Released in North America by Urban Vision
90 minutes
English dubbed
$24.95

The Professional is back. After a long hiatus, GOLGO 13 returns to anime in an OVA packed with death, deception, and a lot of sex. If he didn't, after all, he would hardly be the Golgo that fans love.
Golgo is hired to kill a woman nicknamed "Queen Bee." She is part of a guerrilla group in a small Central American country. She is called "Queen Bee" because she is one of the army's leaders, and because her followers are as loyal to her as bees are to their Queen. Since these are the people that took her in and gave her both a home and a purpose in life, she is fiercely dedicated to protecting them and furthering their cause.
Unfortunately, this comes into conflict with a presidential hopeful's campaign. And, since she has made numerous threats against his life, he calls in Golgo to rid himself of the pest known as Queen Bee. Or at least that is what Golgo is told. As he investigates, he uncovers a past of lies, betrayal, and outright cruelty. While he has agreed to perform the hit, that does not prevent him from trying to untangle the mystery that surrounds his client and his target.
The animation is superb, highly detailed and very fluid. This kind of stylized animation helps a show succeed because everything looks so detailed and real. The cityscapes, the vehicles, and the weaponry are all very well drawn and help imbue the show with a very mature atmosphere.
And speaking of "mature," there are several graphic sex scenes in this OVA. And, while one or two of them could be said to be furthering the plot, the others seem to be thrown in just for the sake of having more sex scenes to sell the film. During these scenes, however, Queen Bee often gives a voice over narration which is somewhat distracting. Are we really to believe that she performs soliloquies about her philosophy of life in the throes of passion?
Violence in this OVA is abundant, swift, brutal, and often graphic. Viewers will see shootings, stabbings, explosions, and the odd removal of a limb or two. Some of the jungle battle scenes are rather intense. They are all done well, although sometimes they are a bit too visual for my taste.
The dubbing is decent; not having seen the original left me a tabula rasa so the actors didn't have to compete any preconceived notions. Most of the time, Queen Bee's voice managed to showcase the character's warmth underneath her cold, sometimes cruel exterior. And the voice of Golgo was obviously chosen for his ability to deliver deadpan lines. I was able to watch this and forget I was watching an English dub.
GOLGO 13: QUEEN BEE is an entertaining foray into the world of the professional assassin Golgo. It's certainly not a nice place to visit, and I definitely would not want to live there. But this OVA is a good quality release and should keep the Professional's fans happy for a while.