What is BGC2040

What is BGC2040?

Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 is taken from the original Bubblegum Crisis. It is not a remake or a retelling of the old story. It is not a prequel nor a sequel. It is a complete story in itself with old characters sporting new looks. Some believe that BGC2040 is an injustice to the original BGC;some believe there is no comparison; some believe that BGC2040 can stand on its own. I dare not pass any judgement.

BGC2040 is set 40 years into the future, or perhaps more aptly, a generation hence. The world has grown a lot smaller in that time. With advancements in transportation, a day of travel in the present may be but an hour during those times. The internet further provides efficient communication even to the other side of the globe. Plus, the world is getting crowded with the introduction of its newest inhabitants -- the boomers. The boomers are bio-mechanical droids created by Genom Corp. to help rebuild Tokyo which was devastated by the great earthquake. With its tireless workforce, Genom practically redesigned the entire city and eventually controlled most of it. But there was a minor glitch in the operation -- boomers go rogue. A special division of the police, namely the AD Police, was created, to keep these rogue boomers out of the streets and boomer crimes in check. To most people, rogue boomers are just like an appliance that has gone bonkers a day after its warranty expired and the AD Police, your 24-hour home-service repairmen. But to a small group of people, they believed there is more to this than what can be seen and they have good reason to believe so. Armed with their guts, their disgust over the incompetence and arrogance of the AD Police, and the latest tools that technology has to offer, they took the matters into their hands as a vigilante group known as the Knight Sabers.

The Knight Sabers is composed of four young women -- Sylia Stingray, the undisputed leader of the group and whose father invented the boomer technology; Priss Asagiri, a band lead singer and the muscle arm of the group; Nene Romanova, an AD Police operator and techno-expert; and Linna Yamazaki, an office lady and the newest member of the group. Together with Nigel Kirkland, a former Genom engineer; Leon McNichol, an AD Police and opponent turned ally; and Mackie Stingray, boomer-brother of Sylia, they waged a battle against the impending boomer takeover.

So what really does the term 'bubblegum crisis' mean? The best explanation I've read is that this is a crisis likened to a bubblegum blowing up on your face. It is the kind of a sticky mess that no matter how you clean it up, there is always a bubblegum bit left somewhere. The series ends with the triumph of the Knight Sabers, but don't you ever wonder where that piece of gum bit may be?