Bubblegum Crisis

Release Date: 1987 to 1991.
Episodes: 8.
Rating: Classic.
Bubblegum Crisis (Japanese: バブルガムクライシス) is an original video animation (OVA) series produced by Youmex between 1987 to 1991. The series was planned to run for thirteen episodes, but was cut short to just eight.

The series involves the adventures of the Knight Sabers, an all-female group of mercenaries who don powered exoskeletons and fight numerous problems, most frequently rogue robots. The success of the series spawned several sequel series. According to the OVA’s writer, Toshimichi Suzuki explained in a 1993 Animerica interview the meaning behind the cryptic title: “We originally named the series ‘bubblegum’ to reflect a world in crisis, like a chewing-gum bubble that’s about to burst.”

Beginning in late 2032, seven years after the Second Great Kanto earthquake has split Tokyo geographically and culturally in two. During the first episode, disparities in wealth are shown to be more pronounced than in previous periods in post-war Japan. The main adversary is Genom, a megacorporation with immense power and global influence. Its main product are boomers—artificial cybernetic life forms that are usually in the form of humans, with most of their bodies being machine; also known as “cyberoids”. While Boomers are intended to serve mankind, they become deadly instruments in the hands of ruthless individuals. The AD Police are tasked to deal with Boomer-related crimes. One of the series’ themes is the inability of the department to deal with threats due to political infighting, red tape, and an insufficient budget.

A Unique 80s Soundtrack.
Eighties-era rockstar Kinuko Omori wrote and performed a number of songs for Bubblegun Crisis, as well as providing the voice for Priss. Omori’s involvement in the project help to popularize the series, as well as giving the show one of the most OVA memorable soundtracks ever produced. Of the many songs she sang for the series, the opening theme to the first episode, the legendary “Konya wa Hurricane,” topped the charts in 1988. Due to a contract dispute with her music label, she could not perform any solo vocal numbers for the BGC series after episode 3–at one point the legal wrangling between CBS and production got so bad that they considered killing Priss off in Episode 6. However ,the character proved too popular, and thus, the character was saved. However, due to budget and personnel problems, BGC was cut short after just 8 of the 13 planned episodes, and Omori moved on to concentrating full time as a singer. There was a sequel to Bubblegum Crisis, “Bubblegum Crash!” made in 1991,but it is very inferior to the BGC series.

Credits:
Chief Directed: Katsuhito Akiyama
Writer: Toshimichi Suzuki
Stars: Yoshiko Sakakibara, Kinuko Ômori, Michie Tomizawa.
Score: Kōji Makaino.
Soundtrack: Kinuko Oomori.