Bubblegame Crisis – Konya wa Hurricane!

Battle Angel Alita in 1993, Armitage III in 1995, Ghost in the Shell in 1995, and Chobits in 2000; these four visual opuses are probably the best examples of Japanese cyberpunk. Influenced by the novels of William Gibson, Bruce Sterling, Pat Cadigan, and dozens of other authors that made cyberpunk one of the most read sci-fi categories of all time; in this mecha-anime, we can see how women are the absolute protagonists capable of overpowering men in battle, intelligence, and political maneuvering.
If we take a look at the western stories, we may see that the main characters are all male, while females are often confined to side roles; but this is not true in the Land of the Rising Sun when the OVA series Bubblegum Crisis was originally released in 1987. 

Created by Toshimichi Suzuki, who worked on many other cyberpunk series such as Power Dolls, Megazone 23, and AD Police, in Bubblegum Crisis we follow the adventures of Sylia Stingray, Priscilla Asagiri, Nene Romanova & Linna Yamazaki a.k.a. the Knight Sabers, a secret all-female squad of mercenaries that equipped with powered exoskeletons protect the citizens of Mega Tokyo from the evil clutches of the Genom corporation and its biomechanical creatures known as Boomers. Along eight hyper-thrilling episodes; we may enjoy a very mature story enriched by the sublime art style of Kenichi Sonoda.

Enjoy the warm techno embrace!

Honoring masterpieces like Blade Runner and Streets of Fire. In Bubblegum Crisis we may see how during the mid-80s and the mid-90s period; cyberpunk was so mainstream in the anime and manga industry, and how the genre influenced the popular culture of an entire generation at a global level. Exploiting human cyberization as the main concept, in this series (and in its sequel Bubblegum Crush), the motto “high tech, low life” is particularly true; in fact, the purpose of the Knight Sabers is only to serve the society of 100% human people, and they are respected insofar as the accomplish their missions.

Thanks to its extreme popularity, the series appeared in other formats including comic books, novels, RPGs, music albums, and video games; and in all of these works – if we look very closely – we will notice that between one mission and another, the philosophical question about the existence is always present. Who are we? What is our true meaning? Are we really exist without technology? In a few words we can say that Bubblegum Crisis brilliantly captures some of the technology’s most fundamental concerns during a period of massive industrialization; don’t forget that when these series were released Japan was in the middle of the bubble economy. Thanks to their enhanced “second body”; in Sylia, Priscilla, Nene, and Linna technology and biology are united so intimately that we really can’t separate the human from the artificial or the humanism from the post-humanism.

We will be not defeated by the speed of time!

So join us to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Bubblegum Crisis listening to the incredible music LPs and re:watching it at home with the unmissable – and extremely limited – Bubblegum Crisis 35th Box. Thanks to these releases; we can all travel back to 1987 and see how strong women (not only in anime but also in real life) can improve the life of the communities in a male-dominated world.
With its cyberpunk aesthetic made of neon-tinted skyscrapers, dark alleys filled with hacked devices cybernetically-enhanced people, and a unique sense of fashion; with only eight stories, this series could capture the very essence of the peculiar Japanese cyberpunk. We are currently living in the era of cyberpunk; and every day we can learn how technological advancement impacts our lives, also in body and mind.

Thanks to Bubblegum Crisis, we easily understand more about our techno-civilization. Absolutely ahead of its time; it should be known and watched even by younger generations, they will surely love it!
Don’t forget that if you even you are a big fan of anisongs, at Playasia you may find a B I G selection of anime soundtracks on vinyl, you just need to click H3RΣ


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