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IMDbPro

Bubblegum Crisis

Original title: Baburugamu kuraishisu
  • TV Mini Series
  • 1987–19911987–1991
  • TV-MATV-MA
  • 25m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
1.6K
YOUR RATING
Akiko Hiramatsu, Michie Tomizawa, Yoshiko Sakakibara, and Kinuko Ômori in Bubblegum Crisis (1987)
AnimationActionFantasy
A female mercenary team, armed with unique power armor suits, battle the forces of the corrupt mega-corporation, Genom in futuristic Tokyo.A female mercenary team, armed with unique power armor suits, battle the forces of the corrupt mega-corporation, Genom in futuristic Tokyo.A female mercenary team, armed with unique power armor suits, battle the forces of the corrupt mega-corporation, Genom in futuristic Tokyo.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
1.6K
YOUR RATING
  • Stars
    • Yoshiko Sakakibara
    • Kinuko Ômori
    • Michie Tomizawa
  • Stars
    • Yoshiko Sakakibara
    • Kinuko Ômori
    • Michie Tomizawa
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 18User reviews
    • 4Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Episodes8

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated
    1 Season

    Photos50

    Bubblegum Crisis (1987)
    Bubblegum Crisis (1987)
    Bubblegum Crisis (1987)
    Bubblegum Crisis (1987)
    Bubblegum Crisis (1987)
    Bubblegum Crisis (1987)
    Bubblegum Crisis (1987)
    Bubblegum Crisis (1987)
    Bubblegum Crisis (1987)
    Bubblegum Crisis (1987)
    Bubblegum Crisis (1987)
    Bubblegum Crisis (1987)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Yoshiko Sakakibara
    Yoshiko Sakakibara
    • Sylia Stingray
    Kinuko Ômori
    • Priscilla 'Priss' S. Asagiri
    Michie Tomizawa
    Michie Tomizawa
    • Linna Yamazaki
    Akiko Hiramatsu
    Akiko Hiramatsu
    • Nene Romanova
    Nozomu Sasaki
    Nozomu Sasaki
    • Mackie Stingray
    Toshio Furukawa
    Toshio Furukawa
    • Leon McNichol
    Ken'yû Horiuchi
    • Daley Wong
    Shûichi Ikeda
    • Brian J. Mason
    Kazuyuki Sogabe
    • Largo
    Kiyoshi Kawakubo
    • Quincy
    Michael Sinterniklaas
    Michael Sinterniklaas
    • AD Police Officer…
    Amy Parrish
    Amy Parrish
    • Harmonies Of The Replicants…
    Elizabeth Becka
    Elizabeth Becka
    • Linna Yamazaki
    Shigeru Chiba
    Shigeru Chiba
    • Dr. Miriam Yoshida
    Zach Hanner
    Zach Hanner
    • Additional Voices…
    Mark Fincannon
    Mark Fincannon
    • Mr. Chang
    Patt Noday
    Patt Noday
    • Deputy Commander…
    Ted Davis
    • Sho
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      There are many references to Blade Runner:
      • The band is called "The Replicants";
      • The general mission in both is to kill androids who are almost too human;
      • There happen to be characters named Leon and Priss in both;
      • Both feature a huge, pyramid-shaped building.
    • Quotes

      Priscilla S. Asagiri "Priss": You little idiot! If you die, what will Sylvie have died for?

    • Connections
      Featured in Manga! (1994)
    • Soundtracks
      Konya Wa Hurricane
      (There's a Hurricane Tonight)

      Lyrics by Tomoko Aran (as Aran Tomoko)

      Music by Kisaburô Suzuki (as Suzuki Kisaburoo)

      Arranged by Nakashima Masao

      Performed by Kinuko Ômori (as Oomori Kinuko)

      English Performance by Joyce Leigh Bowden

    User reviews18

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Quite good overall, but don't believe the hype too much.
    Considering the large following and high reputation this series has, one imagines it must be quite good. Oddly, it never struck me as mind-blowingly fantastic as the fan hype makes it out to be, but I did quite like most of the series.

    Many praises are sung about the soundtrack, and those are very true indeed; great rock songs with very good pace and vivid vocals accompany the action. They work a treat, and a lot of the songs stick with the viewer for very long.

    Alas, the raving over the music is probably the only point where the hype got it right. For the rest, the actual series seems a bit underwhelming compared to what one might expect. For example, the supposedly excellent character development is a much-trumpeted point that falls a bit flat. Not to say that the characters are poor by any means. They're very likeable, and they do have their own distinct personalities, but they don't seem all that revolutionary. Our four heroines, Priss, Nene, Sylia and Linna basically consist of respectively the tough rebellious youth, the pink-haired girly "cute" computer whiz, the mysterious and only -really- interesting one, and...err, the other one (yup, poor Linna is badly under-used and shows very little distinct character traits). It's true that this is a cast formula that was innovative for it's time, and that it has been copied very often, but maybe that's exactly why the whole thing sometimes seems a little below it's reputation. There are tough, rebellious youths and pink-haired squeaky cute computer geniuses all over the place on the anime market. The fact that they're all female is hardly a novelty anymore either.

    That might be the main problem here; time hasn't been too kind to Bubblegum Crisis. Those who first saw the series and became loyal followers in the 80's had every reason to be impressed back then. Alas, by now, the same formula has appeared so often, be it under different guises, that there's little left to be amazed about for one watching this series for the first time now. Somehow BGC doesn't really manage to hold up a feeling that it's the founding father of a whole generation of anime series.

    Animation quality has aged a bit better though, with only the first episode looking genuinely old hat by now. Episodes seven and eight are still lovely to look at (probably due to the nice and somehow "softer" color palette used for ep. 8). The mecha action scenes -another highly hyped point- are indeed fast and furious, and have some very intense moments. The mecha designs as well are admirably intricate and innovative sometimes. But like most over-hyped elements of BGC, the fights have flaws as well, namely that they are sometimes cut short a bit. The way the main villain in the sixth episode (who is utterly brilliant, by the way) is finished off struck me as rather too sudden, as was the end of the battle in episode 5. It's supposed to be a very dramatic moment, but it went a bit too fast and thus didn't have all the punch it -could- have had.

    There still is lots going in favor of BGC, however. Several minor characters are very likeable and amusing, and manage to actually be more entertaining than the four heroines. The adorable Daley springs to mind, not exactly because he's gay -homosexuality is very common in anime- but because during his few moments in the spotlight he's always delightful (and damn it all, he's -cute-). Most of the one-shot characters that only appear in one or two episodes are also handled with style and become very vivid. A very nice bunch, basically. And that goes for the minor nasties as well. The four heroines are also entertaining enough, despite not being all that full of surprises.

    The storyline also manages to present some interesting themes. Revenge is one of them, as is the blurred borderline between machines and living beings. There's also a very intriguing triangle between Sylia, minor nasty Mason and more impressive nasty Largo. There are also hints that Sylia might be more than meets the eye. All these themes and possible subliminar messages are only established in the background and hardly ever mentioned in so many words. One could very easily miss them altogether.

    Subtelty is all very well, but it's a shame that none of these possible deeper plot threads are ever tied up; the end of episode 8 is -not- a proper ending. The series was supposed to continue on for a few more episodes, but alas the project ran into murky waters at that point. And that's why BGC is so tricky to judge; it's an unfinished piece (a sequel tried to sort of tie everything up but didn't really succeed). It's as if Return of the Jedi was missing from the first Star Wars trilogy, for instance. And that's quite a shame, as the -promise- certainly is there.

    If the series had lived to see it's originally planned ending, it might have become the masterpiece it's -said- to be. As it stands, it's a good, solid series with plenty to enjoy and a few flaws that don't get in the way too much. Give it a go, see what you think. You probably won't be blown over with amazement, but chances are high you'll have a very plain good time all the same.

    (just note that you should avoid the dub if possible. It's tolerable, but the songs are dubbed as well, and as a result suffer overall. Besides, dubs are always inferior to the original)
    helpful•10
    3
    • vkn
    • Aug 14, 2001

    Details

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    • Release date
      • December 10, 2014 (United States)
      • Japan
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
    • Production companies
      • Anime International Company (AIC)
      • Artmic
      • Youmex
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 25 minutes
      • Color
      • Mono

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    Akiko Hiramatsu, Michie Tomizawa, Yoshiko Sakakibara, and Kinuko Ômori in Bubblegum Crisis (1987)
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