Search - Gunbuster 2, Vol. 1 on DVD

Aim For The Top - Again, and with No Less Glee!

Dani Cavallaro | London, UK | 05/22/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Fans of the original Gunbuster (1988) - the epoch-making Original Video Animation marking Hideaki Anno's directorial debut - may at first find the semi-sequel Gunbuster 2 (directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki) erring in the direction of light-hearted entertainment at the expense of serious psychodrama. However, few will fail to appreciate the calibre of the heroine's staunch commitment to her piloting ambitions. As a fresh breed of alien invaders threatens the human race with extinction, it is up to the Topless Squadron's teenage prodigies to save the day. An ordinary waitress decked out in frilly maid-café apparel whose world view is so guileless as to verge on utter inanity, the protagonist Nono blatantly lacks the skills required of a Topless fighter. Nevertheless, she is determined to reach the top - which indeed she does to memorable dramatic effect.

Gorgeous character designs of palpable texture, executed with a meticulous care for the minutest details, are tantalizingly juxtaposed with sublime cosmic vistas. One of the show's most captivating facets - especially for the pictorially oriented spectator - resides with character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto's utilization of a chromatic palette of tremendous originality in the evocation of both individual and corporate identities (especially for the uniforms). The mecha (created by Bukichi Nadeara, Junya Ishigaki, Shigeto Koyama and Yoshitsune Izuna) are no less imaginatively conceived, combining established robotic features typical of Gainax's earlier oeuvre and motifs drawn from folklore, mythology and classic action-adventure. The viewer's attention is assiduously engaged by the intensity of the mecha battles and by the pathos of interpersonal relationships both amongst peers and across diverse generations.

And then there's Nono's streaming pink hair - its sheer dynamism is sufficient unto itself to keep the eye glued to the screen!"

For hardcore fans only

hoshinokaze | 06/11/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I cannot recommend watching this show enough. It gets 5/5 stars easily. HOWEVER, I would have to say that the original Gunbuster, is much better storywise, and this should not be neccessarily considered a sequel to that.

AND, for the US DVD release, Bandai Visual is treating this release the same way anime DVDs are released in Japan. In Japan it's not uncommon to only have 2 episodes on a disc for upwards of 40-60$ a disc. For years there have been studios wanting to do this same type of marketing in America, claiming that the fans are just as hardcore and would purchase the same stuff. Bandai Visual are looking at the American market not as a secondary market, but as ANOTHER primary market. Chances are, they will do this type of release for everything they license. I don't think this idea will work too well in the US.

On the quality of the actual DVD: The encoding is very nice, it appears to be the same 720x480 16:9 that was used for the original Japanese DVD's (it has the same frame order too) so you're not lacking any visual quality there. The problem is the subtitles, extras, and DVD packaging. I feel they're a little sub par, and while I don't like dubs of anime in general, I feel the lack of a dub alltogether only reinforces that the price for this DVD is a little too much for what you're getting. Don't get me wrong, I knew that this was how the DVD was going to be, and I bought it anyway because I love this show.

Take what you may from this, I still say that the show is definately worth the money, and worth seeing, but depending on your personal DVD buying habits, you might want to wait till all 3 are out and Bandai Visual realizes this tactic might not work here in the US. Or maybe buy it used.

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