen features this man smashing boulders with his bare hands. Li Sui Ryu is a worthy agent, in Gooley's opinion, by the fact that he's never submitted a single bill to be paid. Out of 157 cases, all of them have been solved and he's never had to resort to firearms. Kei wonders how he got hooked on Meteor. It seems Ryu went to Shangri La to investigate a case and never came back. The Pair's orders are to travel to Shangri La and return Ryu from the tables. In space outside the casino, the Pair hides behind an asteroid connecting a control mechanism. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 33 of 43 Back at the Lovely Angel, Kei makes plans to mingle on the casino floor while Yuri searches for evidence. At WWWA Headquarters, Gooley paces his office and wonders if everything will go all right. A secretary delivers a stack of invoices while Gooley cringes and curses. At the tables, the dealer explains the rules. Kei places her bet and the computer selects the numbers on the asteroid grid. She suffers a few initial losses and is observed by casino security personnel via hidden camera. The size of her bets is noted by the owner. Yuri skulks among the lower levels of the casino and complains that Kei always gets the good assignments. Upstairs, Kei gleefully offers to loan Ryu chips from her by-now massive winnings. Yuri, downstairs, breaks into a room and finds a storage room with an unusual substance in a beaker. Kei loses pleasure in her chips when Yuri one-ups Kei's splashy entrance. Yuri mentions the compound she discovered downstairs -- axonohydroria -- as Kei formulates a hypothesis. Yuri directs Kei's attention to the casino owner and former bio-genetics researcher, Dr. Borkov, who created the artificial lifeform axonohydroria. At the tables, Kei implements a plan to rack up stupendous wins using the remote control device they had installed earlier. Yuri shoots Kei poisonous glances while Ryu orders the casino to bring him all of his accumulated winnings. "Can I be the dealer?" Kei asks. Yuri suggests they raise the stakes to on e game, ten million credits each player. Their table has an audience. Kei launches the asteroids. "Zero!" The second asteroid impacts in the back, changing the number to a double zero... dealer takes all. Kei smiles winsomely. "She cheated!" Yuri accuses Kei of using hyper waves which cause the amoeba-like axonohydroria lifeform to change into energy and detonate the asteroid before it impacts on the star, Xanadu's, surface. The owner, overhearing Yuri's incriminating accusations, quiets her with a gun pointed at her back. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 34 of 43 "They've figured us out, Borkov!" Kei cries, launching herself at the astonished figure. "We're through!" Kei and Yuri are escorted from the casino by security guards as a scream of fury sounds from Ryu. Using the boulder-smashing technique seen earlier, Ryu strikes the gaming console as the Pair begins their attack. Enraged, Ryu scores of casino employees. The mass driver begins to misfire, launching asteroids at a nearby inhabited planet. The majority of the planet is destroyed under the onslaught. And then ... no one played. EPISODE SIX "Are you serious?" The Seaside Surprise Wedding Panic On the way to an investigation on the island of Sargilcor, Kei and Yuri enjoy the comforts of the large luxury liner. Yuri rebuffs the advances of a forward young man, who offers to escort her on her "studies" of the island's ruins. Kei and Yuri's assignment is to find a counterfeiting factory suspected to be run by the Castino family and to recover a stolen computer disk containing currency minting information. There has been no word from an agent who recently infiltrated the island. Yuri climbs a fence after being denied admittance and finds a marker left in the graveyard by the special agent. Several guards threaten her but the young man previously met on the luxury liner, Kyaline Castino, intervenes and later escorts her on a tour of the island. Daline, Kyaline's older brother and heir to the family "business," orders a background check on this newest woman. Kei is working undercover at a bar and spots Yuri walking dreamily with Kyaline. At an outdoor cafe, Kyaline tells her that the reason no outsiders are allowed in the church is that his father built it to hide his fortune after his death. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 35 of 43 Kei interrupts, disguised as a flower peddler, and drags Yuri away for a hissed conference. "Dating and working? That's not fair!" Yuri tells Kei the target is the church and with an airy goodbye, walks to meet Kyaline Does Yuri mind that he's a gangster? he asks during a romp on the beach. Yuri says it doesn't matter and whispers something to him before they kiss. At WWWA Headquarters, Gooley receives an emergency dispatch from kei, urging everyone to attend Yuri's upcoming wedding. Madame Barr, a veteran trouble consultant, advises him to prepare for trouble. Back on Sargilcor ... Don, the head of the family, discusses Yuri. If she really is what Daline thinks she is, she's bound to reveal herself by the time of the wedding. Kyaline agrees to take care of her himself if this is so. Kei greets the WWWA entourage, cautioning Gooley that they may be overheard. Yuri formally thanks Madame Barr and Gooley for taking care of her up to now. Dr. Kueblestein rushes in and presents Yuri with a special flower corsage. Kei, dressed as a nun, clubs a watching security monitor with a giant wooden cross. In one of the many viewscreens before her she notices a suspicious building and infiltrates the counterfeiting factory as Yuri begins her walk down the aisle. Kei pounds outside a stained glass window to get Yuri's attention and crashes through. Yuri is covered by gunmen as they accuse her of being a spy. Before Yuri can answer Kueblestein activates her corsage; under the cover of smoke, the entire WWWA party flees outside. Kueblestein throws several grenades at the pursuing gunmen while Madame Bar throws one of the infamous "bloody cards." Kei returns the disk to Gooley but refuses to leave without Yuri. Gooley expresses a newfound admiration for the Dirty Pair. Kei shoots the gun from Daline's hand as he urges Kyaline to finish Yuri. Yuri asks Kyaline to shoot her if he doubts her sincerity. Kyaline cannot shoot. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 36 of 43 There are only three minutes left until the building explodes. Gangsters pile out of the church as an escape craft rises above with Kyaline, Yuri and Kei. The church explodes into flame. "Won't you come with me?" Yuri asks him. "No," he says, "I can't betray my family any more than I already have." He parachutes from the plane. "What did you say to him when he said, 'I believe what you said to me'?" Kei asks. "It's a secret." "But were you serious?" Yuri only smiles. EPISODE SEVEN Revenge of the Muscle Lady "Is a woman's stubbornness the flower of the ring?" The lights flash on the two combatants during an illegal caged wrestling match -- Kei, in the green tights, and Mad Bull, a muscle-bound behemoth. None of Kei's usual moves work against Mad Bull, who entangles her in the heavy chains surrounding the ring. Gooley briefs Kei and Yuri on something called "Hard Muscle," or "Hustle" for short, a new drug which unnaturally stimulates accelerated muscle development and causes psychotic behavior as a side effect. A former WWWA trainee, Sandra Guts (remembered by Kei and Yuri as "Sandra the Bully"), is the head of the syndicate that manufactures the drug. The Dirty Pair's assignment is to locate and destroy the Hustle factory. Back to the ring and Kei hanging in chains. Yuri urges Kei over her earring-communicator to use her shock ring. Mad Bull falls over, unconscious, as Yuri exclaims in glee ... the only one in the audience happy to see Mad Bull's defeat. Kei waits in a bar for a contract and speaks in a low voice to Yuri over the communicator. Sandra Guts watches her via hidden camera and orders the relocation of the factory. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 37 of 43 The bartender offers Kei a free glass of Hustle and advice on how to make even more money as a wrestler. Kei, blindfolded, willingly goes with several syndicate members as Yuri follows at distance from her surveillance point across the street. Kei opens her eyes in a wrestling ring, Sandra descending from above. "Welcome to our party, Kei!" Sandra says. "Since you're here, we're going to spend a lot of time with you." Sandra's initial attack knocks Kei across the ring. "It's a trap!" Kei tells Yuri over the communicator. Yuri runs headlong from the automated defense systems, crashes through a rooftop window, and disables the guards watching the match via monitor. "Why don't you kill me now," Kei says, "if you can." Sandra promises to let Kei rest easy after making an example of her. Yuri uses a gas canister to render several guards unconscious and discovers that the factory has transformed into a giant rocket. Kei escapes from the ring after Yuri's alert and is pursued by Sandra throughout the factory. Sandra has a personal grudge against the Dirty Pair because she was dropped from the WWWA training program during the final testing in favor of Kei and Yuri. She offers Kei a shot of Hustle to ease her pain and make herself strong. After Kei throws it in her face, Sandra knocks Kei our a window. Kei falls several hundred feet before catching herself with a grappling device, but the abrupt stop dislocates her arm. Yuri tries to stop the factory from moving by planting a bomb but before she can set it she is temporarily blinded. Kei swings into action and works with Yuri to detonate the device; Yuri holding and Kei guiding the gun. The rocket explodes, the muscle lady falling to land at Kei and Yuri's feet for one last match. Some quick foot work tricks Sandra into plunging through a window to fall to her death. "When she's under pressure, she loses sight of what's in front of her," Kei says. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 38 of 43 "There are many types of simple-minded people," Yuri says. Kei loses her cool and chases Yuri off into the distance. EPISODE EIGHT "The girl is an older woman! Perfectly preserved!" Sleeping Beauty The luxury liner White Swan is suddenly attacked by unknown forces. Before a harried man whisks a young girl from her cabin she watches a tiny object fall from the stuffed doll she is carrying. After the man places the girl into a cold sleep capsule, he is shot by an unseen man and falls to the deck. The girl gasps, as if in recognition, before she is shot out into space. On their way back from a distant mission, Kei and yuri discover the capsule and return the girl to WWWA headquarters. The girl, still a child, still clutching her doll, is a link to a twenty-year-old mystery that even the famous Madame Barr was unable to solve -- the sensational case of the White Swam. Gooley order the Dirty Pair to reopen the case. Kei whispers to Yuri that this is their chance to prove themselves. Madame Barr's files reveal that during the White Swan tragedy, 832 people were gassed to death, one was shot, and one was missing but now is found... the child, Tia. Inscribed on the deck near the large blood stain left by Tia's father Professor Nea is the number 42731. Kei tries to coax Tia into telling her about that night but Tia is uncommunicative. Yuri and Kei bring Tia to talk to her now-closest relative, Bill Jones, president of the J.C. Manufacturing Company. "Do you know me?"he asks her as she cringes from him. "I'm your Uncle Bill!" Kei tells him they'll have to get back to him regarding his request for custody and takes Tia with her and Yuri back to the factory. On their way back, Kei and Yuri decide to go to the scene of the crime. A surprise attack on their car almost knocks them of the road. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 39 of 43 Once aboard the White Swan, Tia heads confidently toward her old stateroom and retrieves a small microchip from underneath a ledge. After watching Tia insert the chip into her doll and punch in a code to make it talk, the Pair uses Professor Nea's dying massage to activate a recording. "Papa!" Tia exclaims. The trio heads back to the Lovely Angel while listening to Gray Nea voice his suspicions about his assistant Bill. The White Swan rocks from an incoming attack that Mughi on the Lovely Angel was too busy napping to notice. "Somebody doesn't want us to hear this message," Yuri says. Bill is confronted with the taped evidence and blanches as he recognizes his former employer's voice. He lunges to take Tia hostage, confesses to the murder of Tia's father and the usurpation of the factory, and leads the Pair on a wild chase. After fighting off several attacking robots, Kei and Yuri split into separate directions. Kei confronts Bill and Tia on an elevated walkway suspended over a vat of phosphorescent chemicals. Bill disarms Kei, now possessed by only her multi-purpose arm band. At Kei's urging, Tia comes to Kei using a acrobatic move Kei performed during their initial discussion of the White Swan tragedy. Kei snaps her arm band like a whip and causes Bill's gun to misfire, bringing down heavy piping and destroying the bridge. Kei cling to one side with Tia in one arm as Bill tries to hold on to the edge of the bridge, but falls to his death. As the bridge collapses, Yuri uses a rope to save Kei and Tia. Back at WWWA headquarters, Gooley admits that his opinion of the Dirty Pair has improved... slightly. Kei worries over Tia's fate but Madame Barr says not to worry; she'll take care of Tia herself. "I haven't grown old for nothing," she says with a smile. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 40 of 43 EPISODE NINE Red Eyes are the Signal of Hell "Pursue the Slaughter Squad!" An eerie light shines from the infrared goggles of a five-man commando team as they waste no time in infiltrating and slaughtering an entire resistance camp. One man makes a last stand and fires, managing to injure one of the commandos before he's gunned down by heavy fire. On the Pair's way to meet with the president at the nation's capital, fatuously smiling old man steps out to greet Yuri, who ignores him. "That's Matzoho, a lecherous weapons dealer. It's dangerous to let you guard down around him." When they turn their backs, Matzoho gooses them, laughing. The president tells the Pair it's been thirty years since the beginning of the war, and recent peace talks between his forces and the rebels' have been interrupted by attacks from five mysterious commandos posing as the president's men. The Dirty Pair is asked to locate the commandos to convince the rebel that peace is truly desired. Kei and Yuri set off into the rebels' territory and are soon surrounded. The rebel leader accepts their credentials and provides them with a heavy escort into the jungle. "There's obviously a third party that doesn't what the war to end," Yuri says. In the jungle, a man clutching a family photo impacts on the hood of the escort vehicle and rolls to the side of the road. kei recognizes him as one of the five. As the man begins to talk the transport explodes behind them. Kei and yuri take the man with them as they flee the pursuing four commandos. Kei uses the rear-mounted gun but can't damage the pursuing tank. The getaway vehicle's malfunctioning missiles suddenly reactivate and launch, destroying the pursuing tank. Back at the rebel headquarters, Matzoho sneaks up behind Kei and gooses her again. He tells Blast, the rebel leader, that his order will be filled as soon as possible and leaves. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 41 of 43 Scans reveal that the captured commando is wired with a mind control device that makes him an automaton capable of obeying only one order at a time. The device is wired straight into the brain and is impossible to remove, so Yuri is volunteered to rewire the device so the commando can bd interrogated. The man's name is McMurphy, a soldier from the Waldtheim army, and he, like the other commandos, has been kidnapped. "I'm going to kill the man that did this," he says before collapsing. The commando team mount an assault against the rebel camp. Kei and Yuri move McMurphy to a bunker. McMurphy tells them Matzoho is responsible for the creation of the commando team and that he has sold weapon to both sides. Matzoho, McMurphy says, is a merchant of death. "That filfthy old man can't be forgiven," Kei says. Before Kei or Yuri can act, McMurphy borrows two grenades from a boy soldier and steps outside the bunker. "Our purpose is not to kill children!" he yells before rushing two commandos into an explosive embrace. Kei and Yuri run after him. A commando rises on a hill before them and aims his gun. Kei trains her sight on him when Yuri suddenly senses someone behind. She whirls around and opens fire on the second commando as Kei destroys the final soldier. "One more thing left to do," Kei says. In space, surrounded y a fleet of ships carrying his weapon, Matzoho gloats. He abruptly stops laughing as he spots Kei and Yuri, heavily armed, coming into sight from behind the Lovely Angel. McMurphy's family photo drifts free and well-lit in the ensuring explosion. EPISODE TEN Bad Guys Need Not Say a Word "We're space truckers!" During what seems to be a routine run, two trucker notice an incoming signal on the radar screen. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 42 of 43 They barely have time to realize what's going on before their ship explodes. In the bay of an independent space station, Kei and Yuri introduce themselves to the company's owner as two new freelance truckers. The Pair can't be dissuaded from continuing with the planned run even though there have been to date six deaths and four disappearances. It seems that the Universal Company, their rivals, are trying to force them out of the trucking business. Kei and Yuri set off on their own, suspecting that the Universal Company wants the station for smuggling purposes. Matthew and Jade, the owner, pull up alongside and try to determine the Pair's true motives. When the expected attack arrives, Matthew and Jade shift from their rig to the Pair's and watch in amazement as Kei and Yuri fend off the attack by themselves. At the local sector's police station, the chief of police receives a call. "Mr. President? Who are they? I understand. I'll take care of it." Back at the Pair's rig, Jade confesses to killing a man in self-defense during a fight fifteen years ago. He's been an anonymous patron tot he deceased man's family since then, and in only eleven hours, the statute of limitations will run out and jade will be free to leave his self-imposed exile. The police contact them and demand they prepare for a cargo inspection. Kei and Yuri advise Jade to hide with mughi in the cargo hold while they hold off the police. Once aboard, the police plant illicit evidence and haul the Pair and Matthew off to the police station. Matthew informs them that he recognized the personal craft of the Universal Company's president. The Pair uses a ruse to overwhelm their guards and escape their cell as the company president discusses his smuggling plans with the chief of police. If all of the routes in this sector can be controlled, the president says, there'll be no limit to their illegal activities. Dirty Pair Synopsis 21 January 1990 "It's Not Our Fault" Productions 43 of 43 "What --?" The Pair steps into the room and after announcing themselves as WWWA trouble consultants, accuses both the president and the chief of police of smuggling, murder, and other crimes. One of the chief's men causes a disturbance by punching Matthew and when the Pair turns to look, both of the accused made a break for it. Kei and Yuri give chase down separate corridors, both pursued by armed police officers. they meet at a junction to follow the president and the chief of police into a large bay filled with even more armed and ready police officers. They dive for cover and soon run out of ammunition. "Even if we tried to give up they wouldn't let us," Yuri says. Jade contacts Kei over her earring-communicator and announces he's here to repay his debt to them. The entire trucking fleet launches various cargo at the police station. In the commotion Kei and Yuri escape the secure two large portable cannons and then run to the launch bay. Yuri prevents the president from boarding an escape craft while Kei fires and explodes the chief of police's craft in the launch tube. Back at the space station, Matthew urges Jade to run and hide from the two trouble consultants. But it's too late. "Thanks to your cheering section, the chief didn't get away," Yuri says. They refuse to arrest Jade, telling him there's a ten-hour time adjustment after fifteen years between local Barun and galactic calendars and he's now a free man The Pair congratulates themselves on doing a good deed until Mughi points out their miscalculations: according to galactic law, the time limit should have been figured using the galactic calendar after all. "Clumsy!" Kei yells. "What, do you want to go back?" "By the time we did, it really would be past the time limit?" "You idiot!"