2013-08-30

20130830: Anime Review--Gunbuster vs Diebuster


Name: Gunbuster vs Diebuster: Aim for the Top! (2004)
TMDb: link to Aim for the Top!

Genres: Adventure, Animé, SciFi   Country of Origin: Japan

Cast: Yukari Fukui as Nono, Maaya Sakamoto as Lal'C Mellk Mal, Miyuki Sawashiro as Tycho Science, Mitsuo Iwata as Nicholas Vacheron.

Directed by: Kazuya Tsurumaki.    Written by: Yoji Enokido.

The Three Acts:

The initial tableaux: Nono is a young country girl who dreams of being a space pilot as the film starts.  She has a chance meeting with a real pilot.  She travels to the city, and tries to weasel her way into joining the fraternity of elite pilots.

Delineation of conflicts:  Nono is an outsider who has to gain the trust of the elite pilots.  Earth is attacked by an old enemy.  Earth is losing, and needs additional help.

Resolution: Once Nono discovers her true identity, will she be able to adapt quickly enough to save the day?

Statistics: 

Art: 7/10 Despite the 2004 release year, the art looks rather dated, perhaps early 90s or late 80s, pre-Cowboy Bebop.

Sound: 6/10 Spoken word is Japanese; subtitles are in English. Voices were OK, but the background music was annoying.  I relied on the voice for clues to the emotional states of the characters, but used the sub-titles for language.

Voice acting: 8/10 The voice actors were into it.

Screenplay: 2/10 Plot?  What plot?  Also, the protagonist was at first the quintessence of loser, while neither funny nor sympathetic.  Later the idiot protagonist becomes amazingly powerful.  Supposedly she's a leftover from lost high-technology from times past.  Anime explosions are fun, and there are lots of those.  I viewed the rest of the film in passive mode, as one might during a Gundam property.

Final Score: 6/10

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