Friday, May 27, 2016

FIF#14-Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040


Tokyo, 2040 AD.  Six years after a devastating earthquake, the city stands higher than ever as one of the greatest megalopolis’s in the world.  Helping maintain this new tomorrow are Boomers, artificial lifeforms who serve as labor force for the city.  Lina Yamazaki has just moved to the city and cant wait to experience it all.  But when Boomers start going rogue, that’s when they appear.  They are the Knight Sabers, mysterious, mecha suited vigilantes with the tech and skill to take these threats down faster than the police.  Lina has always been a fan and seeks to join their ranks.  But does she have what it takes?

This is a show that I wish was more readily available to me.  Granted I could watch the whole series on Funimations Youtube page but id rather watch it all dubbed.  Guess I’ll have to wait for a convention to try and snag it.  Either way, a rewatch is overdue.  So until then, figured id share my initial thoughts of this 90’s anime gem.

There’s a lot to like about the first episode of Tokyo 2040.  The animation is a nostalgia trip down 90’s lane.  The mechs and city designs practically scream Blade Runner (which was noted as a direct inspiration along with 80’s rock opera cult classic Streets of Fire).  There’s the ominous dark shadow of a large threat looming as wide cast as the city itself.  The setup is fine.  Though, there are a couple of nitpicks I have as well.  How the heck Nene became a Knight Saber is beyond me, for starters.  Granted not every heroine needs to be a cold bad ass like Priss (again more Blade Runner shout outs).  There’s always welcome room for cheerfulness…but not overall annoyance.  Nene’s whining is grating, especially when she’s getting suited up.  It just doesn’t mesh well with Priss or the mysterious Sylia (who kind of reminds me of a young Mallory Archer from Archer…that’s not a good sign for any woman really).  There’s also the fact that a character with a cool design like Leon has such a dumb and brutish personality.  He acts more like a caveman than a legit cop, though his partner Wong gets a kick out of pulling his leg.

Priss and Lina both steal the spotlight in their moments on screen.  Lina’s beauty and tenacity suit her well.  Though I am curious to see how she manages to become a Knight Saber and gel with this all over the map personalities crew.  Priss, Priss, Priss, she’s practically the distant cousin of Motoko Kusinagi.  Quiet, beautiful, sports a bike and literally give zero crap about most things.  Also, she’s a singer apparently.  That’s fitting given that this series carries on its OVA predecessor’s penchant for rocking tunes.  This series could easily be about just her and her sexy Iron Man mech suit and im sure a lot of people will be happy.  And is it just me or is it pretty easy to “ship” Priss and Lina?  Their brief encounters just scream rough partnership but also hint at a little more…maybe it’s just me, moving on.

As I mentioned above, Tokyo 2040 is actually a new telling of the original Bubblegum Crisis which came out in the late 80’s as an OVA.  Much like how that series was mass of 80’s pop culture, this version is chalk full of 90’s references and feels.  This is mostly thanks to the animation quality that reminded me a lot of other titles of the time: Nadesico, Outlaw Star, Slayers, etc.  There’s also that need to make monsters out of mechas, giving a bit of scifi horror to the mix.  I don’t know if that will work better here than Silent Mobius (another series I’d love to review sometime).  But who knows.

Overall, I’ll admit, one episode in and im keen to add this series to my collection and even add it to the review block somewhere down the line.  Maybe it’s the animation or the characters.  Maybe it’s the fact that it’s getting warmer and I’m getting all nostalgic for summers long gone by where I did a lot of Anime watching.  Either way, I will never stop listening to that kick ass opening theme over and over and over again.  Listen below and tell me you wont stop either?
 

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