Review: Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040

However, there is more happening than meets the eye. Could the rogue Voomers be deliberate somehow? What role does the megacorporation Genom have in what's going on? And why is the leader of the Knight Sabers, Sylia Stingray, so obsessed with destroying the rogues?

Characters are fleshed out fairly well. The major characters all have some depth to them - nobody is perfect, and all are tempted from time to time by other interests. Sylia in particular is shown as a soul tortured by the unwilling role she played in the development of the Voomers and their subsequent corruption.

The series progresses well - characters evolve through the series,and the "war" with the Voomers proceeds logically to a point just short of absolute disaster. There's also a good variety of plots from episode to episode. It builds, with increasing tension and stakes, to a spectacular and satisfying ending.

Animation is very good, with seamless integration of CGI content, quality imagery, and smooth animation throughout. The English voice actors get their parts exactly right, from the determined anger of Sylia to Linna's torn-apart embarrassment as she meets her "arranged" partner when visiting her parents. I can't think of one instance where the English VA was off. I haven't yet watched the Japanese track.

Other audio matches the onscreen action quite well, but I didn't find it terribly remarkable. (Good, but not remarkable). Mostly the fairly standard mix of gunfire/motor/explosion effects.

Packaging uses fairly standard DVD cases with attractive cover designs. The fact that it's 6 DVDs rather than 8 (as with Evangelion & Gasaraki) is a bonus.