Story:

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0

First, let me say that this anime is rated 17+ and there is quite a bit of violence, nudity, sex, prostitution, gore and all those other things that would give it a R-rating. There is nothing cutesy about this anime. I haven't watched much of the Bubblegum Crisis series, so I can only give you my impressions of the episodes here, not how they fit into the grander world.

Parasite Dolls is a collection of three stories that take place in a futuristic Bubblegum Crisis universe. The stories revolve around Buzz Nikvest, an officer of Branch, the secret division of the A.D. Police. These stories seem to be side stories that flesh out the nitty-gritty details of the underworld in Genom City. The stories have a very mature theme to them and deal heavily with the concepts of the purpose of machines in human life, the human characteristics of boomers, and government corruption taken to a Third Reich extreme.

That being said, the first two episodes are similar to other mech-human stories where you have machines that believe they feel human emotions and begin to question their own existence. Humanity wants to label them as just machines but they want to become humans - to love or dream. The third is a tale of government corruption and power - a plot to rid Genom City of all Boomers.

Taken together, the stories ask difficult questions - if Boomers really did exist, what would their place be in human society? Would they be primarily prostitutes designed to fulfill man's every desire? Are they akin to slaves? Or can they exist as equals, potentially as human co-workers, friends, or even spouses?

I really enjoyed the window into underground Genom City and the way the DVD spliced the three episodes into a movie-like format, substituting a subtle "one/five year(s) later" for a full opening/closing theme. These three episodes together complemented each other very well thematically so that I was drawn in and became more immersed throughout.

Due to the graphic nature of the anime, it is certainly not for everyone, so if you're not a die hard Bubblegum Crisis fan, or the in-your-face lifestyle of underground culture tends to turn your stomach, this title may not be for you.

Animation:

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0

The animation is mostly dark with a few splashes of vibrant colors here and there, giving the city a futuristic, chilling feel. Most of the events happen at night when the underworld runs rampant, so most of the scenes work to give you that creepy, things aren't what they appear feeling. The little red girl in episode two is particularly weird.

Music:

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0

I really enjoyed the opening theme, this catchy techno-pop song called Get on the Beat.

Character Design:

My Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0

There isn't a lot of character development throughout, although you do get a sense of main character, Buzz, and what he's been through. Reiko is also interesting. She's in love with Buzz, but he doesn't seem to notice, no matter what she tries. Kimball is the oddball Boomer, very emotionless, yet reliable.