Bubblegum Crisis

Bubblegum Crisis: Remastered Edition

Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 - Perfect Collection

In 2040 heavy labor in Tokyo is done by the Genom Corporation's robot "Boomers." But Boomers sometimes go berserk and attack humans. Only the Knight Sabers, a cadre of female vigilante mercenaries who fight in high-heeled armor suits, can take down a rogue Boomer. Klutzy Linna Yamasaki comes to Tokyo to join them. The group comprises rock singer Priss Asagiri, police officer Nene Romanova, and lingerie boutique owner Sylia Stingray, who heads the squad. A series of attacks sends the quartet looking for the lab where Sylia's father used members of his family in the bio-technical experiments that created the Boomers--and a creature so dangerous that Genom triggered an earthquake that destroyed most of Tokyo to imprison it. The vice president of Genom releases it: Galatea, the Sotai. An innocent-looking girl, Galatea somehow "merges her consciousness" with the Genom skyscraper and launches it into space. Gaining control of a satellite power network will enable her to spread madness to Boomers throughout world and become the master of mankind. The Knight Sabers suddenly develop the power to bond with their armor suits, and instead of destroying Galatea, they cause her to merge with the universe: she rains onto the Earth as a shower of glittering particles. Bubblegum Crisis owes its popularity to its no-holds-barred action by tough female characters, without the theological speculations of a series like Evangelion. Galatea's transformation into a benevolent visionary feels as incongruous as Darth Vader's deathbed repentance in The Return of the Jedi. Rated 15 Up: Violence, profanity, nudity; alcohol and tobacco use. --Charles Solomon

In the aftermath of the great earthquake, one ruthless corporation stands ready to take over the devastated city of Tokyo with an army of synthetic monsters. Only a single band of female vigilantes opposes the monolithic power of Genom - but in this case, four women are all it takes! Armed with the most incredible combat suits ever designed, the Knight Sabers wage a desperate war in the shadows, combating the monstrous by-products of technology run amuck with courage, sweat and blood! Breakneck action combines with state of the art animation and a hard-driving rock soundtrack in the series that redefined the cutting edge and proved "Cyberpunk's Not Dead." ADV Films' release of the Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 Perfect Collection contains the entire twenty-six episode series on six discs in the English language, along with the Japanese and Spanish language versions with English subtitles. DVD extras include character bios, interactive menus, and ADV previews. BGC 2040 is a 1998 remake of the Bubblegum Crisis series from the late eighties, and was directed by Hiroki Hayashi (Tenchi Muyo!) from a script by Chiaki Konaka (Armitage III).

Bubblegum Crisis: MegaSeries

These OAVs were among the first Japanese series released as such in the U.S. and are remembered fondly by fans. An early example of cyberpunk that borrows heavily from Blade Runner and Robocop, Bubblegum Crisis depicts the adventures of the female vigilante group the Knight Sabers. In form-fitting, high-heeled mecha suits, Sylia, Priss, Linna, and Nene fight the rogue cyborgs of the sinister Genom Corporation in MegaTokyo, 2032. Sylia's brother Mackie, and A.D. Cop Leon, Priss's long-suffering suitor, assist them. The first three episodes (1987) form a single continuity; "Revenge Road" (1988) depicts a battle between an embittered man and a motorcycle gang. "Moonlight Rambler" (1988) and "Red Eyes" (1989) pit the Saber Knights against vampire cyborgs prowling MegaTokyo. "Double Vision" (1990) introduces the mysterious pop star Vision, and "Scoop Chase" (1991), in which a high school journalist tries to unmask the Knight Sabers, ends the series on a silly note. The direction and design in the first trilogy look decidedly old-fashioned, but the later adventures grow increasingly sophisticated. Odd notes include suggestions of lesbianism, officer Daley's homosexual passes at Leon (who gets better-looking in each redesign), and Mackie trying see his sister in her underwear. Included in the set are Hurricane Live! 2032 and 2033, collections of music videos, and concert footage of the Japanese voice actresses singing the pop songs used in the series. Unrated; suitable for ages 16 and up: Violence, grotesque imagery, profanity, brief nudity, tobacco use, and sexual situations, including prostitution. --Charles Solomon

Bubblegum Crisis - Tokyo 2040 - Genesis (Vol. 1)

The latest adventures of the four women of the Knight Sabers are not a continuation, but an alternate version of their earlier escapades. In 2040, much of the labor in Tokyo is done by Boomers, robots initially manufactured by Genom to rebuild the city after a devastating earthquake. Unfortunately, Boomers sometimes go berserk and attack humans. Only the Knight Sabers, a cadre of female vigilante mercenaries who fight in high-heeled armor suits, can really tackle a rogue Boomer. Klutzy Linna Yamasaki comes to Tokyo hoping to join the Knight Sabers. A rampaging Boomer brings her into contact with the women of the squad: motorcycle-riding rock singer Priss Asagiri, AD Police officer Nene Romanova, and lingerie-boutique owner Sylia Stingray, who heads group. Linna eventually persuades them to give her a tryout. Despite the hard-hitting action scenes, the story begins very slowly, and the characters aren't terribly appealing. Priss is given to sullen silences, Nene sounds like a case of arrested development, and Linna inexplicably shifts between small-town innocent and defiant rebel. The men are all jerks and/or lechers. The settings look less like the blighted dystopia of the earlier entries in the series and more like a standard-issue Tokyo-of-the-Future. Episodes: 1. "Can't Buy a Thrill," 2. "Fragile," 3. "Keep Me Hanging On," 4. "Machine Head." Not rated; suitable for ages 13 and up for violence, profanity, and brief nudity. --Charles Solomon

In the aftermath of the great earthquake, one ruthless corporation, Genom, stands ready to take over the devastated city of Toyko with an army of synthetic monsters, called Boomers. Only one small band of female mercenaries is ready to stand against the monolithic power of Genom, but in this case four women is all it takes! Armed with the most incredible combat unit suits ever designed, the Knight Sabers wage a desperate war in the shadows, combating the monstrous by-products of technology run amuck with courage, sweat and blood! It's a deadly trial by fire as the acclaimed cyberpunk masterpiece is reborn!

Bubblegum Crisis - Tokyo 2040 - For All Mankind (Vol. 6)

As the adventures of the female vigilante posse the Knight Sabers conclude, director Hiroko Hiyashi has too little story to fill too much time, and the last five episodes feel padded. In "Hydra," the increasingly powerful and insane Galatea somehow "merges her consciousness" with the skyscraper of the Genom Company, transforming it into a likeness of herself and launching it into space. Her objective is the Showhamm Project, a network of solar energy-collecting satellites: controlling them will enable her to spread madness among Boomer robots throughout world and make herself the master of mankind. Sylia, from whose tissue Galatea was created and who has sworn to destroy her, withdraws from the conflict, leaving Nene, Linna, and Priss to save the planet. The filmmakers try for an Evangelion-style metaphysical ending. The Knight Sabers suddenly develop the power to bond with the hard suits that give them superpowers, and instead of destroying Galatea, they cause her to merge with the universe; she rains onto the Earth as a shower of glittering particles. The Bubblegum Crisis series owes its popularity to no-holds-barred action and tough, capable female characters, not theological/philosophical speculations. "Suggested 15 Up" for violence, profanity, and nudity; alcohol and tobacco use. --Charles Solomon

Bubblegum Crisis, Vol. 1

These OAVs were among the first Japanese series released as such in the U.S. and are remembered fondly by fans. An early example of cyberpunk that borrows heavily from Blade Runner and Robocop, Bubblegum Crisis depicts the adventures of the female vigilante group the Knight Sabers. In form-fitting, high-heeled mecha suits, Sylia, Priss, Linna, and Nene fight the rogue cyborgs of the sinister Genom Corporation in MegaTokyo, 2032. Sylia's brother Mackie, and A.D. Cop Leon, Priss's long-suffering suitor, assist them. The first three episodes (1987) form a single continuity; "Revenge Road" (1988) depicts a battle between an embittered man and a motorcycle gang. "Moonlight Rambler" (1988) and "Red Eyes" (1989) pit the Saber Knights against vampire cyborgs prowling MegaTokyo. "Double Vision" (1990) introduces the mysterious pop star Vision, and "Scoop Chase" (1991), in which a high school journalist tries to unmask the Knight Sabers, ends the series on a silly note. The direction and design in the first trilogy look decidedly old-fashioned, but the later adventures grow increasingly sophisticated. Odd notes include suggestions of lesbianism, officer Daley's homosexual passes at Leon (who gets better-looking in each redesign), and Mackie trying see his sister in her underwear. Included in the set are Hurricane Live! 2032 and 2033, collections of music videos, and concert footage of the Japanese voice actresses singing the pop songs used in the series. Unrated; suitable for ages 16 and up: Violence, grotesque imagery, profanity, brief nudity, tobacco use, and sexual situations, including prostitution. --Charles Solomon

Bubblegum Crisis - Tokyo 2040 - Blood & Steel (Vol. 5)

While rogue Boomer robots under the telepathic command of Galatea the Sotai ravage 21st-century Neo-Tokyo, romance unexpectedly flowers for the members of the all-female vigilante posse, the Knight Sabers. Sylia rediscovers her affection for the mechanic Nigel, who worked with her father to create the Boomers; tough-as-press-on-nails Priss accepts the advances of hard-bitten cop Leon; Mackie continues his pursuit of ditsy computer wizard Nene. (Linna, the newest member of the crew, hasn't met anyone yet, but there are several potential candidates on hand.) Mason, the sinister vice president of the Genom Corporation, freed the mysterious Galatea to help the Boomers reach the next stage of their evolution and supplant humanity, but she proves difficult to control. The robot Boomers begin as standard-issue zombies with glowing eyes but quickly mutate into bizarre forms, ranging from a giant fanged monster to a writhing mass of tentacles large enough to engulf a skyscraper. When they infiltrate Genom's massive system of power cables, they metamorphose into a enormous creature that is half serpent, half lamprey. There are plenty of gun battles, martial arts moves, and scenes of the characters riding to each other's rescue, but the storytelling is less interesting than the visuals and the plot borrows a little too heavily from Akira and other series. "Suggested 15 Up" for violence, profanity and brief nudity; alcohol and tobacco use. --Charles Solomon

Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040: Collection 1 - The Legend Reborn

Bubblegum Crisis - Tokyo 2040 - Leviathans (Vol. 3)

Tensions rise as Nene's reckless behavior leads Priss to question whether she belongs in the Knight Sabers. Nene redeems herself in a two-part adventure that pits the Knight Sabers, the AD Police, and Genom agents against a gargantuan blue monster that eats robot Boomers. Hacking into an ancient database, Nene finds the creature's only weak point and learns that it emerged from a biotechnical lab that was buried in the earthquake that destroyed much of the original Tokyo. Family histories come to the fore in episodes 11 and 12. Linna returns to her parents' home in the country and meets a handsome candidate for her hand. The lure of the Knight Sabers proves stronger, and she returns to Tokyo. Mason, the sinister vice president of Genom, searches for the Wiz Lab, where Sylia's father created the Boomers. He attempts to buy the assistance of Nigel, the Knight Sabers' taciturn mechanic, who worked in the lab years ago. Sylia is terrified that her father's lab may not have been destroyed in the great quake. Concerned about the nascent affection she and Mackie feel, Nene searches the Stingray family files and discovers that Mackie's appearance hasn't changed in 10 years. Episodes: 9. "My Nation Underground," 10. "Woke Up with a Monster," 11. "Sheer Heart Attack," 12. "Made in Japan." Not rated; suitable for ages 13 and up for violence, profanity, and sexual situations. --Charles Solomon

A new horror envelops Tokyo in a web of fear as a mysterious entity runs amok, pulling its victims into the sewers and devouring them! Can even the combined forces of the Knight Sabers, Genom and the A.D. Police stop the monster before it chooses its next victim? Then, with Linna missing, and Sylia and Nene out of action, Priss finds herself facing her most deadly adversary yet, a gargantuan military boomer that she cannot possibly stop alone.

Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040, Collection 2 - Ghosts and Demons

Chaos reigns as the Knight Sabers war against GENOM moves out of the shadows and into the streets in a spectacular orgy of destruction! But the real horror is yet to come; underneath the ruins of old Tokyo, a long buried secret begins to awake setting th