Bubblegum Crisis Part 3 Episodes 5-6

2033 AD.  When a pair of runaway Humanoid Boomers make their way to Megatokyo, a whole lot more than All Hell breaks loose.  The ghost of an old enemy reaches out with even more dangerous ambitions and the tactics and foes it unleashes will test the Knight Sabers unlike anything before.  Meanwhile, Detective Leon stumbles upon a secret that could change his feelings for the beautiful Priss.  It all comes down to one massive showdown between the Knight Sabers and their greatest adversaries with the fate of not just Megatokyo…but the world at stake. 

You know, I often think of OVA’s as the Best of Both Worlds in Anime.  They can be film projects sure, but more often than not theyre direct to video TV Series with the budget of a movie behind them.  At the very least, this means OVAs are gonna look absolutely gorgeous and most of the time they are.  But if there’s any lesson that Anime has shown it can and cant learn throughout history is that a stellar presentation cant mask the blotch that belongs to poor storytelling and poor characterization.  Bubblegum Crisis is 6 episodes in and once again, I’m fuming over the same matters once again: flashy animation that just keeps getting better; a musical score that wont stop being the best part of this whole endevour; and a story that barely exists long enough to get us from fight scene to fight scene involving superheroines we know next to nothing about besides “they’re hot”.

Bubblegum Crisis Part 2 Episodes 3-4

Megatokyo becomes a warzone when the Knight Sabers face threats on two fronts.  When Genom’s ambitions get out of control and citizens get caught in the crossfire, Priss declares enough is enough and rallies the Knight Sabers for an all out attack on the man pulling the strings: Brian J. Mason.  Then, an injured racers thirst for revenge turns deadly when he soups up his car with tech he cant control.  The highway to Hell is unleashed and it’s up to Priss with her own souped up ride to save the day.

Our time with the original 80’s classic Bubblegum Crisis continues and I have to say, it’s kind of a mixed bag.  I can see why this Anime is so influential and beloved but I can also say that some Anime have done better things with that influence and inspiration, such as give us a better story, deeper characters, more balanced tone.  The only things I will give Bubblegum Crisis ZERO crap for are Priss and the gorgeous Animation and action sequences.  Everything else needs so much work it’s disappointing.

T5W#290-My Sister’s Top 5 Favorite Anime

It is one of the best feelings in the world having a sibling who is also into Anime.  While our levels of fandom differ, everyones does, our mutual love of Anime is one of our strongest connections.  Since her birthday was yesterday, I figured it was about time I talked about her own taste in Anime and the ones she enjoys on her end of the Otaku spectrum.  Some of these ive seen and enjoy as much as she does, others are exclusive to my sister and her own personal tastes.  So, with a list picked by the sibling herself, I present My Sister’s Top 5 Favorite Anime.

Bubblegum Crisis Part 1 Episodes 1-2

2032 AD.  Seven years after an earthquake devastated Tokyo, the city has been split into two sections: the blossoming metropolis of Megatokyo and the ruins of the old city. To accomplish this, the Genom Corporation has been utilizing an android workforce known as Boomers.  However, a recent string of rogue Boomer attacks threatens to destroy all of Tokyo and the AD Police aren’t enough to bring them down.  That’s where they come in.  They are the Knight Sabers: four beautiful women from various walks of life battling these cybernetic terrors in state of the art armored mech suits known as Hard Suits.  Together, these four beautiful warriors might be the only thing keeping both parts of Tokyo in one piece as a shadowy conspiracy threatens to tear it all down.

It’s been a bit hasn’t it Bubblegum Crisis?  Back in 2017, at the request of a good friend, I reviewed Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040, the 90’s iteration of the OVA im about to take a look at over the next couple of weeks.  I praised the animation, action, soundtrack and most of the titular Knight Sabers but felt the villains, a couple of main characters and the ending were low points that weighed it down.  Back then, I wasn’t sure how Tokyo 2040 stacked up to its originator.  Now I get the chance to see.  On the whole though, I’m gonna try my best to not compare this OVA against its TV Series successor and instead judge it by its own merits.  That being said…the TV Series is looking oddly the superior though that’s just in the very beginning.  By Episode 2 things are starting to look better for Bubblegum Crisis.

The March to Year 8

Another month of March has come and you know what that means?  We’re approaching the Birthday of the Gundam Anime Corner, March 31^st.  I normally don’t try to plan anything really big around the occasion and just go about picking random titles to fill out the schedule (I guess I worry more about the Anniversary Title in question and what I’ll open the following year with).  But with the new two review a week format going on, it opens up some extra slots to slip in some more titles.  So, how about a little rundown of what lies ahead for the month of March.