Grrl Power

Rating:
Summary: WE'LL DO WHAT YOU NEED FOR A FEE
Review: Grrl Power is the story of 3 elementary school dropouts who open a handyman, actually, a handygirl shop. That means they do tasks that others don't have the time or the inclination to do. For example, delivering a fisherman's lunch from his wife via jet ski, or making a girl break up with her boyfriend. Yes, they do charge a fee, but it's for a good cause. They want to buy an island where they can create their own nation away from the boring everyday lives of grownups.

Of the three girls, Sora is the loudest and seems to be the leader. Umi is the glamorous beauty who uses her looks to get what she wants. The last girl, Ao, is deaf and uses sign language and facial movements to communicate. She might just be the wisest of the three.

In this first and only volume so far, one of their classmates shows up trying to convince the 3 girls to come back to school. Strangely, we never hear about the girl's parents. They seem to live alone with no adult supervision. Of course, this is a comic world. They refuse to go back to school because they don't believe they learn anything there. Just then, a crying lady shows up at their door, begging for their assistance. Ironically, the woman asks the 3 girls to convince HER computer addicted son to go to school. It seems that, like them, he sees no use for public education. Well, suffice it to say, the girls just might have taken on their hardest case yet.

Director Akitaro Daichi self-produced this anime with the help of his friends. While it is based on a manga, Daichi originally conceived of it as an anime, but couldn't find backing for it, so he did a manga, figuring if that was successful, he would be able to carry out his original anime idea. The result is a very entertaining, if brief, one shot dvd.

Especially noteworthy is the character of Ao, probably the first anime character to communicate through sign language. She's not treated in the usual Hollywood style of sentimentality and parody. Ao operates as an equal and actually steals the show. The show never swims in cuteness, it's just plain funny.

My only complaint is that it's only one episode of 25 minutes. I understand that the director did it himself without the help of a production company so even doing one episode was probably a stressful experience. I guess if this dvd is successful, there will be more episodes. By the way, this was one of the first dvds to be simultaneously released in the US and Japan at the same time.

There's lots of extras on the dvd. There's a 45 minute interview with the director, which is really too much. I found myself looking out the window of the room in which he was being interviewed, because the guy just kept going and going. I didn't quite make it through. There's also a feature at an anime festival where Grrl Power was premiered. You get to see the Japanese voice actresses and even get a sign language lesson. The dvd also includes a commentary and interviews with the English voice actresses. Production sketches, Question and Answers with Japanese Voice Actresses in print form.

Highly recommended. Hopefully, someday there will be more Grrl Power!