Simulwatch - Gunsmith Cats/Riding Bean/Bubblegum Crisis/Crash/AD Police/Parasite Dolls [all complete]

[Neil.T]

Unfortunately the AnimEigo DVDS are region 1 ☹

Sadly yes. Otaku no Video as well.

I was on the site looking at the BD of that when it became available in the UK after the Kickstarter backers got their copies. Unfortunately, the delivery charge was something like £17, despite the stock being housed in a warehouse just down in Southampton!

That charge was the same whether you selected the deluxe or the standard edition. In the case of the standard edition, delivery cost more than half the price of the actual item.

 

[Professor Irony]

The near direct comparison has got me wondering about sources... Yours looks like it's been through some pretty aggressive DNR, I wonder if that was the choice of whoever ripped it or it that's what the Japanese Blu-rays actually look like (I'm capping directly from the AnimEigo Blu-ray, which is a bit of an a*se about but it produces nice images).

This is an interesting question. I resorted to using a (fairly recent) rip for the sake of easier screengrabs, but I do have a screenshot saved somewhere that I believe was taken straight from the Japanese BD. I'll see if I can find that.

Yes, I very distinctly do remember that. Wonder what happened there, you'd have thought AnimEigo's relationship with AIC (I think after all the lawsuits and the bankruptcy it's AIC that owns everything BGC related now, right?) would be pretty good. Afaik they still have the DVD rights to AD Police and Crash.

While I don't believe it's ever been addressed directly, there was an offhand comment from an official source last year that suggested there may be a problem with the materials, so I don't know. If that's the case, fair enough, but I do wish they'd make some kind of definite announcement about it. Rough as it is, I have a soft spot for AD Police and would chuck decent cash at any Kickstarter project for it.

 

[WMD]

Sadly yes. Otaku no Video as well.

I was on the site looking at the BD of that when it became available in the UK after the Kickstarter backers got their copies. Unfortunately, the delivery charge was something like £17, despite the stock being housed in a warehouse just down in Southampton!

That charge was the same whether you selected the deluxe or the standard edition. In the case of the standard edition, delivery cost more than half the price of the actual item.

Yikes that's rough. I'm glad I was able to bundle BGC into my GSC order!

 

[Neil.T]

Yikes that's rough. I'm glad I was able to bundle BGC into my GSC order!

Yeah, I didn't order either version of Otaku no Video in the end.

Did you order your two direct from AnimEigo?

 

[WMD]

Yeah, I didn't order either version of Otaku no Video in the end.

Did you order your two direct from AnimEigo?

Gunsmith cats was from the kickstarter they did and they said we could add other products from their main site without increasing the postage so I added on BGC. Didnt know anything about at the time but figured I'd make the most of it.

 

[WMD]

Bubblegum Crisis episode 6

Really enjoyed this episode though it had some of more melancholic scenes so far. I especially liked that it was a direct continuation from the last episode. The stakes of both eps seem more weighty because of that.

It was good to give Priss a real character story to explore. Her initial desire to run away after what happened last time was totally understandable and it makes so much sense to have seeing Anri I'm the car bring her back. I have to say Anris fate was really sad but it seems Priss wont let her self sacrifice go to waste.

The new suits are also quite the upgrade! Really sharp looking! And at the end it was good to see Leon have another useful role in proceedings.

In the dub I have to say I really liked the performance the actor for Largo gave. He made a really good villian and gave the character some real life. On the flip side the voice actor for the purple haired security lady was hilariously bad. At times Scottish, at times Irish, at times just flat who knows what. Did not mesh well with the rest of the voices on offer.

As an aside I really chuckled at the bit where Leon goes "3 minutes?! You better get there in 1." And this is the image:

 

[Neil.T]

Bubblegum Crisis episode 5

I live, I die, I live again.

Nam = Megumi Hayashibara. Always nice to hear her, as short-lived as her role in this episode was.

We've got Motomu Kiyokawa in this, too (Fuyutsuki in Evangelion, Gargoyle in Nadia), as both the newsreader seen on the screen of that overhead blimp, and the doctor in the morgue.

Then there's an almost vocally unrecognisable Kouichi Yamadera (Spike in Cowboy Bebop, Kaji in Evangelion) as Fargo, speaking in — I think, because I'm really not an expert when it comes to this — a western Japanese dialect.

Talking of that shadowy meeting with Sylia, just look at this moody shot. They've really gone all-in with the noir look. The bar's even called C'est la Vie!



My last observation for this episode is the rose tattoo we see on Daley's upper right arm; it's a direct reference to his sexuality.

From Wikipedia:
Barazoku is Japan's oldest and longest running monthly magazine for gay men. ... The title means "the rose tribe" in Japanese, hinted from King Laius' homosexual episodes in Greek mythology.

Barazoku - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Couldn't resist this picture to end on:

Spoiler

Rock on!

 

[HWR]

Bubblegum Crisis Episode 6: Red Eyes

A pretty downbeat episode with a fair amount of moping and guilt. It also carried on from the previous episode which was neat. Anytime I see characters in this series that are related to the leads I see immediate red flags, something proved right by the appearance of Anri. This episodes villain was vaguely threatening but lacked much in terms of depth for me.

 

[Professor Irony]

Bubblegum Crisis ep5: Bark at the Moon



So that's what they're calling it now.

Fargo and Largo? Well, that's not confusing at all. Maybe a red herring, considering that it almost sounds like they're the same person? Imagine if they'd named Sylvie 'Margo'... I like the idea that Genom is fractured and prone to infighting though; I think so many stories about evil megacorps tend to portray them as a single united entity, having different branches vying for power feels somewhat more believeable.

The off-world opening was a cool change of pace and good looking with it, although having watched Gall Force since I last saw Bubblegum Crisis, it does sadden me a little that AIC put all their top staffers on BGC, while Gall Force appears to have been left largely to the B-team. Adding to the list of cameos, I actually thought I saw Rumy in the background during an earlier episode, but sadly I didn't screencap her, and I've now lost track of where that was.

I think ayase was right about the direction of this one feeling noticeably different to the previous episodes too. Maybe it's just the greater emphasis on the big suits this time around, but if the early part was a sentai show, it feels like we're now very much in the realm of mecha anime. The big, chonky mechs are fun and it's clear to see Masami Oobari's hand at work here, but it's a bit of a departure.

We've touched briefly on Priss' sexuality, but I'm not sure she's the only one whose tastes are somewhat ambiguous here, at least if the subtitles are anything to go by. It's not really clear if Daley's advances towards Leon and his nonchalant responses are just playful banter between friends or if they do actually have something casual going on. Not that it really matters either way, it's still refreshing (certainly for the late '80s) how little reaction Daley's open homosexuality provokes in Leon.

This is something I'd never considered, but it's an interesting idea. Considering how frequently I've seen fan speculation on Priss's orientation, it would be brilliantly egalitarian of them to invite something similar for Leon. If you take AD Police as canon, it would seem fitting for him to have inherited Jeena's penchant for casual workplace flings, so why not Daley? If nothing else, I'm greatly relieved at how the show does take Daley seriously as a character. It would have been so easy for him to end up as the screamingly camp comic relief; even now we're still seeing those kind of stereotypes in mainstream shows (I'm looking at you, One Punch Man).

Actually, speaking of taking AD Police as canon, it does surprise me how shocked Nene is at the idea that sexaroids are real. Maybe she's just led a sheltered life...

 

[WMD]

Bubblegum Crisis episode 7

Like episode 4 there were some serious Ghost in the Shell vibes in this episode. Especially with this Tachikoma running around :


I also really liked how there were 2 stories going on this time. The corporate illegal activities of Genom in one and the more simple but emotional story of revenge in the other.

It was also interesting how this episode managed to hold up a mirror to Priss while letting her take a back seat in this episode. In Vision we have an alternative Priss. Publicly shes a singer in a band and in secret she fights a war on a technological battlefield. As if to say this is what could have happened to Priss after Sylvie died if rage and despair had taken full control of her.

It also ties into the themes of episode 4 in that way showing how revenge for the sake of love makes us blind to that love and what that love would actually want from us.

A couple of smaller observations: what a power play from that business guy at the start using a person as an ashtray! I also really liked how the spider tanks legs folding so it could manoeuvre in a smaller environment.

I'm going to update the 1st post with dates/schedule for Crash/AD/Dolls. If you want them moved back at all let me know and we'll find a good time for all.

 

[HWR]

Bubblegum Crisis Episode 7: Double Vision

“Fill my eyes with that double vision”

Foreigner classics asides, this was quite the episode to showcase a parallel between Priss and Vision, as @WMD pointed out.

As we approach the final OVA it is sad to see that there aren’t more episodes in HD, I’ve been enjoying the solid transfer.

 

[Neil.T]

Playing catch-up here...


Bubblegum Crisis episode 5 revisited

I forgot to grab this screenshot while I was actually watching the episode:

Below the monitor, above the four big buttons at the bottom: Mmmm... lunch selection


Episode 6

I'm a bit embarrassed to admit this, but I actually got somewhat lost while watching this continuation of the previous episode's storyline and had to unpick it using AnimEigo's very useful liner notes:

Bubblegum Crisis — AnimEigo

www.animeigo.com

I never seem to do too well with these kind of intrigue-riddled plots. I don't think I'd be any use watching GitS: SAC.


Episode 7

Satoshi Urushibara's hand is at work here as animation director and guest character designer, and that's a very good thing indeed. I'd said before that episode 4 was my favourite, but this one's a contender, too. It's a bit of a cracker.

What a start, though!

Are you sure this is the year 2033?

But then it segues into our musical opening for this episode, and what an opening it is; it's a genuinely excellent song. The English and Japanese parts meld seamlessly together, which definitely isn't always the case. It's very competently written, and the performance is excellent.

More excellence comes from this scene that I've been looking forward to seeing again since the start of this simulwatch:

[cigar in mouth] Dou da ne, Hakase?
[nods almost imperceptibly] Mmmn.

That exchange, as low-key as it is, has always stayed in my memory ever since the first time I saw it. The whole sequence that it's part of communicates brilliantly on every level the shadiness of the business deal being signed off here. Look at those shadows; just top-notch.

I'm full of praise for this episode; it's an excellent piece of work from start to finish.


... even with the occasional (endearing) quirk along the way:

Fine. The password knows it was at fault. It accepts that it made a mistake. Now let's stop blaming the password and move on.

 

[Professor Irony]

Bubblegum Crisis ep6 - Eye, Robot


But Aquaman, you cannot marry a woman without gills!

Not a huge fan of Largo as a villain, he feels like a cackling stopgap between the entirely plausible Mason and the apparent end-boss, Quincy. He does come across as a bit of a Roy Batty figure in this episode though, shame they couldn’t have leaned into that a bit more by developing him more and making him sympathetic - wanting the androids to have a homeland is a noble enough cause. Shame that I don’t think Madigan sticks around either, having a recurring female villain might be a neat counterpoint to Sylia. Quincy having a body double is neat too. It’s enough to make you questions which other characters might be metal on the inside.

For the man who is only metal in his pants, however, Leon’s got a new phallic symbol shooting iron, which seems downright sensible - ordinary guns don’t appear to offer much protection against the boomers. That said, whatever happened to that pocket-sized anti-boomer weapon that Priss produced early on? Perhaps Sonoda convinced everyone they needed real guns for maximum otaku appeal. Even Nene’s getting in on the act with what looks very much like a little nod to the firing range scene from Robocop.

Not much else to say about this one, really. Priss certainly gets plenty of time to shine in the action scenes, but some of the direction in the showdown with Largo could have been a little tighter. I’m just being picky because the show’s set such a high bar already.

 

[WMD]

According to wikipedia Mason and Largo are the same character. Did other people get that from watching as I didnt? Is it more obvious in the Japanese than English? I know Sylia notes the similarity of what Largo said to what Mason said but it didnt twig for me that meant are one and the same.

Heres the character profile from wiki:

Brian J. Mason/LargoEdit
Brian J. Mason is the primary villain of the first three episodes, a high-level executive in the GENOM corporation who killed Dr. Stingray and stole his Boomer technology. As with Sylia, certain mysteries are created around Mason which are never resolved in the series. It is generally accepted that Mason somehow transferred his personality into a boomer body some time prior to his death in episode 3, resurfacing in episodes 5 and 6 under the identity of Largo. [1] Most likely, he succeeded in transferring his memories into the ultimate Boomer, thus creating a God-like being able to vaporize three major GENOM branch towers in a single instant at will using a mental link with the USSD's particle-beam satellites.

 

[Professor Irony]

Now that you mention it, I think I have heard that before, but I'd long since forgotten and, yeah, wouldn't have otherwise made that connection. Presumably it's something the show would have picked up on again if it had completed its run as was originally intended. It would make a certain amount of sense, I suppose - Largo sort of appears out of nowhere with little introduction or explanation. If you take the 'Sylvia is a boomer' theory as canon, presumably Largo's line to her 'we're two of a kind' implies that they were both transferred into boomer bodies following their 'death'. Alternatively, if you don't subscribe to that one, it could simply read that Mason/Largo has developed an obsession with Sylvia, calling out to her because she killed him once before, and he is now taunting her that they're both killers.

I'm not sure if Toshimichi Suzuki has ever stated definitively what the original plan for the story was (presumably we would know, if he had) but the popularity and unfinished nature of BGC has certainly made it the subject intense fan-speculation over the years, so who knows? Maybe we're all wrong and it was something else entirely. Mackie was the head of Genom all along!

 

[Neil.T]

According to wikipedia Mason and Largo are the same character. Did other people get that from watching as I didnt? Is it more obvious in the Japanese than English?

I actually did clock that, but it was the first time in three viewings that I had. It was one of the few things that I did follow properly in episode 6's plot. I went back to it earlier and checked Sylia's line, and the subtitles are a carbon copy of the dub. I can also confirm that it's an accurate translation of the original Japanese.


Bubblegum Crisis episode 8

Now... this episode has possibly my favourite opening title sequence of the series; that widescreen montage of the characters' nichijou (everyday lives) is very nice. Interesting to note that Daley appears to have crashed at Leon's apartment, but has slept on the sofa.

Into the episode proper, Vision seems to be appearing in the drive-in movie (which looks to be some kind of RoboCop/Bubblegum Crisis mash-up), and Fargo is back to speaking in his dialect from episode 5, after VA Yamadera's conspicuously dialect-free performance last episode.

For anyone wondering about this cutaway to Nene sneezing while the Chief's niece is going around info-gathering, it's because it's the Japanese equivalent of your ears burning because someone's talking about you.


In fact, there are some outstanding character shots in this episode. I love this one:


And this:


Sonoda's designs are just classic:

Look at Nene's reaction!

I could go on, but to end with, I'd always wondered why the Knight Sabers' combat-geared hardsuits had high heels. It turns out that they're... "cuty feet"! (On the wall, just over our raving antagonist's right shoulder.)

 

[WMD]

Bubblegum Crisis episode 8

In a way this is like the dvd release bonus episode you'd normally find on a normal series release. A but more comedic in tone, separate to main plot, focus on different character etc. It was fun and also nice to see Nene given her time to really shine.

The intro was very cinematic with the aspect ratio and the was the credits were overlaid on a montage of the characters getting ready.

I guess for the purposes of this story it made sense but it felt like the rest of the girls were overly harsh on Nene, especially her supposed weight gain! But I suppose it did its job of showing that Nenes value to the team isnt her athletic or fighting ability. Shes the comms and IT warfare specialist. The way Nene saves her new friend and then saves the day doing something only she can do was really cool.

Also bringing the fight to the AD police headquarters was a nice touch as it raises the stakes from Nenes point if view, though the actual officers could've played more of a role.

It's a shame the series was cut short as there is clearly so much to explore, both in this world and in these characters!

 

[HWR]

Bubblegum Crisis Episode 8: Scoop Chase

A very fun episode, however it didn’t really feel like it should have been the last but, alas, it is what it is. At least the initial series ends on a memorable enough note. This has been a very enjoyable experience and I’m happy to have BGC in my collection.

 

[ayase]

Bubblegum Crisis: Episode 6 - Omae wa mo Shindeiru


Wherever you go, on sea or land, you can't ever hide from Largo LaGrande

Got a bit behind due to other commitments, this post has been sitting half-written for a couple of days but I'm gonna finish the final two tonight.

I think this episode improves the previous one retrospectively, as taken together they make a nice whole. We ain't getting the music video vibes I enjoy so much nearly as strongly any more, the tone here is more cinematic, which is good in a different (albeit less unique) way. I do particularly like the slam-door moment of the credits and Rock Me immediately kicking in on Sylia's bombshell at the end. I had to flick back and watch that three times. That's the way 100% of the films I half-write in my head end.

Speaking of which, how can I put this delicately without making it sound like I think you're all idiots* I find it... surprising that people wouldn't clock the Mason/Largo connection given that ending. Sylia's story is the thread that runs through everything even as stand-alone plots come and go - We know of her odd connection to both characters and in the end we see that Sylia is perfectly aware of who he was, I don't really see any other way her line could be taken.


Emperor Palpatine sends his regards.

I rather like Largo as a character, in that kind of Nietzschen spirit of admiration for anyone able to openly and confidently wield massive amounts of power for their own chosen purposes, despite how morally reprehensible they might be. Also I just really like the idea of being able to telepathically destroy whatever I wanted with laser satellites. And while I get that he's obviously detestable for using Anri the way he did, would a world under his control really have been much worse than the one dominated by Genom?



The mech designs of the Super Boomers and the moving parts on them are really nice. I'm not entirely sure they belong though, they look a little bit too super-robot for the setting. Somewhere, a group of maladjusted teenagers are filing a vehicle theft report. I did enjoy the scene of one of them making a grovelling apology video call to Largo though.


*which I don't, by the way. At least most of the time.

 

[Professor Irony]

Bubblegum Crisis ep7 - Vision Express



"Excuse me miss, would you like to come upstairs and see my etchings?"

Nearly dubbed this one 'Chucklevision', but I thought that might sound more mean than intended. I don’t dislike Vision at all, but I’m glad they didn’t follow through on the mooted idea of having her take over from Priss. In part I just like that Priss is an honest to goodness punk, whereas Vision seems more like an idol singer, but I also find it hard to picture Vision having a place in the Knight Sabers. She has wealth, people and resources behind her, does she really need them? Perhaps this one would have been written differently if Priss had died after all. If they had developed Vision's crime family links a bit more, I suppose that could have been interesting, and I do like her character design.

On which note, I wonder who was actually behind her distinctive look. As Neil pointed out, Satoshi Urushihara is credited as guest character designer for this episode (are the faces a little softer generally or am I looking too hard?), but with her floofy bob and green fringe, she certainly has Sonoda's hallmarks. Stylistically, the two artists' work was quite similar around this time, so it could be a joint effort, I suppose. She even looks a bit like Major Kusanagi when she puts the shades on in her music video.

If I can stop myself talking shop for a minute, this is a solid episode. I enjoy Quincy's fine "For me, it was Tuesday" moment, but I am also eating my earlier comment about Linna's lack of development, she's much more central to this one than I remembered. I do wonder what they would have done to write Priss out though, if they had gone down that route. Would she have died in the fight with Largo? That would have placed a hell of a downer on the show.



Flight now boarding.

But then it segues into our musical opening for this episode, and what an opening it is; it's a genuinely excellent song. The English and Japanese parts meld seamlessly together, which definitely isn't always the case. It's very competently written, and the performance is excellent.

Yes, very much this. Say Yes is an absolute banger, one of my favourites from the show.

The mech designs of the Super Boomers and the moving parts on them are really nice. I'm not entirely sure they belong though, they look a little bit too super-robot for the setting. Somewhere, a group of maladjusted teenagers are filing a vehicle theft report.

I think this is very much Obari's influence coming to the fore. Speaking of which, he's not credited as a character artist, but I'm sure Largo's upswept eyelashes are a Masami Obari design tic...