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Tokyo 2040 gives show us what the original BGC could have been, if given a solid budget, a key group of writers, and consistent direction.

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Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040

Perfect Collection

Review by Matthew Anderson

26 Episode TV Series

Company: ADV Films

Running Time: 330 Min

Rating: PG-13 (Language, Violence, Partial Nudity)

EXTERNAL EXAM

It is the year 2040, seven years after the Second Great Kanto Earthquake. Tokyo has rebuilt its self, with the Genom Corporation, and their new humanoid robots, the Boomers, making major contributions. Boomers can now be found in offices, stores and restaurants doing jobs people used to do.

Yet something strange is going. Boomers are going rogue, attacking people and buildings. The police have created a new team to fight the menace, the AD (Advanced ) Police. The Boomers, however, are proving to be difficult to stop, and the AD Police are constantly outgunned.

Now, a mysterious group or power-armored women called The Knight Sabers have appeared. Somehow, they know where and how to take out the rogue Boomers before the AD Police can. With combat suits that are faster, stronger, and more maneuverable than the AD Police's, it seems that they are the only ones who can stop Genom.

So begins Bubblegum Crisis.

DVD VISION TEST

VIDEO: Video from ADV is consistently well done. No distortions or pixels evident except in some very dark portions. No color bleeds or red overblast to be noted. There is some edge enhancement, but you only notice it when you pause the DVD.

AUDIO: Good audio mix on all three language versions (English, Spanish, and Japanese). The audio on the Japanese version is sharper with better directionality. The English audio track seems a little more muted. However, this does not detract from the overall presentation. The Spanish track fares much better than other ADV releases. The sound is fuller, and the music is not overly muted.

EDITS: Each episode uses the clean open and close animation and replaces the Japanese titles with English. No other edits as far as we can tell.

EXTRAS: Each disc has the typical character bios that ADV is famous for. The last disc has information about the voice actors and their pictures.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: Tokyo 2040 gives show us what the original BGC could have been, if given a solid budget, a key group of writers, and consistent direction. It is a well plotted, if somewhat predictable, sci-fi story. There are some plot-twists that keep you on your toes, and enough differences between the three versions (BGC OVA, Bubblegum Crash, and Tokyo 2040), to keep it from going where others have gone before.

Credit is due to director Hiroki Hayashi. Having been a part of the original BGC, he knows where the mistakes were, and did very well on correcting them.

ACTING: Once again, high praise for the English cast. Great voice selection, very good range of emotion, and excellent writing. The Japanese audio is typical of the voice market in Japan these days. They have good voice acting, but not a lot of emotional range. I prefer Priss singing in Japanese.

Fair due must be given to Priss's English voice. Chris Auten does a great job of singing for Priss. Her deep voice is good for the tomboy Priss.

FAN SERVICE: Plenty. Tons of butt shots, shower scenes, changing scenes. You do get plenty of hints of the bodies that are under the hard suits. It isn't until the end that you get the pay off.

FINAL EXAM

Having been introduced to anime with the original series, I was not sure about this one. After watching the first disc, I was hooked. Expanding on a series that didn't get its fair chance as an OVA, BGC: Tokyo 2040 is the way anime should be; plenty of action, good animation, and a steady , if predictable plot. I feel I must point out that Bubblegum Crisis is not a sequel to the OVA. Forget everything about Bubblegum Crisis and Crash.

Every episode is well paced and balanced between the four Knight Sabers. Tokyo 2040 has a lot in the way of character development. You meet Priss the loner, ready to make it on her own terms. Nene, their mole in the AD Police, who is always trying to prove herself. Linna, the office girl desperate to make a difference, and Sylia, the manic-depressive leader who has more secrets than pills to swallow. There is some character development for some of the secondary cast members, except for maybe Leon. He pretty much remains a blockhead through out the series.

Unlike the Bubblegum Crisis OVA, there is a story line that runs through out the entire 20 plus episodes, with several mini-story arcs peppered through out. The ending wraps things up pretty good, but you will need to re-watch it a couple of times to understand what happened. Some would argue that they are setting up a sequel, but I don't think so.

Getting the "Perfect Collection" only saves you money. There are no additions to the discs at all. If you already have the complete set, don't go out and buy this one.

Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040 is an enjoyable series to watch, even if it is not that fresh. It has plenty of action, decent animation, and enough plot twists to keep things interesting. Even if you are a fan of the original series, it would be a disservice not to add this one to your collection.

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