Detective Debutante Corps

HAPPY BELATED NEW YEAR 2022! Yeah, we all agree 2021 was a really weird year, right? I’m not sure if that is partly because I jinxed it! Oh well. Maybe it was my fault but who cares, right? Time to look forward to 2022! This year will surely be it, right? Oh dear. Why do I sound like I have already jinxed it again… Anyway… As usual, on to more animes, the only thing I’m always looking forward to every year.

Eh… What the f*ck is this I stumbled upon? Detective Debutante Corps AKA Ojou-sama Sousamou. Apparently 5 super rich girls have been targeted by unknown terrorists. They have to use their skills and wits to thwart their attacks and stay alive. Because I suppose Japanese police aren’t up to mark in protecting cute high school girls, huh? So I also suppose the terrorists don’t want to kidnap them and use them as ransom? Yeah. Money not always the answer to everything. Seeing that this is a single OVA released back in 1996, you know me, no harm checking out what the hell this retro is all about. The synopsis itself already seemed intriguing so why procrastinate?! Money can’t buy time!

Spoilt, rich and troubled…
As the principal addresses the new students of his all-girls high school, suddenly Miyuki Ayanokouji rides her bike into the hall. Does she not know no bikes are allowed? However, Reika Shu then does the same thing as she barges into the hall on her bicycle. To not lose out on this, Youko Ryuuzaki also crashes her limo into the hall! Oh, that’s not all. You haven’t seen anything yet. Because Nina Kirov then flies in with her helicopter!!! OMFG! Uhm, actually she ejects and lets her helicopter self-destruct. SELF-DESTRUCT HER HELICOPTER???!!! And finally… The entire police force then lines up all over the school so that Kimiko Ayanokouji (Miyuki’s twin) could stroll in. But soon, the quintet are held in a special room in the school because it seems somebody is targeting them. Yup, these girls are so rich that their combined wealth is equivalent to Japan’s GNP!!! The detective has the principal arrested after baiting him into thinking some unholy thoughts about these chicks. So that makes him a f*cking suspect?! As they wait in boredom, they decide to hatch a plan to get out of here and ditch the detective. When the detective takes a call from his superior, Miyuki hacks his phone. Then Youko excuses herself to the toilet. Using her special skill to impersonate the detective’s voice, she calls him again impersonating as his boss to get his ass down to the station. And also he needs to disguise himself as something. WTF this dumb detective actually strips himself in front of the girls and even asks them if they have any other clothes he can wear?! Of course they give him this hideous llama outfit… WTF… Yeah, this guy really dumb. When Youko returns, she uses her makeup skills to disguise herself as the detective (that’s why they tell him to leave his clothes behind) so as to escort the rest out of school. Then they tell the other police that this special mission has been cancelled and all are to return to base.

The moment all the police are gone, suddenly somebody snipes at them. The girls start running back and take cover in school. Only, they locked themselves in a room with some avant-garde art structure. Nope. It’s a bomb! With the door locked, they realize there is more than one culprit. Indeed. There are 3 former military men on the loose. The sniper is keeping them holed inside the room as the timer ticks. Miyuki tries to tinker with the bomb since she is good with machines. But which wire to cut? Kimiko suggests the blue wire but Miyuki refuses to believe in luck. Meanwhile Nina buys some time as she snipes the sniper who let his guard down. Then Reika uses her super strength to break down the door. Why the f*ck didn’t she do this earlier? Miyuki cuts the red wire. Wrong! Okay. Time to run! However outside, they are confronted with this strong soldier. Martial arts specialist Reika wants them to leave this to her. But she gets owned. Kimiko’s solution: Pray for her! But the rest have to keep running as now the pilot is targeting them in their jet. Reika picks up herself as she rips off the soldier’s hair before nailing the finisher. Damn, since when this guy grew so big like the Hulk! Crashes into the school! Kimiko does some Hadouken but misses. Not sure what charm she does as she jams the joystick. The pilot can’t pilot well and crashes into the room with the bomb. Speaking of which, the timer just ran out. BOOM! Oh sh*t! Did the entire country just explode? Well, at least the entire school is gone. But hey, no casualties! The military trio are rounded up as the police and all return. Kimiko then proudly announces that their first mission was a success and hence their detective club will be their great extracurricular club as they fight crime and contribute to public. Even more damning is that Kimiko hired those military men for this stunt! But you have no proof that it was from her, right? And to show off her financial prowess, she will pay a hundred billion yen to rebuild this school. I’m sure the principal can retire… Kimiko relishes a good case is solved. Not before the rest is about to give her a beat down…

Fugou Oujo-sama Balance: Unlimited
Well, it is unfortunate that these girls won’t be making anymore appearances and this debut will be their final curtain call! Oh my. It would have been great to see a TV series out of it subsequently but I guess the response wasn’t there either. It feels such a waste since it was interesting enough and to see them get into further shenanigans in their so called detective club would’ve been awesome. Alas, I suppose back then many were not impressed and hence the end of this one shot OVA. Uh huh. The story and action itself were seemingly crazy. Anything goes. To have super rich girls fighting off a bunch of terrorists even though it was all a setup. Heck, see how they even made their entry to school?! I guess back in those days when you have an idea, you just simply fire all you’ve got and see how it goes. It feels wasted that this series only had 1 episode and nothing more. Uh huh. Just one big dumpster fire of garbage nonsense from the stupid detective to the gargantuan fight against the Mohawk Hulk dude. Like, WTF is happening?! Though, I have to admit it was fun.

This means the characters themselves feel a lot wasted and unused potential. I mean, at the start of the episode when the girls are introduced, you could thoroughly see their stats and data. Even a spider chart to see what kind of abilities they excel in! Damn, they put in so much detail for each of the characters but in the end they only have this single OVA to show for. In that sense, that is why I feel they are totally wasted. Each of the girls have their own set of skills and they do make a weird combo for a detective club. Like I’ve said, had this been turned into a TV series and they flesh out more episodes, it could’ve been so much better. But for now, they just feel introductory and minimal. After all, Kimiko looks like the one who is going to drag the rest of her rich girls into trouble. The way she is so sassy and carefree, you bet she is riding more than just her luck. I mean, having 5 hot girls and not even a decent fanservice? WASTED!

I stumbled upon a game version of it over the internet but it is so obscure, there weren’t much details I could find. It could be that this OVA was just a promo for the game. Otherwise, I’ll keep repeating myself that it just feels wasted to not have adapted this into a proper TV series. All the money in the world couldn’t get it a single season. Yeah, they went to put their investment elsewhere. This series was jointly done by Gainax and Studio 4C and they went on to make great Neon Genesis Evangelion, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, FLCL, Berserk and Steamboy. So looking back in hindsight how this series got left behind, perhaps it was for the better good. A remake, reboot or even restarting this series at this time won’t bode well. I just have a bad feeling so. Back then when super rich girls had real skills (no matter how greatly exaggerated they are) and 100% kickass instead of posting their nearly porn pics on TikTok and flaunt their wealth all over Instagram. Heck, or even baiting simps via Only Fans. Sheesh.