Gunbuster/Diebuster
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| This article uses Creative Commons licensed content from revision 173062936 of Wikipedia's Diebuster article.
The list of authors can be seen in the page history there. |
| Top o Nerae 2! - Diebuster | |
|---|---|
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Diebusterトップをねらえ 2！Toppu o Nerae Tsū! | |
| Genre | Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Mecha, Science fiction |
| OVA: Diebuster | |
| Directed by | |
| Studio | |
| Licensor | |
| No. of episodes |
6 |
| Released |
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| Runtime |
84 minutes |
Diebuster, known in Japan as Aim for the Top 2! (トップをねらえ 2!, Toppu o Nerae Tsū!) is a six episode anime (OVA) series created by Gainax in 2004.
The first episode was aired on October 3, 2004, while the final episode was released on August 14, 2006. A movie, officially titled Top o Nerae 2! & Top o Nerae! Gattai Gekijouban retelling/recapping the end of the first Gunbuster OVA and the finale of Diebuster. It was scheduled to air on October 1, 2006 at the Tokyo Anime Center's 3D Akiba theatre.
Also called Gunbuster 2 by some Western fans, it is the direct sequel to Gunbuster, but is animated in a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio, rather than the 4:3 aspect ratio used in the majority of Gunbuster. It has been licensed for American release by Bandai Visual USA as Gunbuster 2. Additionally a manga adaptation of the series is available in Japan.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Top wo Nerae 2! Diebuster follows the story of Nono, a country girl who dreams of becoming a space pilot (or to be more precise, 'like Nonoriri,' the meaning of which is revealed as the series progresses) who, due to a chance encounter with an actual space pilot finds herself becoming part of the elite Fraternity. Made up of teenage pilots called Topless, and armed with quasi-humanoid weapons called Buster Machines, the Fraternity's mission is to protect the people of the Solar System from attack by swarms of uchuu kaijuu (literally, space monsters).
The series revolves around Nono's quest to become like Nonoriri, her relationship with Lal'C Melk Mark, the first Topless she meets whom she immediately idolizes (to the point of 'ironically' calling her onee-sama, or big sister), and the hard work she believes she has to do to be 'worthy' of Lal'C's attention. It also explores her interactions with the rest of the Idols, her efforts to fit in and, ultimately, the truth to her forgotten past.
[edit] Space Monsters
Gigantic lifeforms of unknown origin that travel the spaceways in massive swarms (termed 'Expresses') composed of thousands of creatures each, space monsters are considered a threat for the sheer amount of damage they can cause to human settlements. Only the Buster Machines seem to have the ability to battle them, but the sheer numbers of some swarms can overwhelm even the best Topless pilot.
Coming in an assortment of shapes and sizes, the space monsters possess natural weaponry on par with the Buster Machines. Some forms can generate blasts of energy, while others spawn smaller versions of themselves that then proceed to impale their opponents. A few forms seem to eschew ranged attacks completely, and primarily use ramming attacks to overwhelm their foes.
It is not known precisely where the space monsters come from, or why they are attacking humanity, but it is generally believed that a 'mother swarm' encircles the Solar System outside of the planet Pluto (which resembles a nebulous cloud of red material when viewed from afar), preventing humanity from travelling further into space.
In fact, the 'space monsters' that the Fraternity have been battling for so long are actually an autonomous and self-evolving defense system left behind by the Imperial Space Navy to guard the solar system in the aftermath of the Galaxy Center Throw mission. The irony of the situation is the fact that, after centuries of auto-evolution, the 'guardians' adapted forms similar to their programmed enemies (the real space monsters from the first Gunbuster OVA) as they were more efficient. Humanity is besieged by their former protectors because of their own evolution. The similarity of Topless' psionic powers resembles the powers of the variable gravity wells, the true space monsters humanity once fought. It's almost as if humanity will one day replace the space monsters that acted like the galaxy's immune system.
[edit] Cast
Nono (Seiyū - Fukui Yukari)
Lal'C Mellk Mal (Seiyū - Sakamoto Maaya)
Nicola Vacheron (Seiyū - Iwata Mitsuo)
Tycho Science (Seiyū - Sawashiro Miyuki)
Casio Takashiro (Seiyū - Yamazaki Takumi)
[edit] Design Notes
The art style of the show is drastically different to the 1988 original Gunbuster, and the tone, comedy and themes of adolescence present in Diebuster make it appear more of a sequel to FLCL (The Fraternity, mentioned in FLCL, is one of the chief entities in Diebuster) than the 1988 space epic it attempts to follow. As with many modern anime takes on earlier 1980s shows (ie: The Guyver, Bubblegum Crisis and Dangaioh), the artwork is far less colorful and detailed than the "classic" original, and organic-looking computer graphics robots replace the fluidly hand-animated heavy-duty mecha of yesteryear.
[edit] Music and theme songs
Many music in Diebuster is recomposed based on the music used in Gunbuster. A famous example would be the 'Buster Machine March' which played in Gunbuster during the Gunbuster's first combat sortie, it plays in episodes 1, 4, and 6 of Diebuster.
The music was composed and conducted by Kohei Tanaka, the composer of Gunbuster.
Opening Theme
- "Groovin' Magic", by ROUND TABLE feat. Nino
Ending Theme
- "Hoshikuzu Namida" (Stardust Tears), by ACKO
[edit] References
- The name of the Flagship Lalashan featured in episode 2 is combination of the names Lalah and Char, homage to the original Gundam Series.
- Nono's assertion that anything could be achieved through willpower and effort mirrors the same idea that Coach (in Gunbuster) seems to constantly remind Noriko of.
- Nono's lightning kick in the first episode is a homage to the lightning kick from the original Gunbuster. Similarly, Dix-Neuf finishes off the attacking space monster with a Buster Beam, another weapon from Gunbuster.
- In episode 2, Nicola calls Nono's lightning kick a Rider Kick. The Rider Kick is the traditional finisher of the superhero Kamen Rider of tokusatsu fame, as well as his many successors.
- In the third episode, the 'planet' Jupiter featured is a ship of similar design to the Excelion.
- In episode three, while preparing for the arrival of the Jupiter Express, Tycho attacks Nono in a machine weapon and demands that she "turn off her marker" (in order to duel). This mirrors a scene between Jung and Amano in episode 2 of the original OVA.
- In episode four, Nono hums a melody from 'Active Heart'; the opening song from the original Gunbuster OVA.
- In the fourth episode, the Variable Gravity Well that the Serpentine Twins unearth and revive is revealed to be none other than a cruiser-type STMC -- the same type that the Gunbuster defeats on its first sortie. In the same episode, there is a scene where Nono is accepted into Dix-Neuf's open palm, which mirrors a similar scene in the first OVA (except it is Noriko's Oné-sama Kazumi that is accepted into the Gunbuster's palm).
- In the beginning of episode 5, 'Nonoriri' that Nono frequently mentions is revealed to be none other than Noriko Takaya of the original OVA.
- In episode five, the Space Navy travels beyond Pluto to the Sol system's twelfth 'planet' -- the Black Hole, Exelio. It is the same black hole created when the Exelion's (the warship that initially carried the Gunbuster) degenerancy drive was detonated to destroy the solar system's space monster hive.
- In episode five, the evacuation of the flagship mirrors a scene in the opening of episode 2 of the original OVA.
- In episode six, the very end scene mirrors the last scene of Aim for the Top!, therefore showing that the events of Diebuster take place about twelve thousand years after... or ten years before the end of, the original OVA.
- In episode six, Lal'C dons a uniform resembling the uniform worn by Noriko in the original OVA.
- When placing the degenerancy reactor into Dix-Neuf in episode six, Lal'C's actions mirror Noriko's when she removed Gunbuster's reactor to activate the Black Hole Bomb in the original OVA.
- At the end of episode 6 when Nono pulls Lal'C's hand into her body it strongly resembles a scene from another Gainax production, The End of Evangelion when Gendou's hand enters into Rei Ayanami's body via her breast.
[edit] External links
- Official Top o Nerae 2! website(Japanese)
- Gainax Top o Nerae 2! website(Japanese)
- Top Wo Nerae 2! & Top Wo Nerae! Gattai Gekijouban movie website(Japanese)
- Top o Nerae 2! Webnovel(Japanese)
- Diebuster at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia.(English)
- DIEBUSTER WEB RADIO TOP! LESS (onsen（音泉）2005.10.4- DJ:Mitsuo Iwata(Nichola),Yukari Fukui(Nono))(Japanese)
- Non-Official website GAINAX(French)
- Official Gunbuster 2 website(English)
| Genre | Adventure +, Comedy +, Drama +, Mecha +, and Science fiction + |
| Series name | Top o Nerae 2! - Diebuster + |
