Review of The Dirty Pair #3: The Little Dictator (Sunrise Animation Film Comics)

This is it: the very book that got me into anime back in the day. I just happened to be at the comic book store (one that sadly is no longer there) and I spotted this book sitting in a prominent spot on a display shelf. I found the art and character designs highly attractive, and after taking a look at only the first few pages, I knew I had to have it. And soon afterwards I was busy tracking down the other books in the collection.

The Dirty Pair hold a special place in my heart because they're the first anime characters I ever became a fan of, but also because their series is a great one just by itself. The stories are of a sort that just aren't written anymore. They have a fine balance of plot, action and humor. Sure, the animation was a little choppy by today's standards, but the series holds up really well. And when it's in book form, the animation quality doesn't matter anyway!

This time around, Kei and Yuri have their hands full dealing with a mouse bent on world domination, and to state the obvious, fighting such a small, elusive foe is quite a challenge. Their ultimate solution is one that is clever and well-handled and it left me with a big, goofy grin on my face. In a word, it was fun.

It's a shame more of the episodes weren't made into Film Comics, but I imagine there wasn't enough money in that. Too bad. I'd have bought them all. And any fan of the Dirty Pair who can get their hands on these books should. They don't make 'em like this anymore.