Customer Reviews

Gunbuster

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Gunbuster. You've probably heard of it before, even if you weren't old enough to experience it first hand when it was released in 1988. US Renditions blessed would be anime fans back then with VHS tapes in clamshell cases with one of the most engrossing and moving mech anime releases ever. Not to mention the story and whole direction is actually a parody of many of the then current "themes" that were popular at the time. "Fan service", the super deformed characters in the science lessons, the over the top "Super" robots, and the now legendary "Gainax bounce" could all be seen here in this early release. Compared to many of today's modern efforts this OAV remains true to it's original Japanese title, Top O' Nerae! or, "Aim for The Top!". It always has and always will be at the top.

Gunbuster is the story of a young girl, Noriko Takaya who wants to become a space pilot like her father, who was Captain of a vessel that was attacked by large bug like space aliens who are intent on finding and destroying Earth. Enrolled in Okinawa's Space Pilot High School for girls, Noriko begins the training to become a defender of Earth and begins a long journey (though through the miracle of time dilation and space travel hardly ages throughout the series) transforming from a crying nugget rookie pilot to the savior of the world. Along the way, she is befriended by her "Coach" Ota and Kazumi Amano, the super talented and gifted girl who is the school's top student and almost a shoe in for becoming a pilot.

What makes Gunbuster work, unlike many typical, "save the world from aliens in giant robots" shows is the fact that while the show deals with the mechs and science behind it, it is really just backdrop for the character's growth. While we get space battles and action, it is really the filler for seeing Noriko mature over time into the strong character she becomes by the end of the series. The story will make you sad enough to cry at points if you are the type that does (and some people really do I'm told), and it will make you feel like cheering at others. This is one of director Hideaki Anno's first works (Evangelion fame) and it shows how great his early works were. Absolutely top notch. Along the way, take note of the many parodies and references in names to contemporary things like the Sizzler units, or the RX-7 mechs.

Mech fans don't despair, since when the Gunbuster is finally truly unveiled (you don't even get to see it until halfway thorugh and then only for a short period) the real treat begins and it becomes one of the coolest moment in 80's , 90's, or even current anime mech scenes/battles. The music is awesome, every single piece is perfect (note: It is known that for this US release, one piece of music was changed for a training sequence so purists be warned), and the animation even for a nearly 20 year old OAV looks great partly in thanks to character designs from Haruhiko Mikimoto, the character designer for the original SDF Macross series.

Bottom line is this set is a must buy for old anime fans or to new ones who shouldn't miss out on one of the finest OAV's ever to be released. Gunbuster gets a 5 out of 5 no question.

In the beginning of the 21st Century, humanity has begun its quest to explore the outer reaches of the universe. The Luxion, a starship constructed by the Japanese, was the launched in 2015 under the command of Capt. Yuzo Takaya. Then on December 20, upon reaching the Arm of Perseus in the Milky Way, tragedy struck when the Luxion and its fleet were attacked and destroyed by a mysterious alien force, killing Capt. Takaya and several crewmen. This heinous attack gave the Space force yet another mission: to exterminate the insect-like alien force before it wipes out the human race. Enter: Noriko Takaya, who has enlisted as a robot pilot for the Space Defense Force. On her first day, she is given some encouragement from Kazumi Amano, the best robot pilot in the academy. Unfortunately, Noriko is a total klutz when it comes to piloting a Machine Weapon. That is, until Coach Koichiro Ota appears in the scene. He surprises the whole school by enlisting Amano with the underdog Noriko. Many students cry foul, citing the fact that Noriko's father was the captain of the Luxion tragedy. They start ridiculing her during class. But in the end, she proves them wrong by using her intense training and raw talent to single-handedly defeat resident bully Ryoko Kashiwara in a robot fight. And as Noriko, Kazumi and Coach leave Earth to board the colossal starship Exelion, the saga of Aim for the Top! Gunbuster begins.

I was a little skepical about this "Gunbuster." Some critized it for it's sappyness, claiming that it failed to touch them and was hard to take seriously. I must dissagree. True, in each episode, emotions are expressed freely and, at times, excessively, but it is extremly affecting. Some also critizied, saying the star of this drama, Noriko Takaya, cries far to much and is irratating. Again, I would like to dissagree. How can one hold back tears when their own loving father loses his life trying to save the planet. Or what if you lost your first love as soon as as you discovered that person? What if your only friend lost faith in your abilities and abandoned you? True, these all affect Noriko heavily, But I have no doubt that you will be feeling for Noriko by the end of this series.

But even when Noriko isn't in tears, it is still affecting. Time passes faster in space than on earth, and as Noriko is training so she can learn how to control The awesome mech "Gunbuster",her life one earth is slowly dissapearing. Her high-school buddie, Kimiko, ages considerably and even gives birth to a child,while Noriko,in space,never ages at all. . In the words of Noriko "I feel like I've been left behind".

One thing about "Gunbuster" is it's view of ones peers and role models. Kazumi Amano, who is called "big sister" by Noriko, and rightfully so,as Kazumi is the one who guides Noriko and inspires her to believe in herself. Kazumi is flawless in Noriko's eyes. Not so. Kazumi is in love with the Coach, but lied to herself and never revealed to him her feelings. Even the Coach, who instructs Noriko to work hard and almost seems like her father, who believed in her when no one else did, has a depressing secret that puts his life in danger.

One of the most interesting aspects about "Gunbuster" is the controversial final episode. This final episode, entitled "At the End of the Endless Stream" is done in complete black and white, letterboxed. Even in the final battle is done in a series of skeches and the like, and resembles a manga more than an anime. At first glance this seems to be a sign of lack of money, but I believe that this was one of the best endings I have ever seen. The ending is just perfect, flawless really. The music for the final scene is wonderful. It is impossible not to be touched by the final scene. I have never shed tears in an anime besides this one. All in all, a masterful final episode.

"Gunbuster" also boasts nice cel animation. The character designs are good, and the design for the Gunbuster is superb. The J-pop for this anime is strong too. My favorite tunes were the theme song and the song that was playing during the major battle in episode five.

"Gunbuster", however, is not without it's flaws. GAINAX invented a term call "GAINAX bounce". The definition for this term is, to the very jiggly, fluid, and painstakingly detailed rendering of large breasts in motion.Unfortunatly,"Gunbuster" falls victem to this condition. This is a rather silly attempt at humor, and while its not excessive, it is obvious and at times distracing.

Netherless,"Gunbuster" is still a wonderful anime. It starts out rather humorous, but builds into something much more. A very heart-rending anime. If you like Mechs, powerful drama's, or a unrealistic portrayal of bounching breasts, "Gunbuster" delivers. This is a powerful tale of determination, faith and sacrifice winning through impossible odds.

The stunning conclusion to Hideaki Anno's little-known gem of an OVA series!

Episode 5 - After Nariko's victory in the experimental Gunbuster, the crew returns to Earth. Ten years have passed there, while Nariko and Amano remain the same ages they were when they left. It's great watching the ramifications of this, as well as the burgeoning relationship between Amano and Ota. While Nariko has matured as a result of her adventures, Amano seems to have taken a few steps backwards...which becomes a real mess when the two of them have to pilot Gunbuster together.

Episode 6 - 15 years after the battle in the last episode, and Earth has moved from defense to offense against the alien aggressors. This episode is done in black-and-white and in widescreen format, which is very effective for the mood of the piece. It's almost like film noir in outer space. The ending of an anime story is always hard to pull off and sometimes turns out to be the weakest part of a series (like, say, "Evangelion"), but that is not the case here. This is simply an incredible and moving ending, and the kick in the butt is that I can't really say why without revealing anything. But if you've followed through to this point, you won't be disappointed (well, maybe you will...I didn't say it was an entirely happy ending).

If you are an Anime fan, then you must see this series. Wade through the bouncing breasts and the sometimes kiddie voice acting and you come up with a very solid piece of science fiction not to mention a great work of Anime. The scope of this series is simply awesome and the last episode (In black and white, letterboxed) will leave you breathless. Some people, like me, think the last episode was the result of funds drying up. Others think that it was done on purpose. The end result is a not-to-miss triumph of animation.

Buy this tape.

This is not a review of the show but of this DVD release. Bandai Visual USA essentially put zero effort into this "remastered" three disc-set.

There is a thick white line that always runs down the entire left side of the frame and there's a thin white line that sometimes runs down the right side of the frame. There's constant video noise that mars the image (not film grain, mind you, just video noise). Worst of all is the near constant frame judder. The video jumps constantly and almost never stops moving. It's extraordinarily distracting.

To sum it up, this release has the quality of a bootleg at best - only it's priced ridiculously high instead. What a waste of money.

The directorial debut of acclaimed director Hideaki Anno, Gunbuster is a legendary anime fan favorite that casts pretty girls and giant robots into a moving epic of insterstellar naval war. Newly translated and re-mastered in HD 24P format, Gunbuster has never before been available on DVD in North America...until now!

2015: Earth's first faster-than-light ship, the Luxion, is lost, attacked by unidentified space monsters in the Perseus Arm. Six years later, Noriko Takaya, daughter of the Luxion's commander, enters the Okinawa girls' Space Pilot High School, vowing to be a pilot and follow her father's trail to the stars. But is she prepared for the intense training to become a member of the elite Top Squadron? Noriko's fight has just begun-and the fate of all humanity depends on her meeting the challenge!

It's hard to believe that it's been nearly 20 years when I first discovered "Gunbuster", the awesome mecha anime that has won the hearts for anime fans since its first release back in 1988.

The year was 1992 and I discovered this awesome series through an anime club meeting and I was just enamored by the series so much that I purchased the English subtitled VHS videos which contained two episodes for like $35 through Books Nippan. In fact, when the VHS was re-released in 1996 by another company, I had to buy that because the video tapes have been viewed too many times and started to lose its quality.

It's really interesting how many people I converted to anime fans through letting them borrow my video tapes. "Gunbuster" is one of the few rare series you will find where each episode is well written, gripping and you just can't stop after one episode. You just want to watch the whole series completely throughout.

What I really enjoyed is how the OAV series fluctuated between parodying other anime but also its attention to light speed travel, black holes and warp factor.

Of course, back in the 90's, not only did you have a knock out punch with beautiful animation, a well written storyline but you also had the top voice actresses from a popular anime series that was so big among American anime fans at that time. You had Hidaka Noriko as the main character Takaya Noriko (note: Hidaka is known for the voice talent of Akane from "Ranma 1/2'), Sakuma Rei as Amano Kazumi (note: Sakuma was the voice talent of "Ranma 1/2" character Shampoo) and then you had the "Active Heart" theme song by then-pop idol Sakai Noriko.

The series would feature a lot of references and then at the end of each episode, fans were treated with "Science Lesson" episodes featuring chibi versions of the characters featuring even more references.

But as much as the anime references to other anime and scientists, "Gunbuster" also worked as a fun parody with its use of the title "Gunbuster! Top o Nerae" (Aim for the Top) which is a parody of the anime and manga tennis series "Ace wo Nerae!" and the hugely popular Western film "Top Gun".

Of course we know that director Hideaki Anno went on to be known for his creation of "Neon Genesis Evangelion" and the "Science Lessons" director Tsurumaki Kazuya went on to direct "FLCL" and "Gunbuster 2".

Here we are 20 years since the original OAV's were released in Japan, six episodes all on DVD featuring Noriko as she pushes herself to become a formidable pilot, watching her as the weak girl who would cry a lot but push herself and train herself to become one of the best pilots from the squadron.

There is so much to love about the anime, not just about the oh-so-good feeling of an underdog showing everyone that she can do it and accomplish things and prove them wrong but also how science is used in this series. Each time they go light speed into space, each minute that goes by, three months has gone by in Earth.

So, what could be complex is actually well written and explained in the anime series as each time Noriko arrives back to Earth, her schoolmates are much older than her and have children.

I guess you can say that with each episode, you get much more than what you would expect. That's how I felt about "Gunbuster". Fulfilled, excited about the next episode and wanting more.

Also, for the guys wanting a little "H", "Gunbuster" does have it's share of nudity scenes.

As for the DVD, inside the box, you will find a folding case with three DVD's featuring artwork of the cast of "Gunbuster" and the "Gunbuster" mech itself.

Also included is a booklet featuring character information, "Gunbuster" Gainax behind-the-scenes information plus information on each episode

The episodes are presented in its full aspect ratio with the final episode being black and white and letterboxed. The animation looks awesome even for it being 20-years-old, I really enjoyed how this anime was remastered.

The sound is offered in Linear PCM 2.0 which is a higher bit rate for audio.

There is no English dub, all vocals are Japanese and for subtitles, you can choose to have it on or off or on with the signs translated as well.

The menus are clean with selections of each episode (two episodes per disc) and the Science Lesson Chapters.

As for extra features, there are a few.

Disc 1 features "Good Morning OGH!" which was the promotional trailer produced back in July 1988. This is featured in 2ch, 5.1ch and 5.1ch (dialogue off). There is a quic intro explanation how the trailers were saved on to a VHS tape to a super hi-8 tape and thus the quality is not great. But you start to see how the quality between the DVD versus a promo tape are.

Disc 2 features "Cosmic Battle Space" in 2ch or 5.1ch which features another perspective (from episode 4) of the fight between the squadron and the alien monsters.

Disc 3 features the "Sizzler Project" in 2ch or 5.1ch. This is a promotional trailer produced in 1989 and actually features character Jung Freud learning about the new Gunbuster mechas being created. This was very interesting to see and similar to the first promotional trailer.

"Gunbuster" has remained one of my top 3 anime that I will forever treasure in my heart. It's a series that shows guts, determination, happiness, sadness. It's literally an emotional rollercoaster that has made me smile, cry...

It's well written, features really awesome scenes and interaction between the characters. Well-acted, well-animated and just one of those rare treasures that have come along that you just don't see as much these days from a lot of anime.

Especially with a storyline managed to be complete in six episodes, I'm impressed.

I know that there is a region 0 disc that was released with a fourth disc that featured a rough episode five and unmatted episode six with a few other features but sure, as much as it would have been nice to have that in the US release, I'm not actually losing sleep over it either.

For a great price, you get all six episodes on DVD. For the boxset is the price I paid for one VHS back then. And I know for dub fans who don't like to read subtitles, it's going to be hard to recommend it to you to begin with.

But if you want quality anime that still looks very cool now as it did 20 years ago and also to watch one of the best, well written sci-fi/mecha anime OAV series ever released, then definitely check out "GUNBUSTER".

I highly recommend the "Gunbuster" anime DVD box set. You won't regret it.

My first encounter with GunBuster was over a decade when I was in high school. I was out of school for a few weeks because I was quite sick. We didn't have a lot of money but my mom took me to the local Blockbuster video store whenever I wanted to grab some movies to pass the time with. I cleared out their section. Previous to this my only exposure to anime was this one-time event the Cartoon Network did in its early days. At midnight they ran Project A-ko, Vampire Hunter D and Robot Carnival. The latter two are still amongst my favorites and from then on I was hooked.

So, when I went to Blockbuster I grabbed such classics as Devil Hunter Yohko, the unedited Vampire Hunter D, 3x3 Eyes, Dangaio, Bubblegum Crisis, GunBuster, and a few others. Each one I've listed is special to me to this day. But GunBuster was unique amongst the bunch because until that point I'd never seen sci-fi done like that. Go out for a 10 minute mission and 6 months pass on Earth!? What was that? And science lessons at then end to explain it all? It was wild and something that colored my own writing to this day.

When came time to talk anime with my friends they often brought up Robotech as one of their favorites. I never saw it and still haven't seen it. My only exposure to anything Robotech was the terrible film Macross 2 and thought, "If this is Robotech then they can keep it." My friends assured me it wasn't and recently we saw Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles in the theater. The highlight of the entire film was me constantly riffing on it to my friends' amusement. The thing was terrible and my friends, the Robotech fans, will only now refer to it as `the film whose name cannot be spoken.' Grumbles about destroying their childhood did occasionally come up.

While they were lauding Robotech I was constantly talking about GunBuster. No one I knew, no anime fan I ever met, had seen it. And since it was only out on VHS that pretty much meant no one was ever going to see it. Well, that's not exactly true. I had obtained through various means a DVD rip of the VHS version. It was done so bad I refused to let them see it. It was really, really bad.

Then I read about this DVD release and I saw the clouds part and a ray of golden sunshine pierce through the darkness. It was wonderful.

You're probably wondering why I'm blabbing on like this? I want you to know just how much this OVA means to me. My first experience with it, and all that other anime I watched when I was sick, is one of the few pleasant childhood memories I have. I just want to make that abundantly clear. Now I can get to what I thought about this DVD release that we're on the same page.

It's good but not great. I'd call it great if it weren't $65 retail. There's little reason I can fathom why this release couldn't have been put on a single dual-layer DVD. There's isn't a lot here outside the episodes themselves. I'll be the first to tell you that the image quality is fantastic! It's very, very pretty. But that's it. No commentary. No eater eggs that I could find. The new science lessons are nice. The promo clips are interesting but of terrible quality as they were ripped from some 20-year old VHS tapes (the originals were lost). I wished that the promo's for following episodes were better organized. I watched the science lesson for episode 2 and was treated to the promo trailer for episode 3 and then immediately the trailer for episode 4. If I wasn't already familiar with the series a major event would have been spoiled for me.

And the series isn't dubbed. I know, I know - I hear people hissing already. Listen, I've heard good dubbing and I've heard bad dubbing. But for a $65 release I expect something more than what I got to justify the price. It's not here. Had this been $30 I would have given it 5 stars. 4 stars are still very good but the outrageous price forces me to knock it down a peg. The company behind this release simply did not invest the money they should have in any additional features that would justify the price tag on it. They didn't. My advice: Don't pay retail. Get it here or some others place where you'll get some kind of discount. Otherwise, wait for the price to drop on its own. This OAV was first released in 1988, a few more months until the price is more reasonable won't kill you.

Price and lack of features aside, the video and audio quality is great and the story is as fresh as ever.

Okay, let me start by saying that I am a mecha fan. If it has giant robots in it, then I'm going to watch it, and I'm probably going to enjoy it regardless of the plot issues involved.

With that out of the way, let's go on with the review (CONTAINS SPOILERS). This title is, according to every other otaku I know, the keystone in any mecha collection. I may differ on that opinion, but it is still a great series that may confuse some people at first. The suits are impressive, and the battle sequences are something that can't be missed, but keep in mind that the first four episodes are more or less a subtle parody of the genre to which it belongs. You want sexy pilots in futuristic Japanese high school tennis uniforms, you got it. You want training regimes that consist of piloting a robot through standard gym class workouts like pushups and jumping jacks, you got it. You want an incomplete superweapon laying waste to alien scum, you got it. You want a series that shifts from subtle parody to hardcore s-f for its last two episodes, you got it.

The last two episodes are where this series shines, and also where it falters. The final battle against the alien armada that numbers in the billions is something to behold, with weapons that would put any other mecha series to shame. The problem is, along with two artistic choices that place one epic battle in the form of pencil drawings that run like a slide show and have the entire last episode in black and white (animated in shades of grey, not just filmed in B&W, that part is kinda cool), the whole series relies heavily on the concept of time dialation in relation to near-lightspeed travel. The end result is a tear-jerker of an ending with a premise that left me scratching my head: The Gunbuster and its two pilots return from the final battle in what seems like no time to us and them, but according to normal space-time they've been gone from Earth for a while. Something on the order of 12,000 years. I won't mention what happens after that, but it was reassuring and a little bothersome to someone like me who likes a slightly more logical ending, not an ending that is played up for dramatic effect.

All in all, though, I highly recommend this title to any anime fan that likes giant robots, epic space battles, a little emotion, or are a fan of Hideaki Anno (You know, the guy who gave us that mindf--k of a series "Evangelion"). Despite an odd but satisfying ending, I dare you not to find something to like about Gunbuster. Oh, dub purists be warned: THIS DVD SET IS SUBTITLED ONLY. NO ENGLISH DUB AT ALL.

what started out as a parody quickly turned into a true anime classic. great story telling, great animation, great conclusion, great series, nuff said.

Gunbuster (Aim for the Top!) is a masterpiece in Japanese animation. Created by the famous anime studio GAINAX, Gunbuster starts off as seemingly light girls' high school drama and unfolds across space and time into an epic galaxy-spanning space opera. It follows the adventures of Noriko Takaya, a student at the Okinawa Space Force Girls' High School, as she pursues the ambition of becoming a pilot in space like her late father. Along the way she will meet the inspiring and preternaturally gifted Kazumi Amano (a.k.a. Onee-sama) and a tough coach who is willing to train her to her fullest potential. She will face bitter rivals on the ground, horrifying enemies out in space, and heartbreaking separation from the ones she loves as she strives for a position in the elite "Top Squadron" and eligibility to pilot the amazing super-weapon, Gunbuster.

Gunbuster was mode "for otaku, by otaku" and even as it builds to an epic climax it drops references left and right to everything from sports anime to the science fiction works of Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov. Playing "spot the reference" will be fun and rewarding if you're in on the joke but if not the magnificent story and sterling art design will still carry you away. The characters were designed by Macross designer Haruhiko Mikimoto and are more fluidly and emotionally animated than you will see in a lot of anime today.

This DVD release from Bandai Visual comes loaded with extra features like the famous "science lessons" (all of them including the ones from the LD release) and some never-before-seen footage which shows a different perspective on the Gunbuster saga. My biggest complaint is that it has some nasty cover art that looks like it was done by a fan artist plucked fresh from Deviant Art and commissioned to do the job. It's not as bad as the Captain N cover art but it doesn't do justice to the wonderful characters. Thankfully, this is counterbalanced by a wonderful booklet inside which contains loads of original design art, character descriptions, and information about the production itself.

If you are a true anime fan and not just a Narutard you really owe it to yourself to own or at least watch this incredible release.