Credits:
Original text from Animace Special: Fatal Distractions, by Paul Cook, ©1994 Animace
HTML tags by J. Duncan Law-Green, ©1998 Vyxen Productions

COMING SOON: Completion of history to date, with Dirty Pair Flash II,III and Fatal but not Serious


1983: CRUSHER JOE: THE MOVIE
(Takachiho/Sunrise) The Dirty Pair appear briefly on the drive-in movie screen while the Crushers are conferring with President Maldora. Unfortunately this scene was edited from the US and UK released versions. Character designs were by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, who illustrated the Crusher Joe and Dirty Pair novels.

1985: DIRTY PAIR TV SERIES
(Studio Nue/Sunrise/NTV) 25 minutes per episode

Character designs by Fujihiko Hosono and Tsukasa Dokite.

Due to falling ratings the show was pulled off the air and episodes 25 and 26 were never broadcast. No new TV episodes were ever made and all the anime released since has been in the form of sell-through videos (Original Animation Videos or OAV's). Although the series has never been translated into English, it has been seen in Italy and France, and is worth seeking out for its bizarre humour, usual DP mayhem and destruction, and cinematic in-jokes (check out the references to Alien, Lifeforce and The Hitcher on the computer screens in episode 26). The series was later adapted by Sunrise into an "Anime Comic" using animation cels from the series, but I haven't got any info on the Japanese editions.

1985: AFFAIR OF NOLANDIA OAV
(Studio Nue/Sunrise/NTV) 55 minutes. Character designs by Tsukasa Dokite. The Pair search for a young girl whose psychic powers threaten the safety of the galaxy. The Pair reduce their surroundings to rubble again, and get to use the Bloody CardTM.

1986: DIRTY PAIR TV SERIES released as OAV's

1986: DIRTY PAIR MOOK
(Animate) This Japanese magazine/book about the Dirty Pair TV series is only mentioned here because it contains a 6 page "Dirty Pair Original Comic", which aside from Adam Warren's version is the only other original Dirty Pair manga that has ever been published.

1987: DIRTY PAIR: THE MOVIE
(Studio Nue/Sunrise/NTV) 80 minutes. More commonly known as Project EDEN, this tale concerns a planet ravaged by a mad (and boy, do we mean MAD) scientist as his "perfect" replacement for humanity. The film kicks off with the destruction of a network of space stations, but works up to a planet-busting finale in true DP style, and even includes a little romance for Kei in the shape of gentleman-thief Carson D. Carson.

1988: DIRTY PAIR ISSUES 1-4
(Eclipse/Studio Proteus) by Adam Warren and Toren Smith. The Pair are called to the planet Pacifica to retrieve a stolen brainchip and sort out some industrial espionage involving terrorists and rival corporations involved in the manufacture of bioweapons. As Pacifica's security director says; "If the terrorists do release experimental bioweapons, this planet will become a sterile desert. Whereas, with the involvment of the Dirty Pair, there is a chance - a remote possibility - that some people may be left alive". No chance. This story features the only manga use of The Bloody CardTM.

1989: DIRTY PAIR OAV SERIES
(Takachiho/Sunrise/VAP Video) 25 minutes each episode

The best episode in this series is widely thought to be Ultimate Hallowe'en Party, as a surveillance mission on Hallowe'en night goes horribly wrong due to a rogue military robot, several groups of criminals attempting to use the festivities as cover for their bank robberies, armoured car heists, jewellery thefts etc., and far too many silly costumes. Other adventures in the series involve quelling a prison riot, and dealing with a computer which is pretending to be God.

1989: DIRTY PAIR II ISSUES 1-5
(Eclipse/Studio Proteus) by Adam Warren and Toren Smith. This second series delves into the Pair's past, when they were sent on assignment with another pair of trouble consultants, a bio-engineered super-agent with multiple personalities called Shasti and her partner Deirdre. Shasti betrayed the others, and when the Pair bump into her again while holidaying on planet Rocinante, they want revenge!

1989: DIRTY PAIR: BIOHAZARDS
(Eclipse/Studio Proteus) The collected edition of Warren and Smith's first four-issue series

1990: CONSPIRACY OF FLIGHT 005 OAV
(Takachiho/Sunrise/VAP Video) 55 minutes. The Pair are called in to investigate the disappearance of a space-liner full of passengers. Everything goes FOOM (again).
 
 1990: DIRTY PAIR II: DANGEROUS ACQUAINTANCES
(Eclipse/Studio Proteus) This collects all five issues of Warren and Smith's second manga, but the sharp-eyed among you may have noticed some changes to the artwork. In the original isses Kei and Yuri disguise themselves as bunny waitresses aboard a spaceliner to thwart Shasti's plans. In this collected volume however, the bunny ears and tails have mysteriously disappeared from their outfits...

1990: DIRTY PAIR BOOK 3: PLAGUE OF ANGELS 1-5
(Eclipse/Studio Proteus) by Adam Warren and Toren Smith. Overworked journalist Cory Emerson is contracted by the WWWA to write a PR piece to combat the Lovely Angels' less than lovely reputation. Cory joins Kei and Yuri aboard the O'Neill colony 'Kalevala' where they are assigned to recover some stolen military technology for the Kuan Yin Corporation. It all ends in tears as usual. This was Warren and Smith's final collaboration on the Dirty Pair, before Adam went solo on Sim Hell.

1991: DIRTY PAIR BOOK 3: PLAGUE OF ANGELS
(Dark Horse/Studio Proteus) by Adam Warren. Kei's fears about her upcoming evaluation with the WWWA's Central Computer don't appear to be entirely without substance when her nightmares turn into a simulation straight from hell!

1994: DIRTY PAIR FLASH EPISODES 1-6
(Bandai Visual/VAP Visual) 30 minutes each episodes. Review coming shortly.

1994: DIRTY PAIR TV COMIC ISSUES 1-5
(Sunrise/Viz Comics) The translated edition of the comic produced with original cels from the TV series.