Bubblegum Crisis - Tokyo 2040 - Buried Secrets (Vol. 4)
After 12 episodes of this female mecha adventure, the main plot finally begins to unfold amid a welter of revelations. Sylia continues her search for the Wiz Lab, the site where her father created the Boomer robots that perform the heavy labor in 21st-century Neo-Tokyo. But the Boomer Project was more significant and more sinister than the other characters realized. At its center was Sylia's father, who used members of his family for bio-technical experiments, like Dr. Ikari inNeon Genesis Evangelion. He created a creature so dangerous, the powerful Genom Corporation deliberately triggered the earthquake that destroyed much of Tokyo to imprison it: that was a less threatening scenario than allowing it to escape. Sylia's dogged efforts to seal off the ruined lab lead Mason, the icy vice president of Genom, to the site beneath the rebuilt city. He outmaneuvers the Knight Sabers, the A.D. Police, and Sylia's eerie brother Mackey, and releases Galatea the Sotai, an innocent-looking little girl who threatens the future of mankind with her powers. This edition ofBubblegum Crisisdelivers the mecha action and empowered heroines that earned the series its following, although the story may feel very familiar to anime fans. "Suggested 15 Up" for violence, profanity, and brief nudity.--Charles Solomon