Kiddy Grade

A Space-Opera in 3 acts, "Kiddy Grade" in my (humble) oppinion should rightfully be regarded as a Classic of the Genre.
Although, as many are quick to point-out, the show is off to a "Slow Start" [spoiler]Which apparently involves fighting five armed Cyborgs bare-handed and foregoing an inter-Planetary War[/spoiler], somehow it manages to never seem boring, if maybe a bit easy-going at times.
To that i have to attribute the copious doses of fanservice, splendid mecha graphics, and to a lesser extent the Classical Victorian style implemented in the artwork, from balroom-dances to Lumiére's schoolgirl *ahem* I mean work-uniform, which help to give the Series ... a distinguished look and feel.

In the Second Chapter of the Series however, the atmosphere shifts radically as things take a turn for the worst, and thus the actual Plotline is Born. From then-on things seem increasingly bleak, as you watch what you once regarded a light-hearted-comedy unfold into Drama , also there is less Fanservice :(

The culminal point of the series leaves much to be desired, with the writhers probably exhausted form all the plot-twists in the previous chapter, they resolve to use an unprecedented number of deus-ex-machina plotpoints [spoiler]The Show itself kinda' ends with one[/spoiler], but at least they didn't forget the Fanservice this time :D

All-in all Kiddy-Grade is definetly worth watching, and not just for the Eye-Candy, but also for the morally-enriching, if poorly-presented Story, and a Universe so vast and exotic, it would make many an RPG's pale in Comparison.
...If only they hadn't gone with Gonzo :(

A "diverse" series that manages to accomplish far more than one might expect.

As always, my reviews are spoiler free.

When you look at the cover of Kiddy Grade, your first thought might be, "Oh look, scantily clad women with super powers fighting bad guys. I think I've seen this one before." You might laugh at the mecha, ecchi, and sci-fi tags and never watch it. The title might even scare you away.

To some degree, you would be correct in your thought. Kiddy Grade is about scantily clad women with super powers fighting bad guys, after all. There are robots, space ... ships, pseudo-science, super powers, guns, and panty shots. I have no idea what Gonzo was thinking when they titled it. The first episode throws it all out on the table in one big mess, and anyone would be taken aback. But slowly, it finds a way to tie it all together into a series that deserves a lot more praise than it normally gets.

Story - 6/10

With a mix of episodic plots making up several different arcs, Kiddy Grade tries to tell a lot of stories at once. Give me just a moment to compare it to a crowd's favorite action series, Black Lagoon.

Like Black Lagoon, it relies on action to keep you watching. Neither show is character driven, and neither is driven by a deep and complex plot. Both series accomplish their goal of sucking you in with action, albeit in different ways. Black Lagoon is about guns, and while there are more than a few times that you have to suspend disbelief, it has its feet firmly planted in the world of reality. Kiddy Grade, on the other hand, is not bound to our reality in any way. It takes full liberty with this, as you can see by all the tags. The first episode really hits it hard. Receptionists fighting robots, then boarding a spaceship for a fight with a gang of criminals, posing a pizza delivery girls? You read right, and I think a lot of people would close MPC or turn off their DVD player right about now. I wouldn't blame you. But give it a little time and things drop into place.

In a nutshell:

Éclair and Lumière are agents for the Galactic Organization of Trade and Tariffs (GOTT) and they go on a number of different missions, escorting officials and keeping order on problematic planets. They regularly interact with other agents of the GOTT, with whom they are on mixed terms. Eventually, however, a mission goes wrong and the GOTT is after them. During these arcs, there are sometime single episodic plots.


Like Black Lagoon, it is not very strong in the plot department. So why a 6, and not a 4 or 5? Black Lagoon uses the bounty hunter roll to tie the gunfights together, with the crew encountering events and people who drive the short mini-arcs. Kiddy Grade does the same thing, but with the tie of being agents, then criminals, of the the GOTT. Black Lagoon is more relatable, but in my opinion Kiddy Grade is more interesting and creative if you are at all a fan of science fiction.

After the first episode, things quiet down a bit. There are no more absurd pizza delivery outfits. The fights have better explanation and follow-through. You are exposed to a massive, diverse world of science fiction throughout the series, but it comes in much more manageable doses.

It can get a bit dark and serious, but it carries itself lightly throughout most of the series.


Animation - 7/10

Released in 2002, the series looks good even today. The action scenes are all fluid, and the character designs are very nice. I enjoyed all the uniforms and costumes you encounter throughout the series. If I was to have one complaint, it would be the minimum amount of effort put in the backgrounds.

On fanservice... yes, it's there, no doubt about it. There are a few times it's a little too blatant (like that terrible first episode), but it doesn't really detract from the series overall. I would go as far as to say many action series have more.

Sound - 6/10

It's really nothing too special, good or bad. The sub and dub have equally good casts (early Hirano Aya and Monica Rial). I'll push it from a 5 to a 6 since it has a great voice cast for both languages.

Characters - 8/10

The heroines are Éclair and Lumière, who are given a surprising amount of back story for a series of this nature. Éclair's power is pretty basic: super strength, reflexes, etc. She's a tank. She is enthusiastic, short tempered, and excitable. Lumière has the power to take control of electronics, which has some cool applications in the series. She has a strong love of grape juice and serves as the level headed partner. They really make a great pair, with a lot of chemistry between them as partners (and maybe more, if your yuri goggles are on tight enough).

There is great arc explaining their pasts and how being an agent for the GOTT works. This is more than can be said for most action driven shows, expecting you to swallow a one dimensional character. It takes awhile, but the pair becomes well developed. The same cannot be said of the side cast, but they are interesting enough and perform their roles adequately. The main pair of villains (who I will not mention due to spoilers) are fleshed out quite a bit as well.

Enjoyment - 9/10

I feel as though I gradually explained it throughout this longer-than-expected review. To sum it up:
-Great pair of heroines who are well developed and work very well together
-Interesting setting once you absorb it
-Fun plot that smooths out over time
-Creative story tying good action scenes together.

Other Thoughts

I've really been rambling long enough, but...
Give it a few episodes before making a call. The first one is pretty over the top, but the series really does deserve a chance.


Thanks for reading (this longer than intended) review.

When I saw the first few episodes I was thrilled. Everything about this anime invited me to immediately watch the next episode and the one after and the one after. Too bad it didn't stay that way until the last episode.

Story: 6
Éclair and Lumière are two girls who work for the GOTT, an organization which takes care of businesses with governments all over the galaxy. These two ES member are the ones standing on the frontlines and as we follow them throughout the story they take care of pretty much everything that stands in their way from accomplishing their goal. While the anime starts ... very light-hearted it becomes dark towards the end.
The problem with the story is that there are gaps, and quite a lot of them. I kept hoping that they would explain everything at the end of the series, but they didn't.
There are these tip-offs about governmental secrets, apart from that you don't get to know much more about them. Same goes for some of the events, mostly in the second half of the series. Though they truly are important events, you never really get to understand them.
I don't know what to say about the end. All of the sudden there's this battle of the century (I don't know why though) with every known character interfering. It was random but strangely touching.
I'm a bit dissatisfied with the story. It could have been a lot better.

Art: 9
The art was brilliant. The clothes, hairstyles, scenarios... everything looked very colorful. I also enjoyed the facial expressions. At some points the characters were really touching.
The animation was very neat too and the fight-scenes were impressive.
I also liked the opening and the ending-scenes. They weren't boring and fitted the spirit of the series.

Sound: 8
The first thing I noticed when starting Kiddy Grade was the music. A bit old schoolish but enjoyable and a great bonus to every scene. The opening sequence was alright, the ending was very good. The tunes will still stay in my head for a while, which is good.

Character: 8
Éclair, she's ever excited when they encounter trouble, a bit of a tomboy even. Whereas Lumière is ever elegant and constantly drinking grapefruit juice. The characters were adorable and I immediately felt empathy for both of them.
Eclipse, their boss, well... I still don't understand what she's all about. She's one of the gaps I spoke of.
There is one thing which really bothered me. Halfway Kiddy Grade both Éclair and Lumière change appearance! It was such a bummer. After this I had a very hard time regaining faith in them, especially because I didn't like their new looks.

Enjoyment: 7
Though the series has it's flaws it's still quite enjoyable. There's a decent amount of action but that doesn't get in the way of character development. At the beginning it almost looks like a feel-good anime. After a while it gets more dramatic and you get sucked into it along with the characters.
It most definitely was fun to watch.

Overall: 7
It could have been a perfect 10 on 10 anime but the gaps in the plot are just too much of a nuisance. Everything about this anime just screams that it has more potential. Too bad the creators didn't do anything with it.
I don't really understand why it says ecchi in the information column. I think I've seen two or three panties throughout the entire series, nothing more really.

(updated 18 June 2010)

Well, unlike the several other rather negative reviews of this show, I gotta say, I liked it, and I recommend it. That said, here's my take on the good and bad of the show:

Summary: Great soundtrack, emotional appeal (lots of heartwarming moments), interesting story themes. Plot not sufficiently coherent, and generally tries to do too much. Also, minor fanservice warning.

It's great for the following things:
* Characterization, especially of Éclair. Even though I'm just an ordinary person in the present, and Éclair is a superhero from a space-based future, I felt that I could relate to her and her ... feelings very well. The show really does very well in portraying her emotions and her experiences in a very "show don't tell" way, and while you'll have to consult info-books (or research on the web to learn specific pieces of backstory, I found that I didn't really need to know it to feel what she's feeling. For what it's worth, I've seen the FUNimation dub starring Colleen Clinkenbeard as Éclair, and she does a wonderful job with her role.
* Soundtrack. The soundtrack by Shiro Hamaguchi is very epic and very fitting.
* The first 2/3 of the plot. The plot starts out as a buddy cop show with fanservice, then, as I like to put it, "becomes sentient" and goes on its own way. The dissonance between the first and second thirds of the show is notable and very effective.
* Emotional appeal. Time and time again, this show manages to really pull me into it emotionally. There are at least six episodes that are very intense in this regard, in my opinion. I won't say which eps those are; enjoy discovering them as they unfold. And be very delighted when you hear familiar music in the soundtrack.
* Unimportant characters that actually reappear later. This is a pretty insignificant point, but nevertheless, this was nice to notice.
* Themes. The story tries hard to touch on several different themes, including class conflicts, facing one's past, and more. However, note that themes is listed twice in this review.

It's not great for the following things:
* Plot "wholeness". The third one-third of the show dials back the conflict introduced in the second third, tries to install a new plot driver, and does a sort of messy job at it. It kinda ruins some of the tension, starting with the deus ex machina in episode 15.
* Also, as I mentioned above, if you want plot details, this show is definitely not "self-contained"--you'll have to do your own research on the internet to find full details concerning the backstories of the two main characters.
* Plot holes. Lots of them. You learn to ignore them after a while, as most of them don't matter too much.
* Themes. While the story tries hard to touch on many themes, it doesn't succeed at really making a full statement about any one. Note that themes is listed twice in this review.

For what it's worth, I'm a huge fan of Éclair, by the way, who I see as a symbol of idealism in a cynical world. I'm also a huge fan of the soundtrack.

Personally, I rate Kiddy Grade at a 7, because it's too imperfect to really merit a higher rating (though some people complain that I rate things too low in general), but I nevertheless recommend Kiddy Grade. You should watch it. It's inspired a potential story idea on my part--a "retelling" using the same charcter concepts but a new setting and plot, this time hopefully doing a better job. I just like the characters too much.

Kiddy Grade is the story about Lumiere and Eclair, ES members of the Galactic Organisation of Trade and Tariffs or otherwise known as GOTT. They along with 12 others that possess amazing superpowers are a type of police squad that bring down criminals.

My thoughts:
I truly enjoyed watching Kiddy Grade. The story is engaging. At each episode we learn something new that brings us closer to knowing what GOTT is and who the ES members are. This an anime I will certainly watch again and I look forward to seeing the movies and the second season.

Note: I've been looking for the movies and sadly ... can't find them anywhere.

This is my First review! Lets get right down to it, shall we? Kiddy Grade is a action packed outer space, futuristic based anime. The Storyline is a bit shifty (changes frequently) but fun to watch. There was only a few problem with the plot... 1) Although enjoyable, it's VERY confusing and alot of things are left unexplained (or perhaps they were and I didnt follow it). But the things that are making sense by watching the series finished didn't make alot of sense when the event was happening. 2) I got totally confused at one point when everyone was changing bodies and cloning and ... I honestly don't know what was happening, so I just watched the last bit of the season not knowing what was happening O_o....3) (I don't know if this was a problem with the Japanese Voices, since i only got my hands on the english version) GENDERS! if the people didn't have voices I would've mistaken half the people for women since basicly most male characters wear earrings and have long hair:\....4) The Misleading name...If my friend had not shown me a episode of this, I would have thought it to be a child's program 5) Panty shots is good..Too much panty shots spoils it......Thats all the Downs..There is a Bright side though! It's fun to watch, a few hentai scenes ;) and mind challenging trying to figuring out what is happening!:) Watch it if your in the mood for change in anime taste! Bye

it's really worth watching. the female lead, eclair is a unique charachter who can be very naive, even if her looks are of a young woman, but she also can be very dangerous and not just because she is the strongest, but because she has lived a lot and she has surpassed a lot of difficulties, so she is experienced and with a wide knowledge. even if eclair is presented as a dreamer and happy type, she is the most troubled one. she lived even longer than lumiere and she also has the power to kill by her own hand, with this power comming the ... burden of the blood and all the incocent deths.
it is very intersting how she always keeps getting in the same point when she turns against GOTT and than she destroys it and looses her memories. the memories haunt her till she remmembers everything and until she unloks her true powers, lumiere and the GOTT chief being always by her side.
it is a really touching story, and it is the final story, because it seems that in this life eclair finally destroys GOTT without loosing her memories. because of this the story takes a new turn of events, setling old grudges and making new bonds.

This anime can be very twisty a little confusing has far more plot then the average fan service anime and far less fan service then you might expect. I can think of only one maybe two episodes that warrant the mild nudity rating. It’s a bit violent but I have seen far worse and almost no language. Frankly in the current era even uncensored there are probably more tv 14 shows that fit the same billing. The is one of the best plots I have seen in this genre and part of the reason the fan service is lacking is due to the fact that ... there is so much plot going on with just one or two filler episodes out of 24. I would say the show really starts to get interesting at episode 17 however there is large amount of plot leading up to that point so make sure you watch the whole thing. If you like a show with a relatively tight knit plot with a few twists and a small dose of fan service this show is perfect for you.