The contents below contains
spoilers
to
this anime series! You may wish to skip those sections that have
been enclosed with the red asterisk "*".
"Gunbuster:
TOPPU o Nerae!", "Gunbuster: Aim for the Top!", or simply "Gunbuster",
is a mega production by Gainax in 1988. Released as an OVA
(Original Video Animation), Gunbuster consists of
6 episodes. Victor Entertainment and Bandai Visual each own
copyrights to the VHS and LD versions of this anime respectively.
There
are certain points to note in the production of this anime. Firstly, this
is Anno Hideaki's directorial debut and the last episode was
done in B&W (Black & White), accompained
by a wide screen effect similar to that of a theater movie. The intention
was to bring out the emotional feelings of the show. One last interesting
point, is that of the coincidence of the Noriko Trio, namely:
| Noriko Sakai |
[ ], |
singer of the opening
and ending theme songs; |
| Noriko Takaya |
[ ], |
heroine in this anime;
and |
| Noriko Hidaka |
[ ], |
seiyuu, or voice
actress of Noriko Takaya, |
came together into the making
of this anime, and making it a success!
 The
setting was during the Space Age. Noriko's father, Admiral Yuzo Takaya,
captain of a FTL starship, was killed in deep space when some unknown alien
race attacked. Determined to avenge her father's death, she joined the
Okinawa School for Girls. There, she learnt both academics as well as the
technicalities of piloting a RX battle suit.
*
Being
the worst student in class, she was not about to give up her dreams of
becoming a Gunbuster robot pilot. She trained hard, and was finally being
accepted and chosen by her coach, Lieutenant Kochiro Ota, as among the
2 pilots who could travel into space to fight the aliens. The other chosen
candidate was Kazumi Amano, the best student RX pilot in the school. Together,
they board a transport plane that took them to Battleship Excelion, where
their adventures had just truely began... ...
*
 If
you wish to find out the final outcome of this anime, do take a visit to
these sites:
Gunbuster:
TOPPU o Nerae! by Gainax
Gunbuster:
The One and the Only...
Noriko
Sakai sung the opening theme song, "Active
Heart", and ending theme song, "Try
Again...!", in this anime. Please click on either of the links to view
the song lyrics and transliteration.
You
may also like to listen to the orchestral version
of the ending theme, "Over the River of Time", midi arranged by
K. Tanaka.
October 29, 1998
Revised on July 10, 1999 |
|
