When "cyberpunk" is brought up, two titles commonly spring to the mind of an anime fan: Blade Runner, and Bubblegum Crisis. A true classic, Bubblegum Crisis has successfully avoided the horrors of stagnancy and triteness over the past years. Many reviewers have acclaimed Bubblegum Crisis for its excellent postapocolyptic atmosphere, wonderful character development, and superior rock soundtrack. All of these fine ingredients blend perfectly to form what has to be one of the greatest anime series to grace the planet.

The general story, while simple, is very engrossing and well-connected for an 8-part OVA series that was done over such a large span of time. The general story focuses arond the Knight Sabers' attempts to take down the "evil" GENOM corporation, which has a stranglehold on everything from computers to appliances. Sounds like any other corporation, right? This company holds a very dangerous secret, however. GENOM has a notorious reputation for creating illegal combat droids, known as "Boomers". The AD Police was created to stop aforementioned robots that go berserk, but it's being controlled by, that's right, GENOM. Therefore, in-depth examinations of the company are impossible for the unfortunate AD Police. That's where the Knight Sabers come in. They are the only force capable of beating Genom's forces. Of course their fees do not come cheap, but the job gets done with great efficiency. Bubblegum Crisis chronices eight such jobs done by the intrepid Knight Sabers as well as exposing interesting tidbits about their lives and relationships.

Bubblegum Crisis's story is definitely one of the highest points of the series. The series follows the Knight Sabers as they deal with the Boomer problems that plague the city. However, the viewers are also given a look into the backgrounds of the heroines, villains, and even the side characters as the series goes on. These seperate storylines eventually meet and mesh together to form one big picture that creates a story worthy of a novel. The story of the Genom corporation is intriguing enough, but showing how it affects every one of the other characters hels immensely to pique interest and even generate emotion from the viewer.

Even vigilantes enjoy their time off.	Cyberpunk action abounds as the Knight Sabers hunt the 'bots the AD Police can't.

The highest point of Bubblegum Crisis definitely has to be the music. Each episode has several well-performed songs [yes, songs] performed by Oomori Kinuko, as well as one or two songs performed by the "Vision", Hashimoto Maiko. The entire score screams "retro", with 80s rock, and techno beats taking the majority. However, it is all excellent, with wonderful writing and a catchy beat. The soundtrack is made especially memorable by unforgettable gems like "Konya wa Hurricane", "Mr. Dandy", and "Victory" that are especially pleasing to the ears, and even easier to catch in your mind. The non-vocal pieces, while few, are used in interesting ways and adds emphasis to several more subtle, or more emotional moments. As is expected, there is heavy emphasis on the electric guitar, and keyboards. The emphasis on these instruments helps immensely to immerse the viewer into the post-apocolyptic city that is Megatokyo.

Bubblegum Crisis' character designs are yet another strong link in the extroadinary chain of a show. From the gritty rock-star design of Priss, to the more refined and proper Sylia. The main characters tend to go through several costume changes over the course of the series, which is actually a trait usually found in shoujo anime that is refreshing to see in a cyberpunk thriller like this. Many of the characters that don't share the spotlight, like officer Daley and Sylvie, are given wonderful detail, and show a higher level of being than most secondary characters that tend to just blend into the background, rather than actually show some semblance of a personality.

Great character designs, of course, do not go anywhere without stellar animation, so it is only fitting that Bubblegum Crisis features some of the best animation to grace an anime to date. Of course, for an OVA series that was created over the span of years, it is easy to tell that techniques change quite often over the course of the series. Even so, every episode is smoothly animated, with very few, if any, reused animations, and makes the characters seem quite lifelike. Vehicles are very nicely done, with a few reused frames here and there, but overall it keeps a nice, clean feel to it. The mecha are the true highlight, with slick designs and even nicer animations to them. However, the true highlights have to be the hardsuited heroines, performing acrobatic maneuvers that are straight out of a stuntman's dream. The wonderful animation helps to finish off a spectacular product as a whole.

Bubblegum Crisis is a title for fans of all types. The enthralling music and ambient atmosphere are more than enough to satisfy even the most rabid anime fans. The series carries a pretty high price, but it is worth every single penny for such a memorable and enjoyable experience.

Distributor: AnimEigo
Creator: YouMex/AIC
Released: 1987

Plot: A-
Character Design: A-
Animation Quality: A
Music: A+
Overall: A