Product Details

• Format: Animated, Color, HiFi Sound, Subtitled, NTSC
• Subtitles: English
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Manga Video
• VHS Release Date: August 20, 1996
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304164084
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #441,021 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GAINAX kicks the hell out of everything in Gunbuster!, August 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Gunbuster 1 [VHS] (VHS Tape)

What is Gunbuster, anyway? It has elements of a Gundam parody, a high-school comedy, and of high space opera. One thing's for sure: It's entertaining as hell. Noriko's journey from crybaby to alien butt-kicker is thoroughly enjoyable, even if the entire focus of the series seems to shift in the last three episodes. She's one of the coolest anime characters ever. There's a lot of science and drama, as in Evangelion (itself awesome), but in Gunbuster you know that everything will work out in the end because Noriko will never be defeated! It's a highly positive and inspirational series. It can be confusing (mostly because GAINAX thought they'd have to end it early), but it's really more of a spectacle. And the Gunbuster itself is the baddest robot east, south, north and west of the Pecos. If Gunbuster confuses you, it's probably because of the super-fan oriented nature of the series - you have to really be into anime and its history (Watch for Smith Toren...). But at least there's Jung-Freud and her friendly fan service to save the day. If you're a longtime anime fan and have never seen Gunbuster, check out the original classic from the year 2015! Go, Noriko, go! TOP O NERAE!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Macross, Gunbuster! Even better!, April 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Gunbuster 1 [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The other review is wrong. This is Gunbuster, aka: Top o Narae(Aim for the Top!). Now, once I'm past that, this is an excellent series. This is almost as good as Evangelion, and is their other big twist on the mecha genre. Being made before Hideaki Anno's(the director of Evangelion's) disillusionment with fandom, this one celebrates fans and all the cliches that make us love anime so much, while at the same time poking a bit of fun at all of it. In addition, Studio Gainax shows off everything that it does better than anyone else:being self-referential(as fans), innovative mecha design, comic relief, battle scenes that just shout, "Cool!"(Buster BEEEAM!), bits of "arty-ness" to add to the drama, and the occasional awe-inspiring visual that makes the watcher think "Wow. Why can't ALL animation be this gorgeous?"

These first 2 episodes are the most light-hearted of the 6, and they're great. Some of it's predictable, but that's the point(and I guarantee you that the later episodes get more innovative, serious, and powerful). The highlight of the episodes? The "science lessons" in full super-deformed mode after each episode. They're hilarious!

Overall, Gunbuster is a truly great mix of the high drama and low comedy that drew so many of us to anime in the first place, with enough twists to keep it fresh and highly interesting. In short, it's FUN!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Starts Out Cute..., January 11, 2002

By 

Sean Whitmore (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gunbuster 1 [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I initially rented this OVA series because it was directed by Hideaki Anno of "Evangelion" and "Nadia" fame. And believe me, even though "Gunbuster" was early in Anno's career, his work shines through! While not as mind-blowing as "Eva", 1989's "Gunbuster" was still more than a typical giant robot anime.

The first episode was cute, and a nice setup for things to come, but nothing all that fantastic on its own. We meet the main characters and a few supporting ones who will prove important later on. The heroine, Nariko, is not at all unlike "Eva"'s Shinji. For that matter, her mentor Amano bears some small similarity to Misato. The setting is part girl's high school and part mecha training facility. The funniest thing about this episode is the sight of all those giant robots doing pushups, jumping rope, and jogging (this is how the girls develop their piloting skills).

Episode two takes Noriko and Amano into space to join the war against the aliens. There they meet Russian pilot Jung-Freud and her mecha the Soviet (painted a lot like the Rocket Red character from the Justice League). Jung-Freud is the original Asuka, sporting red hair, an ego, and a competetive spirit. This episode also introduces the director's fascination with the "science" aspect of science fiction. There are some interesting and original concepts that have to do with space, warp drives, and even time travel (sorta).

All in all, the first volume of "Gunbuster" is enjoyable and prompts enough interest to see what happens next. And having seen them all, I'll tell you right now it's worth it.