One of the more popular anime series from the 1980s was the Lovely Angels, I mean Dirty Pair, the story of two space-faring detectives whose catch-line is “we will solve any problem for you” (though this often involves the destruction of entire planets). A creation of animation producer Haruka Takachiho, who founded the legendary animation house Studio Nue, the sexy duo are loosely based on the 1970s-era professional wrestling team Beauty Pair. Like Speed Racer, Marine Boy, the Seven Cities of Gold, and Cowboy Bebop, Dirty Pair is a good example of an anime series that was more popular outside of Japan than in, and the creators were probably surprised that their works made a larger cultural splash around the world than in Japan itself. That’s the thing about popular culture: it can’t be controlled or directed, and you never know what form it will take. For many anime fans, Genshiken, the story of a university club dedicated to appreciating various forms of visual media including anime, manga and cosplay, has come to define what it is to be an otaku better than any other source, yet in Japan, where fans live that life every day,
the show never got that popular.
The Dirty Pair “will solve any problem for you™.”
