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IJBM Anime Club: Gunbuster (Not actually watching Gunbuster anymore)
(link to the main IJBM Anime Club thread, in case it gets lost)
So, if we're doing this... let's do it, right?
We're watching Gunbuster/Top wo Nerae! (as in, six episode OVA series from 1988, not the movie or the sequel or whatever). We'll be watching one episode per two days. During each two day period, watch the appropriate episode and talk about it in this thread. You do not need to use spoiler tags for anything in an episode up to and including the episode we are currently on, so it is recommended that you do not read this thread until after you've watched the episode that we're on at the time. While ideally you won't need to talk about things in future episodes at all... if you absolutely must, make sure that it is in spoiler tags of some sort.
The first viewing period will end at 1600 UTC on Monday, so you should all watch the first episode of Gunbuster and discuss it here by then. After that, the next period will end at 1600 UTC on Wednesday, etc.
One other thing... if you are the first person to post in the thread about a new episode, please include a line in bold or something at the start of your post indicating that discussion of a new episode begins there. That way, if someone misses watching an episode at the right time, they can still read things that we've said about it without having to worry about getting spoiled on an episode they haven't watched yet. Or something.
And now... I should go and actually watch the first episode, I guess... >.>
Comments
EPISODE 1 DISCUSSION STARTS HERE
First things first... lol, robots exercising. Not quite as good as Code Geass's robot pizzamaking, but entertaining nonetheless.
Also, boob jiggle in the OP. Well, it is Gainax, huh.
More importantly though, I like the art and animation quite a bit. Character designs are a little silly (those uniforms they wear while piloting...), but everything is animated pretty well.
Except for this, of course:
Evidently, Noriko doesn't feel like she needs to take her lower body with her when she's bathing.
So far, characters seem... typical, but entertaining enough. Yuri subtext is fun too, of course.
As for the story... I'm not so sure. For like five minutes in the middle of the episode, it seemed like it was getting pretty dark but then suddenly training montage and then it turns into Gurren Lagann. Not that that's a bad thing, but it felt like the tone of the episode shifted very drastically more than once, and I'm not really sure what to think about that.
Yeah, expect more of that.
I haven't watched the episode for club purposes yet but obviously I don't really have to worry about spoilers.
I haven't started watching yet, but...
Is this the "COURAGE, HARD WORK, GUTS" / "With these attributes you can save the universe. The giant super robot helps too." motivational poster show?
The picture is animesque in style and contains two girls standing on the right index finger of a giant robot that's mostly grey with orange-yellow accents. The two girls are one with medium-length brown hair with a blue hairband and long blue hair, both dressed in red and white.
Yes.
So I just watched the episode. This is the third time I've seen it (I've watched the whole series through once, and I rewatched the first two episodes a while ago before getting distracted and never finishing the rest) so I don't have any new insights in particular, other than it was cool, and I'd forgotten that the subs I have actually have a translator's note saying "Inazuma Kick means Lightning Kick.", which I suppose is justified here since she uses that attack a couple more times and most of the other attack names are gratuitous English anyway so only changing one of them in the subs is kinda weird.
I'm surprised by how much development Noriko goes through in as little as six episodes, and considering how much everyone else in the show ages..
That, and this show's ability to juggle both fanservice and hotblooded theatrics, particularly in the crisis/climax of the last episode, had earned my respect.
Just to be sure I'm watching the right version: This starts with a little girl saying her dad's battleship, the Luxion, is the fastest ship in space, right? Along with newspaper clippings?
opening theme: Music's pretty nice. Very 80s both visually and audially. There's one frame where the main character's eyes are way to big. And since someone pointed out boob-bouncing, I'm going to comment that I don't really like it, but I guess I'll be putting up with it.
----
What is this...robots doing pushups, situps...why would robots need to do this.
And now our main character is also jumping rope. I guess I _will_ have to put up with this for a while then.
Yep.
These robots are behaving ridiculously human-like. I assume this will continue for the foreseeable future (i.e. the whole series).
Oh, I see, it's about motion controls. But still, I bet that a real giant robot wouldn't be built to be used like that, unless they somehow did stuff with motion-imitating controls, a la Sky Girls.
Well, good thing Gunbuster is a super robot anime, not a real robot anime?
Or something.
Something like that.
This coach guy is surprisingly clean-shaven for a gruff boot camp drill sergeant.
And now we get treated to music and scenery reminiscent of whatever song that is that's associated with people slow-mo running against a backdrop of the sun.
Also, FUCK YEAH, WAKAMOTO!
The rival character is coming into play. I wonder if she'll be a recurring character.
Also, her face looks like that of a guy, for some reason.
^ Oh, the coach is Norio Wakamoto?
@DYRE:
Well, it's sort of vaguely in between. Though it leans more toward super.@glennmagusharvey:
Yeah, but this was in the 80s back when he wasn't quite as hammy. I didn't recognize his voice when I saw the show, and I've heard people say the same about his role in LoGH too.Well, I afk'd for a while and then came back to the computer.
Rival character really gets into evil mode. Challenge fight. I didn't see this coming, but it isn't too big of a surprise. And of course we know the main character will win.
And she does. No idea where she learned that move from though.
Looks like rival character is not going be returning; she's happily cheering on main character now and will also be stuck on Earth.
Green jet exhaust? Wut? And watch where you drop those boosters!
The colored-pencil-drawing-style images at the end are kinda cool. I actually wouldn't mind seeing the whole show in that style.
In retrospect: What the heck necessitates that the girls wear such a weird-looking pilot suit? Or is this just Gainax's fault?
Because Gainax and because 80's, I guess.
I mean, it's like t-shirt plus one-piece swimsuit plus random bands across the crotch/thighs. What the heck?
Yeah, it's pretty ridiculous. I actually think it's sillier than Sky Girls' uniforms, and that was like... swimsuits + zettai ryouiki + catgirl cosplay.
At least those looked higher-tech.
It's meant to look like a gym uniform, I think. The show did start out as some kind of parody of sports anime.
Thoughts on first episode:
- Kashiwara makes some freakyass faces. This is probably due to her robot's facecam.
-AWWWW YEAH, NORIKO, RIDER KICK DA SHIT OUTTA DAT BITCH!
- The science lessons are adorbz.
I never did watch those.So, after the first line about how her dad's ship is the fastest in space, I immediately went "whoa, her dad's Han Solo?"
And then at the climax, she won the fight by turning off her targeting computer and relying on her instincts, making that suddenly hilarious.
Anyway, other impressions:
Question: How are you guys watching it?
AFT
dp's subs of the remastered R2 DVD's.
Torrented it. A year and a half ago, that is, when I watched it the first time.
Torrented it a while back.
Also, it was more of a typical first episode than I was hoping for, considering it's only six episodes long. The predictability of the plot, the derpy old animation, and the random boob bouncing and ridiculous pilot outfits haven't quite made the best impression on me, sorry to say. I was morbidly impressed at how quickly Noriko's classmates went into full-on bitch mode (and I'm glad there was no -ahem- discoloration on the nail she sat on), but highly disappointed at how quickly they went to cheering her on after she beat ugly bitch rival lady.
But it's Gainax, so I'm hoping for something Gainax to happen near the end. Can't help but snicker internally seeing that Hideaki Anno is the director.
Hopefully you enjoy the rest of it more. The series goes in all sorts of directions, but I won't deny that by and large it's not especially original even for its day.