A person's enjoyment of Burst Angel depends on what one thinks of girls in revealing clothing fighting freakish monsters with glowing brains and rampaging giant robots. If such things are to your liking, the series will surely please. However, if you don't appreciate the presence of such elements in your anime, there is little reason to watch.
The characters of Burst Angel don't bring any creative or new traits with them, but they fill their roles well. Jo, the main character, is the tough-as-nails gunfighter who is loyal to those who earn her respect and has a special soft spot for Meg. Meg is Jo's longtime partner who, while not completely useless, spends much of the series kidnapped and used as bait. Amy is the whiz kid hacker. Sei (whose middle name is Elizabeth, thus making the reference to Little Women complete) is the leader of the group, and sometimes clashes with Jo by prioritizing the mission over rescuing Meg. Finally, Kyohei is the fish-out-of-water whom the girls hire as a cook, but is often dragged along on missions because of unfortunate coincidences.
The characters don't have much depth and are fairly static, although there are a couple of episodes that provide a slightly broader glimpse of their personalities. Individually, some of the characters can be a little irritating, but their interactions generally make up for these shortcomings. Also, they are assisted by the typically fun and quirky supporting cast that appear frequently.
The plot is not Burst Angel's strong point. The overarching story regarding RAPT and the conspiracy involving the monsters with glowing brains hold the shorter plot arcs together only loosely for much of the story. Events tie together a little more tightly in the second half as the series comes to a close. The story is somewhat typical, although entertaining enough if one likes the characters. The individual arcs, usually one to three episodes long, and break from a standard format before events get too repetitive. The series tries to not take itself too seriously (especially notable in the dub), but some of the later episodes are played pretty straight. They don't do a bad job of it, but you've probably seen most of it before done better.
Visually, the series is quite good. Character designs are appropriately pleasing or unsettling, depending on the subject. The female characters' breast size does fluctuate, most notably in the beach resort episode, but that (and the rather unrealistic proportions of Meg and Sei) is probably the art's greatest flaw. The 3D and 2D images blend together very well, which can be a difficult task for some shows. Action scenes are well done, but not stunning, and the rest of the animation is of good quality as well.
Both English and Japanese language tracks are competently acted. Kyohei's voice can be a little whiny in both languages, but this fits the character. Fortunately, Amy's voice was not done in the high pitched screech typically found among young girls in anime. The deeper tone used for Jo's voice is a little different from what one usually hears for female characters, but works well.
While the ED is utterly forgettable, the OP is quite lively and somewhat unique. The background music works well and matches the mood of the western genre.
In all, Burst Angel is a fun action romp that delivers shoot outs, explosions, and pretty girls, but looking for much more than that may leave you disappointed.
