region2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films. FUN72604. 1 DVD 110 minute film plus extras. Price: GBP 15.99 (UK).

check out website: www.revfilms.com and www.funimation.com/peachgirl

Onto volume four and I feel things feel a bit rushed in these episodes the story and even animation seems to deteriorate and don’t have the same flair and life as in earlier episodes. Toji is still tied up dating Sae as she is still using the pictures of Momo to control the situation. Momo is floundering under the rejection and is dating the class clown, Kairi. He is head-over-heels for Momo, but the feeling is not mutual.

Into this mix comes what is basically a very weak sub-plot in the form of Rio, Kairi’s older brother. He is a pain in the butt and is a Sae-lite character, spouting tenuous lies that are hard to believe at the best of times. This devalues both the plot and the characters somewhat. With Rio double-crossing Sae into almost starring in a porn film, it just feels as if we are revisiting old space that we've been to before.



Things are not all bad though as we discover about Kairi’s secret hidden romance that is brought to the surface by issues with his older brother and still has a hold on his heart. In a slight change of character, Momo take control of the situation and even Toji ends up back on the scene. Could this be leading up to a more expansive and explosive final set of episodes, we can but hope.

Overall, volume 3 is stronger than that of volume 4. The storylines are more believable and the characters keep, just within the bounds of reason. It’s trashy but in a good way. The main failing of volume 4 is the weak sub-plots that just feel like filler. We’ve been here before and these could have been easily skipped over without harm to the characters development. The one thing that still drives this series though is that Momo is a very strong likeable character that still makes it worth watching.

The latter episodes are better and it does feel as though we are building up to something a bit more positive and substantial. The English dub acting is still very good and fits with the characters very well. The music is OK and we get the usual extras on both discs, trailers, opening and closing credits without text and interviews with the Japanese actors.

Phil Jones