The latest masterpiece by Tetsuro Araki, Bubble is basically a contemporary dystopian sci-fi Anime spin on the classic Little Mermaid tale. The story starts when mysterious bubbles cascade down on the world, seemingly harmless until one explodes in Tokyo, causing a gravity anomaly throughout the affected area. Tokyo becomes encapsulated and gravity seems to have a mind of its own within the walls. Many orphaned children have opted to live in this new Tokyo (which, up until then had remained uninhabited for safety reasons), utilizing the strange gravity fields to bolster their parkour skills.
The new Tokyo has a corresponding fresh social structure whereby parkour races are held and the winner claims precious resources such as fuel, food, and drink. The main antagonist, Hibiki, forms part of the Blue Blaze team and is arguably their most skilled athlete, however, his lack of social skills makes for poor teamwork. Aware of the importance of winning races, Hibiki is more concerned with uncovering the alluring sound he keeps hearing emanate from Tokyo Tower; drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Uta seemingly appears out of nowhere, infatuated with Hibiki and eager to learn about the world. She appears to have little to no experience with common objects such as books or flowers, giving her a naive and childlike demeanor akin to that of the Little Mermaid. Uta persistently pursues Hibiki, who she has dubbed her Prince, while also ensuring to maintain a distance for her own sake. Upon meeting Hibiki, she discovered that contact with his skin would promote a transition back into her original state - Bubbles.
Gender Stereotypes
Hibiki may not be the best team player and his odd, strained social skills provide the basis for much judgment from society and even his own group of friends. The young man also suffers from a hypersensitive auditory condition and wears noise-canceling headphones as a result, but Hibiki's desire for silence results in him becoming even further removed from the group. The others seem to resent Hibiki, as he is their most skilled athlete but shows complete disinterest in teamwork, which they naturally take personally. The Blue Blaze boys are either not fully aware of their friend's auditory condition, or they don't care enough to remind themselves that their loud, boisterous antics are part of what keeps poor Hibiki away.
Hibiki's character also addresses issues of gender stereotypes, specifically with regard to male expectations. Instead of rough-housing and goofing off with the other guys, Hibiki prefers to spend time in an extravagant garden (which he appears to have planted himself). Upon discovery, Hibiki begs Uta to keep his oasis a secret from the others, for fear of being teased for appreciating the beauty of nature.
Pollution Destroying the World
As widespread as they are, the bubbles themselves appear to not do any direct damage themselves (unless they turn red), however, their presence significantly affects the planet as a whole, causing long-lasting wreckage. Not only is Tokyo flooded, but deadly lion ant pits also form, sucking anything and everything into its depths, similar to how the holes in the ozone layer have a disastrous effect on the environment.
Whether these bubbles are a direct reference to global warming or general issues of pollution is undetermined, however, their link to deterioration is undeniable. If left unchecked, the bubble situation, much like the global pollution issue, will result in significant environmental changes and ultimately the destruction of the planet.
Space and Time
Science plays a crucial role in this romance Anime's storyline, and the scientist, Makoto, thankfully helps viewers out with the more complicated concepts. She elected to move to Tokyo in order to study the gravity anomaly and unwittingly finds herself as the acting mother to the orphans of the Blue Blaze. She teaches the children science because a basic understanding of Newton's Laws of Physics is beneficial for an adequate manipulation of gravity, particularly when partaking in parkour. The Fibonacci Sequence is also an important element throughout the film, as Uta seems particularly capable of calculating the math and applying it to the swirling circles created by the lion ant pits. A time-loop also appears when Hibiki enters the Tokyo Tower, whereby the scene from five years back was seemingly frozen in place.
War and Commercialism
According to Makoto, all life is trapped within a cycle whereby energy (in whatever shape or form) repeatedly gathers, collapses in destruction, and subsequently disperses, only to congregate once again. When describing the concept to Uta, war is the perfect example of how mankind has conducted itself throughout history, forming successful societies only to allow greed to create conflict as people fight over resources, killing each other in the process.
The parkour races take a turn for the worst when the Undertaker's team learns how to profit from the events by broadcasting the competition online. Not only do they receive equipment sponsorships that give them an unfair advantage over the others, but the race is also sabotaged in order to increase viewership. The already-dangerous competition becomes exceedingly deadly as the Undertaker and his troops risk the lives of children in order to make a quick buck, and a relatively innocent game becomes a matter of life or death.
Bubble's first impression received mixed reviews, as many fans were wowed by the artwork, but felt that there was a lack of depth to the story. Most viewers felt that more attention could have been paid to flesh out the individual characters better, as many potential backstories were left unexplored. Other fans, however, believe that this was done intentionally, in order to put the viewers in Hibiki's shoes, as someone who struggles to connect with other people. He is not one to ask questions or be concerned with the past, and is clearly not bothered to learn more about his teammates' circumstances. It is evident that there are several significant and contemporary issues discussed throughout the film; themes that are subtly referenced and require a bit of further interpretation, but provide the depth that Bubble apparently lacks.