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 futuristic setting
- its scantily clad, busty heroine with big eyes and pink hair
- a perverted old man acting as mentor
- an androgynous and effeminate male supporting character
- a cute but otherwise useless monster sidekick
- ninjas
- mecha robots
- "tentacle erotica"
- elaborate action and transformation montages
- bad translations
- 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 and darkness with a robotic power suit which shoots missiles from its chest. Her catchphrase is "Me too horny to fight".
- 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. It is revealed that Master Hentai is a sexual predator. 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.
- "Blind Samurai": An androgynous, blind samurai whom PRB encounters in her quest. As a child, his parents were burned to death in a freak onion volcano accident which left him blind. His large sword and moody demeanor seem to parody Final Fantasy VII protagonist Cloud Strife.
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.
- Characters in PRB often break the fourth wall, mentioning the show's writers, translators, future episodes, merchandising, etc.
- The end of Master Hentai's cane is shaped like a penis.
External link