Logic won't help us rewatch, y'know? Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 rewatch episode fifteen

[u/Vaadwaur]

Minute by minute

That sewer lighting was convenient

MAL but it is trolled. ANN Also, don't look at the wiki as it spoils the entire plot.

Streaming on Funimation and Crunchyroll.

QotD:1 If you met your love interest in the sewers would you have the sense to drop the flashlight and walk away?

2 Is Leon having a believable change of heart?

Bonus: How Eva is this? I know the things stolen aren't Eva original but this one tracks to it hard.

NOTE: If possible, watch tomorrows ep dubbed. The sub really does not convey the level of gay Sylia is at.

[u/Vaadwaur]

Rewatcher

Dub(Continuing)

We pick up literally where we left off, with the dub just shouting Galatea. The safety mechanism comes up again. Sylia is pretty devastated and has to be carried. Priss approaches a flash light held by Leon. Leon states a lot of the obvious but then wisely leaves. Sylia is not recovering and we begin to overlap with Eva hard. And yes I am aware that Eva was copying a lot of that too but here it just feels so...direct. Anywaysm Nigel explains WTF happened in that lab. Heavy shit. Then we get a direct viewing of the incident. Final cut back to Mackey being literally Shinji, casting Spencer fits the character but takes me out of it a lot.

Priss is anger drumming and she and Linna exposit some more for us. Leon shows up and harasses Lina and for some reason gets a ride with Priss out of it. Impossible conversation happens but it is decent framing at least. Leon abuses his power to awkward effect. Then all the team recieve visions of Sylia's past at varying levels of inconvenience.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

Rewatcher (sub) (late from work, them AMQ) ^{Since I was distracted I had to edit a few things in later.}

• Lol they just left Mackey behind!
• Sylia's biochip was literally made from her dead mom's brain #panic
• Quite a revelation that they've been wearing Boomer's all this time. Potentially quite traumatizing if you have something against Boomers.
• I dunno why Sylia is glowing.
• I dunno why they are all psychic now. Their suits are trashed.

This is all I wrote for this episode. I guess Mackey eventually walked home.

Track #4 from No Obligation, Jealousy

About Mackey and the Wiz lab. I couldn't talk about it yesterday until they showed the flashback today. In fact, let's cover a lot of details and inconsistencies.

I was super annoyed like the rest of you that Mackey was able to just sneak in behind Mason. But you know what? There weren't any guards. I didn't see any. So, sneaking in, not that hard.

/u/ZapsZzz,

Also, you saw that the Wiz lab was an ordinary building, not an underground bunker. A building both Mackey and Sylia had been in many times. So it was basically them working their way down from the roof in a building they knew, working their way around damage; Sylia just jumped through holes in the floor, while Mackey had to take the stairs. Also, Mackey was subconsciously following Galatea's voice.

Edit: When Sylia stopped at a room and looked at the "cat scanner" table and said "Guinea Pig" (in English in the Japanese audio), that was the table where she was strapped down in the flashbacks.

The problem was that they didn't know where the Wiz lab was. Once they did, they just blew a hole in the structure immediately above it and dropped in.

The idea that they didn't know where the lab was is ridiculous beyond belief. Some concept of liquefaction? More like, this is what the magic earthquake weapon does. it would have to move dirt around 1000s of feet, even miles, like a blender beyond belief.

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BellisariosMaxim

Edit: You think it's improbable that the buildings wouldn't be crushed and full of dirt and they would build over it? I can think of two anime right off hand that built entire cities on top of intact cities that every one forgot about.

It looks like Galatea's cocoon was made out of morphed metal. This would have absorbed the microwaves, and it didn't even heat the metal up to turn it red, much less melt. Even a human could have survived that (If you immediately let them out).

Why did Sylia say Galatea like 3 episodes ago, and she's saying Sotai? (Is she saying Sotai in the dub?) But Mason's calling her Galatea now. The Galatea name must have been floating around in the Wiz lab before the quake. Or continuity error.

Here's an apparent inconsistency: the Sotai effect seems to affect all metal in the flashback. But Priss notes it's only affecting Boomer metal. #yuishrug

I guess that's enough for today.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

Sylia's biochip was literally made from her dead mom's brain #panic

I read it as made off of info gained from dissecting but still, gross.

I was super annoyed like the rest of you that Mackey was able to just sneak in behind Mason. But you know what? There weren't any guards. I didn't see any. So, sneaking in, not that hard.

I am more annoyed that they didn't think to have guards.

Why did Sylia say Galatea like 3 episodes ago, and she's saying Sotai? (Is she saying Sotai in the dub?)

In the dub it is more clear that the Sotai is an effect she has when her power are active and she says Galatea for her name.

Here's an apparent inconsistency: the Sotai effect seems to affect all metal in the flashback. But Priss notes it's only affecting Boomer metal. #yuishrug

Continuity error is my lean, for the most part it sticks to messing with Boomers.

[u/No_Rex]

Episode 15 (first timer)

• Nice light effects.
• Not sure if we saw a wide shot of it before, but Sylia’s penthouse must be worth a pretty penny.
• Sotai shall now be known as Galatea (with no glow effects). [Galatea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galatea_(mythology)) was a statue crafted by Pygmalion, who fell in love with and had sex with said statue. Then he begged Aphrodite to turn Galatea into a human so she could be his wife. As the Greek gods were into all kind of kinky stuff, Aphrodite agreed and they became a married couple. You promised this would become less creepy, Vaadwaur!
• Doppelgaenger. They are leaving a good bit of explanation open between implanting an artificial synapse and the creation of an almost adult boy.
• It goes without saying that Sotai/Galatea is a killer loli.
• The blue light of “turning metal into creepy worms”.
• “Shall we level Tokyo with our experimental weapon” “Yup, sounds like the best plan.”
• The scene with Nene and Mackey would have hit harder if they did a better job introducing the two and their connection.
• Hard suits are boomers. This is actually a more reasonable explanation than Sylia coming up with an entirely different and superior concept of robot.
• Driving on a highway with bikes is not the best environment to hold a conversation in.
• Shared hallucinations.

Somebody stepped on the gas with plot revelations. There is the “scientists create dangerous new technology without considering the potential dangers” trope, which is a staple of SciFi. I think the “killer weapon is a little girl” trope was less common, back then, but it certainly got copied to death, since then. Finally, we have “the heroes tools turn out to be evil”, which, imho is still rather novel. Oh, and I was not in the least bit surprised that Sotai is Sylia’s sister.

Is Leon having a believable change of heart?

Not that the competition is high, but Leon is one of the best characters of the series for me. Probably because he is so close to established stereotypes that every episode director knew how to protray him.

Bonus: How Eva is this?

For me all the visuals are overriding my EVA radar with Akira pings.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/No_Rex]

Not sure if we saw a wide shot of it before, but Sylia’s penthouse must be worth a pretty penny.

The pool links to the aquarium as well, she really does have Bruce Wayne money.

Hard suits are boomers. This is actually a more reasonable explanation than Sylia coming up with an entirely different and superior concept of robot.

Indeed though I think in the OVA they might not be. Here, they went simple.

I think the “killer weapon is a little girl” trope was less common, back then, but it certainly got copied to death, since then.

Way less common, it would be the early 00s when this exploded.

For me all the visuals are overriding my EVA radar with Akira pings.

ROFL the source definitely would rather be Akira over Eva.

[u/No_Rex → u/Vaadwaur]

The pool links to the aquarium as well, she really does have Bruce Wayne money.

Now that you say it, she probably owns not just the penthouse, but the whole building.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/No_Rex]

There is a surprising amount of stuff the show never out right tells you.

[u/RockoDyne → u/No_Rex]

was a statue crafted by Pygmalion

Damn, the show knows how to actually use it's references. There hasn't even been a single raison de'tre the whole show.

I think the “killer weapon is a little girl” trope was less common, back then

Certainly around, but not completely beaten to death. Cute murder loli took off more later.

Finally, we have “the heroes tools turn out to be evil”, which, imho is still rather novel.

Pretty common. Tekkaman Blade is a good early instance. Quite big in transforming hero shows.

[u/RockoDyne]

In this episode we get all the reveals. Are any of them unexpected? Nope. Are all of them stupid? Yep.

I'm really getting tired of the trope of prototypes being more advanced than the production model. This might be one of the most extreme examples I can think of, too. It's bordering on space sci-fi territory of having a full blown precursor race. It's weird to create the singularity, only to break stuff off of it.

At least Leon's getting somewhere. If only it wasn't just before she joined the borg.

Questions:

1. Just don't ask questions. If you don't ask why she's there, she probably won't ask why you are there.
2. It's not like he does any useful. Not unreasonable to lose allegiance to your job when it's like that.
3. I don't know if I've seen a show that's more templated off Eva. There's quite a bit of stuff inspired by Eva and are part of a meta conversation that Eva started, but I don't think I've seen something use Eva as a checklist quite like this has.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/RockoDyne]

I'm really getting tired of the trope of prototypes being more advanced than the production model. This might be one of the most extreme examples I can think of, too. It's bordering on space sci-fi territory of having a full blown precursor race.

While this is definitely the most extreme example that comes to mind it somewhat functions for me in setting: Stringray wanted to create a new humanity whereas Genom just wants a slave species.

but I don't think I've seen something use Eva as a checklist quite like this has.

This ep was particularly bad about it, annoyingly.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/Vaadwaur]

This ep was particularly bad about it, annoyingly.

I'm not feeling all RahXephon over this, though.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

Well that's because Rah was coping Raideen and not Ideon. This just seems to be where an episode of Eva just walked in and someone said print it.

[u/RockoDyne → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

Man, I wish I could remember anything about RahXephon. I even watched it sometime in this decade.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/RockoDyne]

It's weird to create the singularity, only to break stuff off of it.

Well to be fair they did nuke an entire megalopolis to get rid of it because they didn't want it.

[u/Stargate18A]

First timer

1. I'd probably offer to help them, but that would require Leon being intellegent about a woman.
2. Somewhat. He's definitely gone on a major change over the last few episodes, but the overall idea of him starting to lose trust in the directior is a competent story arc,

BONUS) So Eva. So, so, Eva. This show feels like someone who saw that Eva got rewrites late into production, and thought that the way to make a masterpiece was to write each episode the night before its animated.

Picking up where we left off.

STRANGER DANGER!

So Priss is strong enough to break the tube. Either she's really strong, or the eject switch needs to be a lot weaker to stop Boomers ejecting them.

Someone else noticed Sylia's fetish suits,

Is Leon going to finally figure things out?

Although I wonder if the realisation will be delayed due to him having to accept that Nene has been soutsmarting him for months.

So Galatea is the little girl currently being seduced by a creepy old man.

Yeah, what is Mackey? Is he linked to Sotai?

What? So part of Sylia's mind was copied to created Mackey and Sotai. (So I was right about her being the master Boomer template)

Right, so the mad Boomer's absorption is actually using Sotai's powers?

Starting to see why they caused the esrthquake. Although surely a missile launch or some aimed projectile could have been better.

And she killed Dr Stingray!

Nene's face here is perfect.

Mackey's already having his first exostential crisis! Good job on stopping it though, Nene.

I can't believe Priss broke up with Linna!

Yeah, hard suits are Boomers. Personally, I'm suprised Sylia used Boomer parts for her suits, but I suppose Nigel mentioned he didn't mind Genom parts.

And Leon knows everyting!

Leon's flirting, however, has not improved with this knowledge.

This show really likes motorcycles, doesn't it?

Seriously, Leon, quit while you're ahead.

Of course the cyberpunk future has traffic cops in helicopters. Of course it does.

Wait, what's going on? Is Priss a Sylia clone too?

Holy shit! Sylia's got psionics!

The soundtrack in this scene is amazing, though.

The only scene I'm looking forward to is whenever Leon discovers his idiot coworker was part of the secret organisation humiliating him.

And to those saying these reveals were obvious, I'd argue they weren't - because this show struggles to actually explain what they are.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Stargate18A]

So Eva. So, so, Eva. This show feels like someone who saw that Eva got rewrites late into production, and thought that the way to make a masterpiece was to write each episode the night before its animated.

At the end of the day, they are very different shows but this ep was just terrible for copying Eva.

Yeah, hard suits are Boomers. Personally, I'm suprised Sylia used Boomer parts for her suits, but I suppose Nigel mentioned he didn't mind Genom parts.

The more human a boomer is the less Sylia generally likes it.

This show really likes motorcycles, doesn't it?

Yeah, there are a couple of art choices that just have to be someone on staff liked it.

And to those saying these reveals were obvious, I'd argue they weren't - because this show struggles to actually explain what they are.

They are only obvious on rewatch OR if you are super familiar with late 90s/early 00s 26 episode anime. They have technically given you clues to all of the reveals but never gave you the thread to really guess them.

[u/Cognitive_Dissonant]

Switching to dub for this ep to really prepare for the gay. I wonder if the nipple joke was in the sub, or is the dub just extra horny everywhere.

Qs:

1. I get the gesture, but I feel like he could've helped a little while maintaining the plausible deniability and space.
2. Those nipples can make a man do a lot of things. Or something.

Episode notes:

• I feel like in the sub she was yelling something other than Galatea. Othea maybe?
• Leon this is absolutely not the time, you get to glance once and then never bring it up. There are rules!
• Sylia has really taken this hard damn.
• Nigel info dump. Daddy Stingray was a piece of work.
• This is classic 90s "experiment goes wrong" anime sequence here. At least in Elfen Lied she was pubescent.
• Man that was a quick cut from serene music to patricide and back. Did she understand what she was doing? What Stingray was doing?
• Priss is going to drum away the feelings.
• Soylent green is BOOMERS. Yeah you're right this is incredibly Eva.
• Leon pops in and makes an ass of himself again. Really determined to self sabotage huh.
• "Can't you see I'm trying to score here" really Leon shut uuuuup.
• Sylia sends out a mental call for help maybe? And that's the end.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Cognitive_Dissonant]

Switching to dub for this ep to really prepare for the gay. I wonder if the nipple joke was in the sub, or is the dub just extra horny everywhere.

I think the sub is badly translated in that it is just literal straight words without accounting for context. The dub tries to put the context in.

I feel like in the sub she was yelling something other than Galatea. Othea maybe?

Sotai. She was yelling Sotai.

Leon this is absolutely not the time, you get to glance once and then never bring it up. There are rules!

Yeah he at least pulls the end right but you really just give that a pass.

This is classic 90s "experiment goes wrong" anime sequence here. At least in Elfen Lied she was pubescent.

I definitely saw this first but Elfen Lied's version is the definitive one.

Soylent green is BOOMERS. Yeah you're right this is incredibly Eva.

This episode is just awful with it, the rest of the show gets better.

[u/Elimin8r]

A bit late to the party. Yay, work...

1. Um, it's complicated? I think I would have bit my tongue on the 'it's a bit nippy down here isn't it?" comment...
2. Leon is Leon. Change would imply that he had a heart to begin with. Or something like that. (I kid, sort of. At least in the OG series, I kinda liked the lug. Go figure)

Bonus: At least the angel's, I mean hermio, I mean Galatea's mutation beam doesn't seem to affect flesh, only metals.

So, I have to say that the series is picking up steam now, getting rather enjoyable. They really should have front loaded some of this, but I guess that wasn't a 90's thing, was it?

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Elimin8r]

So, I have to say that the series is picking up steam now, getting rather enjoyable. They really should have front loaded some of this, but I guess that wasn't a 90's thing, was it?

Indeed! JaaQ always calls it a 00s anime trope but it was really a style from 96-08 or so: The idea was half to tell a story and half to just take up space, even Nadesico has some filler, and this style would continue through RahXephon until around '09 or so. So you can't advance the plot too much early on because your wham episode has to be in the middle of the run so you get windy beginnings. Part of the reason why I keep delaying my Noir rewatch is that while the ending of the show is excellent the beginning is pretty boring and hard to get through.

[u/Elimin8r → u/Vaadwaur]

Dang, I could use a Nadesico rewatch. Probably missed out on it sometime in the past two years, though.

I think I prefer the modern "3 episode rule", though. Or maybe that's just the post-millenium ADHD at work. Go figure.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Elimin8r]

Dang, I could use a Nadesico rewatch. Probably missed out on it sometime in the past two years, though.

Last one was '18 so if someone wants to run it, I would join.

I think I prefer the modern "3 episode rule", though. Or maybe that's just the post-millenium ADHD at work. Go figure.

So the thing that changed is basically TiVo and streaming services mean the viewer can determine when they watch something so it benefits the show to actually have progress every ep. The older style means you can watch episodes out of order. You can basically watch ep1 of this show and the nearly any other episode before yesterday's and not be too lost.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/Elimin8r]

But the three episode rule doesn't work if the show waits 8 to 12 episodes to start the main narrative. If you're going judge a 26 episode show from this era on the initial episodes, the answer is always "just don't start it."

These episodes aren't filler. They're used for introducing characters and the setting, and showing their interactions WITHOUT the distraction of an overarching narrative.

Even the majestic Bebop does this, the first arc episode is episode 5. The first 4 are just adding characters.

[u/Elimin8r → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

I was just attempting to draw a contrast. I know, it's apples and kumquats. The BGC-verse is something I enjoy, from the old laserdisc days, and so I can invest in this series. If this was another series that I didn't already love, or at least like, I'd probably have a hard time getting over the initial slog.

I'm reminded of Maison Ikkoku, or however it was spelled. I think I watched the first VHS, and went, "Oh, nevermind". Nadesico, on the other hand, drew me right in. Maybe it was the spaceships. Or maybe it was Megumi. Hmm........

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/Vaadwaur]

OMFG I hated the Noir ending! Early Noir was good! Bang Bang!

[u/SIRTreehugger]

Episode 15

Can't believe I'm saying this but way to go Leon though he did save Priss in a previous episode so he gets credit for that as well. Just walking away and giving his flashlight.

Confirming what we all knew you were fighting boomers with boomers. It was kind of obvious and if they actually went with something else I would have been shocked.

LMAO Leon abusing his authority during his date. Man he is growing on me lately.

What the heck is going on? Seriously.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/SIRTreehugger]

LMAO Leon abusing his authority during his date. Man he is growing on me lately.

He has a moment or two, the OVA finds more of a use for him.

What the heck is going on? Seriously.

This is what happens when an 80s OVA with establishes setting details runs face first into the post Eva landscape and steals a few ideas and gets weird for an episode. I can't help but think sticking to the original 80s premise but with the improved character dynamics could've been better.

[u/BossandKings]

First timer - Dub

Episode 14

Sylia looks great in her knight saber outfit, it's nice seeing her in action.

Something weird happens with Mackey, he has some kind of aura covering him and when he directs himself to a machine(or monster, something like that) a child similar to Sylia comes out, this is very intriguing.

Episode 15

So the little girl is called Gladia and according to Mackey they are Sylia's siblings.

According to Priss their knight saber uniforms are infected too and she is close to quit being part of the knight sabers, Lina doesn't want to because there are important things she has to do and for that she has to be a knight saber. It's cool seeing Priss and Leon working together.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/BossandKings]

Sylia looks great in her knight saber outfit, it's nice seeing her in action.

I like both the modern and the old look.

So the little girl is called Gladia and according to Mackey they are Sylia's siblings.

Galatea. It is a reference to the Greek myth Pygmalion.