Video  1987
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Lisa Vanette: Do you know about the Knight Sabers?
Sylia Stingray: Uh-huh, I've heard about them.
Lisa Vanette: Why do you suppose they fight boomers? I hear they take their clients for lots of money, but... I wonder... if they're supposed to be the good guys.
Sylia Stingray: What do you think?
Lisa Vanette: I don't know... But fighting boomers means taking on Genom, doesn't it? For a mere four people to take on such a large corporation is just... well... Genom makes a lot of things that make wars possible. But they also make boomers that are useful to society. And if the Knight Sabers actually defeated Genom, the world woudl come to a halt. What I want to know is, just what are the Knight Sabers trying to accomplish?
Sylia Stingray: Well... what do you think would happen if Genom were to take over the world?
Lisa Vanette: I guess the cities would be wall-to-wall boomers.
Sylia Stingray: In which case, there'd be no place for we humans, right? For every good thing Genom does for the world, it also does something bad. I don't think the Knight Sabers could keep fighting if they only did nice, clean jobs. The development of boomers for military applications also led to boomers that were useful to society. I think the world would be thrown into chaos if this balance wasn't carefully mantained. Maybe the Knight Sabers are a part of that balance. To continue such activities would require a great deal of money, too... or so I would imagine.
Largo: Dead, eh? Or rather, I imagine it would be more exact to say it has ceased functioning. It IS a machine after all.
Priscilla S. Asagiri "Priss": You bastard!
[fires railgun]
Largo: [catching the spike] Is this all your anger amounts to?
Leon McNichol: One of these days, I'll uncover the truth about you.
Brian J. Mason: Be careful what you say, little puppy.
Leon McNichol: Even a little puppy can nibble an sleazebag like you to death!
Largo: Human beings... how vulgar. For the crime of injuring me, a god, I demand, as atonement, death!
Priscilla S. Asagiri "Priss": You little idiot! If you die, what will Sylvie have died for?
Priscilla S. Asagiri "Priss": You'd better work out, or you won't be able to fit in your suit.
Nene Romanova: Ha! I contribute to the Knight Sabers with my good looks and amazing brain. I never want to be such an ape woman like you are. Besides, if you really are as hot as you say you are then how come I had to give you a speeding ticket?
Amazon.com
These OAVs were among the first Japanese series released as such in the U.S. and are remembered fondly by fans. An early example of cyberpunk that borrows heavily from Blade Runner and Robocop, Bubblegum Crisis depicts the adventures of the female vigilante group the Knight Sabers. In form-fitting, high-heeled mecha suits, Sylia, Priss, Linna, and Nene fight the rogue cyborgs of the sinister Genom Corporation in MegaTokyo, 2032. Sylia's brother Mackie, and A.D. Cop Leon, Priss's long-suffering suitor, assist them. The first three episodes (1987) form a single continuity; "Revenge Road" (1988) depicts a battle between an embittered man and a motorcycle gang. "Moonlight Rambler" (1988) and "Red Eyes" (1989) pit the Saber Knights against vampire cyborgs prowling MegaTokyo. "Double Vision" (1990) introduces the mysterious pop star Vision, and "Scoop Chase" (1991), in which a high school journalist tries to unmask the Knight Sabers, ends the series on a silly note. The direction and design in the first trilogy look decidedly old-fashioned, but the later adventures grow increasingly sophisticated. Odd notes include suggestions of lesbianism, officer Daley's homosexual passes at Leon (who gets better-looking in each redesign), and Mackie trying see his sister in her underwear. Included in the set are Hurricane Live! 2032 and 2033, collections of music videos, and concert footage of the Japanese voice actresses singing the pop songs used in the series. Unrated; suitable for ages 16 and up: Violence, grotesque imagery, profanity, brief nudity, tobacco use, and sexual situations, including prostitution. --Charles Solomon