Name(s): Bubblegum Crisis 2032 / Bubblegum Crisis 2033 / バブルガムクライシス
Format: Original video animation [OVA] (8 episodes)
Studio(s): AIC / Artmic

Review

Bubblegum Crisis is an essential ’80s OVA with beautiful animation, backgrounds, and a naively optimistic, colorful portrait of the future. Most importantly, it remembers to torture you by ending the story prematurely. It’s a bittersweet tragedy as fleeting as the OVA golden age itself.

More “Bubblegum” Than “Crisis”

It’s commonly claimed that production foibles ensured Bubblegum Crisis ended at a meager 8 episodes instead of 13. However, there seems to be little evidence of this. Based on staff interviews, it appears there were no long-term plans, and expectations for Bubblegum Crisis changed as episodes were made.

This is corroborated by the OVA itself, which is largely composed of stand-alone stories. There are hints of an overarching plot, but the lack of planning shows in its missing resolution. The main antagonists, Genon, are never dealt with, and the backstory on the Knight Sabers is never fully explained. Not even so much as an improvised ending shows up. The OVA simply ends. Not in a cliffhanger—as unceremoniously as possible with just another, solid episode.

The large, neon-filled cityscapes filling the backgrounds of this series were my biggest delight. I frequently paused to get lost in this futuristic techno dream world that made the standard cyberpunk themes of corruption and crime seem a small price to pay.

While the animation’s fluidity can stutter a bit when in-betweens are lacking during some slower scenes, the studios put the effort in where it counts to create dynamic action sequences that are detailed and easy to follow. Story lines possess a wealth of small character details and comedy that are endearing as well as heartwarming. My only complaint, besides the OVA being unfinished, is that the Knight Saber Linna is oddly neglected compared to the others. Priscilla is the main character, Sylia is the leader, Nene is adorable eye candy, Linna just sort of exists. Recommended to just about anyone—with the obvious caveats.