Gunbuster is one of, if not the, most exceptional pieces of Anime ever created in Japan or anywhere. Produced by GAINAX, Gunbuster spans several genre ranging from high school sports competition to hard science fiction. The tone is dual in nature, combining humour and drama in expert fashion. Gunbuster focuses on the relationships between characters forced to live both in the same and different times. Their emotional relationships are some of the most touching and beautifully depicted in Anime. All of this is set against a science fiction background that is one of the most fully realized of any science fiction setting, Anime or otherwise. In this future humanity faces the prospect of total destruction by alien life forms who seem quite oblivious to the notion that they are destroying humanity as they strive for their own survival. Not possessing any intelligence that humans can understand, the aliens of Gunbuster behave as insects, working cooperatively for the betterment of their own colony at the expense of all life forms around them. Humanity is forced into a position where they can do nothing but destroy these implacable alien lifeforms or suffer their own destruction.
The person most responsible for the marvellous visual appearance of Gunbuster is director Hideaki Anno. Anno's incredible skill has helped to bring together the myriad of separate elements that combine together to form one completed work of unparalleled beauty. Colour, sound, lighting, and a thousand other elements have all been interwoven in such intricate detail that every facet of the OAV which is Gunbuster reflects the skill of the individuals who put so much of themselves into this work. One of these individuals who has risen to the pinnacle of his own skill in Gunbuster deserves special recognition for his work is just as important as Hideaki Anno's. That is the work of character designer Haruhiko Mikimoto. Mikimoto is one of the most sought after character designers in Japanese animation today. His past works include Macross, Macross II, Eve from Megazone 23, High Speed Jecy, and his own Manga series Marionette Generation. With a reputation like this it would not be unusual to expect great things from a man such as Mikimoto but what he delivers in Gunbuster are the best character designs he has ever created.
The original story concept for Gunbuster is the work of Shin Onosawa, Isamu Senda, and Toshio Okada. Okada turned the basic story of Gunbuster into a screenplay. Others contributed important elements to the completed work, Shinji Higuchi joined principal director Hideaki Anno as art director. The unconventional mecha design for Gunbuster was done by Kazutaka Miyatake and Koichi Ohata. Art designers Masanori Kikuchi and Hiroshi Sasaki also contributed their skill. Finally an army of animators, headed by chief animator Toshiyuki Kubowoka, brought Gunbuster to life with skill and attention to detail that can only come from countless hours of exacting work. All of these elements have combined to create one of the single most remarkable works of Japanese animation produced to date.
The first episode of Gunbuster begins with the voice of Noriko Takaya, a third grader, who is telling us about her father. He is a captain in the earth space fleet and commander of their most powerful space ship. All this makes him an important individual, which Noriko is proud to relate to us. The scene changes; it is several years later and Noriko's father is dead. His ship was attacked by an alien life form and destroyed. Noriko vows that she will follow in her fathers footsteps and become a space pilot as well. Noriko is the main character around which most of the action of Gunbuster takes place. Gunbuster is unique in Anime in the fact that it progresses through many different genres as the story progresses. This first episode fits into a genre that is characterized as the sports competition genre. The trials Noriko goes through while trying to live up to the responsibility of representing her school along with upper classwoman Kazumi Amano are typical of the sports competition genre. As it continues through future episodes Gunbuster explores other genre always presenting them in a way that is unique and intriguing.
The second episode continues the adventures of Noriko Takaya and Kazumi Amano as members of the earth anti-space monster force. Their training continues aboard the space station Silver Star which bears an uncanny resemblance to the space station of 2001. This is another element of Gunbuster that will continue throughout the entire piece; that is the humour of parody. Gunbuster incorporates elements of other anime and popular science fiction to add a comic element to the story. The use of background humour or in jokes in Gunbuster is literate and witty. As you watch you may see parts of space ships under construction bear an uncanny resemblance to parts on a model tree or even spot the submarine from fantastic voyage floating in space. It is remarkable how much these subtle touches of humour add to the overall feel of Gunbuster.
Another element that should be mentioned now as it is used to great effect in this and other episodes, is the use of colour. Gunbuster is not confined to conventional notions of colour nor does it always portray the characters in what would be natural lighting. Black and white as well as greys are used to great effect to create mood as well as a vast range of colours. Some characters may appear bathed in deep shades of violet, radiant blues or reds as well as oranges and greens. Colour is used to depict mood, to reflect a characters' personality, or to set the tone of a scene. While using colour in this manner is certainly not unheard of it is seldom used so well or to such a degree as it is used in Gunbuster.
The third episode begins to expand the relationships of the two main characters Noriko Takaya and Kazumi Amano. Noriko becomes somewhat infatuated with a brash young pilot named Smith Torren. This relation with Smith leaves a strong impression on Noriko and is important to the continuing development of her character. Kazumi Amano's relationship with their mentor coach Ota is also explored in more detail during this episode. Throughout Gunbuster the personal relationships between these characters are much more important to the story then the action itself. The epic space battles between humanity and the alien creatures serves as a backdrop only. The true emphasis of Gunbuster is on the intricate and delicate relations that individuals form with one another. The emotions of these characters are both strong and genuine, seeming neither contrived nor exaggerated. Haruhiko Mikimoto's skill as a character designer comes strongly into play here as his characters often communicate their feelings through body language, posture, facial expression, and other non verbal cues. However, Mikimoto's characters would not be complete without the vast talent and range of the voice actresses and actors that have worked on Gunbuster. Their ability to capture the emotions of the characters they are portraying is nothing less than fantastic.
In the fourth episode we get our first full view of the aliens in Gunbuster. These creatures use no form as ships for they themselves roam freely through normal as well as warp space. Implanting their eggs in stars to incubate them these creatures carve a path of destruction wherever they travel. The smallest of these creatures is well over ten meters in length and the largest measure several thousand. The design of these creatures is fascinating. All their `weapons' are biological in nature, natural defense mechanisms if you will. The larger creatures generate laser energy from their bodies while the smaller ones seem only able to attack with their many limbs. What they lack in sophistication the aliens make up for in number. Add to this the fearless nature of these creatures and you have an implacable menace of epic proportions.
It is also in this episode that we get our first real look at the Gunbuster itself. Constructed with smooth and simple lines the Gunbuster seems to be a throwback to giant robots of an earlier era. This is, of course, intentional as the Gunbuster is an amalgamation of many different classic robot designs. The Gunbuster only demonstrates a few of its many weapons systems in this episode, we will see them utilized more fully in the next episode, but still proves to be more than a match for the alien fleet.
The fifth episode re-introduces an idea that was only explored briefly in the previous episodes. That is the idea of living in the same time with someone. Because of the relativistic effects of space travel time has passed more slowly for the characters who are a part of the anti space monster fleet. Noriko has aged only a few months while her close friend Kimiko has aged ten years. The effects of this change in time on Noriko's relationship with Kimiko become important as they will be reflected in the relationships of other characters to each other as these differences in age begin to affect the other characters as well. Before she left Noriko and Kimiko were the same age but now Noriko can not live in the same time as Kimiko more. Kazumi struggles with this problem too because coach Ota, who she loves, is dying of radiation poisoning and if she returns to space with Noriko he could die before she returns. She struggles to live in the same time with coach Ota even as forces beyond her control pull her away from him. These emotional struggles continue into the next and final episode.
This episode is a marked departure from the previous five in artistic style. It is done entirely in black and white with the exception of the final scene. Those people responsible for the artistic style of the final episode demonstrate an excellent command of the black and white medium and use it to great advantage. This departure from the previous style of Gunbuster is heightened even more during humanities final battle with the alien menace which is depicted with the use of sketches rather than painted artwork. The use of these still images together with the selection of music for this battle portray a sense of vast sweeping conflict beyond the scope of what can be portrayed rationally through the visual medium. Only the abstraction of these images can begin to capture the terrible nature of a conflict of such epic proportions.
The culmination of this series comes in the resolution of Kazumi and Noriko's relationship. Kazumi has married coach Ota and stayed behind on earth while Noriko continues to confront the alien menace in space. As a result Kazumi has aged some ten years or more while Noriko has remained young. Kazumi's struggle to return to living in the same time with Noriko is the real struggle that must be resolved in the final tape so that Gunbuster can come to its ultimate conclusion. The fate of the aliens and humanity itself is not important compared to the spiritual struggle that Kazumi and Noriko go through to live in the same time once again. Finally, their relationship is resolved and they find that they can return to the same time. It is at this point that Gunbuster has reached its end. And what a magnificent piece of work it is.
Noriko Takaya: Noriko Takaya is blessed with the voice of Noriko Hidaka. Noriko Hidaka portrays Noriko from the age of eight through adolescence. When portraying the eight year old Noriko her voice takes on a childish quality that would make you think that you really were listening to an eight year old child and not the accomplished voice actress Noriko Hidaka. However, it is when she plays the older Noriko that the true extent of her talent becomes clear. Noriko Hidaka is able to portray the greatest range of emotions of any voice actress I have ever heard. From the deepest of sorrow to the height of elation Noriko Hidaka captures the essence of what her character is feeling with skill that most voice actresses only dream of.
Noriko Takaya is a freshman at the Okinawa Space High School For Girls and the daughter of a famous space captain. She is often teased because of her famous father, the other students think she is being pampered by the school because of her fathers fame. Noriko tries not to let the ridicule of her classmates get to her but she is still a young and sensitive girl who is hurt by the cruelty of others. When she is selected to accompany Kazumi Amano, the schools star pupil, in joining the space force she begins to feel inadequate and comes to believe that coach Ota only piked her because he himself is a survivor of the destruction of Norikos fathers ship the Lukshion. Noriko is a complex person who is forced to deal with responsibility far beyond the scope of what a fifteen year old girl should have to deal with. But throughout it all her spirit remains undiminished. In fact her love for her `big sister', Kazumi, and for her friends becomes her one of her greatest strengths which allows her to deal with everything that happens in her life and even become a source of strength for her "big sister" when she needs her most. Noriko Takaya is a passionate young girl with a great inner strength that can overcome even the most tragic of hardships.
Kazumi Amano: Rei Sakuma turns in a magnificent performance as Kazumi Amano. Coming into her own in the latter episodes of Gunbuster, Rei Sakuma's moving performances as Kazumi Amano mark her as a voice actress of the highest calibre. She is able to bring such passion to the character of Kazumi that you can not help but be moved by her performance. Rei Sakuma portrays Kazumi both as a mature girl in her senior year of high school and as an adult some ten years older than her younger self. The change between the two performances is subtle and appropriate to the character. She is able to create the feeling that you are seeing the same character affected somewhat by age but still deep down the same girl you saw before. Such skill is a pleasure to listen to. Kazumi Amano is a senior in the Okinawa Space High School For Girls. Referred to by most of the other classwomen as onesama, meaning big sister, she is the schools star pupil and an inspiration to all of its students. She forms a friendship with Noriko Takaya when they are both selected to join the space force. As the series progresses Kazumi falls in love with coach Ota, the person in charge of training pilots for the Gunbuster. Ota is often unable to return Kazumi's feelings because he fears that if Kazumi falls in love with him she may not be able to go into battle because he is slowly dying due to radiation poisoning. This almost becomes true as Kazumi is forced to travel away from Ota even though she knows he is dying. If it were not for Noriko's strength Kazumi might not have been able to overcome her fear and continue even though Ota might die without ever being able to return her love. However, Ota does not die before the two of them finally are able to share their feelings for each other as Ota loves Kazumi as much as she loves him.
Jung Freud: Maria Kawamura lends her voice to the fiery tempered red-head Jung Freud. A young female pilot form the Soviet Union, Jung Freud becomes a close friend of both Noriko and Kazumi although she is jealous of Kazumi as she also is infatuated with coach Ota. Maria Kawamura does an excellent job portraying the flamboyant and short tempered Jung Freud. Jung is not however always as self confident as she often appears to be. Deep down she cares a lot for her friends and would rather die than part with them. In fact she nearly does die because she is forced to leave Kazumi and Noriko behind during the final battle with the aliens. Only after Noriko and Kazumi convince her that it is better to live so that tomorrow will come than to die simply because she will never see them again that Jung relents.
Coach Ota: Norio Wakamoto provides the voice for the rather domineering figure of coach Ota. A survivor of the tragedy of the Lukshion coach Ota has been placed in charge of the Gunbuster project. It is his responsibility to find pilots for the invincible machine weapon Gunbuster. Emotion seldom is allowed to creep into coach Ota's thinking lest it cloud his judgement, With such a massive responsibility on his shoulders coach Ota is often abrupt and to the point in his dealings. However, there is a human side to coach Ota as well, despite the lengths that he goes to cover it up. This comes through occasionally as he shows pity on Noriko or live for Kazumi. Not until he feels the earth is truly safe is he able to open himself up to the emotions he feels for Kazumi. Ironically, this is also near the end of his own life as coach Ota was exposed to radiation during his escape from the Lukshion and finally dies because of that. He is a tragic character but his final death is not tragic as he is able to reconcile himself with Kazumi at least a short time before he dies.
Due to US Renditions translation of the credits for Gunbuster I am unable to match the names of the remaining members of the vocal cast with the characters they play. This is unfortunate and I am disappointed as these actors and actresses deserve recognition for the parts they played but because of the nature of the translation I can not match their names to their rolls.
Kimiko: A friend of Noriko and fellow classmate Kimiko remains on the earth throughout the entire course of Gunbuster. She is one of the only characters that is not affected by the change in time that occurs due to space travel. She truly lives in the same time throughout her life. She is able to meet Noriko once after Noriko goes off to join the space force but at the time Noriko is still young while Kimiko is in her late twenties. Kimiko is never able to see Noriko again after that but her daughter who is ironically Norikos age is able to send a message to Noriko asking her to come back while she is still alive. It is unfortunate that Noriko is unable to honour this request and one of the final images in Gunbuster is that of Kimiko, older now, thinking that she heard Norikos voice. this is our last view of someone living in their own time.
Smith Torren: An RX-7 pilot from the United States Smith Torren meets Noriko Takaya while the two of them are wandering the corridors of the space cruiser Excellion. It seems they have both gone out on a dare issued by their respective squadrons. Each of them must leave a marker in the mech bay and return to their quarters undetected. However, coach Ota notices the pair roaming the corridors, which are supposed to be cleared during warp, and they end up spending the next morning cleaning the lenses of the Excellion's lasers. Smith Torrens name is actually a tip of the hat to veteran translator Torren Smith. Smith Torren is a likeable sort of fellow, personable and a bit arrogant. He and Takaya become friends during the Excellion's voyage to intercept the alien menace. During their first battle with the aliens Smith Torren is lost along with his RX-7 mecha. Noriko was acting as his partner and felt responsible for Torren's death. She spends much of the rest of the series reconciling the feelings she still holds for Smith.
There are a wealth of other characters that make up the cast of Gunbuster. Pilots, Commanders, students, children, all of them contribute to the Anime in their own way. Their voice actors and actresses are listed here: Kazuki Yao, Tomomichi Nishimura, Masayuku Komuro, Koji Tsujitani, Ayako Shirashi, Ayumi Hashimoto, Kyoko Minami, Daiki Nakamura, Sakurako Hoshino.
One final interesting element present in Gunbuster are the short segments that come in between the episodes. These are referred to as the Gunbuster Science Classroom sections. Each section is narrated by super deformed versions of both Noriko and Kazumi. A super deformed, or SD, character is a version of the normal character shrunken to childlike proportions. These characters are often considered cute and that is the intention. In the Science Classroom Kazumi and Noriko explain some of the technology and physical realities of the Gunbuster series. In the first lesson they explain the nature of physics in Gunbuster. Rather than space being a vacuum it is an ether field. This ether can be pushed aside by powerful forces thus allowing light to travel in a `real' vacuum. The effect is that faster than light speed in an ether field, which is equal to our light speed, travel is possible. Taking this one simple change to the physical nature of reality they build their entire notion of space travel. In later Science Classrooms they talk about time dilation, which is what causes the characters to age at different rates during the length of the series. When travelling close to the speed of light time progresses slower for the traveller than it does for those who are stationary in relation to him or her. This allows Noriko to remain young as she is engaged in near light speed combat most of the time while her friends on earth age at a normal rate. These Science Classroom sessions are often humorous and rater silly as both Kazumi and Noriko will refer to Gunbuster the Anime as an Anime show. This is strange because to them Gunbuster should be real as they are characters in it but during the Science Classroom sessions they step outside Gunbuster into the same reality that you and I occupy and talk to the viewer directly. These segments not only give the viewer a better knowledge of the physics of Gunbuster but an insight into how the characters think about themselves. Overall Gunbuster is a series that embodies the finest qualities of Anime. The direction and artistic vision of its creators is beautiful. The character designs are some of the best ever created for any Anime and the voice acting has to be heard for its true quality to be appreciated. Gunbuster is one of the single best examples of all the qualities that are desirable in an Anime.
Gunbuster was translated into English by US Renditions in 1990 in three tapes each containing two episodes. All six episodes run 25 minutes each for a total of 150 minutes. Gunbuster is distributed under license of GAINAX all rights reserved.