Set in a futuristic Tokyo rebuilt after a devastating earthquake, ‘Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040’ centres around the mysterious band of high-tech female vigilantes known as the Knight Sabres and their battles against high-tech monsters that lurk in the streets of the capital. A country girl named Linna moves to Tokyo in order to pursue a new career and find out more about the urban legend of the fearless warriors, and it isn't much of a spoiler to point out that she soon becomes a member herself. The group are dedicated to being on the lookout for robotic labourers known as 'boomers', which have a habit of going rogue and transforming into destructive monsters without warning, threatening the safety of the people of Tokyo. Unfortunately, the Knight Sabres' activities often put them at odds with the AD Police, a special law enforcement branch that are the official department assigned to rogue boomer control. What follows in the duration of the series is the ongoing rivalry between the Knight Sabres and the AD Police, not to mention a large conspiracy involving the mysterious GENOM Corporation which is the manufacturer of boomer technology.

What lifts BGCT2040 from being a standard sci-fi action series is the fact that the episodes are surprisingly character-driven with numerous suppressed emotions and details of relationships becoming clearer as the series progresses. The contrasting character designs of the Knight Sabres consist of the wealthy businesswoman/team leader Sylia Stingray who has a connection with and deep-rooted hatred of boomer technology and shows some worrying signs of emotional instability; naive but honest and dependable Linna; surly biker/rock chick Priss Asagiri and enthusiastic young Nene Romanova (who is also a computer specialist in the AD Police). The ups and downs of the Knight Sabres and their ability to work as a team prevent the battles with the rogue boomers becoming repetitive and there are hints of connections between the boomer problem, GENOM and Sylia’s family that give a great conspiracy-type story arc that adds plenty of depth to the main plotline.

The supporting cast are a little more clichéd (the thoughtful but laconic Henderson, Sylia's butler complete with English accent, or Quincy Rosenkreutz, the suitably evil mastermind of GENOM who is the stereotypical megalomaniac villain), but the fast paced storyline, moments of humour and a general sense of care taken into the character designs make up for this. When the boomers go rogue, they transform from city-building mechanical servants to destructive synthetic nightmares with terrifying speed, and the outstanding electronic rock soundtrack complements the cyberpunk vibe of the show perfectly.

In Summary

Since I haven’t seen the original Bubblegum Crisis or Bubblegum Crash OVAs I can’t say how this compares to the original but it works fine as a stand-alone series and has a really up-to-date feel. Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 may not be an anime benchmark in terms of originality or animation but it’s still a well-written and entertaining series with enough action and drama to make it a worthy purchase.

Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040 Collection packaging images (Released by ADV UK May 2005)

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