As a lover of both hand-drawn animation and all things cyberpunk, it was only natural that I end up watching this someday. Bubblegum Crisis is exactly that.
This thing's GORGEOUS. Produced over a number of years where big hand-drawn structures were just the thing, Bubblegum Crisis takes in all its times have to offer and spits out an impressive vision of a Mega Tokyo with massive buildings, each densely covered with all kinds of futuristic little things. While not all scenes boast the same amount of detail, it's overall a very impressive hand-drawn art on display here. While the main characters don't appear too original and some might consider their looks dated, they're animated well and so do their job. On the other hand, boomers, the local word for androids, while not the most original in their designs, have a pleasantly generous amount of detail to them. There is a certain sci-fi sensibility among many of the late 80s/early 90s shows, and it's on full display here. If you like massive structures, walls of computers with thousands of screens, blinking lights, keyboards, pipes, etc. everywhere, well, you're gonna love Bubblegum Crisis' art. I know I do.
10/10
if the art of this can be recognized as genuinely great by most folks, then music might be a bit trickier subject to judge so simply. to put it mildly, it's 80s as fuck, mostly the pop kind of 80s, too. however, I'd take it over brostep and its derivations any time of the day. there's also that undeniable energy and charm that the music adds to the show, which is largely responsible just for how entertaining it feels.
the sound department is less subjective and more objectively lacking. there's sometimes a weird disconnect, where there's loud music blasting away with full action on display. but where modern ear expects a big sound of explosion or impact, it only finds the next measure of the synth-bass marching ever on.
at least the VAs are good. I particularly found Priss' voice particularly delicious. it had some quality that I don't hear too often in the modern anime, but I've drifted off in the dangerously subjective territory, tread carefully.
7/10 for sheer energy and the feeling of entertainment
but feeling is not enough for entertainment, there has to be something going on, too. Bubblegum Crisis delivers big time on the action front, periodically pulling out more boomers and villains for the continuation of the spectacle. the pacing is pretty good, with a dull moment nowhere to be seen. however, the story is still arguably the weakest part of the whole thing. there are two main reasons for this.
1. fundamentally episodic. Bubblegum Crisis is vaguely tied together with its cast, setting and the typical concepts doing battle (corruption and corporations vs the good mercenaries), however, there is no grand plot overarching the whole thing, no grand revelations, no great explorations of some interesting cyberpunk concepts. although some moments do have some conceptual interest, the exploration is nowhere near on the same level as the big guns of sf anime.
the episodic nature also prevents it from having any sort of notable closure for the whole series, outside the normal episode closures. there's an overabundance of loose ends, implied relationships, secrets and concepts, that never go anywhere beyond their episodic significance. bit of a shame.
2. convenient storytelling. this is the biggest crime Bubblegum Crisis makes. while it never truly tries to be something fundamentally more than "we're still just girls in power suits" kinda thing, the amount of last moment saves, convenient coincidences and timely reinforcements is ridiculously high, making the otherwise very atmospheric and impressive presentation feel all for naught. it's not quite on the level of your average "scream for power-up" shounen, but sometimes it treads dangerously close, and I can't but feel disappointed at the lack of a more serious and thoughtful resolutions of conflicts.
HOWEVER, the whole thing was still ridiculously atmospheric, energetic and entertaining, even if it didn't live up to level of its own presentation.
6/10
Part of the entertainment definitely is the cast, however, it's actually pretty far from strong. The cast is, at best, "cute", at worst, "stereotypical", but, hey, these were the 80s. Most characters seem fairly one-sided at first, with their minor quirks responsible for their input on the character chemistry, however, there's actually some character development for most of the mains, even if some it's purely implied. All of the mains are adults, too, which is another awesome feature that I don't get to see enough these days in anime.
The big crime in character department is the cartoonish villains. While some were pretty cool on paper - cold-blooded, awesome and complex - in actual execution they mostly come off as cackling bad maniacs, the most trivial kind, too. Had the corporate evil a more coherent and indecipherable appearance, it would've boosted the show tremendously.
Alas, what we have are cute girls in power suits versus androids of various shapes and sizes.
6/10
Despite the criticism, the big fat 10 in the art department, and the sheer energy of the whole thing makes this for a fairly awesome experience. If you like cyberpunk corporate android mega tokyo action, this is a very worthwhile stop, even if as a mere feast for the eyes.
Value 7/10
Enjoyment 8/10
