Recently, I had reason to try to find a superhero woman, any superhero woman, anime or Western, who was not drawn gratuitously sexy. I was somewhat dismayed to find that this was difficult -- the vast majority of Western female superheroes have big boobs and skintight, low cut costumes. There's a story behind this that's not relevant to the review, but suffice to say, in complete bafflement, I finally suggested, "... Powerpuff Girls?"

(I eventually came up with some others, but it wasn't easy.)

Kurau is a fairly classic superhero in both story and powers. This is not an insult, mind; it's just an observation.

On her twelfth birthday she is a victim of a stereotypical lab accident that, in her case, resulted in possession by alien energy creatures, plural. Said aliens always live in pairs. These aliens are called Rynaxes, and one alien is dormant within her, and the other merges with her personality -- Kurau becomes the alien and the alien becomes Kurau. The result is super reflexes, super agility, the ability to fly, and the ability split apart into little sparkly lights. She can also walk through walls.

... None of these powers, or the origin story, or even the possession-by-aliens bit, are unique or original.

But there's an axiom among writers -- one of those truths you learn eventually if you write enough. And that is that there is no such thing as an original concept. Any idea you have, somebody else has had before, at least in a great big cosmic sense. And this is particularly true with superheroes ... I'm certain that people have been spinning tales about people with special gifts since humans invented stories.

What makes or breaks a new story is the presentation.

This 'presentation' aspect of the story is where Kurau's character design comes in..

She is a female with heroic powers who is not presented as a sex symbol. Yes, she's anime, which is a whole 'nother beast than American comic heroes, but I think the comparison is valid. Female superheros who don't have Size EE boobs and a 12" waist are vanishingly rare, on the whole. Kurau's character design -- she looks like a boy even in her nightgown -- is fantastic purely from the standpoint of not being a fanboy's fantasy girl.

But character design alone does not a story make. Much to my delight, this series also has very solid characterization and plotting. The first four episodes are well written and left me eager for more. This, perhaps, should not have been a surprise because Kurau is by the same folks who created Fullmetal Alchemist -- and the similar level of quality storytelling is evident in this series. If you love Fullmetal Alchemist, Kurau is definitely a story to check out.

In the beginning, Kurau is believable as a twelve year old girl who loves her father. (Honestly, she reminds me of a generic Hayao Miyazaki character.) When the lab accident happens and the Rynax merge with her, her father's grief and shock is palpable. I felt for him; the daughter he knew was gone.

Kurau, as an adult, is smart, a little bit sarcastic, and confident in herself. She's independent -- she's been on her own since her teens when she injured her father with an uncontrolled burst of her power.  She has a good bit of interesting internal conflict about her identity, her love for her father, and for her little sister. Said little sister is named Christmas; in the first episode, one of the binary aliens emerges from her body and takes the physical form of a young girl. Because, for a variety of reasons, she cannot visit her father, Christmas is the only person she has in her world that she can really care about.

The four episodes on the first DVD each have a solid plot, but also tie nicely together. The pacing is very balanced, with enough action to keep the energy up but ample time taken to really develop the characters as well.

The overall concept is that Kurau works for "agencies" as a skilled martial artist sent into dangerous situations to save the day ... ideally, without revealing she's got special powers. The government would like to capture her; being caught could get her killed. Said situations, in the first four DVDs, include saving a spacecraft pilot who his ship goes out of control (some very nice animation sequences there), rescuing a coworker from bad guys and playing bodyguard at fancy shindig. She disposes of bombs and fights giant robots -- she does the latter in grand style, and what futuristic anime would not be complete without mecha?

The juxtaposition of the tough, giant-robot-killing heroine who makes a living by going into dangerous situations, and the Kurau who loves her little sister Christmas and shows affection and tenderness towards her, is interesting. Kurau has a soft side and isn't afraid to show it to Christmas. She's torn, too, between an oath to her father to not put herself in danger and her desire to help people -- and to make money to live on in the process. These contrasts make her more intriguing as a character and drive the plot forward.

Kurau: Phantom Memory is now on my very short list of DVDs to be purchased on the release date rather than rented later. I'll be eagerly anticipating the next installment of this compelling show.