By Alison L. Roberts

Sylia and Priss.

The Characters Are Key

One of the strengths that allows Bubblegum Crisis to remain compelling (despite the passage of time) lies with the distinctly-drawn personalities of its characters.

At a first glance, the women who form the Knight Sabers are a typical assortment of personalities one would normally find in any fictional "super team." The cold and calculating leader. The anti-authoritarian and designated hothead. The outgoing girl-next-door. And the annoying kid-sister/ child prodigy. However, the writing team behind BGC took great care to make their creations all too human. Sylia, the cool and composed brains of the group, regularly displays sisterly annoyance and affection for her younger brother (and only living relative), Mackie. Priss is a walking contradiction — a biker chick, fighter and moody artist with a soft spot for kids, animals and underdogs. Linna seems obsessed with money and men, yet she is often the voice of reason, the peacemaker and the "mom." Nene's childlike naiveté is balanced by her computer skills and the risk she knowingly takes by acting as the group's double agent within the ADP. Viewers are reminded, time and again, that the Knight Sabers are not superheroes. The potential for our heroines and their allies to get hurt, physically and emotionally, is very real.

The detailed characterizations extend to others populating the BGC canvas. Leon, the ADP officer often on the Knight Sabers' trail, is full of himself and a rule-breaker, but he is also an idealist, at heart, and has a great sense of humor. (A good thing, considering that Daley is his partner.)

Quincy, the head of Genom, is eerily calm and supremely confident that his plans for world domination are infallible. He is quite a contrast to Brian J. Mason, his ruthless, right-hand man, and Largo, a character turning up late in the series. They are true megalomaniacs, bent on achieving their goals and unconcerned about mowing over anything or anyone unfortunate enough to get in their way.

Leon and Priss

Each character in the series has multiple reasons for the way he or she behaves. Some of them are obvious and others are hidden secrets that either surface or don't. The series' abrupt ending left many loose ends.