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For our final podcast of the year, we celebrate our third year anniversary with our special guest, Ryan Gavigan! Took us long enough; we’d been meaning to record this since before our first year anniversary. In the first part of this show, we talk to Ryan about his sordid life in anime fandom and Daryl reviews the Bubblegum Crisis OAVs, aka “the only Bubblegum Crisis that exists” or if you prefer “the REAL Bubblegum Crisis.”
Introduction (0:00 – 40:40)
For our three year anniversary, we figured we’d record an actual show proper with everyone together for the very first time instead of just a bonus. Nearly all podcasts do this, but not us! That’s why we didn’t know to position the microphones in such a way as to prevent echoing induced from multiple mics recording the same sounds. Oh well. So who is this Ryan Gavigan, anyway? Listen and find out for yourself!
Promo: Weeaboobies (40:40 – 43:33)
This is a genuine custom promo made by Erin from the Ninja Consultant podcast! Includes genuine voicemail message from Erin!
Review: Bubblegum Crisis (43:33 – 1:45:46)
Daryl…sort of talks about Bubblegum Crisis for an hour. Maybe. The way he sees it, all the cool anime podcasts already talked about it so he has nothing to lose!
Bubblegum Crisis is, as the title card suggests, the story of [the] Knight Sabers. Not the Knight Saviors.
BGC was made in the 1980s.
Daley Wong and Leon McNichol, the two longest-living members of the AD Police. Daley, if you couldn’t tell, is a flamboyant homosexual of the type and variety never to be respected by the Iron Shiek. All Leon ever does right is take his shades off, put his shades on, say stupid things, and occasionally shoot someone. So THAT’S where CSI: Miami came from. YEAHHHHHH!
This is Priss in her concert gear. You might have to squint to notice it, but she looks KINDA like Pris from Blade Runner!
But despite the haircut, she is not “the gay,” as that ugly freckleface girl from Transporter 3 would say. Otherwise, she’d be enjoying this more.
If she was, there’d be scenes of her doing this sort of thing. BGC is not exactly a subtle series. So stop contemplating whether Sylia is a boomer. (PS: Deckard = NOT A REPLICANT, NO MATTER WHAT)
In addition to her skeletal structure, Priss is constantly breaking the rules. Observe this BLATANT DISREGARD for the laws of physics.
Sylia Stingray, by contrast, complies with the laws of physics. This is the law of buoyancy. Though I guess buoyancy isn’t a law so much as a force. Fuck it.
The wardrobe for Vision’s truly, truly outrageous number comes to us courtesy of the Cyber City Oedo Mercenary Girl’s Closet.
But if you’re thinking of cosplaying it, know that there are downsides. MORE LIKE BACKSIDES, AMIRITE
Vision’s character designer was Satoshi Urushihara. The breasts on his female characters are always that shiny because he uses his many, many love dolls as reference. (EDIT: Actually, Kenichi Sonoda designed her, too. The joke still applies.) Gerald only has one inflatable anime girl love doll for the moment.
Nene is the worst character, so naturally the Japanese gave her an entire episode. Nothing “proto”-moe about it!
Largo however, is the best character other than Sylia. That Hiroaki Gouda (No. Edam? No.) probably designed him is a true oddity, as he directed the Nene episode then spent the rest of his life directing all the Ah My Goddess! anime.
Maybe Masami Obari might have designed Largo. If Masami Obari is involved and it does not involve either Largo or Terry Bogard, then I’m probably not interested.
Obari-tan wants us all to know: this person is DEFINITELY Australian.
As a rule, it is pointless to bother doing high-definition remasterings for most non-theatrical anime made prior to the onset of HD. However, certain bits of hilarious English/Engrish text become more easily noticeable here. WHAT’S THAT BETWEEN THOSE BOOKS NENE, HUH? This must be the REAL reason PT Chapman loves you so. PS: Mackie is “the character we, the viewer, would actually be.” Dwell on THAT.
Oh yeah, there’s mecha in this series, which is why it’s awesome. Sylia is the leader!
Nobody gonna beat my car / It’s gonna break the speed of sound / Ooh, it’s a killing machine / It’s got everything / Except for a girl in powered armor riding a giant fucking motorcycle / But other than that, it’s cool
This is the part Sonoda was responsible for; the mechanical designs of the hardsuits. Also, the little girl in the first episode FO’ SHO’. Note the presence of the high heels which make this awesome and EMPOWERING and why Japanese animation is mature advanced sci-fi storytelling with STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERS blah blah blah
This is clearly the Shinji Aramaki part. Because it’s AWESOME.
Motorcycles that transform into robots…AND THEY CAN FLY? If they can fly, why even HAVE motorcycles? Only Shinji Aramaki truly knows.
This is what happens to most members of the AD Police that are not in helicopters. (If they’re in helicopters, they get immolated due to the freaking chopper exploding. Holy CRAP.) Note that this guy lost his hands before losing his arms, and that head comes off about a second after this screenshot was taken.See? You should go watch this cartoon. Again, if need be.
We really appreciate all the work you guys do. Thanks for editing this thing until 5:30 AM, and have a great holiday season =)
Have a great holiday! Thanks for another entertaining year of A.W.O.!
I was able to blow some minds by showing anything older than a 2005 anime. The Crystal Trianle and MD Geist helped.
I have the version of BGC that came in the shimmery packaging. Was that the one with the bad authoring? The remastered boxset is a bit too much
right now.
I refuse to watch 2040. It doesn’t exist in my mind either.
I just remember seeing the VHS of BGC back in the days of Sam Goody and being in awe of how beautifully drawn it was (you the one that has Priss’s hardsuit coming apart). The first I saw it however was when Encore Action played it (I think it was the subbed version actually). Then my dad saw the $30 price and said OUCH no way.
Also, I own a Kenichi Sonoda artbook that even though I payed twice what it’s yen price was, it was totally worth it.
Thanks for three great years!
I know I break’eth the cardinal rule of commenting before I’ve listened to the show but have a great holiday season, AWO.
Have a merry, merry thingy.
Happy anniversary , happy anniversary , happy aniversary, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!
I assumed that Bubblegum Crisis was considered awesome because it was available. I remember there being a cyberpunk student club when I was in college (1990), and pretty much the only reasons they existed were to: 1) buy mirror shades, 2) talk about who’s better — Bruce Sterling or William Gibson, and 3) complain that Bubblegum Crisis is NOT cyberpunk. The whole club fell apart when the founder flunked out after becoming addicted to MUDing.
One of the big influences on BGC I’ve always thought was overlooked was Purple Rain. I mean, the entire first episode is pretty much a 45 minute-long music video the same way Purple Rain is an hour-and-a-half-long promo video for Prince with no motivation for any of the actions of any of the actors. Also: Morris Day.
Happy Holidays/Anniversary! Another awesome episode, as usual.
BGC 2040 was actually the first version of Bubblegum Crisis I ever saw, back when I was 10 years old or something. Even though I don’t really care for it now, I have to give it some credit for existing, since watching that eventually lead me to the original OAVs.
I also must thank Ryan Gavigan for starting ACen, as that’s the only anime con that’s a reasonable distance away from where I live.
Happy Anny! you damn dirty punks! 🙂
You’re all loose cannons and should be OFF THE FORCE!
*ahem*
well, since I got namechecked again, I gotta say some crap or lose face.
My thing on the BGC/Streets of Fire connection is less about what is referenced in the ‘cast and more to the entire concept, which goes to the Hollywood style of the ‘High Concept Pitch’
Streets of Fire is “Rock and Roll fable”
BGC is “MTV robot chicks fight crime”
(and like true High Concept, the pitch bares only slight likeness to the reality, but it’s good enough to get the green light)
I’m not a big BGC guy. It’s one of the things I used to rail about because there were too many people who thought it was the be-all and end-all of anime, when the MAIN selling point to many of them was the same thing that made the initial release of Manga Ent’s titles so HOT HOT HOT, that is….say it with me everyone…
BOOBS AND BLOOD
or if you prefer sex (and yes, not so much but some, some) and violence (ohh, much more of that, and nasty at times). Sex and Violence, those cornerstones of the early American Anime Industry. That is what sold BGC.
Now in Japan, the reason for the series existing is crystal clear. To sell records. That’s what it was all about, that’s why Toshiba-EMI/Youmix was putting up the money.
(insert comment about how yet again Nishizaki showed the way, with the HUGE money Columbia had been making from Yamato music, even after production ended)
I always thought Linna had ‘New Guy’ (aka the one who dies tragically and moves the remaining chara forward) written all over her.
Nene is proto MOE, and 100% lolicon bait, thus explaining her popularity.
BGC is part of the whole ‘deconstruction’ of previously existing anime concepts that has given us the ‘chickification’ of what should be manly robot shows.
I’ve never understood why Boomers were allowed to be manufactured out of materials that were mostly invulnerable.I guess it makes some sense in the ‘wear and tear’ daily use thing but damn, that’s got to cost something huge, so why would you have a Boomer be a ditchdigger when you can hire a human, or employ convicts? And you’d think the ADP would, like, put in for upgraded weapons or something (and yeah, I recall that was a story point somewhere, bureaucratic BS and budget problems holding it back, with the hint that Genom was..blah blah blah)
There, that should stir some comment.
Shoutout to Ryan. Thanks for ACen and all that stuff! 🙂
I’m rather new to AWO, but thank you so much for three years of awesome shows. Keep it up, I love listening to you guys talk anime!
Merry Christmas guys.
As I check, I dubbed in the part where I read Ryan’s response too early. It was clearly meant to go after the part where I jokingly responded to “BGC is a unique production in anime history” with “yes, no other anime was ever about robots going crazy.” Oh well.
I have the version of BGC that came in the shimmery packaging. Was that the one with the bad authoring? The remastered boxset is a bit too much right now.
No, you have the same one I’ve got. As I said, the initial release with the bad authoring was not even sold in DVD cases. It was sold in a giant box like the kind they used to sell PC software in.
One of the big influences on BGC I’ve always thought was overlooked was Purple Rain.
It’s overlooked because I don’t think the similarities actually exist at all outside of a superficial level. You want someone influenced by Prince? The next episode of AWO will focus on Hirohiko Araki’s grandest creation of all.
BGC is part of the whole ‘deconstruction’ of previously existing anime concepts that has given us the ‘chickification’ of what should be manly robot shows.
I somewhat agree. The 1980s was the heyday of the “girls with guns” fad, not just in anime but in action cinema as well. The fad largely died out everywhere else across all media once they all started emphasizing the “girls” aspect over the “with guns” aspect (save the lame pun for another day), but anime kept it alive. The reasons why are perhaps numerous, but I agree with you entirely regarding the popularity of Nene. At least Ran from Urusei Yatsura–for whom Nene looks awfully similar to–was a psychopath under the surface. Then again, Ran’s a different proto-moe type.
The “why not just use humans/less complex machines instead of robots?” is kind of a question you have to gloss over when it comes to the mecha genre. Sure, you could cite something about how Boomers were made to do hazardous work, and once they started being applied for military/industrial purposes it became an arms race, but the real reason is “because robots are cool.”
The A.D. Police tv series is hilariously awesome and I remember liking the opening theme. It was better than Tokyo 2040 in my opinion.
I could listen to Mad Machine and Rock Me on repeat forever.
Is AIC still around? Skimming ANN it seems the most recent things they’ve done is some in-between work for few series.
AIC are very much still around, and are currently responsible for the gag series “Astro Fighter Sunred.”
Happy Birthday AWO! Has is really been 3 years?!
I also appreciate all the work that you guys do, especially as its all free ; )
Priss might just be the best female anime character design ever.
I have BGC on laserdisc. They put two episodes on a disc, so I think it actually worked out cheaper than the VHS tapes.
I have Bubblegum Crash on laserdisc too. Which means I have the dubs. I listened to about 30 seconds of one once…
I think this podcast will finally motivate me to watch Bubblegum Crisis.
Since most anime sucks, and this is one title that everyone used to talk about and the title seems pretty childish, I just got annoyed at hearing about it and ignored it. Didn’t know it involved mecha and adult characters of both sexes. Who knows, if I find a copy somewhere in the bowels of southern maryland, I might actually buy it.
“AIC are very much still around, and are currently responsible for the gag series “Astro Fighter Sunred.””
That’s awesome. I know it’s a low budget show, but it’s hilarious, and the occasional hi-budget moments still manage to look great.
BGC was one of those things that I rented and watched all of from blockbuster. First 3 episodes dubbed, rest subbed. Ep 3, I want to say, has the perfect “bad crying” example. I discount Burn Up from this bad crying thing as the entire burn up dub is a mighty beast and as such cannot be contained. After watching all of it I remember thinking, why does ep 8 exist. Didn’t this shit just finish with ep 7?
As for AD Police, I saw all of it and thought it was really damn depressing EXCEPT for the “Hey guys, rape me until this train crashes.” scene. That was a high water mark in my opinion.
I’m glad at least that i didn’t sound like a complete idiot during the show (i can’t stand listening to my own voice, surprising since i put it in my own parodies) even when i got some brainlock on occasion.
And i want to say Daryl, leading in to the next piece, Phil Perry had nothing at all to do with anything Disney, don’t know where you got any of that evil bogus info (was just so perplexed in the moment that i didn’t bring anything up on the show)
Someone turn down that nerd’s mic so I can hear Mad Machine better.
Thanks for the podcast and do keep it up for the coming years.
This reminds me of how I always used to mentally associate Bubblegum Crisis with Appleseed and Ghost in the Shell when all I ever had to work with were ads in overpriced EGM, Gamepro and similar publications (man, my wallet still hurts).
That is, until I had the chance to watch something that doesn’t exist and which I never taped. Honestly, I don’t even remember if I liked it or not at the time, since there’s a literal mountain of never re-watched VHS tapes lying around somewhere.
But now I know better. Since I’m on something of a retro vibe, the original BGC will be on my watch/buy/dig up list after the Fist of the North Star movie, of all things.
Finally, yay for the Baccano! reference. 🙂
-NJ
Thanks for three years of awesome podcasts!
Before I got into anime, I was exposed to three shows by people trying to get me hooked on anime. The first was Ranma 1/2. The second was Devil Hunter Youko. The third was Bubble Gum Crisis. I didn’t get into anime for another couple of years when I rediscovered Gatchaman.
BGC never really worked for me because I’m a pretty princess. Well, also it was presented as something serious and worth contemplating at length. Like, look at Priss’s struggle, man, she’s deep! My response was that a woman wouldn’t build ballerina boots into armor for fighting. I guess BGC didn’t work for me because I’m both a pretty princess and a pissy, bitter feminist. Also, the music seemed kind of generic to me, but J-Pop generally seems overproduced and anonymous to me. I only listened to dirty punks and unwashed folkies, though, so my opinions are not to be trusted here.
That being said, back when I was doing my Feminism in Anime panels, nothing made the audience rise to the bait faster than stating that Bubblegum Crisis wasn’t feminist and that it didn’t have strong female characters. Good times, good times.
In closing, Ryan Gavigan is a damn liar. He was Oscar in our 1999 Rose of Versailles skit at AWA. I guess the droning of the cars around the track has vibrated all the memory out of his brain.
Sunred is pretty awesome, it’s good to see AIC still in business.
There’s about fourteen inches of snow on the ground here, which by Portland’s standards is a nuclear winter.
That’s why I’m particularly grateful to feel the warmth and cheer of a new episode of A.W.O., especially with Ryan as guest star. But I just felt compelled to pause at 14:57 to remark on Gerald’s observation that there was a time when this one Usenet group, rec.arts.anime, more or less represented the thoughts of English-speaking anime fans in general.
I think the most extreme expression of that was found in Tara Releasing’s 1994 print ad campaign for THE WINGS OF HONNEAMISE (they handled the theatrical distribution of the Manga Entertainment dub), which contained the quote “THE BEST ANIME MOVIE OF ALL TIME,” attributed only to “Anime Fans, INTERNET.”
This was an oblique reference to the fact it had won rec.arts.anime’s Top 10 poll for the previous three years, but I like the fact in 1994 it was still sufficient merely to suggest this endorsement was coming straight from those “Anime Fans” who were on the “INTERNET.”
–Carl
(I dug out a sheaf of old FAX correspondence from the ad campaign to confirm that–the kind that were on thermal paper, a bit faded now.)
Time for me to set the record straight. The only reason I own MoonPhase is because Daryl gave it to me in an attempt to end my life. It worked, and now I am an immortal half-dead Necromonger out to purge the Universe `til Underverse cometh.
As for Nene being my favorite character, here’s my rationale: as that Ultimate Tome of Wisdom, Even a Monkey Can Draw Manga, indicates Nene is the “Four-Eyes” character of Bubblegum Crisis. She is the one that best represents the audience of the show, because she is all the things that the viewing public would be if they found themselves thrust into the world of BGC. In essence, she is totally useless in a fight, likes to stuff her face with junk food, and is sorta good with computers. She is otaku-fication disguised in a little pink-haired package. Anime nerds look into the dark reflection that is Nene, and they see themselves. Thus, they lash out in blind hatred and panic, like a pigeon attacking a mirror.
I like Nene because she represents us in all of our awkward nebbishness.
excuse me my pretty princess, but i was a *puppeteer*, not a cosplayer at that said 1999 occasion 🙂
I like Nene because she is a computer hacker/electronic countermeasures type.
Well I did until this podcast made her out to be proto moe.
I HAVE SEEN IT AND NOW I CANNOT UNSEE IT.
Jerks.
I first saw it back in 92 when I was finally able to buy anime. Got the first tape for 35 bucks (I was in the Navy and made about 250 every 2 weeks. That is a princely sum!) and enjoyed the hell out of it, but the thought of paying 35 bucks for 22 minute episodes following up sent me back to Streamline dub stuff because you got more cartoon for your money.
I ended up getting the first DVD 3 disk release since that original PC box version got broken up into normal plastic case editions. And it was ok till the point the sub farted out on some episode and I had to watch the dub.
Ugh. They actually made a tabletop RPG with multiple expansion books for BGC (using the same system as Dragonball Z and Votoms. Chiriko Cuvie can teach his creepy stalker powers to Leon!) so I guess it did well enough.
I also do not acknowledge 2040 as existing. Like the Matrix sequels they simply do not exist. Its a dirty lie.
Are the fandub’s mentioned on this show available on the net? I searched for “You Say Yamato” but couldn’t find a video link.
It is great to watch these fan videos from the past. I recently watched Rob Fenelon on AnimeCon 91 via YouTube and thought that was terrific. This sort of thing needs to be rediscovered. Not by the general audience, but at least by the people who listen to this podcast.
IMO the original BGC was by far the best, and BGC Crash was by far the worst (is there ANYONE on Earth that actually liked it?), but 2040 wasn’t all that bad … just the shitacular ending.
I may have missed it but when mentioning AD Police, did anyone also mention Parasite Dolls? I didn’t care much for either of the AD Police shows, but loved Parasite Dolls for some reason. I’m just curious what other people think of it and how it stacks up against everything else that takes place in the BGC universe.
And i want to say Daryl, leading in to the next piece, Phil Perry had nothing at all to do with anything Disney, don’t know where you got any of that evil bogus info (was just so perplexed in the moment that i didn’t bring anything up on the show)
Posting on Christmas day to say that your present, Gaver-san, is bull fucking shit. I refuse to accept that anybody else on the planet is capable of having that Phil Perry voice, and I will put down ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS attesting to the fact that no matter what your user-submitted Wikipedias and IMDBs may say, Phil Perry absolutely sang the theme song to AT THE VERY LEAST Goof Troop.
Note: I would instantly win this bet because I found this link on the first page of a Google search in which Phil Perry notes that he sang the theme song to Goof Troop:
http://www.bnd.com/news/spiers/story/507945.html
Great show. I’ve been hearing Dave and Joel talk about BGC for so long, so it was a matter of time that you guys got to it.
Happy Holidays to all, and congratulations on the anniversary! Here’s to many more years of AWO to come.
Tsukuyomi ~Moon Phase~ is a spectacular show (and a pretty good manga, I’m finding.)
Also, back when I was really young my friend got me VHS volume 5 of BGC 2040 dubbed. To this day I still have not watched it. (note: I didn’t have any of the other volumes)
I almost want to download the Blu-Ray rips of BGC, but I have a bunch of other anime to get through first, like Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and Zambot 3.
merry christmas guys!!
this is my first time listening, pretty dope show much better than anime pulse or the other podcasts that just talk about the story. theres nothing wrong with that but in every show, as they go into the characters THEY FUCKING SPOIL THE WHOLE STORY!! who the fuck does that shit? you tell me about code geass then you fucking tell me the ending. fuck those podcasts.
anyway i really like that you mentioned how you got your episodes and such, we all did that stuff it was even worse for official figures , i dont think i ever had dbz figure that was not bootleg before it got big here.
hahaha. fisting the north star, genius!
In a plot twist worthy of SPEED RACER, this isn’t really Christmas day for me, as my family is Eastern Orthodox, and the church doesn’t go in for newfangled inventions like the Gregorian calendar. Hence Christmas isn’t until January 7th.
That, by the way, will also be the 20th anniversary of the end of our beloved Showa Era. I remember the news from CNN that Emperor Hirohito had died, coming back from midnight services. CNN would later devote six hours of straight coverage–which I have on SLP–of his funeral, because, as Mr. Surat so keenly put it, in the 1980s Japan was “king shit of the world”. So if you catch me posting on Jan. 7, Daryl, that will be double depraved.
Anyway, I felt compelled to pause at 24:21 to complain for the millionth time about having missed AnimeCon ’91, due to my car committing seppuku outside of Chandler, Arizona. I spent those three days instead at a Motel 8 working on my tan, which back then was something I took fairly seriously.
–Carl
I'm sorry to keep pausing and posting, but I was pleased to hear you say you like Seishun Shitemasu's ANIME BITES, Daryl. In some ways it's really more a re-make than a parody, and since the real TO-Y is unlikely to ever be released here (due to music rights of the different bands featured), it may as well be the official dub.
By contrast, Seishun boasted that they "spared no expense" to put together the soundtrack of ANIME BITES–they literally paid nothing to use Alice in Chains, Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins, Hole, Ministry, Stone Temple Pilots, and Nirvana, as they moved TO-Y's story of a band, Gasp, trying to make it without selling their soul–from the late-80s Japanese music scene to the early-90s American music scene ("We'll play a game. Pretend you're Kurt Cobain!").
But it was also a heartfelt statement as well as a parody, dubbed by people from Gen-X to whom that time and its music meant a lot. Seishun even went as far to have Gasp be playing two songs by their own hometown bands–Lucy's Fur Coat's "Sensor" and Inch's "Stresser." San Diego, like many cities, hoped to be the "next Seattle"–of course, Eddie Vedder and STP themselves had just come from San Diego.
Oddly enough, the only time I've seen the real TO-Y was in the anime room at a gaming con at Texas A&M. Now, this was in the Memorial Student Center, which, unlike most student unions, is also the monument to the seven Aggies who won the Medal of Honor in WWII–the actual medal and actual war, not the video game. It was hardcore for any anime program to feature TO-Y, but for A&M to do so just reinforced why I have that affection for college cons.
–Carl
As one of the anonymouses said, thanks for three years of awesome podcasts. The schedule may be erratic, but the content more than makes up for it.
I remember watching Seishun Shitemasu’s ANIME BITES off an old VHS tape I was given that had it along with Ranma 1/3, Fast Food Freedom Fighters, and Voltron Hell Bent for Leather. ANIME BITES was easily my favorite, probably because I was huge fan of the grunge scene at the time. I spent most of high school life (while not playing video games or watching over-priced subbed tapes of anime) listening to Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots and thinking I was OH SO COOL. Okay, not really I thought I was a huge dork but by listening to these bands I could become that cool.
This would never happen.
Years later I was given another VHS tape with random fansubs that happened to include one of TO-Y, and it left me really, really confused. This is because I very much remembered the fanparody, and kept expecting the actual show go the same way. Only sometimes, it didn’t. And the music wasn’t as good.
Also, I’m also Eastern Orthodox. Not quite sure why I’m throwing that out there, but there it is.
Thank you for the three years of awesome podcastingness, and I’d just like to say I got the three Doors Down joke in reference to the AD Police. I had to sit through that nasty bit of propaganda three times and it hurt every time.
wow those weeabobies sure are stupid sluts..
not to mention their podcast sucks majoe balls!
id rather be burnt in the fires of hell then listen to a second more of those skanks..
Finally catching up with the podcast. I’ve got to say that Nene is still better than Linna because she can wield the ADP-standard issue automatic pistol in .454 Casull one handed. One of the great things about BGC was the escalation of firepower, and it being carried over into RPGs as well. I remember the online BGC supplement for Shadowrun and later the R. Talsorian game.
Also, I loved the reference to the Knight Sabers as the cyborg mercenaries in the Appleseed movie. On the commentary, someone even calls out Aramaki on it.
Also, admit it, you were Anthony Gaza on a.f.bgc.
Back when Bubblegum Crisis first came out before most of you were born, I made a conscious decision to NEVER have a copy of it, because I knew that everybody was going to want it, and I didn’t want to have to be making VHS dupes of it for ever and ever. A pretty wise decision, as it turned out, because it became the template for every other Japanese cartoon for the next ten years – the high-tech Neo Tokyo, the checklist of fanboy-fave cliches, the glossy, mechanical look of Kenichi Sonoda. I think I remained an anime fan IN SPITE OF Bubblegum Crisis.
3 years! Congrats!!
I have never laughed so much while listening to an AWO podcast before.
Congrats on sticking it out this long, I’m looking forward to more episodes. Back in the 1990s I started doing monthly anime potlucks. At one of them a former student worker and her husband attended. After a long marathon of anime the other folks decided to call it a day. Then she turned to me and said, “can we watch the first episode of Bubblegum Crisis”. Needless to say the three of us watched the entire series.
This was a really good one, guys. Since those rips came out, I’ve been watching BGC in its entirety for the first time since my Blockbuster-raiding days and it feels damn good. I’m gonna counter Dave Merrill’s statement by saying I wish anime had become more like BGC: I’m not talking about the robots, and the girls and the guns here. I’m talking about the fact that it’s passionately made nonsense with no expenses spared. Now that I’d like to see more of in anime.
Seconded!
God, for some honest PASSION in an anime series again, not the carefully, cynically crafted crap that’s been the norm lately.
I like the new ep, and can’t wait for the next 😛
For your new promo, it’s good, but I think the audio of Gerald committing Testicle Seppuku would be more funny 😛 It’s ball-punchingly good 😛
On topic of official AMVs, Fate/Stay Night actually did that. There’s one for Archer and one for Saber as extras on the discs. I’m not sure if they’re actual Japanese extras or just something that Geneon put in, but I still thought they were pretty awesome. So I’m glad to know where the idea came from.
Am I the only one who remembers the American comic from Dark Horse BubbleGum Crisis Grand Mal, by Adam Warren?