Gunbuster

Alternate Titles: Aim for the Top!

Original Japanese Release Date: 1988

Episode Length/Run-time: 6 Episodes OVA

Summary:
Noriko Takaya is a girl that is trying to follow in the footsteps of her father, an admiral.  She is enrolled in an all girls military school that teaches students to pilot mechs.  This anime follows the trials and difficulties that Noriko faces as she faces her destiny, to pilot the huge mecha Gunbuster.

Review:
This anime is one that had the potential to be great but its shortcomings led it to merely slightly above average.  The directing by Anno Hideaki is very good and the music and overall action sequences are great as well. It’s not his fault that Gainax is unable to complete an anime without running out of funding.  However, the anime overall has many good themes, such as believing in yourself and trying your best.  These are traits embodied in the main character or Noriko as she pilots her giant mech robot.

The key problems with this anime are two fold.  First, the story feels very rushed.  This series should have been expanded to a 12 episode series rather than a 6 episode OVA.  What this creates is a cast of characters that are given very little development and the story just feels like key aspects are left out.  There are missing dialogues and scenes that should have and would have led much to the development of the plot and characters.

Also, this is a Gainax anime and so, you guessed it, this anime is finished in black and white still images.  Wow.  I know some will argue that it was done for dramatic effect.  I would retort that these people are Gainax fanboys, and stupid.  Evidence would suggest that this is a habit that Gainax has in their more high profile series; Evengelion, Kare Kano.  Let’s get over it.  Gainax is poor at balancing their checkbooks.

So this is the type of anime I would suggest only to mecha fans.  It’s characters are virtuosic and frank.  The problem is that I wouldn’t expect much from the ending. Still, overall its a watching anime that might be considered a classic mech anime in some circles.

[starrater]