n Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040, the characters and plot of the classic anime Bubblegum Crisis were given face lifts and a new, more
complicated lease on life. In volumes two through four, newcomer Linna Yamazaki
is getting used to fighting rogue Boomers with the vigilante group called
the Knight Sabers. She comes to terms with herself, her robot suit, and her
bubbly, nosy teammate Nene, but her other partner, Priss, remains a hostile
mystery.
As Linna alternately defies and wheedles Priss, trying to draw her out
of her shell, Nene digs up a more dangerous mystery: Boomer manufacturer
Genom Corp. is keeping secret files on all the Boomers that have gone
rogue. The company is also tracking a select number of Boomers that have
not gone rogue, which raises the question of whether they
know in advance which of their creations will go crazy. Sylia, the Knight
Sabers' founder, breaks into a hysterical rage at the news. Her father, it
seems, developed the algorithms that made the Boomers possible. Sylia
furiously denies that Genom could crack those algorithms and tamper with
the Boomers' programming. Unfortunately, events don't support her
beliefs.
In these episodes the Knight Sabers are tested, personally and as
a team, by a new series of Boomer attacks and by a series of more mundane
events. Priss shows an interest in Nigel, the misanthropic team mechanic,
as a member of the A.D. Police begins to show an interest in her. Sylia's
"brother" Mackey appears out of thin air, prompting her to new heights of
erratic and temperamental behavior. Linna is sexually harassed at work,
Nene loses her confidence after a series of depressing setbacks, and Mackey
tries to cope with Sylia's frightening emotional excesses. Meanwhile, the
head of Genom Corp. decides his dream of a Boomer-created paradise can't be
fulfilled until he can understand and properly convert Boomer-hating
fanatics like the Knight Sabers. To that end, he wants to capture the team
and take them apart to "see what is in their brains."
Reconstituted, but still tasty
Much of the material in these episodes maintains the
feel of the original Bubblegum Crisis series while at least partially living up to the promise of the opening installments. While the characters--particularly Sylia, whose alternating screaming and cooing fits degenerated
into parody some time ago--are still over-the-top, the stories themselves
offer a decent balance between character interaction and full-bore battles.
Mackey in particular is more interesting here than he was in the
original series, although with his cringing attitude, his familiar
character design and Spike Spencer's typically defeated, placating vocal
characterization, he's a dead ringer for Shinji in Neon Genesis Evangelion. He
may be a vulnerable, confused milksop, but he's a milksop who brings out
strong feelings in the people around him, and he serves as a sympathetic
focus.
This kind of duality permeates Tokyo 2040, as the series' worst
elements still have enough purpose to dull their irritating edges. For
instance, when Boomers go rogue in this series, they don't just turn into
angry robots, they turn into giant, mutated, dripping, tentacled demonspawn
with the ability to control and subvert other machines. The idea is pretty
ludicrous, but the creepy, intensely colored, sharp-edged visuals
at least give the concept a focus and purpose. Similarly, the Knight Sabers'
suits are now powered by short-lived batteries that seem to give out at
least once per combat. The concept was clearly thrown in to add
artificial tension, but it creates fairly decent plot turns.
Even Priss' musical numbers walk the line between awkward and
expressive--ADV made a defensible artistic choice in giving her
evocative songs that express her character, but at the cost of the
lip sync, which is nonexistent.
The Tokyo 2040 series takes some getting used to, and it takes
some hefty suspension of disbelief. There are notable problems and more than a
few groan-inducing moments. But most of it is forgivable, and even
entertaining, and the series is shaping up into an active and detailed
remake.
