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| Main Series Review | Character Development |
| Semi-Critical Series Analysis | |
The following pages are all set up in a similar manner. First, each page starts with a detailed plot synopsis of the episode. Second, there is a list of interesting details within the scene which may take many viewings to notice. Third, I have included my personal review of the episode. And last, there are several paragraphs devoted to the development of important characters and a minor analysis of the various social and/or political commentary I noticed within the episode.There are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, the plot synopsis is detailed enough that reading it will spoil your viewing of the episode if you haven't seen it yet. Keep that in mind, and if you don't want an episode to be spoiled, don't read the plot synopsis. Second, the episode review is my opinion. I've attempted to explain some of the reasons for why I enjoy a particular episode or not, but sometimes it just comes down to personal preference. Your mileage may vary, so please, no email saying how terribly wrong I am about the quality of any given episode.
Finally, I have occasionally been accused of the following: seeing social/political/etc. commentary in anime where it just doesn't exist and saying that characters develop in a series when in fact they don't. I have, in fact, been told this about Bubblegum Crisis. The Character Development and Episode Analysis sections of each episode's page is devoted to the attempt to prove that there is, in fact, significant main character development and social/political/etc. commentary within Bubblegum Crisis.
By now, I would certainly hope that everyone viewing this rather large and complex webpage would have some general idea how I personally feel about Bubblegum Crisis. But for those of you who might not have figured it out yet,
I LOVE IT!!!! Not necessarily literally, but this is one of my favorite anime to date. That's probably why I've had no real trouble building such a complex page devoted to it - it's a labor of love, of sorts.
Now, the question becomes why do I like Bubblegum Crisis so much? Well, you see, it's like this....
- First of all, I happen to love cyberpunk in general. I have role-played cyberpunk games, read cyberpunk novels and short-stories, written some cyberpunk short-stories, and watched a large number of cyberpunk movies and anime. I really think that, in general, the cyberpunk genre is really cool. There are many other cyberpunk anime available (Armitage III, AD Police,Ghost in the Shell, Akira, and Dominion for starters), and Bubblegum Crisis is, to date, my favorite.
- I generally enjoy mecha-based anime. Bubblegum Crisis' motorslaves certainly qualify as mecha, and the various hardsuits that the main charaters wear come close as well. Add the AD Police's K-11 and K-12S powered suits and the various battlemovers, and the mecha are a hell of a lot of fun. So what if no self-respecting combat force will ever use a tank with articulated limbs? If I wanted hard realism, would I be watching the vast majority of anime? I didn't think so....
- Boomers are also just plain cool. Ever since reading Issac Asimov's Robots series, I've found the concept of androids fascinating. Add to this the moral ambiguity inherent to the "Assemblers of Prosperity" and the conflicting opinions about Boomers presented throughout the series, and the viewer is left asking quite a few interesting, and ultimately unanswered, questions.
- I happen to like the idea of a powerful female characters in most any format, but the presentation of a woman hacker and a woman engineer in the series goes a step beyond the "standard" powerful, self-contained female character. Being an electrical engineer myself, I understand reasonably well that women have not yet penetrated most technical fields to any significant extent. The concept that a woman could not only be independent, but excell in a male dominated profession, as well as the fact that it is Japan where this is occuring, is nothing short of extraordinary. There are so few women technical professionals that I can't help but hope that a few women or teenagers watch this series and are inspired to become technical professionals. Real life role-models would be much better, of course, but a fictional role-model is better than none.
- I enjoy the music. I feel it usually fits the mood of the various scenes each song accompanies, and it enhances the power of the series. Another reason is that I happen to like much of the music which came out of the late '80's, when Bubblegum Crisis was released. The Bubblegum music isn't the hard-techno/cyberpunk music in Armitage III, but I still enjoy it and feel that it enhances the series rather than detracts from it.
- Bubblegum Crisis shows a very real possible future. I don't mean with Motorslaves, Genki Battlemovers, or anything like that, but rather the growing disparity between the haves and have-nots, the ever-increasing pace of technological change, the general feeling that people are being cut off from each other by computers and technology rather than being brought together, the Net (Bubblegum Crisis' version of an advanced, future Information Superhighway), and the collapse of various peices of the environment due to human influences and interference. A lot of what I just listed is what makes Bubblegum Crisis cyberpunk, but some of it isn't in the general definition of what is cyberpunk. In many respects, Bubblegum Crisis is a cautionary series, warning us of what a possible, terrible future we may be creating.
- But probably the most important reason I like Bubblegum Crisis is the characters. The designers and animators spent so much time developing the majority of the characters, even the semi-minor ones like Lisa Vanette, Leon, and J.B. Gibson that the characters became people whom I could relate to. Sure, the characters all used fantastic technologies, occasionally did strange things for a living, or were difficult to like for one reason or another, but they all had real lives and personalities which I could relate to. I could see myself in almost any of the character's positions, and when I can do that, I generally enjoy the story, regardless of whether it's an anime, a movie, or even a novel.
- However, one major personal complaint with the entire Bubblegum universe is the discontinuity between Bubblegum Crisis and Bubblegum Crash. Simply put, the two series cannot exist in the same universe, regardless of what some fans say. First off, the characters in BGC are significantly more developed than in Crash. They all have lives, personalities, dreams, etc. In Crash, however, Priss, who has a potential emotional relationship with Leon developing and who has reached some understanding of the moral ambiguities regarding Boomers, is totally uninterested in Leon and is more vehement in her racism toward Boomers than she has ever been. Leon himself appears to have forgotten that Priss is actually a Knight Saber, and that he's all but in love with her, as he is at the end of BGC. Nene is actually skilled and confident, both normally and in combat, which she's never been before. Linna is mercenary and greedy beyond all of her prior limits. In short, all the characters besides Sylia have been reduced to a level only slightly above stereotypes. In adition, Genom has apparently ceased to exist in the span of a year. Without Genom, the world of BGC would have collapsed as Boomers, provided by only Genom and thier wholly-owned subsidiaries, gradually failed. And the Boomers themselves are woefully stupid and weak when compared to the Boomers in BGC. Even the dumb and weak Boomers in BGC are a hell of a lot more dangerous and intelligent than the maniquinne Boomers shown in Crash. Added all together, these factors mean that Bubblegum Crash cannot exist in the same universe nor be timeline continuous with Bubblegum Crisis, the original.
I have gone in search of various documents which would prove, one way or another, that Crash is supposed to be a direct continuation of Crisis. I have read the Suzuki Toshimichi interview from Animerica (I have a transcribed copy I'm willing to email to people who request it. I will not be posting it on this page, however) as well as the translation of Soldier Blue from the BGC drama CD, and remain totally unconvinced. Neither addresses the fundamental issues of Genom, personality changes, and Boomer stupidity, and so while both documents indicate that the intent to link Bubblegum Crisis with Bubblegum Crash was there, the actual product does not support the connection. I prefer to judge the two series based on thier actual content rather than the intent of the creator, and because of this, I cannot accept that Bubblegum Crash is a direct sequel, in all respects, to the original Bubblegum Crisis. As an interesting, final aside, the R. Talsorian Bubblegum Crisis - Before and After supplement to the original Bubblegum Crisis RPG presents a far better explanation of how the two series might be compatible than any argument, interview, or book I have yet seen. I don't agree, but at least their explanations make some sense and don't rely on unprovable fiats.
Character Development This section is devoted to a rough sketch of where all the characters develop in the series. The main idea is to provide a list of the characters and which episodes they develop the most in. I won't spoil how the characters develop in the various episodes. If you want to know how the characters develop, then go to the character (The Knight Sabers or Other Bubblegum Characters) pages or to the episodes named after each character. Click on the character's name to go to their respective entry in either of the two pages devoted to the various characters in Bubblegum Crisis, or on the episode name to go to that episode.
- Linna: Linna develops the most in Born to Kill and Double Vision, although she plays an important part in Revenge Road as well.
- Nene: Nene develops most significantly in Revenge Road and Scoop Chase, but her various short-term appearances in Moonlight Rambler, and Double Vision are very important for her character develpment as well.
- Priss: Priss develops the most out of all the Knight Sabers, starting in Tinsel City and going through Blow Up, Moonlight Rambler, and Red Eye's. She develops very little outside of those episodes, at least in comparison.
- Sylia: Sylia develops the least out of all the characters, with no episodes generally devoted to her character development. Nonetheless, various aspects of her personality are shown in Tinsel City, Blow Up, Moonlight Rambler, Red Eye's, and Scoop Chase.
- Daley: While Daley is not developed much in the series, the episodes Born to Kill, Moonlight Rambler, and Scoop Chase have what little character development Daley undergoes.
- Leon: On the other hand, Leon is tied with Priss for having the most character development. His development begins in Tinsel City, is most significant in Moonlight Rambler and Red Eye's, and takes a couple of interesting turns in Revenge Road and Double Vision. He develops some in every other episode as well.
- Mackie: Mackie first shows up as an interesting character in Revenge Road and he develops even more in Scoop Chase, but he shows up in Tinsel City and Born to Kill as well.
- Chief Todo Chief Todo really only develops in any significant manner in Moonlight Rambler and Double Vision after being introduced in Born to Kill.
Semi-Critical Series Analysis At one point, I made a statement on the newsgroup rec.arts.anime.misc that was essentially "Bubblegum Crisis is one of the most mature and deep anime I have ever seen." Unfortunately, I wasn't particularly able to support my statement. Luckily, at the time, I wasn't asked to support that statement with evidence for my opinion, and in fact several other people came to support me where I was unable to do so. That discussion, and many other like it with regards to Bubblegum Crisis and other favorite anime, got me thinking that perhaps it would be a good thing if I sat down, carefully and critically watched Bubblegum Crisis again, and then determined whether or not I really felt that Bubblegum Crisis was one of the most mature and deep anime I had ever seen. The following mini-essay is the result of that viewing and analysis.
There are a couple of disclaimers I need to make first. The first and most important is that I cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that everything I see is actually in the anime. Much of the commentary will be irrefutable, but most of it is an interpretation of various scenes, character interactions, background, etc. As a lot of the depth and social/political commentary I have seen in this anime is my interpretation, there is certainly the possibility that other people could very easily have other interpretations which are totally different than my own, or even that other viewers will see nothing in a scene which I interpret to have significant depth of meaning. Second, I occasionally read too much into a particular story, movie, novel, or anime, and because of this, I could be overanalyzing Bubblegum Crisis and finding depth that simply isn't there in much the same way a literature professor could read more meaning into a classic novel than the auther intended. And finally, I enjoy Bubblegum Crisis very much. This fact means that I cannot present an completely unbiased view of the anime. I have attempted to weed out some of the greater leaps of logic (with a few exceptions) that I occasionally present in the individual episode analyses, but some of the depth and commentary I see may be obvious only to me. Please keep these all in mind when you read the following, and if you feel that these disclaimers totally invalidate my analysis, so be it.
Bubblegum Crisis was originally created by AIC in 1988. Since its creation, Bubblegum Crisis has increasingly drawn large numbers of fans due to its music, action, characters, quality of animation, and depth of meaning. That the music has drawn attention is well documented, as much through the concerts that the Knight Sabers, the vocal group composed of the original four voice actresses for Nene, Priss, Sylia, and Linna, as through the high sales of the Bubblegum Crisis original soundtracks (now out of print), the two Bubblegum Crisis Vocal Collections (both are still available), and even two collections of music videos, Hurricane 2032 and 2033. The action of the series is fast paced, with many different mecha (mechanical armor, battle robots, and transformable vehicles) and reasonably realistic combat scenes. The quality of animation is generally excellent, with the characters and backgrounds rendered in exquisite detail and the fluidity of movement significantly better than the average anime.
But what of the characters themeselves? How about the meaning, if any, behind the series itself? Are the main characters nothing more than shadows or stereotypes, or are they characters with real, and realistic, personalities? Are the Knight Sabers enjoyed only because they're all attractive women and for the occasionally gratuitious nudity or frontal body shots, or do they instead successfully draw you into the anime, and the character's lives, with thier personality and interactions? Is the series itself devoid of meaning, or does it attempt (and possibly succeed) to present important issues, philosophical questions, and social/political commentary? If not, then is Bubblegum Crisis merely pure mind candy? This essay attempts to present my answers to these questions, and to support those answers by using the eight Bubblegum Crisis OVAs themselves.
The main characters, in no particular order, are Nene Romanova, an Advanced Police (AD Police) employee performing data entry and analysis; Priss Asagiri, an aspiring professional singer and motorcycle enthusiast/fanatic; Sylia Stingray, the wealthy owner of the Silky Doll lingerie shop and the enigmatic leader of the Knight Sabers; Linna Yamazaki, an aerobics dance instructor and, arguably, the most "normal" of the Knight Sabers; and Leon McNichol, AD Police lieutenant extraordinare. The secondary characters, also in no particular order, are Daley Wong, Largo, Mackie Stingray, Irene and Reika Chang, Chief Todo, Lisa Vanette, J.B. Gibson, Sylvie and Anri, and Brian J. Mason and Quincy. The primary characters are each integral parts to nearly every episode, while the secondary characters have important, occasionally even vital, roles to play in one or two episodes. Combined, these seventeen characters form the backbone of Bubblegum Crisis, and a significant amount of time in the series is devoted exclusively to thier development as well as to explanations of thier character.
For example, AD Police lieutanent Leon McNichol is first introduced in Tinsel City. First impressions leave the viewer with the idea that he is overconfident, tactless, and, at minimum, a potential womanizer. He seems to have a death-wish, considering he calmly stares down armored combat Boomers while wearing no armor himself and carrying nothing but a large, three-shot pistol. When Leon finally gets his chance to meet his favorite singer Priss, he immediately asks her out to dinner, even though she has just exited a fast food restaurant and is actually eating a hamburger.
When he encounters Priss again at Aqua City, he propositions her immediately after saving her from yet another combat Boomer. Not only is Leon overconfident, but he obviously has a sense of humor. As the series progresses, Leon's personality develops significantly. The viewer learns that he finds his self image and level of "coolness" to be important; important to the point that he wears trademark sunglasses at night, even while staring through binoculars. (Revenge Road) His practiced casual attitude, aloofness, and even tactlessness is a facade, intentionally hiding and protecting a man who has real emotions, but also a man who rarely allows others to get close enough to him to see beneath the surface. In Moonlight Rambler, Leon retreats almost as far from a woman's body as he can possibly manage, standing near the exit of the morgue and staring away from the body, obviously upset and deep in thought. And, in Red Eye's, he admits that he is worried about Priss and that he doesn't want to see her get hurt by Largo. Not only that, but the same AD Police officer who was unwilling to help Priss get out of a speeding ticket in Blow Up later turns a blind eye to her activities as a Knight Saber, even though Leon knows that the team is responsible for the death of Brian J. Mason and are accessories to kidnapping, among other crimes. With this level of character depth, Leon cannot possibly be considered a superficial character, nor can the fact that he develops significantly in the series be denied.
Even Sylia Stingray, the primary chracter who gets the least screen time devoted to her development, is an extremely deep character at inception. She is introduced as the daughter of Dr. Stingray, the researcher most directly responsible for the creation of Boomers. She is cold and distant, and attempts to adhere to the rigid, almost immutable code of ethics known as the 11 Rules of the Knight Sabers. In Tinsel City, for example, Priss escapes from her kidnappers by forcing the driver into an accident and then by stealing a motorcycle and running. When Mackie intercepts Leon reporting that he is in pursuit of a Boomer and a racing motorcyclel, Linna and Nene are immediately ready to rush to the rescue, even though, as Sylia reminds them, they can't know that the woman riding the motorcycle is Priss. Yet even coldhearted Sylia has her limits, and she shortly leads the other two Knight Sabers to the rescue after realizing that even Priss can't fight off a combat Boomer without her hardsuit. Sylia is also willing to overlook and rationalize the breaking of her precious 11 Rules if it is the only way to ensure that the Knight Sabers continue to exist, as she does in Blow Up. At one point, she comments that she would very much like to meet Priss' new friend Sylvie, a comment which is so far out of her normal character that it begs the question she's starting to perform an ultra-rational threat analysis of a new factor in Priss' life. Sylia's actions are nearly always firmly rational, or rationalized, and the only chinks in her rational armor are when she teases her fellow Knight Sabers. Finally, Sylia is the one character who truly begs the question about humanity: she is the least human of all the primary characters. She is nearly emotionless, impersonal, and calculating. In fact, Sylia is so emotionally distant and cold that she asks Priss to turn over a data disk which would allow Anri, an injured 33-S Boomer, to live a normal, human life. That she would ask Priss for the disk is completely reasonable, but asking immediately after Priss had to personally kill Sylvie, a 33-S Boomer and Priss' best friend, whose dying request was that the data disk be delivered to Anri, shows not only a marked lack of tact, but an excellent sense of brutal, pragmatic reality. But Sylia also understands, probably better than any of the other Knight Sabers, the moral and ethical dilemmas that being a mercenary, paid vigilante, and nemisis to Genom entails, as her dialogue with Lisa Vanette in Scoop Chase shows. While Sylia Stingray may not develop much during the course of the eight episodes, she is so excellently well developed upon introduction that she truly needs very little development.
While the secondary characters cannot be developed as much as the primary ones can, most of them are nonetheless sufficiently detailed to make them real personalities rather than mere stereotypes. Chief Todo, seen in only three episodes, starts out as a severe blowhard, but becomes more tolerant of his impatient officers (like Leon) as the series progresses. Eventually, even Chief Todo is pushed beyond his limits, and he even unofficially assists those same impatient officers when justice is obviously and blatently not being served. The almost stereotypical lecherous teenaged boy Mackie, Sylia's younger brother, changes not so much in his personality as in his responsibility. He begins the series as a driver of the Knight Sabers' trucks, gradually grows into the role of a skilled and creative mecha designer and mechanic. Gradually, Mackie transforms into a valuable and important behind-the-scenes member of the Knight Sabers. Lisa Vanette, to whom almost all of the final episode (Scoop Chase) is devoted, is a 17 year-old girl who begins the process of growing up, with all the moral and ethical ambiguities inherent in that transformation, before the viewer's eyes. Not only is the viewer shown this transformation, but it is done so expertly that it is entirely believable. The redemption of J.B. Gibson at the end of Revenge Road comes nearly at the cost of his life, yet one can easily understand Gibson's obsession with extracting vengeance from those responsible for driving his girlfriend into catatonia.
And what of Reika Chang? Her emotional pain and search for vengeance are hardly difficult to comprehend after not only her parents, but her only sibling, were murdered as a direct result of the pursuit of money and power? Reika seeks revenge even knowing that it is costing her her singing career and forcing her into the underworld of secret societies and organized crime. Ultimately, all of these so-called "secondary" characters are very real in the sense that the viewer can relate to them, and thus the detailed characters provide Bubblegum Crisis with another basis by which viewers are drawn deeper into the series.
Upon viewing Bubblegum Crisis more carefully, one spots another level of depth beyond the realistic characters and thier development. Specifically, Bubblegum Crisis discusses various social and philosophical issues on two levels: individual episodes and series as a whole. On the episode level, Bubblegum Crisis discusses family and tradition as well as maturity and growing up. Other episode issues include the "evils" of corporate culture, the devaluation of humanity by profit-motivated corporations, freedom and slavery, and government corruption. Some of these issues will be discussed in greater detail with regard to the entire series.
The episode Double Vision deals extensively with the issues of family and tradition. The world of Bubblegum Crisis presents a view of family that is not standard cyberpunk. The families in the series may be missing one or both parents, or the children may not understand thier parents and siblings, but the family nonetheless appears to be generally a coherent unit. Enter into the series the Chang family: built upon a base of Chinese immigrants, the Changs have headed up the Hou Bang secret society for generations. Until Reika and Irene Chang, that is. Irene, the younger of the two sisters, wanted to be a normal woman, to live a life independant of the family shadows, and she changed her name to Cane to further that desire. Reika became the mysterious idol singer known only as Vision. It wasn't until Irene was murdered by one of Brian J. Mason's bodyguards that Reika, who had refused to seek vengeance for her parent's murders, was pushed past the point of no return, and back into the Hou Bang, eventually ascending to a leadership position. Perhaps to an American, this desire to leave behind a family tradition is not particularly surprising. But to a culture as steeped in tradition and familial obligation as the Japanese, this must be a rather severe shock. After all, what daughter would leave behind her family and history if she had been properly raised to begin with? Family takes another step up the ladder of importance when one considers the fact that the only reason Reika is willing to ascend to the Hou Bang leadership is to avenge her sister's death by killing Quincy, the Chairman of Genom. Reika's grandfather, the current head of both the Hou Bang and Chang Industries, didn't want to drag Reika into the shadows and allowed her to be independant until Reika approached him about entering the Hou Bang. The Changs appear to be a very tight family in many respects, even as they seem to hate themselves, and this internal tension is the foundation upon which Double Vision was created.
In Scoop Chase, however, a different issue was tackled: maturity. Lisa Vanette comes into the episode with a chip the size of Montana on her shoulder, and all her considerable ire is directed solely at the Knight Sabers, those mercenaries who not only steal large sums of money from the poor but who also destroy defeneseless girls' cameras. But as Lisa comes closer and closer to revealing the identity of at least one Knight Saber (Nene), she also becomes to question her original motivations more and more. When she could see the Knight Sabers as soul-less, emotionless mercenaries, she could hunt them and expose them, but as she becomes friendly with Nene, and thus begins to see one of the Knight Sabers as an actual person, and discusses the moral and ethical issues behind the actions of the Knight Sabers with Sylia, she begins to realize that the Knight Sabers aren't just mercenaries, but mere human beings attempting to help MegaTokyo in the best way they can. By the end of the episode, Lisa has begun to grow up, and she has faced some of the moral ambiguity which is inherent in being an adult. Specifically, Lisa has come to realize the fact that nothing of any significant import can be described in black and white, but rather in shades of grey.
Yes, Lisa discovers the identity of one of the Knight Sabers, but she also watches that "mercenary" fight tooth and nail to keep the AD Police from being destroyed by its own computer, and she watches all the other Knight Sabers literally risk thier lives to save her and the AD Police. Giving Nene the only evidence (the photos and the negatives of Nene in her hardsuit) that she is a Knight Saber shows that Lisa has matured significantly in her short time working with Nene and the AD Police.
More importantly, there are a large number of issues that are discussed by the series as a coherent whole. Some of the issues are nearly inherent to the cyberpunk setting, such as government corruption, corporate culture and its denigration of the human spirit, and technology run amok, while other issues are more esoteric or integral to the series rather than to the setting. These issues include slavery, racism, and what it means to be human.
The fact that Bubblegum Crisis is a cyberpunk series cannot be reasonably dispute. It contains all the standard elements of cyberpunk contains, like corruption, overcrowding, pollution, megacorporations more powerful than individual nation, and people rebelling against and fighting the system. Taking Tokyo, one of the most culturally vibrant cities in Japan today, and reducing it to nothing more than a puppet of Genom suggests that Tokyo of 1988 (when Bubblegum Crisis was released) has already become a corporate town. Remember that science fiction is not really about the future, but rather it's about the present, and Bubblegum Crisis is definately cyberpunk science fiction. The authorities in MegaTokyo have ignore the blatant social problems for so long that rampaging motorcycle gangs regularly assault innocent people, and they get away with it. Thousands of people are living so far below the poverty level that they are forced to live in condemned buildings, and when those buildings are sold out from underneath them, they are forcibly evicted, and they aren't even given enough time before demolition begins to retrieve whatever personal belongings they had.
And what of the corporations themselves? Is it any surprise that Brian J. Mason and Quincy treat human beings like ants when they live so high above MegaTokyo that the teeming hordes of humanity appear as nothing more than moving blurs in the streets? Genom does as it pleases, is beholden to no-one, and barely gives lip-service to the employees and orginizations it supports. Now place yourself in 1988, Tokyo, where the economy is doing so well that Japanese corporations can do no wrong. Consider the Japanese corporate work style - working long hours six days a week, where family and happiness are being sacrificed for the corporate bottom line. Sit and imagine the capitol of Japan teeming with tens of thousands of homeless, perhaps hundreds of thousands of people living in broken down buildings, trailers, and slums, and then look around at your Tokyo cubicle appartment and remark upon just how short a fall you have before the fantasy of Bubblegum Crisis becomes your reality. This aspect of Bubblegum Crisis is social commentary in it's most caustic form.
Beyond the social and cultural commentary inherent to the series, there is technological commentary. Instead of portraying technology as an either/or phenomenon (blessing or curse, savior or destructor, angelic or demonic), Bubblegum Crisis portrays technology as both. Genom produces combat Boomers, but it also produces the labor-saving Boomers which enable the world economy to explode with growth. The technology which makes combat Boomers irrationally violent is also responsible for creating the 33-S Sexaroid Boomers, machines so close to human in appearance, intellect, and psychology that medical exams are required to tell that they aren't human.
The Net that links all the world's computers together not only aids the AD Police and the Knight Sabers in thier investigations, but also helps Mason as he searches for the identities of the Knight Sabers. MegaTokyo is a city steeped in so much technology that only in the abandoned and decrepit slums can a person escape it. Technology is as much an indicator of wealth as style and fine automobiles are. Bubblegum Crisis indicates that this level of technological integration is a possible future, but also suggests that today's technology is squeezing out humanity. After all, technology is already beginning to replace "in" clothing and style as symbols of status. You aren't anybody if you don't have a stereo with a CD player, TV with cable, a VCR, and a laserdisk player, a top-of-the-line computer with productivity and scheduling software, a cellular phone, and a telephone in every room of your house or appartment. The technological future of Bubblegum Crisis has already become reality, and the dehumanizing aspects of being surrounded by all the technology has become all too real.
The two major philosophical questions raised in Bubblegum Crisis are so interconnected as to be nearly inseperable. Bubblegum Crisis delves deeply into the question "what does it mean to be human" and, at the same time, takes a couple of serious looks into the concepts of freedom and slavery. Boomers are defined as property, having been created by humans originally as labor-saving devices, many specifically designed to replace humans in dangerous and hazardous occupations. Yet Boomers are intelligent as well. Bubblegum Crisis regularly asks whether, by nature of thier intelligence, Boomers should have some of the same rights and privilages as any human enjoys. Sylia Stingray regularly kills Boomers with quick and devastating attacks because she feels that thier intelligence earns them the right to a quick and painless death. In Tinsel City, even the otherwise stupid (when compared to other Boomer such as the 33-S Sexaroid) combat Boomers each have individual personalities and senses of humor, even if thier sense of humor is somewhat base and sick. Most importantly, Sylvie and Anri, both Boomers in the technical sense, are so close to human that they have hopes, dreams, fears, and worries. They, and thier 33-S bretheren, cannot be detected as Boomers without a medical exam, and they are intelligent enough to understand that they are considered property and lack any true freedom.
Bubblegum Crisis has been wowing audiences since 1988, and there's no indication that it's appeal to all orders of fans is slacking off. The series provides action and occasional gratuity to those who crave such things. It also provides tremendously deeply explored, developed, and personal characters, both in the five primary characters and in the dozen or so secondary characters. Each episode of the series is multileveled to the point that it can be watched purely superficially, on the level of character development, or on the deepest level of social and political commentary. And the series is so coherent that, while each episode contains all the levels, the series as a whole builds the commentary and character development to levels that the individual episodes cannot. And finally, Bubblegum Crisis dives deep into the depths of philosophy and raises some of the most timeless questions that philosophy has ever asked, and the series does so in such a way that any serious answer to the questions comes from the mind of the viewer rather than as some moral from the anime itself. Ultimately, all these factors add together to make Bubblegum Crisis one of the best conceived, well constructed, and most mature anime that has ever been produced.
If, for some strange reason, you would like a copy of this essay for your use, please email me for permission first. Tell me what you'd like to use it for, and I'll probably give you permission so long as you credit me as the writer. Thank you.
All images © of Youmex / AIC and appear courtesy of AIC and AnimEigo.
Webpage © 1997 - 2000, Brian Angliss
Revised - September 21, 2000
