Imagine the 1984 Steve Martin-Lily Tomlin comedy All of Me reconfigured as a slam-bang anime action/fantasy and you'll have a fair idea of what drives Birdy the Mighty. When Birdy, a female Space Federation Officer chasing an alien miscreant across the Earth, accidentally “kills” meek high school student Tsutomu Senkawa, she merges into his body to prevent the innocent Tsutomu from dying--creating something of a time-share, if you will. The central conceit thus revolves around Tsutomu and Birdy struggling to coexist while facing respective challenges: he needs to pass his high school math exams, while she has to protect the universe from extraterrestrial villains. In the first of two episodes collected here, Birdy pleads to take over Tsutomu's body in order to accomplish a mission, while in the second she simply just takes control. Birdy the Mighty is basically a standard-issue anime effort, complete with inane plots, exaggerated violence with outlandish aliens, and annoying characters (in particular, Tsutomo's bratty sister and irritating mother; their shrill English-dubbed voices on this dual-language version are too much to bear). Neither Birdy nor Tsutomu have enough personality by themselves, let alone as a fused being, and Tsutomu is such a wet dishrag that the humor of having him suddenly transform into a superheroine is a thin joke that frays too quickly. Rated 13-up for violence and brief nudity, this is an optional purchase, at best. [Note: Birdy the Mighty: Final Force is also newly available.] Aud: P. (P. Hall)
Birdy the Mighty: Double Trouble
(1996) 70 min. DVD: $19.99. Central Park Media (avail. from most distributors). Color cover. ISBN: 1-58664-380-0. Volume 19, Issue 4
Birdy the Mighty: Double Trouble
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