Bubblegum Crisis

"In the latter half of the twentieth century, rapid advancements in technology finally resulted in the development an artificial substitutes for mankind. A synthesis of mechatronics, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology, they freed people from all kinds of menial labor. People called these symbols of the era, 'Boomers, assemblers of prosperity.'"

That is Sylia Stingray's monologue from the beginning of the three Bubblegum Crash! OVAs. It illustrates the basic premise of Bubblegum Crisis very well. Boomers, so called because they caused an economic 'boom,' were designed for space and deep sea development, going places that would be dangerous for human beings. Boomers were not merely machines. Some had more organic components than inorganic components, others were far more intelligent than human beings and thus could replace them as secretaries and such, certain types were extremely powerful and had bulit-in weapons systems, and others were fully sentient and self-aware. This was a leap in technology but it was also a dangerous step to take. Boomers that gaine full self-awareness realized that they were enslaved and being used. They could spark revolutions by desiring liberation.

Sylia Stingray, Doctor Stingray's daughter, was given a legacy to carry on when he was assassinated by Genom, the company that desired ownership of the Boomers. Sylia received a data unit that implanted information into her mind. She used that information to form the Knight Sabers, a team of four female mercenaries who destroyed Boomers and acted as a balance against Genom. It all sounds rather noble on Sylia's part, but there has been speculation about how much Sylia really cares about mankind and her fellow Knight Sabers. Some people even believe she is an enhanced human or possibly a Boomer herself, which could explain the basic of the entire story: What is human?

Bubblegum Crisis mostly details the Knight Sabers vs. the Evil Corporation/Person of the week. It may be a one-shot villain or Genom, but the story is pretty standard as an episode-by-episode type. But if someone looks into episodes one, two, three, five, and six and puts them all together there is a fascinating underlying story about what it means to be human. There is Sylvie, a Boomer who wants to be free like a human and who shows a wide range of emotions; there is Mason, who wanted so much to gain physical power and influence that he allowed himself to die and be turned into the SuperBoomer Largo; there is Sylia who blurs the line between man and machine so much that she could be either or neither; and there is Chairman Quincy, President of Genom, who appears to be everything and none of these things all at once. In the beginning there was a single man, Katsuhito Stingray, who wanted to develop artificial life equal or superior to humanity. Most of these characters are extremists in some form or another. Largo wants to destroy all humanity. Sylvie wanted to become a part of it. Sylia may want to preserve it. Quincy wants to enslave it. Doctor Stingray wanted to replace it. These five characters are the center of Bubblegum Crisis and give it an added depth that most similar anime (Iczelion, Sol Bianca, Angel Cop) don't have.

Bubblegum Crisis is my favorite anime. It has everything I look for in a series. Most obviously, it has excellent animation, great music, fun characters, cool mecha, neat battles, perfect villains, and many other surface elements that make it good. Less evident are the stated underlying themes. What is man and what is machine? Where can the line be drawn? Which one is truly superior? Does a human have a right to destroy a Boomer without a trial like those a human receives? What are the consequences of designing the Boomers? These things make Bubblegum Crisis great in the same way that Neon Genesis Evangelion, Ghost in the Shell, and Armitage III are great. They all question who we are, what we are, what will become of us, and bother with the philosophy that most anime ignore altogether. It's also better for sheer entertainment than the other anime. I can watch it to think and have fun.