Bubblegum Crisis: Megatokyo 2040
Overview
This is the TV series based on the original Bubblegum Crisis OVAs. The most confusing part about it, is that it exists in a timeline completely different than the original OVAs.
Storyline & Narrative
The plot to the series is very similar to the OVAs. Four women with hi-tech battle armor become the "Knight Sabers", a secret vigilante group which is protecting MegaTokyo from rampaging boomers. There are some major differences as well. There is a reason why boomers go nuts, in 2040. Also, the relationship between the AD Police and the Knight Sabers isn't nearly as friendly. The storyline starts out pretty slow, but once it begins to pick up, it gets going like a runaway train. There were a lot of surprises towards the end, and in many ways I find the storyline to actually be BETTER than the original OVA story.
Characters & Dynamics
The Knight Sabers - These four women single handedly save the city on a regular basis. Their leader is Sylia Stingray, who seems to have a few surprises of her own.
The AD Police - In 2040, the ADP poses just as much of a threat to the Knight Sabers, than GENOM does. They're obsessed with capturing the four vigilantes and almost succeed several times.
The characters in 2040 are quite nicely done, but they take a long time to develop. The basic "premise" behind each character remains constant throughout the series, ie Priss is always a loner for the most part, which I found a bit disappointing. Sylia is different from the original OVAs, and has a violent temper which is somewhat interesting.
Animation & Visual Direction
The animation is really good in 2040. It's obvious from the start that the series is much newer than the original, but everything that made the OVAs so great is still intact. When I started watching 2040, I was really disappointed with the boomer designs, but explanations later on in the series have brought understanding as to why they were designed as they were.
Voice Acting & Soundtrack
The japanese voice acting is pretty good in this series, but nothing I found really outstanding. As with most anime, the english dubs are pretty bad. Avoid them if you can.
