Kiddy Grade was re-released January 22 as a lovely new box set.  Packaged in a protective sleeve, the box itself sports a nifty, album-like design, with artwork spanning the front and back cover, as well as portraits of the two main characters, Éclair and Lumière, on the inside flaps.  Each of the eight discs slips into its own sleeve, so that they can be flipped through like pages in a book.  All twenty-four episodes are included, in addition to the extras.  Extras include image galleries, Japanese promotional videos, original commercials, character profiles, and textless songs.

After a lengthy period of interplanetary violence, humanity has formed an interstellar alliance called the Galactic Union.  In order to help regulate commerce and trade within the Union, the Galactic Organization of Trade and Tariffs (GOTT) was formed soon after.  The enforcement division of GOTT, the ES taskforce, is a sort of policing unit that ensures safe trade and seeks out corruption.  Two of its lower-level members, Éclair and Lumière, who are usually assigned to work as receptionists at headquarters, soon must put their training to the test in an ever-increasing number of interplanetary missions.

Partnered with the shady GOTT auditor Armblast, Éclair and Lumière travel throughout the Galactic Union hunting down criminals and investigating claims of corruption.  Their investigation illuminate some disturbing revelations, and the girls learn that their government may not be as ideal as they had once thought.  What they uncover about their own personal history and that of their comrades, however, is a secret that could unravel the entire Union.

As a whole, Kiddy Grade offers up a mix of humor, action, mystery, and cute girls with big guns.  It's that summer blockbuster action flick that's sleek and pretty, with lots of explosions.  Starting out deceptively light and fluffy, the plot veers down a darker path with many twists and turns.  While the series isn't my cup of tea--I've just never fancied space ships piloted by cute girls--it is one that might be worth catching for the lovely artwork and quirky weapons.  Who knew lipstick could be so versatile?