Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

BUBBLEGUM CRISIS is one of the most beloved anime series of all time. It features the exploits of four beautiful vigilantes in powered armor-suits battling renegade androids and the evil Genom corporation. BGC 2040 is not a continuation of the original series, but rather a brand-new re-telling of the story with an expanded plotline, more mature themes, a darker mood, and start-of-the-art modern animation. The characters are basically the same, but they are given new appearances and attitudes.

Anyone who loved the original BGC will probably love BGC 2040 even more--it has everything the original series had, but more and better. BGC 2040 is so well-done that even people who didn't care for the original might like this new series. The DVD release doesn't appear to promise much in the way of extras, but it will feature multiple voice channels and subtitles. The Japanese voice actors are so superior that they must be heard for the maximum viewing experience--it's worth putting up with the subtitles to hear them voice their wonderful characters Sylia, Linna, Priss, and Nene.

The hard suits may look the same, but the faces have changed...

Bubblegum Crisis - Tokyo 2040 is not a sequel to the classic Bubblegum Crisis, but a recreation of the characters and story concept into a new series. The hard suits will look familiar to fans of the original Bubblegum Crisis (BGC), but almost everything else has been re-done. Fans of an original always fret (and rightfully so) when a re-make appears on the scene, but this first release in the series is quality work and prime anime.

So what's the same and what's different? Looking just at the broad strokes, most of the major characters are the same as from the original BGC. Although you're in for some changes, Sylia, Priss, Nene, and Leon are all fairly familiar and in-keeping with the same basic roles you remember, only changing as you look closer. Linna is the big surprise out of the bunch. In the original series, she was the Knight Sabre who was always just "there" (never any stories about her or any depth of character). In 2040, she's become the central character. The storyline of this first DVD in the series is how Linna comes to Tokyo and eventually joins the Knight Sabres. Of the rest of the cast, Priss has gone from aloof and rough to almost completely cold and detached, hardly uttering more than a half-dozen lines an episode. Leon, too, has gone down on the happiness scale, becoming more brooding and angry. Sylia has gone the other direction, seemingly more flighty, although no less driven and showing some extreme emotions. Nene is probably the least changed of the group, gaining just a bit more aggressiveness. The music has moved away from pop to get a bit more techno. It doesn't have the same "big 80s" catchiness the original series soundtrack had, but it's still good stuff.

2040 is probably a cut ahead of the original with respect to the animation. The work is sharper and more detailed, showing that it's up to speed with the times. Another plus is the storyline with the "boomers" (the robots/androids that the protagonists hunt down when they go berserk - 'Blade Runner' is one of the influences for the original BGC). This is the central premise of the story, after all, and was one point in the original that sometimes came across as a bit weak. In the original, the boomers were all but invisible except when they "went bad." You'd occasionally see them as bodyguards or hear of them being used for the military, but otherwise you never saw them unless the Knight Sabres were fighting them. It never seemed like they had a use in society which justified the risk of their going berserk. 2040, however, shows the boomers and their visible role in society, kicking up the believability of the story a notch, and so far seems to be laying out more of a justification for "mad" boomers (something else the original glossed over a bit).

Lastly, I can think of a couple of things on the negative side. One is just a small complaint about the transfer to DVD - in doing so, they kept in the commercial "headers" that ran just before and after what I presume were station breaks when this was originally aired on Japanese TV. The headers feature a prominent music rift and get pretty annoying after the second time or so (especially as they are just randomly there in the middle of the episode). Why leave these in? Somebody dropped the ball in not trimming those out, I'd say. The other worry is the new feature of the hard suits having a short battery life. This may be ok and seems more realistic, but it smacks of bad '70s sci fi TV where the hero always had some annoying weakness that came up EVERY SINGLE episode. An Achilles' heel is fine, but overuse gets old fast. Hopefully they won't overdo it. Overall, some great anime and nothing to diminish the original BGC. This one gets a place on the shelf all its own. Bring on volume 2, and if you haven't seen the original, go get that too!

First of all, let me say that everything I'm about to write is based on nothing more than the first four episodes of Bubblegum Crisis 2040 contained on this DVD. A lot of my opinions might very well have to be changed if I see more of it.

If I am to judge this series by itself - it's very good anime. One of the strongest aspects of this series, I believe, is the animation. Incredibly sharp images - aided by tons of computer animation I'm sure - tell of the genesis of the vigilante/mercenary group Knight Sabers. In this incarnation, Linna plays a central role (under the "profiles" section in extras, she is labeled as - believe it or not - the "wild card of the group"). Four characters - Sylia, Linna, Priss, and Nene - are all sharply drawn, not only visually, but in terms of personality as well. The fighting is sharp and violent - visually highly exciting and enjoyable, if regrettably tend to be somewhat short in duration. Overall, the atmosphere of the series comes quite close to AD Police - a vision of the future that is very dark and painful. The suffering, the inner turmoil of the characters is almost an tangible thing - it gives them great depth that far surpasses most TV show characters, live or animated. The story is shaping up to be good as well: somewhat Batman-esque (what with the secret hideout and aging loyal servant and all), fighting against the ominous looking "Tower" that is Genom. The opening and closing animation are probably the best I've ever seen. Especially the closing animation - which shows random images on a TV screen that sometimes go blank - inexplicably evokes the memory of the movie "Strange Days" and William Gibson's famous opening line in "Neuromancer" in me.

If - and I'm sure this is what 90% of you are interested in hearing - I'm to judge this series relative to the original BGC 2032, I'll still say this is a very good anime. But no more than quite a few other "very good" animes out there. No, it's not GREAT, like the original. I still remember the first time the stage lights came on in "Hot Legs" and Priss opened the greatest anime series ever with a exhilarating performance of "Tonight Hurricane." You can just feel it - there's something magical in the air. This time? It's like discovering a favorite childhood toy that you had thought you lost years ago: it looks familiar, feels familiar, even sounds familiar - but the feeling, the joy, the magic that enveloped you all those years ago when you first received it, is gone forever.

Many other reviewers have commented on how the characters have changed. I completely agree. Linna is a much better character now: lively, forceful, somewhat insecure but never shy to let her thoughts be known. However, as far as I'm concerned, Priss and Sylia - the two most importantly and beloved Sabers in 2032 - have just been uttered ruined. The Priss we have come to love - passionate, emotional, somewhat of a loose-cannon, a "shoot-first-ask-question-later" but very caring in a "I-don't-want-to-admit-it-unless-forced-to" kinda gal - has just vanished. The new Priss has a face cold as her hardsuit and hardly ever utters a word. Sylia in 2032 is one of most sublime characters ever in anime. She is simultaneously everywhere and nowhere, pulling strings behind the scene while providing a much-needed psychological anchor for the other three. Her beauty emanates from an almost unshakable sense of control, confidence, and subtle strength. The new Sylia not only couldn't serve as a quiet anchor to others, she could hardly get a firm grasp on herself. Seemingly suffering from some form of bipolar disorder, one moment she is cheerful like Nene, another she explodes in inexplicable rage. The only Saber who hasn't changed much is Nene. But this really is a bad thing, since her "comic relief" role here just seems horribly out of place in this world so full of pain and anger. Leon, the happy-go-lucky policeman in 2032, now for some reason constantly displays positively frightening anger. Even the Tower is different now: the old Tower reeks of arrogance, but its color and lights blends in with the rest of the city very well, especially during night; the new Tower seems to have no sense of subtlety. It's practically screaming at the viewers: "I'm incredibly evil!"

One could go on and on about such things. But please don't get the impression that all these add up to be a bad anime. It's just not THE Bubblegum Crisis anymore. I doubt if anything can be THE BGC again. Sometimes when the magic is gone, I guess there is just nothing one can do.

Well, The Knight Sabers are back, but I don't know if I can say better than ever... Actually, a 3 star rating is possibly a bit unfair of me-- plots, characters, art, and animation for BGC 2040 are first rate, BUT I have the misfortune of being too much of a BGC 2032 fan, perhaps. Out of five stars, subtract one for character design (no, I don't mean art). All the names are the same, but the personalities seem much more shallow in the remake, especially Sylia and the Genom folks. Also, the boomers have been dumbed down signifigantly. Subtract another star for plot and ambiance; the new series lacks the depth of the old. MegaTokyo itself has lost a lot of its personality-- it's not nearly as "dark." I think that many of the differences can be attributed to the design of BGC 2040 as a TV series; the target audience is different than that of the direct-to-video BGC 2032, and thus the creators couldn't get away with some of the things done in the original.

If you are just getting into BGC, I would recommend watching the 2040 series first, then going back to the original 2032 stuff; moving the other direction makes adjustment difficult. Without exposure to BGC 2032, 2040 becomes excellent anime. I wish though that JVC had put their money into assembling the original writers / artists / cast to finish off the last 5 episodes of BGC 2032, as Crash! was a pathetic effort, and the original series had more promise than the new. One caveat; this review comes 12 episodes into the new series; maybe something will happen that will change my mind, or the new series will grow on me, we'll see. It's nice to see continuation of the BGC concept, which was cast adrift way too early... Overall, worth watching, your mileage may vary.

The year is 2040 (as if you couldn't tell) and the Knight Sabers are back in their very own 26 episode TV series! Nene is still a lovable hacker ditz, Sylia's still the mysterious leader, and Priss is still the kind of girl you really don't want to take home to mother. In this new reincarnation of the golden age classic, one character, Linna is pretty different from her late 1980's early 1990's counterpart. Considering how Linna's personality from the original series wasn't really all that memorable, that's not a problem.

The plotline starts to unfold along similar lines. The 'rogue boomers' are the centerpiece of the early episodes, the characters make friends and fight crime, and Genom lurks in the background. About half way through the series, however, the climax approaches, simplicity begins to give way to a much deeper story, and mysteries about the entire team are revealed. And really, some of them are truly Evangelion worthy revelations.

While this new Bubblegum Crisis boosts great J-Rock music, good character designs, and excellent color and animation, 2040 is a successful series because it combines the better elements of the late 80's anime, with the more challenging plotlines of the post Evangelion era. While some critics will point that it panders to the audience, a little pandering now and then is healthy. Yet more critics will be befuddled that a series could be in one episode described as "cute, trashy fun" can turn into something closer to "cerebral thrill ride".

All in all, what fandom has on its hands here is a very good series, with a little of everything. "Tokyo 2040" is not a fine wine, like a studio Ghlibi film might be, but maybe it can be a tall, refreshing mug of beer. Or, if you prefer, a sweet glass of Coca-Cola. Now go out and give it a shoot.

I haven't been an anime fan too long, but since I have, the Bubblegum Crisis series has been my favorite. I thought the original 8 OVA's were great, but this new series is much better. The characters have been changed a little bit in design but their personalities are pretty similar. The story is a different, in that it's more of a retelling of the OVA's story from even before the original series began, despite the year's differences from 2032 to 2040. The animation is well done, and the music is also great, I'd recommend buying the soundtrack.

The DVD contains the main languages, English, Spanish and Japanese with English Subtitles. The main menu screen contains a list of the episodes, and a section with a brief description of each of the characters with a short running of animated sequences of the character in the episodes and music, unfortunately they're not the complete songs. Also, since these are episodes there's a few seconds where a small screen comes up before and after where commercials would be shown.

These are only minor details, and I would definitely not let it stand in the way of you buying this DVD, even if it did not have previews, or character info. The animation and story is good enough to buy. This is a must have for any anime fan, no matter what else you're seen.

The year is 2040, it's been 6 years since the devastating Tokyo earthquake, the city has been rebuilt with the help of the Genom corporation. Genom is the leading manufacturer of Boomers, bio-organic machines that are used for all sorts of purposes: construction, janitors, waitresses, etc. Unfortunetly every once in a while a boomer will have a small glitch....and go on a killing spree. The city has formed the A.D.Police a special unit designed to stop rogue boomers. The A.D.P are ill-equipped to deal with the savagness of the rogue boomers,a team of women with different agendas has formed to stop the boomers and the evil Genom corporation. The animation is very crisp and clean and very vibrant. The episodes are edited in a peculiar fashion, sometimes ending abruptly, sometimes wrapping things up to quickly. I enjoy the fact that the series is an ensemble of the four main characters focusing on different characters at different times. The DVD consists of four episodes, and they focus mainly on Lina Yamaguchi a country girl who arrives in the big city determined to investigate an urban legend of boomer fighting heroes, The Knight Sabers, with the intent of joining their ranks and the trial by fire she must endure to obtain her dream. With a good dose of action and suspense Bubblegum Crisis proves to be a very enjoyable experience. EP

I have to agree with one of my fellow reviewers in saying that the story is a bit slow to start. Nonetheless, it's a fun series with interesting characters who are extreme, yet not cliche and therefore endearing.

Most of the reviews I have read have made at least some comparison to the original Bubblegum Crisis series, which I haven't seen. From that point of view, here's what I have to say about this DVD:

This is good anime. Not great, but good. If you are a recent anime convert, this wouldn't be the first disc to buy, but if you're a hardcore fan you'll probably want it eventually.

The story (at least so far) struck me as Power Ranger-esque, but infinitely cooler, and with a lot more estrogen. The characters seem to be a bit too cliche; including the childish "comic relief" Nene and the brooding loner Priss. I felt that (at least on the first disc) they devoted a lot more time to Linna than the other characters. I also felt that they didn't leave much room for depth in the characters, but perhaps that will change as the series progresses.

The characters' appearance is what you expect from anime, namely, the female characters are tall, buxom, and long legged, and the male characters have impossibly large chests.

The DVD's video quality is exceptional, and the audio is quite good as well. The English dub is (for the most part) accurate, although the voices aren't as good as the Japanese. I would recommend (as usual) that you first watch it in Japanese with subtitles first to get the full effect.

Overall, I am pleased with this disc, but the rest of this series will likely wait until I have finished off some of the other series I am collecting.

Even though the extra's are slim. You still get both Dubbed and Subtitles(If you need them). The Animation is great, the 4 episodes you get that start off the series are well, great. The Action is good, the plot is good, it's a very good start for this series. I really did not notice any problems with this DVD, except you have to stick with PanScan(It's a TV series what do you expect) and 4 episodes just makes me hunger for more! When is the second DVD of this series ganna arive? =o)