Another solid gem dug up from the artist behind Area 88 and Cleopatra DC.
Mariko Rosebank is the captain of an elite all female anti terrorism team known as CAT Counter Attack Terrorism, the group was formed after brutally losing her son and husband in an airport bombing, and leaving Mariko with a distinct rose scar, the mission chosen for the OVA takes place in Switzerland around the final days of the Berlin Wall as CAT are assigned to protect the politicians from a terrorist attack aimed at stopping the iron curtain from falling, girls of all shapes and sizes and roles take part in the mission, Mariko feels that the terrorists are one step ahead as the operation is going too well.
What makes this anime work and artist Kaoru Shintani's other works is that the female cast are drawn in a shojo style as opposed to more traditional styles of the era within the action genre, great emphasis on the eyes makes Mariko and the other girls stand out as very feminine, even larger build girls like Jessica and more mischievous characters like Irene, but are also more than capable of subduing an Edelweiss Swiss Special Forces Soldier in seconds, all their actions speak so much about the characters it's unreal that this only got a single episode, Shintani is really good at setting up 80s action manga that ticks all the right boxes and Desert Rose is such a unique gem that there is no other series like it.
A dub isn't impossible but will need some talent especially with best girl Irene.
Final Verdict: An 80s action show dressed in the finest shojo style, Desert Rose is one of the most sophisticated, unique action anime of the era and there is no other anime like it.
Desert Rose Review
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