As a series focusing on the exploits of four gorgeous well-toned women who butt heads with the establishment and regularly shrug off any male attention, conclusions will be drawn.
Original Series
The OVA series was tied with the
Dirty Pair back in the day for being infamous for all the implied lesbianism between the Knight Sabres and their associates.
- In one episode, Priss was friends with the mother of a young boy named Sho. She seems to be really, really interested in Sho's mom as she's uncharacteristically nice to her in a way that she isn't with many other characters.
- While nothing was explicitly shown, Priss was heavily implied to be in a relationship with Sylvie, by piling on heaps of subtext. When Linna and the others meet Sylvie, Linna mentions that Priss talked about her all the time and said she could see why.
Linna: (at Sylvie) "If I were a guy, I'd make a pass at you, myself!"
Sylvie: (smiles sheepishly) "Um... thanks. I think."
- Sylvie and Anri were also very close, with Sylvie supplying her with plasma by necking with her. During which, Anri would moan and was seen blushing afterward. The fact that they're scantily clad in semi-transparent lingerie only fanned the flames.
- Sylia was also subtly implied to have feelings for Priss:
- In the first episode, Sylia refused to respond to a news broadcast of a Boomer that was pursuing a biker, to hide her concern. But Linna and Nene saw through it and offhandedly mentioned that it might've been Priss and how she'd be in danger without her suit. Sylia immediately dropped all pretense and left for the changing room to suit up, while Linna and Nene snickered behind her back.
- Both times Priss was injured (episodes 1 and 6), Sylia just happened to be nearby for Priss to collapse in her waiting arms. She was also the one to visit Priss, after she quit the Knight Sabres, to tell her that they needed her and that she still believed in her.
- The official video for "Asu e Touchdown" teases this. The video has the Knight Sabers performing, intercut with flashback to their recruitment. Not only does the video spend more time on Priss's recruitment, but after the segment, it cuts to Priss gazing softly at Sylia, something that the segments for Nene and Linna don't have.
- Lina and Irene develop an intensely close "friendship" during the episode "Mad Machine."
- This is notably further emphasized with Lina developing a similar concern and emotional connection to Irene's sister, Reika Chang AKA Vision.
- Here's a piece of obscure trivia – Priss was voted best overall anime lesbian in the first Yuricon Poll, which ran back in 2000. It caused a huge Usenet stink, because a bunch of people were offended that she was even considered to be a lesbian.
- And there's still more; fans in The '90s parodied it with an Epileptic Tree that the Sabers were all "kangaroos".note Homosexuals who enjoy a good fight
- Meanwhile, on the "Ho Yay" side of the fence, there's Leon and his partner Daley. Leon's willingness to play along with his partner's obvious flirting left plenty of room to speculate whether they were just Platonic Life-Partners, friends-with-benefits, or in an open relationship (considering Leon's flirting with Priss). The only clear thing is that the Ho Yay here is one of the most memorable things about the original series.
Tokyo 2040
In the
Ultimate Universe version of
Bubblegum Crisis,
BGC: Tokyo 2040,
some fans have noticed that lead character Priss Asagiri seems to have more chemistry with her partner, fellow Knight Saber Linna Yamazaki (and it seems reciprocated) than with her given love interest, cop Leon McNichol. Given Linna's
questionable orientation
, it may be more than subtext...
- On the other hand, Sylia Stingray, despite her daddy issues and her friends-with-benefits relationship with her mechanic and right-hand man Nigel, seems to be much more Les Yay incarnate. Sylia shamelessly flirts with Linna during their first encounter, gets Priss in a dress (albeit a very ugly dress, which comes back to bite her in the ass later), is quite coquettish towards her cute female customers, and her explanation of why she made the Knight Sabers all female was... well... special.
Sylia (leaning suggestively over Nene, lifting her chin with one finger): What I need, Nene dear, is someone with whom I share a very special physical bond.
Nene (leaps away, babbling — and blushing): I mean I like you and all, but I'm just not attracted to you in that kind of way, well not at least the way you and Linna are.
Linna: (grimaces)Thanks a lot!
Macky: Let me try and explain... (gives technobabble explanation on the importance of a pilot syncing with her hardsuit, with an assist from Sylia.)
Nene: Oh right...that's what I thought you meant...
- There was the whole...explaining to her mother why the arranged marriage wouldn't work out. Very... well... text-texty.
- It's not that Linna wasn't bi-curious but that Priss never seemed to respond to it. If Priss is gay she keeps it hidden.
- When Linna goes backstage after a concert looking for Priss, one of her bandmates makes a comment along the lines of "why is it always Priss the girls come back here to see?"
- And as for Linna and Nene, they do end the series naked and hugging on a beach...
- Meanwhile, Macky seemed to have a bit of a guy crush on Nigel...
- And while Daley didn't flirt with Leon as much as he did in the original series, he did become very upset when he learned that Leon had apparently been inquiring about Priss's contact info, and specifically referred to himself as Leon's "partner". Big emphasis on partner.
Others
- BGC spinoff/prequel OAV AD Police: Protect And Serve had some serious Ho Yay between main characters Kenji and Hans, despite both having canon love-interests. Of course, one's girlfriend is pretty much only around for exposition (and so her boyfriend can talk about his partner to her) and the other is... not what she seems. Kenji is a Jerk with a Heart of Gold who works alone; Hans is The Casanova who's suffering a Loss of Identity due to not being real; they confide in each other, hold hands, talk about where the other was last night, and fight crime. It starts out like the het version of Slap-Slap-Kiss and then they become Heterosexual Life-Partners and... Well, it's a buddy-cop movie gone anime, what else should you expect?
