Pictures always help me, I know, so if you're the same I put up a very small gallery of the boys (http://pics.livejournal.com/eliyes/gallery/0000pab7). Also, not so long ago I did a post of some music videos from this series, and included a run down of all the related series (there are five animated, and god knows how many novels and comics). That post is here (http://eliyes.livejournal.com/89880.html), and I especially recommend watching the (ofifcial!) music video "Heartbreaker" to see Leon in action (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs0X-jCCsgQ). And you can always poke Wikipedia's entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubblegum_Crisis), if you like.
Now then. The Bubblegum Crisis setting is Megatokyo, in the very early 2030s (Leon's birth would have been this December past), and it's cyberpunk inspired by the movies BladeRunner and Streets of Fire. After a disastrous earthquake, Tokyo (now "Megatokyo" or sometimes "NeoTokyo") was rebuilt, primarily through the work of artificial humanoids called Boomers, made by GENOM Corporation. Boomers come in many different stripes, from construction to battle to factory worker to service industry (and robohookers). GENOM dominates the town, the AI industry, and slowly but surely, the world. Or at least, they're working on it.
Boomers also go crazy. Even the most mundane waitress Boomer is far far stronger and more durable than a human being, and so after a few incidents, a special branch of law enforcement was created to deal with Boomers (and armed terrorists): The Advanced Police, or ADP. Leon, we know, started in the Normal Police, had a run in with an A-class female service boomer who he managed to kill with his service pistol, was switched up to ADP (don't know if he was offered the position or volunteered or what), worked as a TAC Squad grunt, possibly did some time as a pilot, adn then made Detective -- which means he gets to play with mecha and command a squad if he wants one, and also has other really cool toys. (But not as cool as those of the Knight Sabers, the actual stars of Bubblegum Crisis.)
The ADP is partially funded by Genom, their gear is mostly from Genom, and they were created to clean up Genom's messes, essentially. They're never given enough power -- firepower or otherwise -- to actually put a stop to what Genom is doing, really. They have a very high rate of getting killed. As Daley says Bubblegum Crisis: Grand Mal, "The ADP's always taking a beating, Leon. It's our role in life."
It's true. The boomers take chunks out of them. Since the boomers can take a shitload of damage, the ADP has to be able to deal a lot of damage -- and there's always a lot of collateral destruction. Still, they can't keep up, and people blame them as a waste of money. People smart enough to see that the problem lies with Genom and it would be better if it were prevented at source instead of dealt with reactively still villify the ADP as the ineffective option.
But the ADP still go to work every day to try to protect others at the risk of their lives. It's cyberpunk, so of course it all seems somewhat futile.
It should be noted that Leon and Daley find out the identity of one of the vigilante Knight Sabers, and never tell. Why? Well, a couple of reasons. One is that the one they figure out is Priss, who Leon has a thing about. The other is that the KS are making a difference. And the more people fight boomers, the better -- and when the KS make the ADP look bad, the ADP gets given more effective toys. Mwahaha.
no subject
Pictures always help me, I know, so if you're the same I put up a very small gallery of the boys (http://pics.livejournal.com/eliyes/gallery/0000pab7). Also, not so long ago I did a post of some music videos from this series, and included a run down of all the related series (there are five animated, and god knows how many novels and comics). That post is here (http://eliyes.livejournal.com/89880.html), and I especially recommend watching the (ofifcial!) music video "Heartbreaker" to see Leon in action (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs0X-jCCsgQ). And you can always poke Wikipedia's entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubblegum_Crisis), if you like.
Now then. The Bubblegum Crisis setting is Megatokyo, in the very early 2030s (Leon's birth would have been this December past), and it's cyberpunk inspired by the movies BladeRunner and Streets of Fire. After a disastrous earthquake, Tokyo (now "Megatokyo" or sometimes "NeoTokyo") was rebuilt, primarily through the work of artificial humanoids called Boomers, made by GENOM Corporation. Boomers come in many different stripes, from construction to battle to factory worker to service industry (and robohookers). GENOM dominates the town, the AI industry, and slowly but surely, the world. Or at least, they're working on it.
Boomers also go crazy. Even the most mundane waitress Boomer is far far stronger and more durable than a human being, and so after a few incidents, a special branch of law enforcement was created to deal with Boomers (and armed terrorists): The Advanced Police, or ADP. Leon, we know, started in the Normal Police, had a run in with an A-class female service boomer who he managed to kill with his service pistol, was switched up to ADP (don't know if he was offered the position or volunteered or what), worked as a TAC Squad grunt, possibly did some time as a pilot, adn then made Detective -- which means he gets to play with mecha and command a squad if he wants one, and also has other really cool toys. (But not as cool as those of the Knight Sabers, the actual stars of Bubblegum Crisis.)
The ADP is partially funded by Genom, their gear is mostly from Genom, and they were created to clean up Genom's messes, essentially. They're never given enough power -- firepower or otherwise -- to actually put a stop to what Genom is doing, really. They have a very high rate of getting killed. As Daley says Bubblegum Crisis: Grand Mal, "The ADP's always taking a beating, Leon. It's our role in life."
It's true. The boomers take chunks out of them. Since the boomers can take a shitload of damage, the ADP has to be able to deal a lot of damage -- and there's always a lot of collateral destruction. Still, they can't keep up, and people blame them as a waste of money. People smart enough to see that the problem lies with Genom and it would be better if it were prevented at source instead of dealt with reactively still villify the ADP as the ineffective option.
But the ADP still go to work every day to try to protect others at the risk of their lives. It's cyberpunk, so of course it all seems somewhat futile.
It should be noted that Leon and Daley find out the identity of one of the vigilante Knight Sabers, and never tell. Why? Well, a couple of reasons. One is that the one they figure out is Priss, who Leon has a thing about. The other is that the KS are making a difference. And the more people fight boomers, the better -- and when the KS make the ADP look bad, the ADP gets given more effective toys. Mwahaha.