Julien Neaves, Editor
Plot: In Tokyo in late 2032 four female mercenaries in powered exoskeletons called "Knight Sabers" battle artificial cybernetic lifeforms called "boomers" created by megacorporation Genom as well as other robot threats.
Review: I'm in a couple of classic anime Facebook groups and I've seen the name "Bubblegum Crisis" mentioned more than once. And so, I decided to check out eight-episode cyberpunk OVA (1987-1991). While not a perfect series, it is a highly entertaining one.
#squadgoals
I love the animation style of this era of anime and Bubblegum Crisis, with its neon-soaked, Blade Runner-inspired aesthetic, definitely continues that trend. I enjoyed the design of the boomers who are a cross between replicants and Terminators. Seeing them burst out of their "skin" to reveal the robots beneath never got old. The action of the Knight Sabers battling boomers and the odd rogue giant robot was satisfying. And the characters are generally likeable, especially spunky Knight Saber/singer Priscilla "Priss" Asagiri and her unrequited love interest, too-cool-for-school officer Leon McNichol of the ineffectual Advanced Police.
The series is an odd one, though. The Knight Sabers are mercenaries but very rarely get paid and act more often as vigilantes. There are four members of the team, but Priss is the only one with any real character development over the eight episodes. The storyline is a mix of standalone stories and the throughline of the machinations of Genom, but at points it got difficult to follow. Maybe it's just me. I was also not a fan of the extended pop music sequences as I just found them boring. And while I enjoyed the action sequences, they often felt just a little too short. But overall, I had fun with Bubblegum Crisis, and it was successful enough to spawn several sequel series. Gimme a shout in the comments which of the sequels are worth checking out.
Editor Jules' Score: 7 out of 10
Are you a fan of Bubblegum Crisis? Which 80s anime should we retro review next? And you can check more classic anime content below:
CYBER COP VS PSYCHICS: ANGEL COP OVA RETRO REVIEW
WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED WITH GUYVER OVA OUT OF CONTROL?
AKIRA IS AWESOME: 5 FROM FUTAKI PT 2/5
Julien "Editor Jules" Neaves is a TARDIS-flying, Force-using Trekkie whose bedroom stories were by Freddy Krueger, learned to be a superhero from Marvel, but dreams of being Batman. I love promoting Caribbean film (Cariwood), creating board games and I am an award-winning author. I say things like "13 flavours of awesome sauce". Read more.
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