Bubblegum Crisis Now on Hulu

The 1987 OVA Bubblegum Crisis is now available in its entirety on Hulu in the English dubbed version.  The cyberpunk action series was heavily influenced by Blade Runner and makes subtle references to the film within the eight episode series.

The series is also known for having select episodes directed by famed directors Katsuhito Akiyama (Episodes #1-3) Hiroki Hayashi (Episode #4)Masami Obari (Episodes #5-6) Fumihiko Nakayama (Episode #7) and Hiroaki Gohda (Episode #8).The license for the series is currently held by AnimEigo with eOne Entertainment handling digital distribution.  Read more for the synopsis and the first episode.

Synopsis:
The series begins in the late 2032, seven years after the Second Great Kanto Earthquake has split Tokyo geographically and culturally in two. During the first episode, disparities in wealth are shown to be more pronounced than in previous periods in post-war Japan.

The main antagonist is Genom, a megacorporation with immense power and global influence. Its main product are boomers – cyberdroids used for manual labor and military purposes. While Boomers are intended to serve mankind, they become deadly instruments in the hands of ruthless individuals. The AD Police are tasked to deal with Boomer-related crimes. One of the series’ themes is the inability of the department to deal with threats due to political infighting, red tape, and an insufficient budget.

The Knight Sabers are an all-female mercenary team and have considerable combat abilities using highly advanced suits of powered armor. They battle against long odds to overcome grave threats throughout the OVA series and preserve the overall safety of Mega Tokyo.