AD Police

Before the events that took place in the well-known anime “Bubblegum Crisis” comes a short form OVA in three episodes titled “A.D. Police”.

As someone that has seen this OVA last year, this mecha police, drama filled anime is what one would expect from the lifestyle of what Neo Tokyo has turned into. When it comes to the ficitional events that took place in the year of 2027, the relationship that surrounds Leon and Knight Saber was one that left me with both intrigue and unique flows of romance being shown in an area that looks bleak and left with many questions.

Having to deal with the ... enemy known as Boomers (ironic enough in this day and age), to even having to deal with the battle brewing Normal Police and AD Police as well as the arcs surrounding Paradise Loop and Billy being turned into a cyborg, the interesting thing about this OVA is that a short formed anime like this really sets the stage for what “Bubblegum Crisis” would end up turning into. The best parts about this show what happens humans grapple with the idea of what it will be like when they get replaced with the ongoing threats apof robots being controlled with AI technology that is also in the hands of the elites that destruct the idea of having real authorities helping and protect the public.

If anything, seeing Leon’s early character arc in this one really showed me how much there was a time when character progression really mattered in a way where the supporting characters can also shine as much as the main characters when figuring out their flaws and insecurities when struggling to do the right thing. Overall, A.D. Police Files was a joy, but gut-wrenching thing to witness for its time.

English Version:

The Spin Off/Bubblegum Crisis Prequel is what you'd expect from a Cyberpunk themed Noir anime from the 90s. As the name suggests, they are separate files from the AD Police where each one tells its own story, stories that however much simple has its discussions well implanted in the work.

"Phantom Lady" focuses on sex dolls called Boomer that for mysterious reasons have become aggressive with human beings, especially with men who use them for sex, those who are not able to satisfy them end up being murdered for bringing them frustrations instead of pleasure for them, which ends up being a dilemma brought by ... the work itself, which satisfies a humanoid machine that shouldn't even have feelings? And how do these distinguish sensations without even possessing humanity?

“The Ripper” talks about femininity, social problems about equality in the labor market, and the extent to which bodily changes make us stop being human or even have an individuality. The positive point of this episode is that for a moment the work leaves the AD organization aside and focuses on the perspective of the newcomer to the city and the common police, Iris, who has an innocent look at the terrible city of MegaTokyo as for the how violent are the crimes committed by the Boomers, but thanks to this and the antagonist, a discussion is created about what makes us human.

"The Man Who Bites His Tongue" follows the premise of a soldier severely wounded in combat but still retaining his services through severe changes in his body, becoming almost completely a machine, with no emotions or memories of his past life, this he wonders if he still makes sense of continuing “alive” just to maintain his function as an officer of the law. The episode is also about criticizing human greed over what will bring them personal advantage without giving importance to those who might harm themselves with such actions.

AD Police Files despite bringing several themes and questions he doesn't take any steps out of his comfort zone, he never goes deep in his discussions beyond the casual, which in a way is positive since with a weak cast it's hard to go beyond what is shown on screen, leaving us viewers to discuss what little is delivered. As interesting as the main duo Gina and Leon seem to be, they are just that, the first is a tough and attractive policewoman who wears a mechanical prosthesis, but despite wondering if that makes her less human, we have no conclusions from her. in addition to a tear and an expression of doubt, the latter is a novice who despite his inexperience makes himself effective, and demonstrates a personal and traumatic reason for joining the task force facing the Boomer dolls, but nothing more so that make us at least have sympathy for the character.

Merits I have to give to the miniseries is the ability to not get stuck in good manners, talking and showing sexual scenes freely, as Gina for example makes it clear how much she likes sex, and even though these scenes sometimes seem to be just The author's personal fetishes somehow fit into the discussions brought up on screen. Highlight for the soundtrack that encompasses everything that these three episodes bring, with an entire album dedicated to each chapter, the songs are largely responsible for involving us in the shallow story.
Fortunately this little Spin Off of a series brought us a new version in the future, which I consider positive since this anime has a great proposal, which needs more time and care to be worked on, this is a curiosity for those who liked Bubblegum Crisis or for fanatics in Cyberpunk universes of the 90s.

Português/Brasil:

O Spin Off/Prequela de Bubblegum Crisis é o que se espera de um anime Noir com temática Cyberpunk dos anos 90. Como o próprio nome sugere, são arquivos separados da A.D. Police onde cada um conta sua história fechada, histórias essas que por mais que simples tem suas discussões bem implantadas na obra.

”Phantom Lady” foca nas bonecas sexuais chamadas Boomer que por motivos misteriosos passaram a ser agressivas com os seres humanos, em especial com os homens que as usam para o ato sexual, aqueles que não são capazes de satisfazê-las acabam sendo assassinados por trazer frustrações ao invés de prazer para estas, o que acaba sendo um dilema trazido pela própria obra, o que satisfaz uma máquina humanóide que nem ao menos sentimentos deveria ter? E como essas distinguem as sensações sem ao menos possuírem humanidade?

“The Ripper” fala a respeito de feminilidade, problemas sociais a respeito de igualdade no mercado de trabalho, e até que ponto mudanças corporais nos fazem deixar de sermos humanos ou de sequer termos uma individualidade. O ponto positivo desse episódio é que por um momento a obra deixa a organização A.D. de lado e foca na perspectiva da recém chegada na cidade e na polícia comum, Íris, que tem um olhar inocente a respeito da terrível cidade de MegaTokyo quanto a respeito do quão violentos são os crimes cometidos pelas Boomers, porém graças a esta e a antagonista, cria-se a discussão sobre o que nos torna humanos.

“The Man Who Bites His Tongue” segue a premissa de um soldado gravemente ferido em combate mas que ainda mantêm seus serviços através de mudanças graves em seu corpo, se tornando quase que completamente uma máquina, sem emoções ou memórias de sua vida passada, este se questiona se ainda a sentido em continuar “vivo” apenas para manter sua função como oficial da lei. O episódio também trata de criticar a ganância humana em cima daquilo que os trará vantagem pessoal sem dar importância aos que podem se prejudicar com tais ações.

A.D. Police Files apesar de trazer diversos temas e questionamentos ele não dá nenhum passo para fora da zona de conforto, ele nunca vai a fundo em suas discussões além do casual, o que de certa forma é positivo já que com um elenco fraco é difícil ir além do que é mostrado em tela, deixando para nós telespectadores discutirmos o que o pouco que é entregue. Por mais que a dupla principal Gina e Leon pareçam ser interessantes, eles não passam disso, a primeira é uma policial durona e atraente que usa uma prótese mecânica, porém apesar de se questionar se aquilo a torna menos humana não temos conclusão alguma de sua parte além de uma lágrima e uma expressão de dúvida, já o último é um novato que apesar de sua inexperiência se faz eficaz, e demonstra ter um motivo pessoal e traumático para entrar na força tarefa que enfrenta as bonecas Boomer, mas nada além disso para que nos faça ter ao menos simpatia pelo personagem.

Méritos que tenho que dar pra minisérie é a capacidade de não se prender a bons costumes, falando e mostrando cenas sexuais livremente, como Gina por exêmplo que deixa claro o quão gosta de sexo, e por mais que essas cenas em alguns momentos pareçam ser apenas fetichês pessoais do autor de alguma forma se encaixam nas discussões trazidas em tela. Destaque para trilha sonora que cerca bem tudo que esses três episódios trazem, com um álbum inteiro dedicado a cada capítulo, as músicas são grandes responsáveis por nos envolver na rasa história.
Felizmente esse pequeno Spin Off de uma série nos trouxe futuramente uma nova versão, o que eu considero positivo já que este anime tem uma ótima proposta, que necessita de mais tempo e cuidado para ser trabalhada, este fica como curiosidade para os que gostaram de Bubblegum Crisis ou para os fanáticos em universos Cyberpunk dos anos 90.

Well, after another small 90s OVA I am left with not much to say. This show is your typical anime sci-fi fair. Protagonist are some form of police. Antagonists are some kind of augmented human. On paper, should be decent, in practice episode one and two are decent, episode three is dull. But, despite this, I'll give this review a bash.

Animation is grea here. Everything you would hope it to be for the time. Looks really great with a nice varied pallet. Character animation is smooth and effort was put in to provide a varied character look. Which is NOTHING like the complete lack ... of effort that went into Mad Bull 34 with every women looking exactly the same. I am 100% happy with the animation here. I have absolutely nothing to complain about.

In the same vein, the music is also really great, including the opening theme. Throughout the episodes, I would say the music shines the most. It really adds to the gritty atmosphere provided by its animation and story. The is a nice variety of sounds used too. It's not just your basic synth pad sounds at every opportunity.

Story wise is where we fall short here. The show starts strong. It really sets the scene excellently, explains what the plot is perfectly and really gets you ready for what SHOULD be a great show. Now, the first episode is great, excellent story, excellent pacing and great end to end delivery. The second we start to loses the momentum gained. It's not awful. It's just OK. Pacing is still fine, it's just the story is a little boring and ultimately, impacts the delivery. The third, my goodness, never in my life have a given less of a crap of a fella called Billie. Honestly, I had zero interest in this lad and the show gave me zero reason to care. There wasn't any real intro to him, no explanation, nothing to buy into, nothing to crab hold on. It just starts 'this is Billie' in the end, I thought, thank god that's over.

I summary, music great, animation great but the story got worse with every passing episode. It's annoying, as it started very strong and ended very weak.