Kiddy Grade Volume 1

Coming to the UK after receiving pretty mixed reactions from fans in both Japan and the U.S. is Kiddy Grade, yet another high-profile series from the ‘style over substance’ artists at Studio Gonzo.

Eclair and Lumiere are a part of the ‘Galactic Organization of Trade and Tariffs: ES Force’; a special department of the G.O.T.T. that handles law enforcement.

Specifically, the G.O.T.T. takes care of economic disputes amongst members of the Global Union (a collective union of all the planets in the known universe).

To be accepted into the ES Force, each member must be specially talented. Take for example, Lumiere, who can connect and communicate telepathically with any electronic device, or Eclair, who is both unnaturally strong and agile.

These talents are vital, given the types of jobs the ES Force are required to carry out. In short, they are intergalactic police officers, travelling from galaxy to galaxy; hunting down criminals and protecting the interests of their clients.
Kiddy Grade is their story.

I wouldn’t blame you if that short introduction has left your head spinning a little! Kiddy Grade is type of series that prefers to familiarize you with it’s story by throwing you in at the deep end and hoping you learn to swim rather than a taking a few minutes out at the start to explain things.
And as such, the first episode here is something of a blur; dealing in political arguments and inter-planetary business disputes. We introduced to our main characters in what is ‘just another day at the office’.

Thankfully, once you’ve endured the first episode of techno-babble, you will find yourself becoming a little more familiar with the setting of the story and should be able to enjoy Kiddy Grade for what it really is, a light-hearted sci-fi series with equal dashes of comedy and fan-service.

In this first volume, we join the ES force on 3 completely different ‘self-contained’ missions. Little is formed with regards to an overall plot, with the first three episodes instead content to just introduce us to the story’s main players and their extremely different personalities.

The heroes of the show, Eclair and Lumiere, are a total odd couple. While Eclair is loud and brash, Lumiere is timid and elegant.
They are a likable pair of main characters who may seem smug and arrogant at first, but gradually become more endearing as the story goes on.
Another character worth noting in these early stages is the intriguing ‘observer’, who’s role in the story is still surrounded by mystery.

The action scenes are fun and inventive (in a strange twist, Eclair uses her lipstick to fight) while the images of space fight/combat look very cool. Generally, GONZO has done a fine job with the animation; and the character designs are especially worth noting; being as they are beautifully drawn and perfectly matched to the personalities they convey.

My only real problem with Kiddy Grade is that it all seems very light-weight and fluffy at the moment, something that I suppose is almost expected given that volume #1 only contains 3 episodes. For such early stages, it just doesn’t feel like the story is going anywhere and is thus lacking any proper emotional attachment to the viewer.

In summary

This first volume of Kiddy Grade shows potential to be a fine series. The light-hearted feel in a sci-fi setting is refreshing and the main characters seem pretty likable. But alas, we’re only 3 episodes in and are yet to really get into any kind of meaty storyline.

It’s a fine introduction, but I’m yet to be convinced that the potential shown in these 3 episodes will be consistent.
Often humours and exciting, this is a promising start to a hopefully fun little show.