AD Police Files (1990) Anime OVA Review

AD Police Files is a three-episode OVA series from 1990 that takes place in the same universe seen in Bubblegum Crisis, it’s actually a prequel, something evident since it revolves around Boomers, and produced by the same company but done by a different creative team to keep the franchise alive. It's hard to say that it fits our blog because it doesn't have the main group of girls as protagonists, it really only features a few characters from the original show, like Leon, but it's quality makes it worthwhile as it is mostly an anthology series focusing on a different case involving the fictional police force, the ADvanced Police, from the franchise.

In the first episode, The Phantom Woman, some officers encounter a horny prostitute boomer who get her biochemical balance all screwed up because of her sexual desire, setting her loose and going into killing sprees. In the second episode, The Ripper, a serial killer stabs and mutilates girls, a young policewoman is on the case as she believes the culprit is human due to the sensation that there are feelings involved. The third episode, The Man Who Bites His Tongue, is basically the animated cliffnotes of Robocop, but evil, showing an officer named Billy being turned into a Boomer and losing his humanity and self-control. This last one is probably the weakest because it's kind of derivative but it's still very well done.

Ultra-gory, deranged and grotesque, this untamed OVA series is kind of a very strange concentration of the things that were presented in Bubblegum Crisis but condensed in a shorter running time and increasing the filth, devoid of any established main character and nearly completely undomesticated. Right out of the gate we are presented with violent and bloody images that add to its grisly tone, mixing in some sleazy eroticism and sexual references or allusions throughout.

The fact that it's a very short anthology series, completely episodic, means that you won't get to really relate or know the protagonists to a deeper degree but in 20 minutes you understand them because of the very on point and well-crafted storyline and characterizations that allow the characters to breathe and live in such a short span of time. The length isn't an issue when it comes to simply being entertained by the show but I do wish they delved deeper into the potentially interesting characters, like the police lady with a robotic arm or the sweet officer from the second one. They have what it takes for a complete series or at least to carry a movie or longer OVA but here they are essentially just minor compared to the plot, which is the focus.

While not entirely successful, this attempt at expanding the world of Bubblegum Crisis will probably deliver the treats as the animation and subject matter are both juicy but you won't get to invest much in the storylines as they go by pretty fast. Recommended if that's what you are looking for.

Bubblegum Crisis (1987-1991) OVA Review and Retrospective - Episode 8: Scoop Chase

Scoop Chase is the eighth and final episode of the original Bubblegum Crisis series. It's directed by Katsuhito Akiyama, Hiroaki Gôda, Hiroki Hayashi, Masami Ôbari and Fumihiko Takayama; and written by Toshimichi Suzuki, Katsuhito Akiyama, Shinji Aramaki, Emu Arii, Hideki Kakinuma and Ken'ichi Matsuzaki; with the voices of Yoshiko Sakakibara, Kinuko Ômori, Michie Tomizawa and Akiko Hiramatsu.

During one of their typical Boomer hunts, the Knight Sabers spot a mysterious girl taking pictures of the team, Priss closes in on her and destroys her camera. The girl turns out to be Lisa Vanette, the niece of the chief of the A.D Police, and she just so happens to be put under the care of Nene as the girl tries to get close to the Knight Sabers and uses the A.D Police to that end. Nene finds out about Lisa's true intentions and attempts to conceal her secret life as a Saber while keeping a distance from Lisa. The tiny redhead also has to deal with her newly gained weight and bad training performance! Things go even worse when a Boomer attacks the A.D Police headquarters, trapping Nene and Lisa inside with a brand new and improved Boomer chasing them.

We have seen different episodes centering on individual members of the Knight Sabers, this final outing centers on Nene and it's one of the high points of the series. The show has been far from bad but these character driven episodes are more involving, they set the stakes higher and they amount to more resonating resolutions since we are presented with a familiarity with the characters that digs deeper into their intimacy and relatability as they struggle with some intense conflicts. This episode makes Nene deal with her insecurities and the usual heavy load that's often put on her at both of her jobs but these are things that she is able to overcome by trusting herself and counting with the support of her friends. Her virtues and troubles are very well presented and portrayed, incisively setting up and solving these issues while blending the subplots and the overall arc of the characters together seamlessly.

The episode unfolds with more or less the same formula: a new person is introduced who attempts to interfere with the Knight Sabers' fight against the Boomers, while a certain villain puts a secret plan in motion. However, things are more fast paced, comedic, pleasant and lively, fitting nicely considering this is a story focused on Nene. So tone-wise it's pretty perfect and features a more solid use of the typical plot beats in the formula by injecting them with more enjoyable interactions and more complex relationships between the protagonists and the antagonistic force in the story that eventually is changed into an ally, delivering solid moments like when Sylvia has a little speech about the Sabers and the Boomers or expanding the world by showing how the Saber Knights play round and train.

For a lot of the series you almost forget certain aspects like how Sylvia owns a lingerie store or even the character of Mackie, but this one at least has the decency to mention some of this stuff and bring it all back. When the Sabers show up for Nene in one of the concluding scenes, it really encapsulates how this team works and the strong bond that has been seen on occasion and that is present implicitly but that shines brightly in moments like these from time to time, kind of making it a very good ending overall. You can tell they sort of knew that this could be the very last one as evidenced by the opening credits sequence and its devotion of time to every single important character in the show.

Featuring the obligatory bombastic and excellently crafted battle/mechanical action animation and investing more time on its characters with such a well handled self-contained plot that at the same time closes the story appropriately and gracefully, this final episode encapsulates everything anyone can find to love and take delight in when it comes to Bubblegum Crisis. Possibly one of the best if not the best.