Being a fan of the original "Bubblegum Crisis," I was a little dismayed when I saw the character designs for "Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040." The characters look nothing like they did in the original. Having watched the first four episodes of the new series, I now consider the new character designs to be a masterstroke. The newly designed look for each character allows the series to stand on its own without excessive comparison to the original. If they don't "look" like the original characters, they don't have to "act" like the original characters.

As I sat down to review the dub, it wasn't long before most thoughts of the original series were out of my mind, and I was enjoying "BGC 2040" on its own merits. I was also pleasantly surprised by what I heard.

"BGC 2040" was released by ADV. I've only recently been introduced to ADV dubs. Although I consider myself to be a dub aficionado, I'm also very cheap. I was never the type to gamble $25 or more on a dub tape that had a good chance of being crap. It was only when bilingual laserdiscs began to be released that I could indulge my taste in dubs, secure in the knowledge that, should the dub turn out to be awful, a subbed Japanese version was only a few clicks of the remote away. Now that ADV has begun to release DVDs, I'm finally experiencing their dubs. And though they're certainly not as polished as those from Bandai and Pioneer, nonetheless, I'm enjoying what I'm hearing.

Let's start with the central character of the series, who is, surprisingly enough, Linna. In the original series, Linna was to the Knight Sabers what Larry was to the Three Stooges: a character with no well-defined role who seemed to be there more to add another body to the cast than for any other reason. Sylia was the cool-as-ice leader, Nene the cute computer hacker, Priss the anti-social street punk, but Linna was... well, Linna. When you consider that, it made sense to cast Linna in the new series as a rookie. The first plot revolves around her joining the team.

Linna is played by Kelly Manison, an actress with some experience playing lead roles and high-profile supporting roles. She was Naga in ADV's "Slayers" dubs, as well as Airi in "Those Who Hunt Elves" and Rasha in "Ruin Explorers." She does a fine job of portraying the determined young newbie, never letting the character become a whiner. That's no simple job, given that the script calls for Linna to beg and badger Priss until she's allowed on the team.

Priss is a difficult role to judge. Since she's so emotionally cool for most of her time on screen, an actress doesn't need a great deal of range to play her. Christine M. Auten does an adequate acting job, but there simply isn't enough acting required in the first four episodes for me to review. The best scene is one in which Linna talks with Priss outside Priss' trailer. By this point, the encounter is the closest the series has gotten to exploring Priss' personality. Auten allows that personality to peek through, demonstrating that Priss actually is capable of having a friendly discussion with someone.

Laura Chapman plays Sylia, the mysterious team leader. Chapman provides Sylia with a believable air of authority, but she seems to have a problem with two scenes in which Sylia loses control. For example: in one of these scenes, Sylia breaks down when Nene informs her, via email, that the Genom corporation may be directly causing the plague of rogue boomer androids. Sylia shudders, talks to herself and slams the glass she's holding on a counter, smashing it. On the Japanese track, Sylia's voice expresses anxiety and fear, emotions which reflect the script. Chapman, on the other hand, plays the scene as a barely controlled fit of rage. I don't think it works as well. Her anger doesn't fit the script. It merely expresses Sylia's confusion as to how Genom could have the power to control the androids. I found myself wondering what she was so angry about. To be fair to Chapman, this is the type of decision usually made by a director.

Nene, played by Hilary Haag, is a delight. As I've now heard her in two roles (she also plays Misuzu in "Gasaraki"), I've come to the conclusion that Haag is one of the best voices in ADV's stable. She has a hoarse, naturally cute voice. Nene may not have pink hair in this version, but she's still the "cute one", and Haag provides this cuteness with a voice that doesn't sound the least bit forced. Her interplay with Leon, whom she calls "Leon-poo" (ADV's clever "translation" of "Leon-chan"), is priceless.