Bubblegum Crisis- Tokyo 2040

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Bubblegum Crisis- Tokyo 2040

If you're looking for a animate series about a Tokyo shortage of Double-Bubble, you've come to the wrong place. As with most anime titles Bubblegum Crisis- Tokyo 2040 has little in the way of descriptive value for what you are actually going to watch. But if you get past the wacky name you're going to be in store for a placidly entertaining 26 part series.

The premise of BCG-T2040 centers around Boomer technology. Man has turned to robotics to help him clean up and rebuild after a devastating earthquake struck Tokyo seven years previous . Thus the Boomers were manufactured. Similar to today's technology not all the bugs have been worked out before these beauties hit retail. It seems that some Boomers have been going "mad" and have started shredding a path of destruction with everything that stands in their way. That's where our girls, The Knight Sabers, enter.

The Knight Sabers are a group of young women who equip hard suits and fight the mad Boomer menace. The series begins centered around Linna a girl desiring to join the Knight Saber ranks. As the series progresses you get introduced to the other girls that make up the four person team.

There is plenty of action to be had as the girls battle it out on the streets of Tokyo as well as a decent story thread that winds throughout the entire 26 parts. Character development is well done, as we get to peer into the private and public life of each of the girls. Sadly we never get to know Linna quite as well as the other three even though she kicks off the show. It also seems that just when a show gets rolling, they cut away and slow the ball down a little with some more character building. The idea of cute girls kicking butt has also been done before, but it's still fun to watch.

I can't decide if I like the last episode or not, it's either a breath of fresh air or a cheap publicity stunt. Throughout the series you'll pick up bits of sexual tension as well as risqué situations, but they're all relatively tame. The nudity brush comes out strong in the last episode though. Now, I'm not the one to run away screaming when I see cartoon boobies, but I think it's a little overdone. That being said, the last episode grabbed me when it introduced a rather interesting twist in the way we've been viewing Boomers. Unfortunately the show ended and we never got a chance to really explore this new line, it makes me wonder if they should have introduced it earlier.

The series is fun to watch, and with a little better timing it would be even better. Getting to know the characters is by far the most interesting aspect.

3 out of five stars

Is there a show that you think I should see?  Drop me a line at kingdog@warcry.com

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