Angel Cop: Complete OVA Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Angel Cop: Complete OVA Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Angel Cop is an action-packed thriller with plenty of intensity for fans of serious and hard-edged anime series. Produced by Kazufumi Nomura (Project A-ko, Vampire Princess Miyu) and Yoshio Nakamura (Yumemakura Baku Twilight Gekijō, The Abashiri Family), Angel Cop brings a gritty aesthetic to the forefront of the production. The series features animation production by D.A.S.T Corporation (Space Pirate Mito, Yumemakura Baku Twilight Gekijō) and Studio 88 (Spirit Warrior, Violence Jack). Created by Ichiro Itano, Angel Cop features a lead vocal performance by Mika Doi. Fans of dark anime series will find it right up their alley.

The country of Japan is facing turbulent times as a terrorist group has begun to infiltrate the country with force and deadly violence. The terrorists go by the name “Red May” and are working together while bombing areas all throughout Tokyo. In an attempt to prevent the destabilization of Japan, Japanese law enforcement depends on the Special Security Force (SSF) to help with the terrorism growing throughout the country. The most important hero in the SFF is Yō Mikawa – otherwise known as Angel (Mika Doi).

The super slick and suave officer is graced with stunning beauty and the maneuvers to handle any dangerous situation. The terrorists have met their match with Angel Cop. Yet as Angel Cop pursues the terrorists, something is tearing apart the terrorists beforehand – terrorists are dying before Angel Cop can even take them out herself. A mystery unfolds as the story takes some surprising turns while Angel Cop continues on her the mission. The only thing that is certain – a big body count is sure to be left in the wake. Can the Red May terrorist group be destabilized with Angel Cop on the job?

The character of Angel Cop is one of the compelling components of the production. The character has a sense of cool and suave that is undeniable and part of the charm of the series. The character certainly stands out as a fascinating lead for an anime production. There is something inherently compelling in exploring the character of Yō Mikawa. The character is also drawn with a distinct style – much of this because of the expert character designs by Nobuteru Yuki (Battle Angel, Heat Guy J). The designs are essential to the production and add a lot to the experience.

The Angel Cop art direction by Hiroshi Sasaki (Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo, Nadia - The Secret of Blue Water), Hitoshi Nagao (Nightwalker: The Midnight Detective, Legend of the Galactic Heroes: A Hundred Billion Stars, A Hundred Billion Lights), and Satoru Hirono (Komatsu Sakyo Anime Gekijō) is compelling. Certainly, the animation is one of the most essential and standout elements of the production. The art style makes a strong impression.

Under the expert animation direction of Hiroyuki Ochi (Ai Tenchi Muyo!, Beautiful Bones: Sakurako’s Investigation), Satoru Nakamura (Eden of the East, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex), Takehiro Nakayama (Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture, Magic Knight Rayearth), Tamio Okuda, Yasuhiro Seo (Berserk: The Golden Age Arc I - The Egg of the King, Lupin III: Dead or Alive), and Yasuomi Umetsu (Gatchaman, Mezzo), Angel Cop achieves a compelling aesthetic in spades. The team of animation directors work well alongside the animators involved on the production team. The end result is a series with a sophisticated aesthetic that capably showcases a darker and grittier style than most other productions. This is a key element of the series and its intended look as an anime.

The sound direction by Etsuji Yamada (Saint Tail, Treasure Island) is another compelling element of the series. The sound design certainly helped to add something uniquely compelling to the experience. An interesting approach to sound, Angel Cop feels more sophisticated through the use of sound design. Compelling work from Yamada.

The cinematography by Hideo Okazaki (El Hazard: The Alternative World, The Legend of the Galactic Heroes), Norihide Kubota (Royal Space Force - The Wings of Honnêamise, Project A-ko 3: Cinderella Rhapsody), Takafumi Arai (Lupin III: The Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure, Project A-ko), and Yukio Sugiyama (Sorcerer Hunters, Martian Successor Nadesico) adds to the Angel Cop experience. A compelling cinematographic style and one that plays a huge part in the production succeeding, Angel Cop achieves a sleek and intriguing aesthetic with darker colors and a grittier visual style that is a good accompaniment to the work of the animators.

The score composed by Kan Ogasawara (Anmitsu Hime, Cat Soup) is a highlight of the series as well. The music certainly is robust and engaging. The score has a hyper and action-packed energy that adds much to the experience. The score by Ogasawara is certainly something that capably reflects the filmmaking – adding something special to the experience. The music fits the atmosphere well.

Directed by Ichiro Itano (Gantz, Battle Royal High School), Angel Cop is a series that achieves a fantastic sense of style and in spades. Director Itano understands the action element of the series is an essential element. Written by Ichiro Itano and co-screenwriter Noboru Aikawa (Martian Successor Nadesico, Fullmetal Alchemist), Angel Cop is certainly something with a good sense of rhythm, the tale is an undeniably dark one. Yet the darker elements of the Angel Cop anime are part of the fun and what ultimately makes the series the cult favorite that it has become.

Angel Cop: Complete OVA Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Discotek Media, Angel Cop is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the 1.33:1 full frame aspect ratio. The presentation is exceptional and one of the main highlights of the release.  The high-definition presentation is remarkable looking. The cell-based animation is superbly reproduced on the release. Color reproduction is fantastic and looks quite stunning. The gritty aesthetic is well preserved with a scan that looks naturally filmic. The scan is impressive and highlights the detail of the animation well. The release benefits from a healthy bit-rate and the encoding is certainly effective. Discotek Media did a solid job with the release and it is another solid reminder of the strength of the Blu-ray format: providing exceptional quality presentations above and beyond what is provided by comparatively disappointing streaming service options.

Angel Cop: Complete OVA Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English uncompressed PCM 2.0 mono and Japanese uncompressed PCM 2.0 (with English subtitles). The release includes a selection of English subtitle options to accompany the original Japanese language presentation. The release includes an optional songs & signs subtitle track alongside a censored subtitle option. The preferred subtitles provided are the "uncensored" subtitles (providing the most authentic experience). The lossless encoding is fantastic. The Japanese language audio sounds crisp and engaging on the release. The lossless presentation also capably handles the sound design. An impressive selection of audio options from Discotek Media.

Angel Cop: Complete OVA Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The special edition includes gorgeous collectible steelbook packaging. The limited edition steelbook has an outstanding design. The print quality is incredible and the gloss of the steelbook looks amazing and is great in hand. The finish is incredible and the print looks top-notch on the release. This is not a cheap looking steelbook. It has a nice heft and feels "premium" in hand. The release certainly adds some worthwhile art-work and fans will feel like it is a nice collectible in hand. Steelbook fans should be enormously pleased.

On disc supplements include:

UK VHS Release Promos (SD, 1:36)

US VHS Release Promos (HD, 1:33)

Angel Cop: The Controversy includes 11 click-through slides.

Interview with English Dialogue Writer John Wolskel includes 9 click-through slides.

Title-Free Ending (HD, 2:43)

Japanese Promotional Video (HD, 7:31)

Angel Cop: Complete OVA Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Angel Cop is a compelling action-packed thrill ride. The series has fantastic and gritty animation that makes the series all the more compelling as a visual experience. Fans of darker and more mature productions in the world of anime will find this series well worth checking out. The series has a fun concept and good production values.

The Blu-ray release provides an excellent high-definition presentation with a filmic video encode (with excellent detail and overall clarity) alongside lossless audio encoding (and a number of subtitle options). The release comes with a nice selection of on-disc extras accompanying a collectors edition steelbook that makes the release all the more enticing. A nice edition and one that Angel Cop fans will be proud to display on their shelf. Recommended.