Princess Robot Bubblegum
Princess Robot Bubblegum (プリンセス ロボット バブルガム) is a fictional anime series featured in the Grand Theft Auto IV era.
Description
Princess Robot Bubblegum generally parodies the shōjo (young female) subset of anime, however it incongruously mixes this with tropes of violent shōnen (young male) and seinen (mature male) programs, science fiction and pornographic anime. It thus contains many anime tropes and stereotypes, including its setting (a futuristic Tokyo); its heroine (a scantily clad, busty leading female with big eyes and pink hair); a perverted old man acting as mentor, ninjas, a cute monster sidekick, mecha robots; "tentacle erotica", elaborate transformation sequences, bad translations and questionable dubbing.
In GTA IV, PRB is only mentioned in a radio advertisement, however in The Ballad of Gay Tony, the program itself appears on television, specifically on CNT. Within the game universe, it courts controversy, with Weazel News in GTA IV reporting on a protest by Asian Americans against the airing of the anime.
Cast
- Princess Robot Bubblegum: The eponymous lead character. She fights the forces of evil with a robotic power suit which shoots missiles from its chest.
- Master Hentai: PRB's sensei. He trains PRB after her ninja parents leave her on his doorstep. He tells PRB that she must train in skimpy clothing for merchandising purposes. His name refers to the aforementioned pornographic anime.
- Saké: PRB's alcoholic and drug abusing floating animal sidekick. He is seen in the trailer drinking a malt beverage, then promptly vomiting. His name refers the Japanese alcoholic beverage of the same name.
Trivia
- The title character's voice in GTA IV's PRB commercial is a mock-Asian caricature; in The Ballad of Gay Tony, she has the American accent more typical of dubbed characters.
- The end of Master Hentai's cane is shaped like a penis.
External link