Suna no Bara: Yuki no Mokushiroku

TL;DR Give it a watch, its definately worth it.


Its a shame not that many people appreciate this show to give it a higher score, but more importantly, that many people haven't even heard of it to begin with considering how rare the more grounded subject matter it deals with is both more poignant in today's political climate, and absent in anime's obsesdion with action schlock geared towards the fantastical.

Because Desert Rose is action schlock, and honestly has no real greater message other than, terrorists are bad. But its execution is admirable and the creator clearly is well researched enough to immerse his audience ... within the story that he spins with great detail.

Desert Rose is about an all female group of counter terrorists led by a female victim of terrorism. The OVA came out in the 90s and for some reason was never picked up for a full series. Which is a shame because the manga it was based off of gave me the same kind of enjoyment as gunslinger girls.

The OVA in question is more than competent as well. The enjoyment comes from the details I mentioned earlier. I get that this is an anime and obviously takes some liberties with its realism but what was there brought a huge smile on my face. Soldiers that talk like soldiers, who clear rooms and relay reports to one another with brevity. There's a scene where a Swiss commando tests these ladies in their competencies by drawing a gun on them and while most of it was over the top, there was a bit in there where two of the counter terrorists immediatwly snap to covering the window in anticipation of other opposition forces. The implication being that they are always cognizant of their surroundings and are as a result, always alert.

This last part was what I got out of the OVA the most and what I expect is what warranted such a low MAL score. I expect most people wanted a Die Hard or Black Lagoon kind of show where everyone is a Peckinpah, Woo, or Tarantino creation and was bored by the pre planning, waiting, and brief bits of action that actually occured. To those people I ask, don't we have way too many of those shows already? Again, this is just an anime so girls with guns in maid outfits are a plenty, but they have a mission pertinent reason for putting them on to begin with. Not to mention the female combatants are given way more agency than just, girls who like to shoot things.

The ending was abrupt and if this was supposed to be a pilot for a potential series, I wonder why they didn't jist adapt the first chapter which was a more palatable opening for what the series can offer.

All in all, I think this is a great OVA, the character designs were cool and much attention was given to the firearms to not look goofy. The large cast works as a strength as they serve more as a way to highlight tue main character's competencies as a leader and how they admire her l, with the exceptions of her direct subordinates, each of whom have a moment, however brief to shine.

The soundtrack, outside of the Ending was kind of forgetable but the baclground art was consistently enjoyable.

I'd give this a 7.5/10 with a strong reccomendation to check out the manga after the OVA but more than likely the OVA will have sold you on that option already as I was wanting more and binge read as much as I could.

I am going into this without reading the 15 volume source material, so I'm limited. I am also viewing this in a post 9/11 era so the idea of terrorism at airports is kind of a taboo thing and I was honestly surprised to see it.
Desert rose is another product of 90’s one-time OVA’s complimentary to their manga. A very simple plot and quick story, maybe a little too out there for 40 mins, but we get a swimsuit shot at the end so who cares right?
Following the story of C.A.T. , a small unit of women trained in anti-terrorism and led by ... captain Rosebank. Partially named after the scar she has on her chest from a quite horrific bombing at an airport. Her and her motley crew of young women embark to the pseudo Geneva conference- this time in the mountains to protect world leaders from the inevitable assassination attempts.

There is not much to say about Suna no Bara, other than the character design is a nice change of pace from conventional anime. Honestly the character interactions before and after the main plot hold more interest than the actual storyline. Nothing to write home about in any department. And quite forgettable. But, if you have 40 minutes to spare why not.

This is a fine classic from the 90s, very entertaining gem that I'm glad I discovered.
The story is a generic action similar to other pre-9/11 spy thrillers, but in a charming way.
Character design is pretty good with even secondary characters having fairly unique designs. Their personalities are well developed for the really small time it had to do so, and the main character has a very generic action movie protagonist origin story.
Sound is pretty good with a banger ending song called Under the Stars, by a band called "New Roze" (that I unfortunately couldn't find on the internet, they seem to have been a ... great band)
Art was really good for a small 90s OVA. Both characters and backgrounds received a great amount of detail, color choice are very good and the artstyle is really pleasing aesthetically.

All in all, a very entertaining OVA that deserves to be a cult classic.

This is an odd OVA. One episode, 44 minutes, with a lot of setup and implication of wider plots that there aren't time for. Nothing that's in here is done poorly, but at the end I was more confused than satisfied. It feels like an episode of some broader TV show that didn't survive and so we have this one remainder. I would still recommend it if you're in the habit of watching old OVAs like this, you might have fun. Bring a friend along to share in the bafflement. If you don't usually watch stuff like this, skip it, it's not a good entry ... point. Maybe record this onto a VHS and mockup some box art and prank someone with it, it's perfect for that.

I realize I've said very little about what IS here, but you pretty much get what you see: an all women's spec ops group. There's a lot less violence than you may want, and a lot more "wow they're pretty but can they actually shoot?" comments than I'd really like to see. In fact every time one of those comments gets made it feels like a gunfight or cooler action scene that got cut. If you liked this but felt hungry still, go try Gunsmith Cats.