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Kiddy Grade (2002-3) - 24 episodes
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Written: January 27, 2005
Seen: First time - July 2002, Second time - January 2005

What if Galaxy Angel was a bit more serious? What if Gonzo happened to produce it? Even if you've never asked yourself these questions, Kiddy Grade is one hell of an anime. Set in the far future where man has created a pan-galactic empire, the unfortunately named Kiddy Grade traces the lives to two secret agents working for the GOTT, the Galactic Organization of Trade and Tariffs, the future anime equivalent of the WTO but with secret James Bond type enforcers. But of course this is the future and it is anime, so not only do our heroes have to be teenage girls, but they also kick ass and have seemingly super powers.

The first nine episodes will introduce you to the daily missions that our two heroines, ES Members Eclair and Lumiere go through every day. With the power to absolutely kickass in her cybernetic body, Eclair is the older of the pair as she kills baddies with ease. Meanwhile the loli-character Lumiere is actually the brains of the duo. With the power to infiltrate and hack into any electronics near her, Lumiere is a god in this electronic future world, and continuously reminds Eclair that 'girls should be more elegant'. Tagging along with the girls is an inspector for the Galactic Union, Armbrust. Along the way we are also introduced to the other ES Agents working for GOTT as well as a myriad of memorable side characters.

Unfortunately nothing interesting in terms of a long-term plot seems to happen in the first nine episodes, and as such this show was written off by many before they got past the beginning. The first nine episodes though are filled with eyecandy both in the form of extremely beautiful animation and tons of well-placed fan service. After that Kiddy Grade is a roller coaster ride all the way until the end. As we progress a much deeper plot is revealed including some social commentary on our world today. The plot is actually quite interesting, as we delve deep into the main characters and we learn that there is much more than meets the eye. Somewhere in the middle we're introduced to one of the greatest mindfucks a silly anime has ever had. All of this culminates in a very satisfying and epic ending.

Kiddy Grade is one of the most beautiful animes of all time. Along with Gonzo's other masterpiece Full Metal Panic! and the wonderful Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Kiddy Grade at the time it was released was one of the most beautiful anime ever. The world is very well designed, and even Engrish signs is at an all time low. The animation goes the route of a more fun and bright happy colour look, rather than the more realistic look that Stand Alone Complex tried to go for. Still with everything at a beautiful 24 frames a second, nothing is spared, and we're treated to a spectacular show from beginning to end.

Kiddy Grade manages to capture something that few anime have been able to. While at points you suspend disbelief, the story never really does slow down, and is pretty consistant and entertaining throughout. As well, much like other anime sci-fi such as Outlaw Star and Sol Bianca, the worlds in Kiddy Grade are extremely varied. At times I am reminded of the richness of the various worlds which featured in Isaac Asimov's classic Foundation series. Like Galaxy Angel though, buildings on the planets are taken straight from current Earth architecture, and people mysteriously still drive cars that look like our cars, although they float. Still you really get a feeling of an entire galaxy out there to explore with endless possibilities all over.

This anime is of course not all great. The first nine episodes without any real plot ultimately ended up hurting it at least in terms of viewers. There are some plot holes and discontinuities in the plot although they are not very serious. As well, while there is a huge casts of characters, I didn't feel that they were properly utilized more than just having the need to have a collection of people at one time. Some of the characters such as the overly weak A-ou and Un-oh make you question why they are ES Members in the first place. As well, it seemed like Eclair and Lumiere's power would grow or shrink depending on the episode which made for a weaker plot as you wondered for example why one episode Eclair could fly and suddenly forget how to the next. Still these are just minor points, and overall the anime was very good.

Ratings
Animation	9.5	Absolutely amazing. Brilliant and vibrant artwork, extremely smooth animation, very nice blending of 2D and 3D.
Characters	8	Eclair and Lumiere were quite original and surprisingly deep characters. Unfortunately the supporting cast could have been better written or could have contributed more to the story other than just be there for the sake of being there.
Sound	8.5	Sound was quite good, fit the show well, although nothing spectacular.
Music	9	Very memorable OP and ED. The songs within the show were well done, especially the lullaby. The background music was very well done as well, including my favorite the GOTT anthem.
Story	8	A well-written and fun anime. Some gaping plot holes can be ignored as this anime never tries to be more than it is, but yet for what it is, it's suprizingly good and even contains some insight into our world today. Unfortunately weakness in the beginning hurts the anime overall.
Overall Enjoyment	9

It started a bit slow but, Kiddy Grade turned into a surprisingly good anime. An almost perfect blend of action, fan service, science fiction and even plot (at least in the second half), Kiddy Grade offers almost everything you could want in what can only be billed an extremely fun anime with some of the best production values ever seen. Even though the plot was patchy in some areas, it left you cheering and feeling for Eclair and Lumiere throughout its 24 episodes. It is definitely one of the most interesting and memorable animes of 2002 and definitely an anime that I would recommend for all to see.

**Explanation of ratings**