Glass Maiden: Complete Collection

Part film noir, part science fiction, this anime series is set in a place called Rags Town, but the odd place name is the least peculiar thing going on here. The central character is a private investigator named Shu, a brooding tough guy with an eye for the ladies and a penchant for finding trouble, who runs his detective agency with his humorless brother Akira, the boisterous Manami, and the sedate Ayaka. Shu and his crew are tasked with protecting Sara, a mysterious young lady possessing some very unusual talents who is in desperate need of security because a secret organization is trying to kidnap her. Saying too much more about the storyline will spoil the secret behind Sara and her would-be abductors, and the bizarre plot is the one aspect that Glass Maiden has going for it. Otherwise, this series is never quite clear about what it wants to be; sometimes it feels like a broad spoof of the private-eye genre, but then it abruptly changes and takes itself extremely seriously when an excessive mad-scientist theme begins to seep in. Shu lacks the charisma required for a successful P.I. story, while some of the supporting characters (including a doctor with a taste for kinky games) are simply obnoxious. Compiling all 12 episodes from 2008, in Japanese with English subtitles, rated 14-plus, this is not a necessary purchase. (P. Hall)