sutomu Senkawa's life was depressing, and his death (in part one
of Birdy) was fairly pathetic. Resurrection in a body shared with Space Federation Officer Birdy, the interplanetary cop who accidently killed him, isn't particularly enjoyable either. Not only does he have the same mundane problems--an obnoxious family, lecherous friends, a complete lack of self-confidence--he also has to worry about the girl who might have liked him, before she witnessed him changing into a woman. Oh, and there's also the possibility that everyone on Earth might be transformed into ravening mutant soldiers on the whim of an alien criminal.
As the second half of Birdy the Mighty starts up, Tsutomu hasn't really come to terms with Birdy's intrusion in his life. He nags her incessantly to stop exhibiting alien powers in public, to stop borrowing his sister's clothes, and to stop doing dangerous things that might get them both killed. But when they witness the first large-scale test of a serum designed to turn humans into slave-soldiers for Christella Revi, the demon-woman of Birdy's childhood nightmares, even sniveling Tsutomu has to admit that something needs to be done.
He and Birdy aren't the only ones looking into the case. The Earth police are slowly closing in on the truth themselves, in the person of a scientist who spearheaded dangerous experiments on human subjects while in Japan's Imperial Army. But the cops remain unaware of the off-world connection, just as their quarry remains unaware of the manueuverings his alien patrons are performing behind his back.
Nothing new under the sun
Final Force picks up the pace a bit from the first half of this series, with more action and a far more tangible threat. Unfortunately, however, the most interesting villains--Revi and her imperturbable bodyguard--remain vague shadow forces throughout. Clearly they're intended to return with new intrigues in later chapters, which renders these episodes a little empty. The story meanders purposelessly from time to time, which is odd considering the overall brevity of this tape.
Overall this is a much stronger installment than its prequel, with more depth and more variety. Once again, the battle sequences are the best part, particularly the extended engagement between Birdy and Revi's prize android, whose soulful behavior before and after the conflict gives it a powerful context as well as an exciting scenario. And, thank goodness, there's so much character interaction between Birdy's opponents and her unwitting police counterparts that Tsutomu's self-pitying whining is eventually forced into the background.
But the various elements--alien monsters, teenage romance, mad scientist mayhem--never really jell into anything more significant than a vaguely climactic fight scene less impressive than those from earlier episodes. And all of these elements are familiar enough from other, more significant films. Overall, Birdy isn't really bad in any noticeable way, it just offers little that can't be found elsewhere, in a more complete form with a more compelling plot.
