It's always fair to wonder just how accessible a film might be for those who have no familiarity with the source material. For example, I heard of 'Dirty Pair' about five minutes before finding this film, nevermind the light novels, or any other subsequent adaptations. The good news, however, is that the 1986 flick swiftly shows itself to be the sort of piece that requires no prior knowledge at all; beyond a smidgen of exposition to establish the setting of civilization spread throughout the galaxy, we have two heroines set out to tackle a matter of intrigue, and action scenes will follow. That's it. What remains is the question of quality: of the writing, and of the animation, and if we want to get more specific, of the action, any comedy, and other minutiae. All told it's safe to say that 'Project Eden' is no major must-see of science fiction or anime, but it is duly entertaining just as it intended, and sometimes that's all a film needs to do to succeed.
The animation isn't the total top of the line, and techniques and technology have only improved in the years since. But then, studios in Japan have long demonstrated a mastery that their counterparts elsewhere can mostly only dream of, so "not the total top of the line" still equates to "meeting or beating a very high standard." By and large the backgrounds and environments of all stripes are utterly gorgeous, filled with detail and texture, and much the same could definitely be said for the designs of active elements including creatures, machinery, and so on. Character designs don't necessarily benefit from that same high level of consideration, and tend to reflect the more cartoonish side of the medium, but are still just swell. Any effects look great, and the action is fluid and suitably exciting. The visual experience here is quite sharp and imaginative, really, and it only especially falls short if we deign to compare it to the anime of years to come - which is, of course, no fault at all.
I'm less pleased with how protagonists Kei and Yuri are treated. In general there's no good reason at all for these highly competent agents to be dressed in skimpy, revealing clothes except "Intended Immature Male Audience"; in particular, the script and storyboards pointlessly and tiresomely accentuate how physically weak they are, even working in concert, compared to a single adult man. Emphatically gender-based quips about their weight, intelligence, capabilities, and suggested obligatory infatuation with A Man are intended to be funny, but boy howdy, they are not. The narrative and scene writing are also rather gawky, as seen in the romantic element that is far less than believable, or when antagonistic Professor Wattsman decides to talk out loud Just Because and thereby vomit forth a metric ton of plot; this operates with the storytelling logic of classic "Saturday morning cartoons," and not the good kind that respects the intelligence of their viewers. For all the value that the feature genuinely has to offer, such juvenile and ill-considered notions have not aged well, and there are definite upper limits to the entertainment in these eighty-odd minutes.
Still, 'Project Eden' wanted only to entertain, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't. The creature designs, and those of machinery, feed right into the action sequences, which really do tend to be fairly exciting, moreover infusing a measure of sci-fi horror into the proceedings with the gnarly visions to greet us. Whether a scene is built for comedy, action, plot development, or even just visual spectacle, there are small strokes of brilliance all throughout, in every way, and sometimes I'm downright impressed by the cleverness that went into the movie. While its execution leaves a bit to be desired, the story is strong on paper, a tale of science gone mad - with wider, dangerous ramifications - that Kei and Yuri get swept into while investigating competing claims by two rival governments. Though the dialogue and especially the characterizations have major room for improvement, overall the scene writing is just as strong. The writing could stand to be tightened, but in those ways that matter most Hoshiyama Hiroyuki's screenplay is fairly terrific, and while the ultimate shape of the picture has problems, we definitely get the lark of sci-fi action that we want.
It's well worth also mentioning the dynamic, flavorful original music of Shiguma Kenzou, an unexpected highlight. With themes ranging from invigorating 80s rock, to ambient soundscapes, to potent piano- or synth-driven chords, to more conventional orchestral arrangements, Shiguma lends substantially to the vitality that the title has to offer. He sustains the broad lighthearted tenor, and by all means, this could have gone darker if it wanted to with the music to match. That's just it, though: this is a fantastic example of how a score helps to give form to any work in cinema or television. The pure 80s pop is maybe a tad much, and replacing them with more of the composer's ingenuity would have been a better move in my opinion, but even these tunes are not bad in and of themselves. This is to say nothing of keen editing, robust sound design, commendable voice acting, and so on - but really, if the entirety of the film had been as carefully considered as Shiguma's contributions alone, or for that matter the preponderance of the animation, then this would have found more fame as an anime classic that was all but flawless.
It's not flawless, sadly. Outwardly frustrating as the treatment of Kei and Yuri is, and the clunkiest instances of the writing or storyboarding, they become more so for how they diminish the strength of what is otherwise a very solid viewing experience. With just a little more careful consideration in select ways, the end result would have been even better than it already is, and this further includes the ending which suffers from frankly outrageous tonal confusion. Still, dubious as some facets are, the good far outweighs the bad here, and I only wish that there were no such issues in the first place. Some odds and ends may not have aged well, or may not have ever been appropriate in the first place, but troubled as the sum total may be the saga of sci-fi action provides all the fun we want. It won't appeal to all comers, and it doesn't demand viewership, but provided one is amenable to genre fare that falters, there's a lot to like in this 'Dirty Pairs' movie, and it's worth checking out on its own merits. Don't go out of your way for 'Project Eden,' but it's firmly enjoyable, and that's enough.
