|
Bubblegum Crisis Vol. 1Rating:
Release Date: 09 February, 1999 Retail Price: $24.98 OUR Price: $22.48 You SAVE: $2.50! Cast: |
Bubblegum Crisis Vol. 1 Reviews
Please be well aware...
There isn't much I can add to all the other reviews but one: The original 3 DVD's gave you the option to either listen to the English or Japanese soundtracks. Personally I hate the English track but if for some reason you preferred English over Japanese, for the serie as well as the music, then this DVD is not for you.
This blast from the past houses all the music from the Bubble Gum Crisis but only in their original language. If you never listened to the Japanese tracks on the BGC DVD's before now would be a good time to do so (after putting this disk in your wishlist, believe me: you'll need it later on :-)).
A Slightly Worn-Out Classic
In post-apocalypse Mega Tokyo (just how many times has Tokyo been demolished and then rebuilt in anime?), the GENOM Corporation manufactures intelligent androids called "Boomers." They were instrumental in the rebuilding of the city after the earthquake, but sometimes they get a little malicious and destructive . . . and the bumbling AD Police, the force assigned to stop rogue Boomers, usually can't stop them. But the Knight Sabers--a mercenary group of four young women in advanced hardsuits--can. Led by briliant leader Sylia Stingray, the team battles errant Boomers and unveil some of the more sinister projects and conspiracies going on beneath the giant ediface of GENOM and its imposing tower.
This is the original OAV series, which has inspired several knockoffs (Bubblegum Crash, AD Police Force, and most recently Bubblegum Crisis 2040). On the surface, it doesn't seem like a terribly original anime--"women in sexy uniforms stop malfunctioning and malicious robots" is what the plotline often boils down to--but there's some attention to detail and storyline that sets it apart from the crowd. There are, for one, the Blade Runner references and homages--it's pretty clear from the very first episode that this is really a homage to that great Ridley Scott film by the animators. Second is the animation quality--dated, perhaps, by current standards, but very high quality for its day. The action scenes are still quite well-directed, though so many animes have taken after BGC and stolen designs, concepts, and other aspects enough that watching it now makes it seem very familiar, much like reading quotes from Shakespeare that have now become cliches. As far as story and character go, the notable episodes are 5, 6, and 7, all which deal with some difficult decisions that the characters have to face. There's some basic emotional resonance there absent from the rest of the series, which are otherwise run-of-the-mill action plots. Characterization-wise, most of the main girls fall into well-known "types" one finds in action films and anime, so there's nothing to write home about in particular. Now, of course, one can't talk about BGC without mentioning the music, which is for the most part top-notch, then-state-of-the-art-produced 80s J-pop. The melodies are better developed than most of the dreck that topped the charts in that decade, though age has inevitably made some tunes sound rather "cheesy." But the music always fits the action on screen, and the DVD set includes some decent music videos for the songs (the non-live action ones, that is. The live concert videos, alas, are incredibly embarassing to watch now). BGC has, ultimately, become a classic and is well worth watching to examine the roots of many current anime tropes. You won't watch it to be emotionally involved or intellectually provoked, but it's lost little of its charm and fun over the years.
More Customer Reviews (13 total)
You like Bubblegum Crisis Vol. 1?
|
© 2004, 2005, 2006 DVD Booty | Don't Plunder Our Cache of Booty, Matey!
Hosting made possible by donations from Debt Management, Debt Consolidation Savior, and credit card debt consolidation
