KURAISHISU !!
You thought I had passed away in India ?! Well, you're not THAT lucky... :-) Don't get me wrong, I got bitten by a stray dog (?!) and had to take rabies jabs as a precautionary measure, but that isolated incident and commuting to downtown Mumbai using public transport was the closest I ever felt to "danger" in such a fascinating country. Hopefully someday I'll be able to go back there...I'm back home since a week and a half ago, but didn't have the time to update as promised. Gomen, gomen... You know, it's actually hard to go back to the routine after such a nice trip, specially if you have to go back to work and study during the holidays, when you are supposed to be having a great time with family and friends ! :-S
Anyway, those that are already used to my apologies for scarce updates know that at least I try to make up for them as well as I can. Today I have in store a triple treat for you: the 3 CD set compiling ALL of the songs made for that iconic OVA series released in the late 80's: BUBBLEGUM CRISIS ! To anime fans in their 30's, this name brings back loads of nostalgia. Bubblegum Crisis (BGC, for short) was one of the very first hits in OVA format (anime produced for straight-to-video release), and one of the first major titles overseas, having garnered legions of fans in Western Audiences. The reasons are multiple.
On the one hand, there was the sci-fi/cyberpunk plot: BGC is about a female group of mercenaries called "Knight Sabers", living in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo, fighting biodroids (boomers) that actually helped re-built the city from scratch after a devastating earthquake but that are going berserk now. As the series progresses, it is revealed that both the group leader and the corporation behind the construction of boomers have hidden agendas. On the other hand, in the technical department, this series excelled. Although now it may look extremely dated, back then these standards of quality for animation were high, specially for the OVA format. And even if the animation may not have aged well, at least the music has.
BGC is unanimously remembered for its high standards in the music department. Each of the 8 OVAs that were produced counted with an individual soundtrack album by Kouji Makaino and the songs therein included are among the biggest classics in the fandom. Borrowing elements from the sounds of Heart, Laura Branigan, Bonnie Tyler -among others- and of the soundtracks of films such as "Streets of Fire", "Footloose", "Flashdance" or "Top Gun", the BGC songs will certainly take you back to 80's pop/rock bonanza. Of course, there are tracks to be skipped. 
CD2 of this collection gathers the songs sung by the seiyuus in the roles of Linna, Nene and Sylia and the material is not as great as the songs in CD1 and CD3. Nene's seiyuu (Akiko Hiramatsu) seems to have problems even holding a note and although Michie Tomizawa is an accomplished singer, her songs are the kind of 80's pop that nobody cares to remember... except for "Route California" ! That one's awesome and worth downloading the whole CD.
Now don't let my review of CD2 discourage you from getting the whole package. If the BGC soundtracks are to this day a milestone in anime music and a reference that raised the quality bar in the industry, it is mainly for what you'll hear in the other two CDs. The songs performed by Kinuko Ohmori (the seiyuu for Priss), Maiko Hashimoto (seiyuu for Vision) and Yuiko Tsubokura (of Kimagure Orange Road fame), as well as the songs peformed by the Knight Sabers as a group, are all great and worth giving to them a listen in loud volume.To see what I mean, enjoy here the OP clip to the first OVA, courtesy of machinaezero @ YouTube, in which we get a first glimpse of the main characters of the series and the threat that boomers are while the addictive rhythm of the instant anime classic "Konya wa HURRICANE" by Priss is heard on the background:
And now courtesy of Murrrrraaoowrrr @ YouTube, here you have a rare clip of Maiko Hashimoto (the seiyuu for Vision) performing "Say Yes" in concert, with combined footage from the OVA, in a clip taken from the special video release "Hurricane Live 2033":
Undoubtedly, my favorite of the whole bunch has to be "Mad Machine". As if that song wasn't great enough and Kinuko Ohmori's rendition wasn't absorbing in itself, you have that wicked guitar solo that starts at the 3:45 minute and doesn't let go for over a minute. A must listen.
BGC had many other incarnations and spin-offs, most notably the 26-episode TV series "Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040", which aired in 1998. To call that TV series a remake is not exactly accurate, but in any case, as in any other product related to the BGC universe, the soundtrack was a priority and some excellent music was produced and sung by Priss's new seiyuu, Akira Sudou... including a revamped version of "Konya wa HURRICANE".Now, enjoy "Bubblegum Crisis Complete Vocal Collection 3CD Set"
Download CD1Download CD2
Download CD3
And Happy New Year to everybody... ^_^
posted by AOI at 9:36 PM
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