" You see, the city is infested with rogue robots called boomers who are extremely dangerous and can easily pass for human (wasn’t Harrison Ford in this movie? No, wait…). "

      Title: Bubble Gum Crisis Boxed Set by AnimEigo

      Format: DVD Anime

      Reviewing Monkey: Dungapult

      The Hype: One of the truly definitive hot chick in power armor animes OVAs comes to DVD in a nice little price to owned boxed set. But, is it worth spending your hard earned bananas on? Heh. Like I’m gonna tell you here…

      What This Monkey Thought...

      Animation: Though, to my knowledge anyway, originally published as an OVA, the Bubble Gum Crisis series really does rival many of the greats for consistency in animation quality, atmosphere, and overall style. Crisp, colorful, edgy, and more than a little bit sexy, Bubble Gum has the classic 80’s look that most people think anime should have. The effects are sharp and all old-school-full-drawn, the tech looks great, and best of all the fight scenes are actually drawn out well enough to be easy to follow. 4 out of 5

      Action: Highly mobile power armor make for some of the coolest action sequences anime can produce- and all the good is here in spades. Lots of conventional firepower, jumping attacks, and grueling physical combat make me…what is the word? Oh yes, aroused…. Okay, so I’m sick that way- but still…I think you’d have to be pretty defiant not to find something you like in these 3 DVDs. Ranged warfare, motorcycle chases, brutal hand to hand, and some sweet sci-fi weapons kept me entertained the entire time. Plus, as a bonus, they director does a pretty good job of spacing it all out so you don’t get too bored with the same stuff too quickly. 4.5 out of 5

      Story: *Sigh* Anime. Why does all anime have to have the same two basic elements: Hokey supernatural crap attempting to give yet more insights into the human psyche/soul and some prozac needing child dedicating their entire lives to avenging their father’s death/dishonor/disgrace/rejection/failure to get the right toy in his happy meal. It’s all so damned trite.
          Ah, well…At least it’s done pretty well here. The story focuses around the efforts of the "Knight Sabers" (and again with another weird animeism…English names that make no sense) a group of mercenaries who quickly drop their monetary based goals and take on a world saving role as their city slowly goes to hell. You see, the city is infested with rogue robots called boomers who are extremely dangerous and can easily pass for human (wasn’t Harrison Ford in this movie? No, wait…). So dangerous that some of them managed to kill one of the main character’s father- thus turning her from mild mannered lingerie shop owner to geared up vigilante. So, classically, she basically calls up her friends, says, "Hey, wanna be bounty hunter/mercs?" They say, "Yah!" And so she uses the group as a vent for her hostilities until she can track down the evil robot killers of her father. But then, come to find out, that Boomers may have souls or some such shit so that will add to all the confusion…Or at least…. That’s pretty close to what happened. I tend to sort of stop paying attention after the fourth or fifth daddy pining flash back. 3.5 out of 5

      Music: The series that truly brought anime sound tracks into the main stream listening room, the music from Bubble Gum kicks ass! Though a bit 80’s dated, it’s got a great beat and you can dance to it. It also is almost passable lyrically…which is saying a whole hell of a lot where Japanese music is concerned. 5 out of 5

      Translation: One of the great things about DVD is that you can switch it all around any way you want. Listen to it in English, read it in Japanese. Watch it in Japanese with English subtitles. Or, of course, watch it in French and be a cheese bleeding surrender monkey. Now, why is that important? Because it will let you see exactly how crappy a job they did with the dubbed English translations. It’s horrible…especially where the music is concerned. As a matter of fact, the dubbed is only worth using if you absolutely don’t have the time/patience/energy/intellect to keep up with the subtitles- which fortunately, are pretty decent. 2 out of 5

      Rewatchability: This, hands down, is a keeper. I’ve owned Bubble Gum Crisis since the first subtitled copies hit states side and I’ve never stopped watching it. Hell, it’s good enough that I ran out and bought the DVD set, too. 5 out of 5

      The Verdict:

One of the truly great animes finally makes its go round on DVD and the boxed set is absolutely worth picking up. Plus, at 40 odd bucks for the 3 DVD set, you’re getting a pretty sweet bargain.

      The Good: Kick ass power armor fighting and a great sound track.

      The Bad: Down right shitty dubbing and the same melodramatic plots we have come to dread from the Japanese.

      The Overall Ugly: Despite any flaws- this is a must have. Fantastic stuff.

      What it's Worth: Market.