nice review...I agree with your comments...
Bubblegum Crisis tv Review
Story & Characters
This review is the AD Police Files OVA and the AD Police TV show, both part (prequels) of the Bubblegum Crisis world. The story for both of these anima is really solid. AD Police files deals more with the “ghost in the machine� concept, although with a twist. Whereas some anima would get philosophical right from the start, as you progress through the mere 3 episodes this series has to offer, it becomes slowly more apparent that perhaps the machines are not the root of the problem. The AD Police TV show follows up further with this idea, centralizing around a “figurative� villain, Mason (from BGC OVA), and his more physical presence, Liem, who are attempting to cause numerous problems with proto-type Boomers. The story of the TV show instead of taking a “what am I� approach, instead lays out a beautiful scenario where the message smacks you right in the face when you’re done, showing how prejudice and the human egocentric engine sometimes blind us from ourselves. The writer really went out of his way to emphasize that although the show is about blowing up renegade robots, it’s more about the people. For example before moving onwards, there is an entire episode (I believe) that just takes place with the characters in a bar; nothing spectacular really happens and it’s mostly just conversation. This was probably the best episode out of the bunch, because it was all about making the characters deep and meaningful (without them, there wouldn’t be too much…)
Rating:
Art
For the art, it’s nothing terrible, nor fantastic. There are few randomly places CG scenes throughout the run, but it’s apparent after the first episode someone thought they looked rather silly (i.e. there’s like two after that). The robots designs aren’t jaw-dropping, nor are the other technological gizmos of the future. But there is one thing that made me really happy to see: a general sense of cleanness and consistency between all of it. Character models weren’t overly goofy or cutesy, just a typical realism hanging about the style. The background scenes all look gorgeous. And there is not much in terms of variety (mostly cityscape, alleys, garages, labs), but I think the fact that the backgrounds are so well done really enables the viewer to concentrate less on peculiarities of nature and more on what’s going on.
Rating:
Sound
Oh, the sound! I’m a metalhead/80’s rocker all the way, and the theme song and ending credits music just tickled my fancy. The music hanging throughout both series will either keep you on your toes or dance along with the characters running around kicking some tail! Even the jazzy numbers in the TV show are really well done, giving that rather betimes feel to a show that pays homage to the older-style detectives shows on TV back in the day (what, like 70’s?). The sound effects, on the other hand, are pretty cool. They do get a bit repetitive, but then again, when it’s robots and guns and the like, you can’t get too varied past the basics. Sometimes just sticking with the simple works, too.
Rating:
Presentation
Although I haven’t seen much past the original BGC OVA, these two series really capture a unique perspective on the time and presentation of somewhat varied plot. They didn’t feel the need to be overly action oriented to “wow� the viewer, but they were more like the aside that everyone waits for to get their fix before the time is up to watch something else. The main plot element that I thought was pretty cool was the general disposition of the main character, Kenji, 'til about the bitter end; reminds me a lot of Squall (little more active…) from FFVIII. Maybe that’s not the best example of originality then….whatever…I LIKED IT, SO SHUT UP! :-D The humor in this series is few and far between, but when it comes out, it’s usually one of though laugh out loud moments that acts as a comic relief element should. Overall, I’d say this was one of the more enjoyable anime series that I’ve just “randomly� picked up and liked enough to watch the whole way through sans planning. Characters being well designed and tension levels rising in just the appropriate tempo were what made it for me. The other cool little twist is that although it’s future set (2027ish), it doesn’t really jam sci-fi down your throat, making it suitable for people that are just looking for a good “detective� styled story. There is the last bit of advice before you finish the review, and that’s if you don’t like a lot of blood/gore, the OVA may be a bit much (I personally loved it). Bon apetit, animeniacs!
Rating:
Final Verdict
8.8333 (very good)
Reviewed by Paptimus909, Aug 11, 2005
Comments
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capz787 Apr 10, 2007
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UberDog Mar 23, 2015
Could use some work to the review, but nice and simple review.
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