It was interesting going back to have a look at this one -- Bubblegum Crisis (BGC) was one of the first anime series I had seen, and I wondered how it would hold up against the current crop of offerings... Well, the animation is looking very dated. Much of the first episode is done in a very line-drawing type format, with lots of basic colours. Script writing is nothing spectacular, either. The dialogue tends to be very predictable, and at times it's awkward. But aside from these points, the show isn't that long-in-the-tooth. Sonoda's mechanical designs in this series are still better than a lot of more modern offerings, and the first ten minutes are as tightly directed as any MTV rock video, with the only difference being that BGC's music is far superior to the junk that's being put out by today's wannabe's. (Konya wa Hurricane just might be the most overplayed animé song in history.) No one seiyu really stands out, though Furukawa Toshio's Leon is just too flip for my tastes (a left-over from Lupin, perhaps?). Lots of little tidbits throughout the show, including a lot of advertising for the animation production company, AIC, and backgrounds heavily influenced by the Ridely Scott's science fiction classic, Blade Runner. Despite the shortcomings, it's still a very fine show, well deserving of its title as "a classic." - AN

Well, well, well. It's been a while since I watched this series. This is probably the first subtitled animé series I've ever watched and which definitely got me hooked on animé. Looking at it now, the animation quality isn't anything special although there are the usual plays on company names and advertisements for the animation company. Still, while the animation isn't the best, it's still not bad and the detail put into the boomers is enough to keep your interest. There's some really good j-pop music in this episode although Konya wa Hurricane really is overplayed especially when you hear it being played in both a live performance and an animation preview clip at the end of the episode. Hearing it that often gets a bit tiresome. The story and the acting both are nothing special, but aren't bad. Pretty typical stuff.

Of some interest, there's a new t.v. series which has started for BGC in Japan. There is also a comic released strictly for the North American market by Dark Horse Comics which is strictly a North American production using Dark Horse' people. - JYN