BUBBLEGUM CRISIS

is a cyberpunk-style anime set in a future, post-disaster Tokyo, called "Megatokyo". The series has a manga adaptation.

Contents

Product History

Plot outline

Episodes

Sequels, spin-offs and other related materials

Anime

Non-anime videos

Games

Comics and Manga

Other

Characters

A review of powered armor present in the series

K-11 Combat Armor

K-12 Battle Trooper

Crew

Megatokyo

See also

Notes and references

External links

Product History

The original OVA series was eight episodes long. It was originally slated to run for thirteen episodes, but due to legal problems between the two studios who jointly held the rights to the series, 'Artmic' and 'Youmex', the series was discontinued. The problems may have been brought on by the series' lackluster sales in Japan. In North America, however, the series did comparatively well, and has remained a fan favorite.
In Japan, a number of manga were produced that featured characters and storylines based in the BGC (a common abbreviation for the series name) universe. Some were very much thematically linked to the OVA series, others were "one shots" or comedy features. A number of artists participated in the creation of these comics, including Kenichi Sonoda, who had produced the original Knight Saber character designs. A North American comic based in the Bubblegum Crisis Universe was published in English by Dark Horse Comics.
The series involves the adventures of the Knight Sabers, an all woman group of superheroes/mercenaries, who don powered armor and fight various problems, most frequently rogue boomers. Boomers are humanoid robots designed to perform a variety of tasks, from construction and firefighting to combat; a particular model of Boomer, the BU-33S "Sexaroid", is designed for sexual purposes.
One of the central themes of the series, showing its Blade Runner influence strongly, is the exploration of what "human" really means. As in ''Blade Runner'', this is often done by using the mechanical characters, especially focusing on BU-33S.
Bubblegum Crisis was notable also in that it was one of the few early anime series that were brought over from Japan unedited and subtitled with English captions that still have a great deal of popularity today. While anime has become much more popular in the intervening years, in 1991 it was still mostly unknown as a storytelling medium in North America.

In 1997, a new series was created, titled ''Bubblegum Crisis 2040'', but was not a sequel to the original OVA series. Headed by Chiaki J. Konaka, it was a standalone television series, and while it used similar themes to the original, it employed new designs for the characters and the mechanical devices. This series ran for twenty six episodes. Some discussion has taken place between the production companies for a second season, tentatively titled ''Bubblegum Crisis 2041'', although many people suspect that the franchise owners have lost interest in it (it is still listed among their assets, however).
Despite the age of the original series, a non-Japanese fandom still exists for it (further research is necessary to determine the size of a possible Japanese one), and throughout the years there have been many debates on parts of the series that were unclear or deliberately arranged as to provoke discussion. The community of fans have produced large quantities of "fan fiction" and "fan art" based on both the OVA and television series with the current estimated count of fanfiction in English language alone well exceeding 400 texts ^[1][2][3], though there is a preponderance of works and discussion based on the original series. This is partly due to the longer period of time that it has been out, but it is also partly due to a large portion of the fandom expressing a preference for the original series. It is unclear as to how the proportions of preference will change as further time passes.
Bubblegum Crisis has many features that have proven attractive to many viewers of anime. The mecha designs, cyberpunk characters, and post-apocalyptic city of Megatokyo are well-realized and leave a lasting impression. The storylines are varied and complex, and are (sometimes deliberately, sometimes not) filled with parts that have multiple possible interpretations. The series was also one of the earliest anime to have a strong yuri fandom.
The music throughout the original OVA series is one of the most recognizable in anime fandom and generates a strong feeling of 1980's nostalgia. The opening song and sequence for the first OVA, as well as many of the other songs throughout the series, clearly draw inspiration from the 1984 movie Streets of Fire. Nearly all of the music is available, as there are 8 soundtrack releases (one per OVA).
A roleplaying game based on the series was published by R. Talsorian in 1997 under the Fuzion system. It contains many original sketches of the characters, mecha and settings, as well as detailed background information about them. A supplement detailing the 1997 series was planned, but could not be completed before RTG's license expired in 2002.
A digitally-remastered compilation of the original series' episodes, featuring bi-lingual tracks and production extras, was released on DVD in 2004 by AnimEigo Inc.

Plot outline

The eight-episode series spans the years of 2032 to 2033, starting in early 2032, seven years after the (fictional) great Kanto earthquake which split Tokyo — and its people — in two. During the introductory scenes of the first episode, disparities in wealth and power were shown to be more pronounced than in previous periods in post-war Japanese history, and over all loomed the shadow of the mega corporation Genom's babylonical tower.
Genom is a fictional corporation that was shown to have immense power in the Bubblegum Crisis world. Genom's main merchandise were the Boomers — artificial beings used in place of humans for manual labor. But while the Boomers were intended to serve mankind, they also became deadly instruments in the hands of ruthless individuals working for their own goals, as shown throughout the OVA series. The AD Police were employed to deal with matters that the regular police departments could not, and this included Boomer threats. A recurring theme of the series was the inability of the department to deal with the threats, owing to political infighting, red tape and an insufficient budget.
With the sub-title, "The Story of Knight Sabers", the viewer could be certain that a new force would appear in order to deter the attacks of the various boomer and super-powered criminal organizations. The Knight Sabers are analogues of the all-male sentai fighting teams, and as such were depicted as having tremendous combat abilities (though these were thanks to their powered armor hard-suits), along with secret identities. Throughout the OVA series, they battled against long odds to overcome grave threats and preserve the overall safety of Megatokyo, though we are shown tremendous destruction to the surrounding environs on numerous occasions (most notably in Episode 6, where we see the destruction of an R & D facility, and in Episode 1, where the abandoned "Aqua City" facility was destroyed entirely in a complex and likely expensive animation sequence).

Episodes

# 'Tinsel City' - The Knight Sabers are hired to rescue a little girl from a group of kidnappers, but the girl is far more than she seems...
# 'Born To Kill' - A friend of Linna's threatens to expose Genom secrets that led to the death of her fiancé, but Genom plans to silence her, first.
# 'Blow Up' - The Knight Sabers attack Genom Tower to put an end to the machinations of Genom executive Brian J. Mason.
# 'Revenge Road' - A racer modifies his car into a weapon of vengeance against the biker gangs of Megatokyo, but the car soon develops a mind of its own.
# 'Moonlight Rambler' - A killer is draining victims of their blood, but this is no vampire. And what do a pair of escaped love-doll androids and the D.D. super-weapon have to do with it?
# 'Red Eyes' - A group of fake Knight Sabers are ruining the group's reputation, leading to a fight against a returning foe.
# 'Double Vision' - A singer with a vendetta comes to Megatokyo, and brings some heavy firepower with her.
# 'Scoop Chase' - An ambitious technical scientist and an aspiring reporter both plan to make their names at the expense of the Knight Sabers, and Nene is caught right in the middle.

Sequels, spin-offs and other related materials

Anime

★ ''AD Police Files''

★ ''Bubblegum Crash''

★ ''Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040''

★ ''

★ ''Parasite Dolls'' (a three-episode OVA about Branch, a secret division of the AD Police)

★ ''Scramble Wars'' released with Ten Little Gall Force

Non-anime videos

★ ''Holiday in Bali'' special (live action)

★ ''Hurricane Live'' 2032 and 2033

Games

★ "Crime wave" game for PC-88, set in Megatokyo and featuring Knight Sabers as the main characters (an overview of the game can be found here)

★ "Bubblegum Crash" game for Turbo Grafx 16. (an overview of the game can be found here)

Comics and Manga

★ produced by Adam Warren via Dark Horse Comics. It is regarded as non-canon by some of fans, but sources exist that suggest it may in fact have been approved as part of BGC canon. [1]

★ Manga spinoffs based on the A.D. Police anime

Other

★ Bubblegum Crisis role-playing game produced by R. Talsorian Games. It introduces an alternate setting named "Bubblegum Crossfire", basing on a premise that data units with hardsuit blueprints have been sent to more individuals than just Sylia Stingray, resulting in that by 2033 there are numerous Knight Saber-like groups spread all over the globe. RTG's license to produce this game has expired and at present all copies of back stock have been sold.
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★ "Bubblegum Crisis: Before and After" (covering material from A.D. Police Files and Bubblegum Crash)
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★ "Bubblegum Crisis EX" which includes completely new materials (also incorporating early design concepts for BGC mecha and hardsuits as new variants)

★ Ground Zero Games produces four sets of 28 mm scale miniatures based on Bubblegum Crisis [2]:
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★ Knight Sabers
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★ Boomers (actually BU-55 combat boomers)
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★ A.D. Police officers
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★ "GENOM bosses" (pack contains Quincy, Mason and GENOM battlesuit)

★ "Soldier Blue" novel by Toshimichi Suzuki. Translated into English language in 1997 by R.Talsorian Games. A copy of the translation can be found here.

★ Some images from BGC also were used in the CCG Ani-Mayhem.

Characters

Note: all character information is for the original OVA series. There are some differences in character background for ''BGC 2040''.
' Genom '
In the Bubblegum Crisis Universe, Genom or GENOM is the primary manufacturer and distributor of the bio-organic constructs known as boomers. This makes GENOM the primary enemy of the Knight Sabers, led by Sylia Stingray, daughter of the man who created the boomers. In both versions of the series, GENOM is run by a mysterious figure named Quincy, though the depiction of Quincy varies from one continuity to another (in the original series he was a dangerous, hands on owner, while in 2040 he is almost a puppet vegetable of a man, so old and decrepit he needs tubes and wires to keep himself alive while insanely dreaming of a boomer/human paradise). Brian J. Mason also works for GENOM, and his schemes are either offshoots of or interference to Quincy's.
To show the power and domination of Genom, the viewer was shown the gargantuan Genom Towers, which stood in many of that world's most important cities. These towers bear a resemblance to the Tower of Babel, both in appearance and in symbolism, as well as the Tyrell Corporation's tower in ''Blade Runner''.
'Sylia Stingray'
Main articles: Sylia Stingray

'Priss Asagiri'
Main articles: Priscilla S. Asagiri

'Nene Romanova'
Main articles: Nene Romanova

'Linna Yamazaki'
Main articles: Linna Yamazaki

'Inspector Leon McNichol'

An AD Police officer, Leon is a dedicated cop, with a tendency to rush in without thinking. He is a skilled powered armor pilot, one of the AD Police force's aces in its K-11 and K-12S powered suits.
Leon has a crush on Priss, which she does not like since she has reasons to despise the AD Police. As the series progresses he discovers that she is a Knight Saber, but does nothing with that knowledge. Instead he continues to help the team as best as he can. Priss and Leon's relationship grows closer during the series, and in a side story audio drama, she confesses that she loves him.
Leon also appears in the ''AD Police'' manga and anime series, where he is a rookie officer.
Original OVA voice actor: Toshio Furukawa
English voice actor: Brad Moranz
'Deputy Inspector Daley Wong'

AD Police officer. Daley is Leon's partner, and a highly skilled investigator. Daley is also openly homosexual, which is worth noting because at the time the original OVA was produced male homosexual characters were quite rare in anime. Also notable is the ease and comfort of Daley and Leon's working relationship: Daley flirts openly with the heterosexual Leon, and Leon often reciprocates with good humor.
Daley is not developed much in the series. He is, however, portrayed to be loyal and highly competent, both as Leon's underling and as a commander in his own right (in the first and final episodes he is shown commanding his own AD Police squad). Daley's sense of humor is very dry and understated.
Original OVA voice actor: Kenyuu Horiuchi
'Brian J. Mason/Largo'

The primary villain of the first three episodes, Mason, a high-level executive in the GENOM corporation is the man who killed Dr. Stingray and stole his boomer technology. As with Sylia, certain mysteries are created around Mason which are never resolved in the series. It is generally accepted that Mason somehow transferred his personality into a boomer body some time prior to his death in episode 3. Most likely he succeeded in transferring his memories into the ultimate boomer, thus creating a God-like being able to vaporize 8 major Genom branch towers in a single instant with the mind and the dreams of a man. Largo resurfaces to become the primary villain of episodes 5 and 6.
See "The Mason/Largo Theory" at http://www.ravensgarage.com/garage/maslargo.htm for more details on how Mason may have transferred his consciousness to Largo.
Original OVA voice actors: Shuuichi Ikeda (Mason); Kazuyuki Sogabe (Largo)
'Quincy'

The Chief Executive and founder of Genom. He is an enigmatic old man who hides many secrets under the face of an unfazeable and ruthless businessman. His company participates in the manufacture of many necessities around the world, but he wants more — total domination of the world.
While he makes several appearances in the series, he is never truly met personally. He is killed twice, only to be revealed each time as an android double. It is speculated by fans that he may have downloaded his personality into Genom's main database; several clues to this are offered in the ''AD Police'' manga series.
Original OAV voice actor: Kiyoshi Kawakubo.


'Mackie Stingray'
Main articles: Mackie Stingray

' Chief Todo '
The black Chief of the AD Police (his name could be a mispronunciation of Todd) is a bad-tempered man who has to put up both with official restrictions and rebellious underlings, Leon in particular. But he cares for his men; he has gone so far as granting Leon the freedom he needs without his 'official' knowledge or approval on several occasions. He has a niece, Lisa, who plays a central role in episode eight, ''Scoop Chase''.
' Fargo '
Fargo is an informant, plain and simple. His background is unknown, but his information includes data from the government, Genom, and the various criminal syndicates and underworlds, so he has a lot of connections. He has found the Knight Sabers a few Genom-related contracts, and Sylia trusts him to the point that he knows her true identity. He even has the audacity to ask Sylia into dangerous parts of MegaTokyo after dark for meetings, and is constantly pursuing her as a sexual conquest. Sylia, however, does not have any interest in this and makes it very obvious.
'Naoko'
While not a major character per se, she appears often enough in the original series to deserve a mention. She is Nene's colleague (as an ADP Operator) and best friend outside the Knight Sabers; the two share a common interest in popular music and looking for a boyfriend.

A review of powered armor present in the series

K-11 Combat Armor

The K-11 series of powered armor units was developed by the military, but has since been purchased and employed by policing organizations in order to combat the growing Boomer problems. The ADP utilized the K-11 for operations against more powerful and dangerous boomers, such as the Bu-12b, which is a full combat model. The K-11 was eventually replaced with the improved K-12S model.
Noted by the USSD as inferior to the Knight Saber's hard suits, the K-11 was introduced to the viewers in the first episode, though only via a line-art diagram displayed on a monitor.
The K-11 makes its return in episode 3 of the OVA series, where a pair are used to stop a rampaging Bu-12b heavy combat boomer. While both suits were destroyed (and both operators killed), the boomer rampage was halted through their selfless actions. The difficulty of combatting a powerful boomer like the Bu-12b was compounded by the need to minimize collateral damage, as the battle took place in a built-up area.
The K-11 is used in the same way as the Knight Saber's hard suits; a soldier or police officer is inside the armor and the arms and legs of the person are placed in the respective armor parts. This means that the K-11 is directly controlled via the users body — if the user moves his arm, for example, the armor follows the movement.
'K-11 Specifications'
The K-11 is equipped with a large conventional rifle, capable of penetrating heavy armor at close range, though its efficacy at longer ranges appeared to be low. It could be considered an autocannon, as the series depicted it discharging at a low, but continuous, rate of fire.
The armor of the K-11 is not proof against the powerful cannon that equips the heavy Bu-12b, but had some resistance versus the associated machine gun, which suggests at least light armor protection.
Equipped with a pair of flight wings (in a back pack) and lift thrusters (mounted in the legs), the K-11 has a hover capability, though not high above the ground, and likely cannot leave ground effect flight. For deployment, it can be air-dropped via transport helicopter, and uses a parachute to slow its descent.
'Trivia'
Both the K-11 and K-12 are listed as based on a powered armor called MADOX (from the anime of the same name), since all three armors share a similar design.

K-12 Battle Trooper

Unlike the K-11 which was built by and for the Military, but later given to police units, the K-12 was developed from the beginning to be a heavy Powered Armor suit built specifically for organizations like the ADP.
The K-12 unit was intended more for a defensive, rather than offensive purpose. This is unlike the K-11, and as such, it has heavier armor and reduced portability/deployabilty. Most notably, it seems to lack the hovering capability that the K-11 possessed.
The K-12 was first introduced at the end of Episode Five, when Detective Leon McNichol tried to stop a military-grade Battle Mover (the DD) with it. The K-12 was no match for the far more powerful DD, and only the timely intervention of the Knight Sabers saved both Leon and the city from disaster.
In Episode 6 the K-12 made another appearance in form of the K-12S, also used by Leon McNicol, and was again in battle versus far more powerful opponents, leading to a predictable defeat despite a valiant effort. It should be noted that even the Knight Sabers encountered great difficulty in defeating the Superboomer foes that the AD Police faced.
The K-12's arms seem to be equipted with machine guns (one artwork shows a triple barreled mini-gun build in each arm). The reason why Leon didn't used these guns against the DD was that he had no ammo for it (one scene shows the armor around the arm closing being empty inside).
The K-12 seems to be also equipted with strong thrusters, being able to jump on a very large building or from a helicopter.

Crew

The original character designs were done by Kenichi Sonoda, a manga artist most known for his Gunsmith Cats series. He was selected after ''Final Fantasy'' character designer, image illustrator and title logo designer Yoshitaka Amano declined to participate in the development of the series. He was joined in the final two episodes by Satoshi Urushihara.
Directors: Katsuhito Akiyama, Hiroaki Gōda, and Masami Obari.

Megatokyo

Some people believe that the ''Megatokyo'' webcomic created by Fred Gallagher and Rodney Caston is based on the anime. This is in fact, false: the comic is named after its internet domain (previously hosting one of Caston's short-lived news sites), which in turn took its name from the city.
While the above is true, it is also true that the secondary protagonist of this web comic is called "Largo", which of course can only fuel suspicions of a tribute to the BGC series.

See also

★ Knight Sabers

★ AD Police

★ Boomer (anime term)

★ Megatokyo

Notes and references

1. Bubblegum Crisis Fan Fiction Guide Last version of the guide names 350 texts
2. Bubblegum Crisis fanfiction archive The BGC fanfiction repository on eyrie.org archive has over 400 texts. These do not fully overlap with ones named in the Fanfiction guide.
3. fanfiction.net Bubblegum Crisis category The Bubblegum Crisis cathegory on fanfiction.net lists further 292 texts, altough it is unknown how many of them overlap with previously mentioned sources.

External links

★ Animeigo BGC

★ Megatokyo 2033: BUBBLEGUM CRISIS

★ The Bubblegum Crisis Center

★ The Squiddy Awards homepage

★ BGC Cast

★

★

★ Another Bubblegum Crisis FAQ

★ Raven's Garage

★ Bubblegum Crisis A2Z