Bubblegum Crisis - Tokyo 2040 - Genesis (Vol. 1)
The latest adventures of the four women of the Knight Sabers are not a continuation, but an alternate version of their earlier escapades. In 2040, much of the labor in Tokyo is done by Boomers, robots initially manufactured by Genom to rebuild the city after a devastating earthquake. Unfortunately, Boomers sometimes go berserk and attack humans. Only the Knight Sabers, a cadre of female vigilante mercenaries who fight in high-heeled armor suits, can really tackle a rogue Boomer. Klutzy Linna Yamasaki comes to Tokyo hoping to join the Knight Sabers. A rampaging Boomer brings her into contact with the women of the squad: motorcycle-riding rock singer Priss Asagiri, AD Police officer Nene Romanova, and lingerie-boutique owner Sylia Stingray, who heads group. Linna eventually persuades them to give her a tryout. Despite the hard-hitting action scenes, the story begins very slowly, and the characters aren't terribly appealing. Priss is given to sullen silences, Nene sounds like a case of arrested development, and Linna inexplicably shifts between small-town innocent and defiant rebel. The men are all jerks and/or lechers. The settings look less like the blighted dystopia of the earlier entries in the series and more like a standard-issue Tokyo-of-the-Future. Episodes: 1. "Can't Buy a Thrill," 2. "Fragile," 3. "Keep Me Hanging On," 4. "Machine Head." Not rated; suitable for ages 13 and up for violence, profanity, and brief nudity.--Charles Solomon