Review: Burst Angel/Bakuretsu Tenshi

Burst Angel - what a series. A lot of highs and lows strewn throughout this show, so if you watch it (and get attached to Jo and Meg as I did), prepare to be on an emotional rollercoaster. Whilst I loved this series, it had a slightly disappointing ending for me, which I will explain a bit later on. But for now, let me recap the series of Burst angel in all of its gay glory.

The series of 'Burst Angel' (or alternatively, 'Bakuretsu Tenshi'), takes place in the near future, after a rise in criminal activity forced the Japanese government to allow citizens to possess firearms and establish the Recently Armed Police Taskforce (RAPT). The series begins with us following a young boy called Kyohei Tachibana, a culinary school student who dreams of becoming a pastry chef, and the band of mercenaries he works for - the four main characters. Jo and Meg (primarily), Sei, and Amy. We are initially led to believe that he and Jo would be the main characters, but in reality, Kyohei gets little to no screen time after the first episode. Together, the group fight monsters with seemingly glowing brains who cause mayhem over various parts of Tokyo, and usually it is Jo with her companion 'Jango' the gigantic robot who solve this all - also usually because Meg gets herself kidnapped.
However, the plot thickens somewhat and we find out that actually there is a bigger plan going on behind closed doors with RAPT - and Jo.

Throughout the entire series, personally, my favourite character was Meg. I found Sei a little hard to focus on because of the quite blatant fan-service given with her abnormally large boobs, Amy made me laugh at times and Jo was very mysterious and reserved - I did like all of the characters, don't get me wrong. Just for different reasons. Meg, however, was the one who made me laugh the most and the one who made the series quite enjoyable. I also shipped Jo/Meg like there was no tomorrow.
It is no secret in Burst Angel that Meg's feelings for Jo are obviously romantic, and by Episode 15, it is clear (to me at least, but you are welcome to come to your own conclusions!) that Jo feels the same way, even though she does not know how to show or recieve her love. Amy and Sei I felt had a very sisterly bond, which made me smile, and eventually the girls' grow a liking towards Kyohei, for his wonderful cooking.

However, now the part that disappointed me - the ending. This part is particularly spoiler-y, so don't read past here if you don't want to know the ending.

It might just be because I really wanted Jo and Meg to end up officially together, but I felt that the ending was a little rushed, and I think disappointed some of the other fans as well. In the last episode, Meg is desperate to go with Jo to help fight for her the way Jo fights for Meg, but Jo realizes that if that were to happen, it is very likely that Meg would die. So, Jo knocks Meg out for her own safety, leaves her token red jacket over Meg and runs away to her death. Which I guess sounds a little bleak, but effectively, that IS what happens. D:
Though I guess one good thing from the ending is that Meg takes it upon herself to be just like Jo - she changes instantly from scared, always-getting-captured girl into flame-haired I'll-kill-you badass. The new Meg is much sexier than the old one, and the ending also leaves room for a series 2, even though sadly I doubt there would be one.
Overall though, Burst Angel is definitely a series worth watching. The plot is a little strange in some places and there is a LOT of fan-service, but it is a very enjoyable series. Just be prepared to have your heart crushed in the end! D:

But overall, I'd give Burst Angel a 8 or 9 out of 10 on the fabulous scale. And Jo/Meg is definite yuri.

What are your thoughts and opinions? X