By Alison L. Roberts

The Knight Sabers team: Linna, Sylia, Priss and Nene.

Linna combats a boomer.

In every genre, there are certain titles that are almost universally regarded as "classics," for their substance and for the influence they have had on the works that follow. One such anime classic is the original Bubblegum Crisis, an eight-episode, direct-to-video (OAV) series that was released sporadically between 1987 and 1991. In addition to numerous, often inferior imitations, the original work led to the creation of a sequel, Bubblegum Crash (1991), and a 26-episode, alternate universe-style retelling of the story, Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040 (late 1990s).

Bubblegum Crisis (BGC) was started at the height of Japan's anime boom in the mid-1980s. The home video market had fully taken hold, and people clamored for product. Animated by AIC (later the home of El Hazard and Tenchi) and produced/distributed by Artmic and Youmex, the series' volatile combination of a live-action visual style, involving characters, complex storyline, well-choreographed action and great music quickly made it a fan favorite. Unfortunately, the quality results cost money, and BGC's intricate, 13-episode story arc was cut short when one of its companies ran into hard financial times. An attempt was made to continue the series in 1991, with a three-episode, OAV mini-series, Bubblegum Crash. However, the break up of the original creative team (contract disputes) and change of voice actors for one of the story's leads (Priss) contributed to a public response that was less enthusiastic. The very fact that the original Bubblegum Crisis remains unfinished has only added to its mystique over the years.