This updated version of the classic early '80s anime Bubblegum Crisis follows the adventures of the lovely Linna, the newest member of the Knight Sabers brigade of female vigilantes caught up in a seemingly endless war against the Genom Corporation. The bad folks at Genom have been flooding the world with evil androids called "boomers," and the Knight Sabers (the rocker Priss, the hacker/geek Nene, and the business-oriented Sylvia Stingray) are the only ones who can identify and terminate the boomers before they do too much damage. On the downside, Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 is burdened with fairly elementary plots (or, truth be told, a single plot spun repeatedly into variations of a Genom-Knight Sabers showdown), and a pretty bad English-dubbed soundtrack (fortunately, a Japanese language track is also included). But on the upside, this production is blessed with a slick visual style that holds the viewer's attention throughout the nine-episode span (with exciting and highly imaginative action sequences), while the Knight Sabers--shoehorned into the sexiest combat suits this side of Emma Peel--are a joyful brigade of no-holds-barred/take-no-prisoners lady warriors who could easily become the ultimate animated role models for young girls seeking a career as crime-fighting warriors. Granted, this may be a triumph of style over substance, but for anime addicts the style overdrive in this "Essential Anime Collection" entry simply cannot be ignored. Accurately rated 15-up, the DVD extras on this double-disc set include commentaries by the American voice actors. Recommended. [Note: Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040, Vol. 2 is slated for release on Feb. 15.] Aud: P. (P. Hall)
Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040, Vol. 1
(1998) 2 discs. 225 min. DVD: $19.98. ADV Films (avail. from most distributors). Color cover. ISBN: 1-4139-1026-2. Volume 20, Issue 1
Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040, Vol. 1
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