From: ciaran@county.lmt.mn.org (Ciaran Benson)
Subject: Sex in BGC
Reply-To: ciaran@county.lmt.mn.org (Ciaran Benson)
Organization: LaserMaster Technologies, Minneapolis, MN
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 92 22:04:54 GMT

  I and 2,500 of my closest friends were sitting around at
the last MiniCon watching some anime up in my suite, and we
were (of course) working our way through the BubbleGumCrisis
set.

  I assumed that we were all fairly alternative kinds o'
folks, or we wouldn't be sitting around in a hotel room at
three in the morning drinking homebrew, wearing broadswords
and robes, and watching subtitled Japanese cartoons.

  Imagine, then, my suprise when some folks got up in the
middle of BGC 5 (Red Eyes) and stormed out fussing about
"blatent Lesbianism" and "flaunting behaviours".

  Well, talk about flabergasterered (did I get enough "er"s
in that?).

  I'd always accepted that there was a fair amount of
"alternative affection" in the BGC, especially with the
blatent jokes between Leon and Dailey, and I thought that the
"vampire love scene" in "Red Eyes" was just fab.

  'Course, then, you've got Leon wearing a pink triangle in
the beginning of BGC 8, and Dailey just waking up on the sofa
behind him (typical -- you'd think Leon would buy a decent
sized bed, at least).

  #invoke "Short.Story"; So anyways, the continually intertwining
love interests and affectional interests in BGC just seemed
to me to be the understated background of a society in 
turmoil, attempting to come to grips with its inability to
constrain its international corporations, dependant upon
vigilantes, and uncertain of its relationship with its engineered
offspring, the Boomers.

  Any hot-sex/not-sex going on seems, at best, only hinted at by
the examples I gave above, and expressed in terms of loyalty
and honour (Priss's trama at having to kill Sylvia, as only
one example of "walk-on" characters become parts of blood-
feuds which span the entire series).

  It seems that whether or not there was a physical attraction
between Priss and Sylvia, their loyalty and affection for each
other was justifyably strong enough WITHOUT sex that Priss's
reaction to having to kill Sylvia was perfectly within character.
Of course, if they did have a physical relationship, then
that just amplifies the kind of continued shock which Priss
wandered through in the first half of BGC 6, and the near
mythical resurection of her convictions when facing Mason
after the death of, the death of (damn ... don't cha hate it
when that happens), the death of Sylvia's friend.

  So anyways, I can just imagine a hundred Otaku's running for
their copies of BGC right now, fast-forwarding for examples
of "flaunting behaviours", so I'm sorry if this busted anyone's
bubble.

  But I was wondering, is this just an inferrence which I've
drawn, or is this brought out more fully in BubbleGumCrash
(which I've yet to get).  I would guess from some of the posts
I've read, that there's some sort of "reference" material for
BGC, and perhaps someone with some personality profiles from
one of those could enlighten me.

  To make my point clear (too late), I think that the way the
relationships are built up in BGC are fabulous.  Leon and
Dailey jibe at each other, and apparently they're both the
butt of several in-jokes at the office, but they still respect
each other and stand by each other through thick and thin --
whether they've got a physical relationship or not.

  Same for the Knight Sabers.  What a team -- can you imagine
playing volleyball against them (sans hard-suits, of course)?
They've got weaknesses and faults, but they're definitely a
team, and despite their differences they stand up for, and
very importantly, with each other.

  Or is this just my American eyes misunderstanding Japanese
mannerisms?

  One thing that still tickles the back of my mind, though ...
Everyone pretty much calls Priss, "Priss-san", or something
similar to a contraction like "Prissa(n)" -- except Sylvia.
She keeps adding something to the end that I can't recall
now, but sounds like a formal or perhaps affectionate term
(or am I just biased).  I tried finding it in my KataKana
dictionary, and the closest I could get was something like
"highest one, fair waterfall" or something along those lines.

  Did anyone catch what she was saying?

  Whew -- I guess this has turned into more of a fan-boy rant
than I'd ever have thought myself possible.

  Maybe I /AM/ Otaku after all ...

  Looking forward to whatever y'all can share, Ciaran.

  $uslinit; include oblig.sig <<
  "...And here, Queen Aphrodite, pour heavenly nectar into gold
   cups, and fill them gracefully with sudden joy."  -- Sappho >>