Bubblegum Crisis

Bubblegum Crisis, also known as Bubblegum Crisis 2033, is a borderline-dystopian, cyberpunk, sci-fi action-thriller that is the most late 80s thing ever. Plot (5/10) It is clearly inspired by Robocop and, to a lesser extent, The Terminator. It concerns a futuristic world inhabited by both humans and bots, known as boomers, initially developed for military purposes, then deployed in policing and eventually integrated into society. The fact that they are called boomers is a source of endless lols and some of the all-time best quotes and anachronisms in anime, like: "I can't believe that the police are so corrupt that they would want to jail me just for killing a boomer." "The killings were performed by boomers, and you are an expert on boomers." "Kill every boomer in sight if you have to." "I saw a boomer in the alleyways last night. It was one of the scariest things I've ever seen." "They are deploying boomers! This will be extremely dangerous." "He is involved in the development of a super boomer to be used for military purposes." And so on. Note that these are paraphrased and off of memory as I can't be bothered to go back and collect them. The series is of just 8 roughly double-length episodes that released over the course of a whole 4 years and is mostly episodic, but with a build-up to them. It shares a universe with another early 90s OVA, AD Police. The AD police are a technologically advanced police force, originally designed to fight boomers-gone-rogue, which eventually replaced the mainline police force in Tokyo. As a result of that history, now there are three main factions: the civilian population and what remains of the old school police, the AD police and the Boomers, which are roaming the streets and causing people fear as there are many rumors of them randomly killing people in alleyways. The AD police, originally created to fight them, is now criticized for not combatting the boomers enough, as a lot of these rumors are not substantiated with evidense. This is explored more in AD police, where the boomers and AD police are much more morally gray, whereas here the boomers are very clearly the evil minions and the AD police - the good guys who simply have a hard time keeping up. The show presents an interesting nuanced view of technology and military investment, where it acknowledges that investing in the military and weapons technology is good for humanity in the long term, as it has given us inventions like the internet, foil, penicillin, styrofoam, better communications technology and many medicinal drugs, and thus it acknowledges that military and civilian technology investment need to be balanced out. Interestingly, this is a futuristic version of Tokyo that for some reason has a lot of American immigrants. It seems like the creators overestimated how many people Japan would take in by 2033, which is fast approaching, as well as the rate of technological advancement for AI and robots, but somehow not computers as they are stuck in the early 90s, but I suppose that that is par for the course when it comes to anachronistic futurism in media. It did predict a few interesting things though, such as needing passwords for everything, but computer passwords were already a thing back then. I enjoyed AD Police a lot more than this series, as it has better animation and voice acting and didn't overstay its welcome, but won't be reviewing that one as it's extremely similar to this one. While that came out after this one, it's not a sequel timeline-wise, so you can really watch them in either order. They are designed somewhat like superhero comics, where reading things by release date is probably your best bet, but everything is happening adjacently or concurrently, so you won't be left too confused even if your order is slightly different. Note that each have their own sequels. This has both a TV series and a sequel OVA going by both names Bubble Gum Crisis 2040 and Bubble Gum Crisis Tokyo 2040, which I assume can be watched in either order, but after this and AD, with the TV series being the preferable first, despite retconning parts of this OVA. Oh, did I mention that this OVA and AD Police also have mutual retcons as this series took 4 years to be released, by which time it was briefly concurrently running with AD. Confused yet? If you value silly concepts like "continuity", "main character focus" and "canon", you will be a little disappointed as this series shifts focus on different characters every other episode, before eventually assembling a "main 4" as seen on the poster by episode 6. If you only watch this one, then it's still a relatively linear story even with the shifting focus, but you will actually be MORE confused the more of the sequels and side stories that you watch, not less, which is a surprisingly common problem with milked franchises and goes completely contrary to the whole purpose of sequels, prequels and side stories. Characters (4.5/10) Some will enjoy the characters in this series, but I find them to all be different flavors of unlikable. You got the simp (Leon), the rude woman that treats him like crap for the crime of daring to ask her out on a date and later manipulatively pretends to like him and uses his feelings for her own purposes (Priscilla), the pink haired bimbo lesbian (Nene) and her friends who constantly tease her, including the Lisa, who acts as if she's 12 despite being an adult. Then you have Linna, who alongside Priscina bodyshames and bullies Nene into body dysmorphia for having a 2cm increase in her waist and not being in top shape, despite being just 18 years old and a recent recruit. Killer cast! The litmus test is Evangelion. I personally think that that cast is much worse than this one, but I am in the minority, so if you like Eva's cast, you'll like this. Considering how similar they are genre-wise and in artstyle, I wouldn't be surprised if this series' fanbase and Eva's fanbase Venn diagram is close to being a circle. You can think of this as Eva's less pretentious, less psychological and more straightforwards older brother. Music (9/10) The music is extremely good, with each episode having a long opening with a different song and different visuals, being the start of the episode. Every episode's first 2-3 minutes are practically a nostalgic AMV already. A similar thing is true for the outros, except you still get credits. The songs are interwoven with dialogue and police calls reporting tech-equipped criminal activity, chase, shootout and battle sequences with explosions and the words "blow up" being shown a lot for some reason. I love late 80s music, so these are honestly all great and it's extremely hard to choose which OP and ED were the best. They were not produced for this show and were instead popular songs at the time that they could get the license for, which is actually true of most aniem OPs and EDs to this day, but it's surprising how much different music they were able to play in this. Visuals (6/10) Being an OVA where each episode was sold separately, the artstyle is significantly more detailed than anything on TV at the time, being much closer to movie quality than TV anime quality standards, yet it still falls short of the likes of Akira, which massively increased the bar at the time. Still the details in the backgrounds and lighting are superb. Think of the cover of "Somewhere In Time" by Iron Maiden, which may very well be the best album cover of all time, but as an anime. Unfortunately, the actual animation and movement hasn't aged great and is of significantly lower quality than the art style and detailed backgrounds, which only make the stilted-at-times animation that much more jarring in contrast. If you are a 90s nostalgist, particularly an ancient (in otaku terms) early 90s nostalgist, or just a modern day fan of that aesthetic, you will absolutely love this. I however am not a huge simp for it. I don't hate old anime aesthetics and I already said that I…

Bubblegum Crisis 2032-2033. Don't let the name fool you this series packs serious heat, despite its age. Maybe they call it Bubblegum Crisis, because three of the girls look like teenagers. Much of the focus in this series is on Priscilla (Priss) the brunette and her boyfriend from the AD Police. The focus towards the end and especially in Bubblegum Crash (the finale) shifts gradually towards Sylia Stingray the brains of the outfit (literally). I thought the story was very enjoyable and complex. Do yourself a favor though and buy the Blu-ray version as you don't have to shuffle discs. When a new Boomer arrives it's up to the Knight Sabers to stop them; Priss, Linna, Nene, and the mentor Sylia. The Knight Sabers suits remind me of Iron Man's suit as they fly, blast things, and are pretty durable. The Boomers are mechanized machines and Genom is bent on world domination. The AD Police try to help, but mostly get in the way. Who's that pink haired girl who works for them? Anyways, when the Knight Sabers get in trouble it's up to the AD Police force, I mean their backup to save the day. I liked the premise of the show, with heroines and the romance. Bubblegum Crash does a nice job of tying up loose ends. The animation was decent, but passable. I would give Bubblegum Crisis (Crises) animation a 7.5/10 and Bubblegum Crash (Crashes) animation a 6.5/10. The titile menu for Bubblegum Crisis on Blu-ray is immaculate. The sound was like a shining star and made a good anime series very good. The songs are mostly dubbed in English and actually play a new song during each of the eight episodes. You listen to the music as the animation flows with the music. It adds excitement to every episode, but Bubblegum Crash doesn't have this. In conclusion, fans of older anime will love this one. It hits hard and ends with a crash!

Loaded with action and entertainment, Bubblegum Crisis is anime where its highlights make up for the overall flaws. I wasn't sure if I'd like this due to its 80s' cheesiness, yet said characteristic is the one that creates such a beautiful retro-futuristic world, with one banging song after the other (the first ten minutes are honestly incredible) and stylish outfits throughout, set against this alluring nocturne urban landscapes. The animation is the one to thank for this aspect, as well as for some truly pretty shots that have landed their way in most of the "slow+reverb" videos. Nonetheless, storytelling wise lacked strength, it would've been beneficial to this anime a full-on dramatic arc, from first to eighth episode, instead of a different adventure each installment. Although the episodes are told with a patience, the fights are so brief it was a let down. Not only it would've benefit the story, but the character development too, as you barely know their backgrounds and motives to join The Knight Sabers. I'm aware that most of the animes at that time weren't use to break archetypes, still, it had the potential. On a good note, for an anime this old, it was very upbeat to watch that most of the characters were women, especially this group of strong women that fight with little to no help from men, showing little and teenage girls that they hold power too. Generally, Bubblegum Crisis wasn't the most deep or perfect anime I've seen, yet the flaws, which are mostly dated, can't ruin the nicely build episodes and how enjoyable everything is, showcasing friendship and aspects of anime that are mostly attributed to a male demographic in an unapologetically girly way. Liked this one quite a bit, I'm feeling a light to decent seven on this one.

Bubblegum Crisis is a classic of Japanese cyberpunk and one of my favorite OVAs of all time. Set in a futuristic MegaTokyo increasingly dominated by Boomers (artificial humanoids designed for labor and other purposes), the series builds a fascinating world filled with technological anxiety, corporate greed, and that unmistakable '80s cyberpunk atmosphere. The episodic structure is fairly simple, but there's so much to love about this world and the ideas behind it. The Knight Sabers are easily one of my favorite things about the series. Their armored suits are iconic, with distinctive designs and abilities. The combination of stylish action, striking mechanical designs, and the group's chemistry makes them a joy to watch. The soundtrack is another major highlight. The songs fit the series perfectly, and Kon'ya wa Hurricane in the first episode is an absolute banger. The soundtrack is great all around, and honestly, the music is a huge part of what makes Bubblegum Crisis so memorable. Bubblegum Crisis is everything I love about '80s OVAs. Its striking visual style, memorable characters, and incredible atmosphere make it stand out. It's the kind of series that leaves a lasting impression not just because of its story, but also because of the strength of its aesthetic and identity.

Where to begin with this review….I discovered this series back in the 1990s when I really became an Anime fan because of a coworker at the time, who was a massive Anime nut. I remember seeing the VHS tapes at a local record/video store in New Jersey and just picked up the first tape. Back then everything had been dubbed into English and the series and story line were great. I never really had the entire series until more recently (2021 from Amazon). This is when I rediscovered everything that I loved in the first place and much more. I always like the design of the mecha suits for the Knights Saber and the Boomers. I have to say that out of all the Knights Sabers I liked Priss as the lead singer of a “Priss and the Replicants.” This leads me to one of the greatest opening scenes and songs that I rank in my top 5 favorite opening themes in Anime. This series has that Blade Runner and Akira (which would come out a year later) vibe to it. I’ve always been a massive SciFi fan and this Anime just clicked all the boxes for what I was looking for at the time and I would really recommend this to someone new to Anime that wants to watch something new. All of the OVAs are action packed and have a really great storyline as they move from one OVA to the next. This series also led to another series that I enjoyed at the time, A.D. Police. So, if you’re really looking for something new and interesting to watch, take a walk back into the past and give this series a watch. You won’t regret it….

A master class on how to blend suspense with comedy in a series of short action films, the futuristic background allows something like powerful mechas to drive around like crazy, although, the rest of the technology remains stagnant in the 90's for some reason, the soundtrack was good even 'till this day, the animation was steady from start to finish, the main cast is a bunch of heroines with power suits who fight against an evil corporation, so yeah, it was a product of its time, and this works pretty well, my problem is that they never reveal the source of their impressive weaponry, why these particular girls (an their mechanic) can compete with a giant organization that spreads its tentacles all over the globe?, sure, they got the "A.D police" from their side and a growing number of families who oppose them, but there is no explanation about why the protagonists decided to start fighting crime in the first place! This anime feels incomplete and left us with a lot of mysteries, what ties this group of young girls in the first place?, why do they have to put themselves in such a dangerous position instead of anyone else wearing those suits?, which is also the principal source of drama and erotism to begin with, this show could have been a lot better if it had been extended more to develop the characters and the plot, which is a shame since it didn't happened, I appreciate how explicit this show was, never feeling edgy or out of place, it was always on point, but not delving deeper on that turbulent future or in what caused it is kinda odd, there are no detailed reasons for this context, you just have to guess most of the time, but it was fun to watch overall, I mean, if you are into porn of explosions and cool looking machines, this is the show for you!

If you have ever been within the "classic" 90s/80s or cyberpunk anime zeitgeist for more than 3 minutes you'd probably at least heard of Bubble Gum Crisis. Its an anime that was wildly revered but these days its largely unknown (at least from my perspective) outside of the odd gif here and there. From an outside viewer a title like that sounds more fit for a romance anime than anything. However you'd be severely wrong. Short version: its a lil cheesy and for its time but it has its charm and I think you should watch it even for historical sake Long version : Bubble Gum Crisis as the synopsis suggests is a... well cyberpunk anime with all the typical cyberpunk tropes and the likes. If you like cyberpunk , it has it by the bunch. This doesn't mean its grim like a lot after it - our heroes are usually unscathed and there is quite a positive wrap up for this series in general. In fact I'd say it is pretty tame by today's standards. This is not to say it isn't an OVA for a reason : like a lot of 80s ova there is of course nudity and mild blood. Again most is fairly tame,especially to other OVAs released during this time. Ironically I think its less fan service than your "average" harem anime of today. There was the odd scenes here and there that made me go "ehhhh that's rather weird" (the younger brother perv needs his ass kicked but he does get better as the show progresses) but nothing that ruins the show for me. On the blood side it really depends on episode- the robots (funnily called boomers) sometimes have orange blood , sometimes not. People break bones and get scratched but at most its pg 13 . Action and story wise its pretty much similar. Its story is bad by no means but it is fairly simple. Being a 8 episode OVA it spares fat and there is questions to still be had by the end of the anime. I think the weakest link are some of the supporting cast like Leon but overall solid. The action is hit or miss. Being animated in the 80s its not as fluid as one would expect but it does its job. The later episodes improve action and animation wise from something that's passable to something that could be put in a sakuga edit. Voice acting and music is probably its strongest point - even if its very 80s. Each actor fits their role and its believable. It can be cheesy but i think thats apart of the charm that makes it very enjoyable to me You can't go a single episode without at least one song that you search up afterwards. However I do not suggest the dub. If you have ti its fine but it suffers from being from a time where nobody in the west really knew what to do with these new "asian cartoons". The main cast is not bad by any means but they just sound way too old to be playing young adults. Overall if I had to summarize this anime it would be "for its time"- Its not super dated by any means but it does have its moments. I think the reason behind this is just because a lot of its tropes and qualities can be found in a lot of cyberpunk anime after its release. There are a lot of elements that you can see the origin of today that were really popularized by it and its much more successful younger brother Akria. I would say if your new or old to cyberpunk you should check this one out even just out of a historical value. For episode highlights I suggest Revenge Road , Red Eyes and Scoop Chase. 7.9/10 - I would love to see this be remade - cheese and all.

In full disclosure, Bubblegum Crisis is not in my normal wheel house. With that aside, what is presented is a fair anime with some strong points but a few misses. The story to Bubblegum Crisis is fairly easy to follow and at time both very good and enjoyable. However at other times it can feel forced or convoluted. Unfortunately, that leads to some episodes being really good and others being okay. The show begs to be more of an overarching story line and while I'm aware that would've been uncommon for the time, it's episodic format leaves a lot to be desired and makes the overall show feel really disjointed. Art is good for the time and periodically correct. Sound is good and the songs are, for the most part, enjoyable even dubbed. Acting is good. Character design was enjoyable and each character feels and looks sufficiently different. You will find very little character development within the show. The character are who they are and they don't change very much, if at all, over the course of the eight episodes. As I mentioned, Bubblegum Crisis was not in my wheel house. That was partially why I didn't enjoy the show as much as I had hoped. That being said, I've also seen shows out of my normal niche and have enjoyed them, so I think a lot of my lack of enjoyment comes from the merely fair story and good characters. To me, there just isn't anything that stands out as fantastic in Bubblegum Crisis, making this a fair anime overall.