BUBBLEGUM CRASH
When is a sequel not a sequel?
Review by: Stan
Length: 3 episodes
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action
Watched: All, dubbed
Bubblegum Crash is labeled as "An exciting, 3-part sequel" to the cyberpunk classic, Bubblegum Crisis. The sad part is that's true, even though it SHOULD
have been the last three episodes of BGC. I believe that BGC was originally intended to be a 13 episode series, but for whatever reason it stopped being
made after Episode 8 which came out around 1990 (this is my understanding). Fast forward to 1991, when BGCrash was released, presumably in an attempt to wrap
up the series. A lot of fans I've talked to about the series carry this opinion of "It sucks/it's not canon/they got the characters all wrong". I...well,
just read the review and find out.
Plot Synopsis: It's 2034, two years after the events of Bubblegum Crisis and the Knight Sabers have been busy doing their own thing. Linna has gotten a new
job at a securities firm, Priss is finally moving forward with her music, and Nene is still working with the AD Police. Everything seems to be going okay
until a band of armored mercenaries begin a string of bank robberies as cover to look for the components of the latest AI technology developed by the Zone
corporation, technology that could give a Boomer an intelligence level equal to that of a human. Sylia calls the Knight Sabers back together for yet
another job.
Artwork: A little more refined than BGC. The opening sequence begins with this really slick-looking computer animated flyby of the city while Sylia
delivers her opening monologue, that was pretty different. It was nice that they kept the character designs the same, and the new Hardsuits look pretty damn
cool from where I'm standing. They have a "heavier" look to them, plus they have some new badass weapons (such as Linna's Electric Spears, Priss's Shoulder
Cannons, and Nene's jamming device). In this department, BGCrash is certainly just as good (if not better) than BGC.
Music: Not only are the character designs the same, it sounds like the original cast from BGC are intact as well (as far as the dubs go, at least, the
Japanese version is another story, as Priss has a different voice actor). The opening theme is pretty sweet, and there's this sick-sounding speed Metal song
during one of the fight scenes in the second episode. Other than that, BGCrash lacks the imposing, hard rocking, ass kicking soundtrack of its predecessor.
I was actually forced to sit there and watch Priss in a studio singing this sugary sweet love ballad, keep in mind that this is the same girl that a short
while ago would get my head banging to "Konya wa Hurricane" and "Mad Machine", what the Hell happened? It's the only time in the whole series that Priss
gets to flex her rock star muscle and it's on something as weak as that, which is a damn shame.
Characters: This is where so many people get pissed off, as the individual members of the Knight Sabers don't act quite like they do in the original. Look,
It has been two years since BGC, I'd be a bit disappointed if they DID act the same. There's a little term called "growing up" and I think these Crash haters
need to become aware of it. Still, since they do act differently I may as well go through those changes. Sylia is the leader, but she's a lot more warm
hearted and concerned about her father's dream (Sylia's dad is the scientist who gave birth to Boomers). Priss now plays up the whole "I hate Boomers" thing
to near Will Smith-ian levels. Linna has somehow gotten the skills to work in securities and loves money. Nene is still Nene, at least she's not total
suckage in combat anymore but she acts more like a little girl than ever. Then there's Leon and Daley, two AD Police officers who haven't changed much, so
go to my review of BGC to read about them. The only thing is that Daley acts a lot less gay in BGCrash. The principal villain comes in the form of the
mysterious "Voice", which carries a badass connotation not unlike "That Man" from the Guilty Gear games. Then there's Dr. Haynes and Dr. Yuri, who work at
the Zone Corporation and were former colleagues of Dr. Stingray (Sylia's father). Together they make "Adama" a Boomer given the aforementioned AI technology,
and as such is the closest a Boomer has ever come to being human. Dr. Yuri, in true evil fashion, turns on his partner, blowing him away and taking Adama
under the command of That Man...I MEAN, the "Voice". If I can go off-topic for just a bit to mention something that's pretty funny, they show Sylia at Dr.
Haynes's funeral, and his corpse is in pristine condition despite having God-knows-how-many caps busted in his ass. Anyway, I rather liked Adama due to that
certain combo of "I don't know where I'm going" to "I know exactly what to do", plus he can be a real smartass.
Plot: I'll go ahead and ask this here, where in the blue Hell is GENOM? You watch BGC and there they are, the uber badasses that rule the entire city with
an iron hand. You watch BGCrash and BOOM their gone with no explanation whatsoever. Tokyo is also very different, hardly the harsh place it was in 2032.
It will be a stretch, but I'll buy that the city could turn around in 2 years time. What I WON'T buy is that Crash is nowhere near as extreme as Crisis. It
grabbed me, but not as hard. I flipped out, but not as frequently. It may take some doing to get past the first two episodes, but once you get to the third
the payoff IS worth it.
CHICKS!: If you read my Bubblegum Crisis review then you know that I really, really, REALLY like Priss. But...Nene has been growing on me as I've continued
to re-watch the original series, and BGCrash has taught me something. Nene drinks too much and according to Linna she tends to strip when inebriated, which
means all I have to do is get her drunk, crank some Motley Crue ("Girls, Girls, Girls") and I could be a VERY happy man. Linna's new hangups about money is
good for me, since part of my college major is in business. When in conjunction with the fact that she's flexible, lithe, and agile, Linna definately makes
my stock rise. Sylia still doesn't do much for me. But I guess I'd hit it if I was up for someone classy, plus she sure looks good in lingerie.
Overall: The fact that I have to review this as a separate series rather than what I view as the rest of Bubblegum Crisis is really stupid. Nevertheless,
BGC does rule and BGCrash has most of the same stuff that makes Crisis great, albeit watered down. The combat is not as good but we do get some good insight
on Sylia and exactly what her dad had in mind with Boomers, and some stuff in BGC that was never elaborated upon is done so in BGCrash, so I can't complain.
If you've seen Bubblegum Crisis and were left with this big, gaping hole then Crash is sure to fill it. Crash doesn't suck by any means, so don't listen to
all of those haters out there when they rant about the supposed 'raping' of their series.
IN A NUTSHELL
+ Closure
+ Improved animation
- Shouldn't be a seperate series
- Original is better
Overall Rating: 7/10
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