Gunbuster was a six-episode series directed by Anno and released on video from 1988 to 1989, telling the story of Noriko Takaya’s quest to become a space pilot just like her father. While not as recognizable as Evangelion, Gunbuster is rightly praised for its influence on mecha and super-robot anime for years afterward. Revisiting classic anime comes with all sorts of entertainment, from witnessing the tropes of the time, to the music, and especially, witnessing the moments that inspired countless other media. It might not always age well, but it can also give some insight into how stories connect emotionally on a basic level, no matter how clichéd the tale is.
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“A Six-Episode Event”
Nowadays, six-episode events are all the rage and Disney cranks them out every quarter. However, while not every story can pull off those few episodes, it’s not impossible to do it well. Gunbuster, with six episodes at only 30 minutes max each, manages to tell its story almost perfectly.
Each episode feels perfectly paced to explore a significant chapter of the story without feeling drawn out or cut short. In a longer 12-episode series, the story might get stretched to accommodate more plots and characters, but in these six episodes, each one has its own contained story that pushed the grander narrative further.
Noriko, The Proto-Shinji
Noriko is an ambitious girl who - like all young adults - has such big dreams that she hasn’t fully considered what it will cost to achieve them. She lost her father in space in humanity’s war against the simply named “space monsters,” and now she strives to become a pilot and travel the stars just like him.
The greatest criticism that could be had of her story is tied to the convenience with which she’s able to achieve some of her goals. Her ability to learn how to suddenly learn a super move that guarantees her a spot on the spaceship in episode one is just the biggest example. This isn’t a huge issue otherwise, however, as while she is the subject of nepotism, the negative attention this brings Noriko contributes to her arc.
She is very much an early draft of Shinji Ikari of Evangelion and this becomes increasingly apparent as the story builds to episode four’s climax. Every small failure or lingering fear about the enemy or her weaknesses becomes compounded as larger threats get closer. She needs to find the strength within herself to push onward and when she does, it’s glorious.
Characters like Noriko can be vexing because they cry and whine and act in ways most viewers probably would, hence the subconscious revulsion. Being able to empathize with her weakness will greatly improve the viewing experience and make the highs feel so much grander.
Love & Eternity
Not only is Gunbuster a story about overcoming fears and aiming for the top, but it’s also an often emotional series about love and how time tests it like nothing else. It wouldn’t be surprising if Christopher Nolan said he took some inspiration from Gunbuster when writing Interstellar, as both deal with time dilation and the consequences of it on relationships. In Gunbuster, the farther out into deep space the characters go, the more time passes back on Earth.
This is understated at the beginning of the series, but as the characters return to Earth later, the implications become that much more horrifying and emotional. The music by Kohei Tanaka, for all its upbeat jams, can also sting in moments of human misery.
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The final episode of Gunbuster, in a rather bold move, is produced entirely in black and white, in a widescreen aspect ratio. While there are times when budget restrictions seem to have limited what can be shown during major battles, nothing about the storytelling feels cheap. It marches onward towards a climax befitting any science fiction epic.
Even when the story seems the most perilous and goes above and beyond to make it feel like there’s no way out, the story has a way of looking on the brighter side in ways that the audience will feel deep in their gut as the ending hits them. Fans of Evangelion will see everything they love about it in Gunbuster and find a beating heart that stands alone as well. It was a series that seemed to have it all and a continuation must have seemed silly, but 17 years later, Anno’s underling and the director of FLCL, Kazuya Tsurumaki, brought Gunbuster back.
Diebuster, The Perfect Legacy Sequel
A legacy sequel refers to a continuation of a franchise years later, often a decade or more, that will often be very similar to the original, but with new characters filling recognizable roles. These days, legacy sequels are somewhat loathed for how often they fail or seem to allegedly disrespect the old works.
Top wo Nerae 2! Diebuster is Kazuya Tsurumaki’s bold continuation of the series with a much different style, setting, and tone, but managing to be a faithful and meaningful continuation. Tsurumaki’s reputation on FLCL alone should paint a fair portrayal of the kind of show this is on a surface level. It’s nowhere near as zany as FLCL was, but it’s recognizably Tsurumaki’s style.
Set 11,990 years in the future, Diebuster is almost unrecognizable as a sequel to Gunbuster in every way, and this works far more than it doesn’t. Because they are so disconnected, the story is able to have a practically clean slate, unburdened by the recency of prior events, and able to craft a whole new world order with all sorts of lore.
And yet, despite being so distinct, Diebuster is also six episodes and certain events are parallel between the two shows. The new cast has their own personalities to set them apart, but they might fill similar roles to the ones by the original cast. For example, consider how every Start Wars Trilogy protagonist fits a similar role despite how different they are. Diebuster is different but familiar, allowing the story to honor the original with a new take that advances the art in meaningful ways.
A Bit of The Old And A Lot Of The New
In Gunbuster, Noriko idolizes her “onee-san” or “big sis,” Kazumi, and this dynamic of big sis and underclassman is a huge part of the story. In Diebuster, Nono is a girl from Mars who wants to be a space pilot just like her idol, Nono-Riri, but ends up a waitress instead until she meets Lal’c Melk Mark and falls in love. The big difference is that this familiarity isn’t contextually supported like in Gunbuster because Nono and Lal’c aren’t classmates, so Lal’c rejects the label, telling Nono, “I’m not your onee-sama.” Almost every parallel character role is done differently, creating a completely new story from a familiar and comfortable framework.
The science fiction is also far more fantastical, leading to action far more reminiscent of Gurren Lagann than Evangelion. The technology and capabilities of the characters, and the hierarchies of the military, are completely redefined to meet a new threat. Helping to bridge the gap between these very distinct shows, composer Kohei Tanaka returned to compose the music. He created some very nostalgic-sounding tunes that would fit perfectly in an OVA from the 80s, but just like in Gunbuster, he also created some truly beautiful orchestral pieces.
Diebuster is louder, more colorful, and considerably queerer than Gunbuster, and though the original is amazing in its own ways, the sequel comes very close to dwarfing it in scope. That such a thing was possible with the same six-episode format is a testament to its good pacing. These are stories about a lot, but they aren’t over-encumbered because the story doesn’t need to focus on too much at a given moment. Gunbuster and Diebuster are tightly-packed concentrations of everything that these two renowned directors do well: characters, sci-fi, and the human spirit triumphing even against cosmic horrors. The fact that these two directors went on to work together on the Evangelion Rebuilds after Diebuster is a no-brainer.
As of the time of writing, Gunbuster’s compilation movie, Gunbuster: The Movie, is available for streaming through Hi-Dive. Diebuster is available on Crunchyroll, listed as Gunbuster 2. Discotek has confirmed a Blu-ray release of Gunbuster is coming to North America, but no set release has been given at this time.
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