There are times watching something very plot heavy and serious can be very depressing; there is only so much angst, death and drama one can take. "Burn Up Excess" does not possess any amount of the fore mentioned things in great quantity and therefore makes a wonderful diversion. The nice thing about this series is that one can jump into the middle of it and not miss much. Each episode is mostly self-contained, with a larger back story of the Black Diamond plot strung through each like a tiny thread, winding up to the end of the series. The unlikely mercenary for hire Rio and her buddies who make up the secret force WARRIOR do the anime-impossible and thrash the daylights out of the bag guys, even though they are not the most competent bunch.
This story does not try to take itself seriously, which can be the death of a show and obviously caters to cheesecake entertainment. Jiggling and bouncing of prominent female appendages, shower scenes, and locker rooms dressing are liberally thrown on like parmesan cheese on spaghetti. Although it does have a larger subplot that is serious, the episodes are straight on running gags of one sort or another with lighthearted low humor. Anime archetypes are everywhere: the gun-bunny who takes out her *frustrations* by blowing things to bits with her assault weapons (that each possess names...), the bubble brained techie with a bunny-mech (bright pink to boot) the cute one (always has to be one) who is just there to be very innocent looking in pigtails, even to the leader Maki, whose stereotype category is uptight-dedicated-boss type from her glasses to her short hair. Added into the group of girls is the self-insert pervert guy who has a crush on the hero, Rio. His presence is pure comic relief, with his constant spying on the women's locker room and hitting on Rio. However, what makes it fun to watch is the camaraderie that ties the team together.
The DVD itself was well navigated with clear text and a few enjoyable extras, such as the jiggle counter, which notes every *bounce* separated by girl in the episodes. Also, at the end of each episode are a mini-theatre of sorts where the guy character spoofs on his role and the fan service nature of the series. The music is upbeat and happy; yet another example similar to Zone Of the Enders; I Dolores of music that does not truly stand out in any way but does its job very well for the series it is in.
In short, "Burn Up Excess Volume 4" is a nice little series to while away a few hours. It is best as a chaser to something that would be too depressing to leave the living room after watching.
