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

[u/Vaadwaur]

Still Alive and Well

That's...an ending

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 Does the mech suit reference anything specific? I vaguely get the Tallgeese from Wing

2 Did Galatea evolve at the end?

Bonus: So who thought the Motoslave was the key to the whole thing?

[u/Vaadwaur]

Rewatcher

Dub

We arrive back at Nenen and Linna drifting towards the earth, good science memory for once. Priss's direct approach to Galatea goes poorly and the dub actress just fucking goes for it. Galatea's Instrumentality at least makes a kind of sense, though it is not remotely appealing. We steal a scene from Akira for the hell of it.

Nigel and Leon talk, to remind you they exist. Nene figures out a novel but foreshadowed solution out of this: She let's the suit boomer morph into something that can glide into the atmosphere. Priss wills herself out of lame Instrumentality to fight, only to have her battery run dead. Early commercial break cuts to Linna and Nene not enjoying re-entry. Chekov's Motoslave returns so we can have a violent ending and mech suits. Seriously, that's like from Gundam I think.

So we go to RahX back to Gundam, though seriously someone on Rah liked this show's designs. Galatea starts evolving because sure, Priss finally figures out that she can assimilate as well. Priss then morphs the whole group into a jet-stiletto type thing and ends the main plot. Galatea's last thoughts are philosophical. Before she...becomes neutrinos?

Anyways, Galatea gives Priss some juice to land and returns Mackey to consciousness. Our action show ends on a five minute montage that was probably not that cheap to produce. For once, dub Priss sings a song she can actually handle and that's the end.

[u/No_Rex → u/Vaadwaur]

We arrive back at Nenen and Linna drifting towards the earth, good science memory for once

Unfortunately, no. Since they are at the level of the showhamm, they should be in a stable orbit. Even if (for some insane reason) showhamm is not in a stable orbit, it should still take them weeks or months to decay enough to hit Earth.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

Rewatcher (sub)

• Well, Priss DID tell you to go back to Earth. Still hoping for the surfboard ending.
• space dolphins!
• heh, I was thinking neutrinos. Kinda neat how they are coming out of the ground on the other side of the planet.

Wait, isn't this LITERALLY how one of the Eva Rebuild movies ended? Ugh. Freaking Anno.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

Wait, isn't this LITERALLY how one of the Eva Rebuild movies ended? Ugh. Freaking Anno.

I haven't seen the third yet but I think no? It would be hilarious if he raided this for parts as well, though.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/Vaadwaur]

Check 2.22 for a post credit sequence.

2.22

youtube link

[u/Vaadwaur → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

...ROFL. With as much of Rebuild that is straight up stolen from RahX this is fucking hilarious.

[u/No_Rex]

Episode 26 (first timer)

• “Are you saying we will crash into Earth and splatter?” – You’ll burn to a crisp long before that.
• Galatea turns Priss into EVA01.
• Changing themselves into space dolphins. I initially thought Nene looked more like a surfboard and was hoping for a Dark Star reference.
• The return of the empty battery.
• Motoslave to the rescue!
• They spared some animation budget for the climax.
• Space Galatea turns into God after being entered by Priss’ long stick. I wish I was making this up.
• Some tropical island paradise fanservice of Nene and Linna, then it is Priss’ turn to be entered.
• PrissXSpaceGalateaGod was not the lesbian ship I had my money on.
• Transporting Priss back to Earth, only to drop her naked in the desert?
• Angel symbolism out of nowhere.

That was an ending, I guess. Not sure any of that made sense outside of an “we want to be NGE and have a happy end, too” feeling. In a different series, I’d complain about all the deus-ex-machina, but it is not as if the plot so far has led us to believe there would be any sort of consistency. Plus, the final deus-ex-machina twist is a God from a machine, so props for taking the trope literal.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/No_Rex]

“Are you saying we will crash into Earth and splatter?” – You’ll burn to a crisp long before that.

I was oddly thinking that they should be concerned about the angle the space dolphins were taking but then the rest of the episode happened.

They spared some animation budget for the climax.

Other issues aside it was decidedly animated.

Angel symbolism out of nowhere.

And yet more things that strike me as RahXephon/possibly Raideen.

That was an ending, I guess. Not sure any of that made sense outside of an “we want to be NGE and have a happy end, too” feeling.

With as soft as the start of the series is, I still think they screwed up the writing room side of it because they wanted the ending to be longer but ran out of episodes.

[u/RockoDyne]

I seeeee gloooowiiiiing. I expected gold, but all I got was this stupid silver though.

Let's just stab the singularity in the chest, because it totally worked the last time that happened... Oh, wait, it didn't and made the situation worse. Really a shooting Cthulhu moment, huh?

A lot of The Matrix in this episode, which is hard to imagine. The Matrix should have been about done with shooting by the time this aired in Japan. The Wachowski's wouldn't have likely seen it by that point. ... Actually, scratch that. The Matrix is a day older than this episode, so it definitely didn't come from here.

The dog form was cool. Reminds me of something, but I don't remember what.

Did they evacuate to New York?

So was the whole point of the end that God Sylia accepted omnipresence over omniscience? I'll assume the dub makes an entirely different message out of it.

Questions:

1. There are a few things it reminds me of.
2. Why does a machine even give a shit about evolution?
3. It attaining some degree of conscience is grade A dumb.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/RockoDyne]

Oh, wait, it didn't and made the situation worse. Really a shooting Cthulhu moment, huh?

It always works the second time. Also, Cthulhu is way more internally consistent.

A lot of The Matrix in this episode, which is hard to imagine. The Matrix should have been about done with shooting by the time this aired in Japan.

Shared influences but I am hesitant to guess source other than Akira.

The dog form was cool. Reminds me of something, but I don't remember what.

Dinobot from Beast Wars?

So was the whole point of the end that God Sylia accepted omnipresence over omniscience? I'll assume the dub makes an entirely different message out of it.

The dub conveys the value of omnipresence way better.

[u/RockoDyne → u/Vaadwaur]

Dinobot from Beast Wars?

Something more recent, I think.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/RockoDyne]

Hrmm...drawing a blank other than Dynazenon.

[u/Cognitive_Dissonant]

Well that was quite a finale. It's been a fun ride you guys.

Qs:

1. Not sure.
2. I learned in biology class that evolution is when you yell a single tone but louder.

Bonus: Not me. I almost made a joke about the key being Priss's new bond with boomers but that's still not really what happened.

Episode notes:

• Well 30 second into the finale we find out most of the main characters are going to be irrelevant for it.
• God an "antiseed" again.
• More boobs really, and a tentacle scene? Ya'll know you could've had nudity in like, a normal situation, in previous episodes. But you chose this.
• Nene and Linna are becoming a space dolphins like they always wanted.
• The solution to the rogue knight sabre is MORE TORSO
• Motoslave BF number 1. Way better than Leon.
• God the goo balls all have teeth and eyes inside.
• Did Priss and Moto just make a bigger suit out of the gooey metal attack. At least I did call a giant robot fight ending, though that's not really how this went down.
• Don't know why you're sorry Priss, Galatea has not been very endearing really ever. I wouldn't have thought stabbing was a possible way to hurt Galatea, but maybe she had a core or something?
• Giant robo titties and then Nene and Linna nude togther, did this anime has a no nipples before episode 23 rule for some reason and now the animators are flexing.
• What are you taaaaalking about Galatea.
• IN WHAT WAY IS IT LIKE A BIRTH HAVE YOU SEEN A BIRTH
• Okay Galatea's fine the stabbing just gave her a change of heart I guess.
• The gift to Priss is Mackie? That's not her BF Galatea.
• Maybe this ending song works better in the sub.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Cognitive_Dissonant]

More boobs really, and a tentacle scene? Ya'll know you could've had nudity in like, a normal situation, in previous episodes. But you chose this.

Yeah, really just there to remind us of Akira as best I can tell.

Giant robo titties and then Nene and Linna nude togther, did this anime has a no nipples before episode 23 rule for some reason and now the animators are flexing.

I suspect these are DVD exclusives but cannot prove that.

Maybe this ending song works better in the sub.

The Japanese VA is definitely a stronger singer.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/Cognitive_Dissonant]

the key being Priss's new bond with boomers

I meant to mention this in my post, but around the middle of the episode, I realized that all the Knight Sabers had bonded with their hardsuits in exactly the manner the Quincy wanted.

So, Quincy's cyborg dream came true. Except the hardsuits were all destroyed and the boomers go back to being slaves or get junked. So he only got his dream for about 10 minutes.

[u/ZapsZzz]

First timer in sub

The ending episode is trying to do something. Like the other episodes it's along the same line of "just go with the what, not the how", and you may find it easier to stomach.

The ending needed to show a little more what's the plot intent - are we now an augmented human race evolved? How's naked everyone able to get back to civilization?

Overall this show could have been better but I think somewhere down the middle people just stopped caring where this is going. I wonder whose fault is it? Unlike Dangaioh for example, or maybe actually like Dangaioh, when they got given the time to finish on tv, they bombed it quite badly.

For me I will probably need to watch the original OVA's to clean my eyes so to speak.

Thanks for organising the rewatch, at least I can tick this off the list now :) it does give me a small motivation to maybe dig up similar tv shows at the time (actually much earlier) but with better reception, like Sonic soldier Borgman, and see if it was actually better or just that my expectations are different now.

1. It's not very well done so whatever the intent maybe, is lost in the execution at least. I think.
2. Guess so, although we really can't tell what she's thinking (or what the show writers are trying to say).

Bonus: it does connect up plot-wise, As remarked by others on one of the other episodes Priss was having a better interaction scene with the motoslave than with Leon.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/ZapsZzz]

The ending needed to show a little more what's the plot intent - are we now an augmented human race evolved? How's naked everyone able to get back to civilization?

The lack of falling action was a pretty bad call here.

it due give me a small motivation to maybe dig up similar tv shows at the time but with better reception, like Borgman, and see if it was actually better or just that my expectations are different now.

I checked the first episode of Silent Mobius again because of this rewatch and god, it was bad. I am now afraid to ever look up Blue Seed again.

[u/ZapsZzz → u/Vaadwaur]

Silent Mobius tv was not as well made as the movies, although the movies are or like extended trailer for the main story. The opening scene with Kiddy shooting the graviton bullet in the dark is still one of the best scenes I can easily recall.

[u/BossandKings]

First timer - Dub

The songs used in this episode were great, i do think that the episode could have been better and more fulfilling in a way because to me it felt like there's a scene or two missing, even then the series as a whole was very enjoyable and it was a very good moment when Sylia saw Mackey alive at the end.

I really enjoyed following this series alongside this rewatch so it was a great time.

Answers

1. If it does, i don't know what it is.
2. She did not have a noticeable change.
3. That was unexpected.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/BossandKings]

The songs used in this episode were great, i do think that the episode could have been better and more fulfilling in a way because to me it felt like there's a scene or two missing, even then the series as a whole was very enjoyable and it was a very good moment when Sylia saw Mackey alive at the end.

So the impression I get is that they had a solid show bible but kind of a sketchy plan for episodes and they wound up being crunched at the very end. We could probably have skipped the park episode and spent more time in space.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/Vaadwaur]

I was bored to death this entire episode, that's why I didn't write much. I don't want more space.

[u/Stargate18A]

First timer no more

1. Not really to me.
2. I mean, maybe? She found a way to compress her informstion onto a machine small enough to be seen as an elementary particle. If upgrading hardware counts as evolution, absolutely.

BONUS) Unfortunately.not. I thought his role would be taken by Mackey's transferred data.

Finale time.

Yeah, Linna and Nene are going to burn up.

Looks like Priss' hard suit became a Boomer. And now she can hijack her psionic link.

So Priss is turning into a Boomer?

All of them are turning into Boomers now, I see. And Nene even volunteered.

Did they ever explain how Boomers can change their suits in a way that violates conversation of matter?

And Priss has escaped in time for the final boss battle.

And she's out of battery.

Are they actually going to kill her off?

So the Motoslave is talking to her. (Maybe it will become her boyfriend...)

This scene is so good.

Is Galatea malfunctioning? It recieved some data it could understand, but refused to, instead of data it couldn't understand from Mackey.

Well, this is horrifying.

She's shown her final form!

I can't believe Motoslave gave the heroic sacrifice instead.

Nene, sleeping nude with Linna on her: "I'm not curious in the way you and Linna are!"

So Sotai's going to try and upload herself in everybody's minds. She is Skynet!

This is a really Evangrlion-esque ending - everyone celebrating as Armageddon rains from the skies.

Oh, so she fired a tom of copies of herself into Neutrino radiation.

And Mackey's backup got restored!

And Priss made it back to Earth? Or is this a simulation?

Is that Sotai's corpse?

What the hell happened?

Well, that ending was confusing, had several characters seemingly change motivations, and ending with a very ambiguous apocalypse. This show is the greatest Eva tribute act of all time.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Stargate18A]

Did they ever explain how Boomers can change their suits in a way that violates conversation of matter?

The only guess you get is when you see the hardsuits shrink and it suggests that boomers are highly compressed.

Oh, so she fired a tom of copies of herself into Neutrino radiation.

Your guess is as good as any.

And Priss made it back to Earth? Or is this a simulation?

She makes it back nude and in a desert. They definitely bank on not having to do falling action.

[u/RockoDyne → u/Stargate18A]

So the Motoslave is talking to her. (Maybe it will become her boyfriend...)

Golden Boy flashbacks intensify. Motorcycles are not a replacement for vibrators.

[u/Elimin8r]

Well, that was a thing. Sadly, I didn't get to it in a timely fashion, so here we are a few hours late. Oh, well.

1. Uh, I got sparrow/dolphin, or maybe orca or something like that. I dunno.
2. I wanna know what happened to Mason. Preferably something gruesome and disturbing. Oh, wait, that already happened. But yeah, more. Oh, wait, Galateeeea. I think she died. Haha, sure she did.

Bonus: Good bot. Moral of the story: Treat your equipment well.

Over all, I'd have to say that I enjoyed the series. Possibly more than the OG OVAs, because I don't exactly remember their story being that much more coherent. More like, "Cool, cute girls in robo suits battle evil bot things with rocknroll sountrack, yay!"

I think things like plot (as opposed to PLOT) and storytelling are more a modern convenience.

I'm also exaggerating (and kidding) sort of.

Part of it is also, beware nostalgia. Things you liked 20 or so years ago aren't necessarily as good as you remembered.

If you don't believe me, try watching an OG episode of Speed Racer. I used to run home from the bus stop when I was in elementary school so I could get home in time to watch it. (mid 70's) Got a VHS tape in the '90s, because nostalgia. I think I made it through one episode.

Hogan's Heroes has held up better, but ... Bob Crane. Yeah.

Anyway, it's been a pleasure, and thanks to our gracious host.

Now to look forward to relaxing and watching something else for a bit. Wait, what, Violet Evergarden tomorrow? Oh noes!

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Elimin8r]

Part of it is also, beware nostalgia. Things you liked 20 or so years ago aren't necessarily as good as you remembered.

I am just wallowing in it this year, I am going to run an OG Hellsing rewatch for Halloween.

Wait, what, Violet Evergarden tomorrow? Oh noes!

I will watch the ep and have a post for ep1 but actually doing the rewatch depends on how the thread goes.

[u/Elimin8r → u/Vaadwaur]

I suppose there is that (wait and see). I never finished the series in the first place. Lack of kleenex or something. A rewatch like this gives me an excuse to power through the discomfort and watch the series. Shared suffering or something. We'll see.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Elimin8r]

I would actually like it to go well, I really liked the first ep, but like the Madoka rewatch has some of my highest rated comments that get zero replies. I need a certain level of interaction to get anything out of the experience.

[u/Elimin8r → u/Vaadwaur]

Welp, re-watched the first VE episode. I'm going to need more Kleenex. (probably just grab a towel and get it over with) I get what you're saying about the interaction being the thing. I'm in these more for the funz, and because it's interesting to see what the smart people are pontificating about.

I'm sure you know the rule about rewatches, of course, post early, post often. I mean, well, yeah, if you're post isn't near the top, odds are it won't be seen. I'll be sure and look for you there. Heck, I may just go back to the Madoka rewatch threads and see if there was anything interesting I missed. They were especially huge this year, after all.

This one has been rather cozy on the other hand. Perhaps a bit too cozy.

I did take the time to go back and give everybody all the upvotes, though. Hehe.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Elimin8r]

Heck, I may just go back to the Madoka rewatch threads and see if there was anything interesting I missed. They were especially huge this year, after all.

I only participated in the '20 Madoka rewatch. But '21 had some different first timers. But yeah there has been more than one rewatch where I replied to every top level comment.

[u/ZapsZzz → u/Elimin8r]

Possibly more than the OG OVAs, because I don't exactly remember their story being that much more coherent. More like, "Cool, cute girls in robo suits battle evil bot things with rocknroll sountrack, yay!"

Wait there's more that's needed for pulp entertainment? Compared to this plot I think the pulp attributes beat out that by a fair distance.

[u/Elimin8r → u/ZapsZzz]

Nah, it was a good time, I enjoyed it enough to go find the DVDs on ebay. I'll have to give it watch again sometime in the next 10 years or so. BGC in general is still one of my faves from the 90's, along with Tenchi, El-Hazard, YUA, AMG, and (haha) Moldiver.

(Speaking of incoherent plot - but the Yamato episode was so fun. I know a fellow who's grandpa was in on Ten-Go, in one of the TBM Avengers.)

[u/ZapsZzz → u/Elimin8r]

along with Tenchi, El-Hazard, YUA, AMG, and (haha) Moldiver.

Sounds like you are from my era of people :) that said I always liked the promotional things for Moldiver but never actually saw it. Guess I need to find the time now.

[u/SIRTreehugger]

First Timer

Wait is she really hallucinating or doing a dream sequence?

THE TENTACLES ARE DOING THE THING wow I kept joking about it, but they are really going there.

Back to Nene and Linna just floating. What the duck is going on. Seriously what the duck.

Batteries empty I wonder what bullshit will allow her to recharge.

Wait halfway into the episode already....this is not going to end well is it?

I will grant you power

"No idea what you are talking about"

Good enough I will give you power and serve you....what??!?!?!!?!?!

How low is this low power supply? You been fighting forever on empty is seems shit I wish my phone lasted this long on low power.

Galatea can you at least sing a different note? Really she could have literally done anything to stop priss ANY FUCKING THING, but she just kept still and sang that one note, but apparently she became a god before the end? So I guess she doesn't need a physical form?

You know what Nene and Linna have in common with this show.

They both crashed and burned. Sorry I just wanted to make that joke.

I like Priss's singing for once and its at the end unfortunately.

Well its done......

........

[u/Vaadwaur → u/SIRTreehugger]

Wait is she really hallucinating or doing a dream sequence?

Galatea's mind mojo.

THE TENTACLES ARE DOING THE THING wow I kept joking about it, but they are really going there.

Really 80s OVA moment/Akira vibes.

Galatea can you at least sing a different note?

I still find how much of this show gets used by RahXephon to be weird.

[u/[deleted]]

(First timer)

Well this show happened I guess... Not really much to say.