Introduction by Jeremy Lapus

When I first started collecting anime back in 1993, a friend of mine introduced me to this OAV series called Aim for the Top! Gunbuster. I've been a long fan of robot anime, but this one was really amazing! Rarely do I ever see an anime of this caliber. The animation and music are simply awe-inspiring. And while the story may be a bit kooky on some parts, it will eventually leave you with a tear in your eye. Add an array of the best voice actors in the anime world, and you have one hell of a classic.

Until now, I still consider Gunbuster to be one of the best anime titles ever made. It, alongside Neon Genesis Evangelion, also ranks in my list as the best anime made by GAINAX. So far, I have the original U.S. Renditions subtitled releases and the first two soundtrack CDs. I'm currently beginning my collection of the new trading card collection from Bandai.

If you'd like to talk about Gunbuster, feel free to sign my guestbook. Thanks.

New Gunbuster series. GAINAX has opened the official site for Top o Nerae! 2, the sequel to this series. Click on the banner above to enter.

The best damn Gunbuster fansite in the galaxy!

Gunbuster page now part of the Area Seven Network. New home, same attitude. Update your bookmarks to this link - http://gunbuster.areaseven.net/

Yahoo! Clubs: Gunbuster. Now you can chat with other Gunbuster fanatics at the first and only Yahoo! club dedicated to Top o Nerae! Click here to join.

In the beginning of the 21st Century, humanity has begun its quest to explore the outer reaches of the universe. The Luxion, a starship constructed by the Japanese, was the launched in 2015 under the command of Capt. Yuzo Takaya. Then on December 20, upon reaching the Arm of Perseus in the Milky Way, tragedy struck when the Luxion and its fleet were attacked and destroyed by a mysterious alien force, killing Capt. Takaya and several crewmen.

This heinous attack gave the Space force yet another mission: to exterminate the insect-like alien force before it wipes out the human race.

Enter: Noriko Takaya, who has enlisted as a robot pilot for the Space Defense Force. On her first day, she is given some encouragement from Kazumi Amano, the best robot pilot in the academy. Unfortunately, Noriko is a total klutz when it comes to piloting a Machine Weapon.

That is, until Coach Koichiro Ota appears in the scene. He surprises the whole school by enlisting Amano with the underdog Noriko. Many students cry foul, citing the fact that Noriko's father was the captain of the Luxion tragedy. They start ridiculing her during class. But in the end, she proves them wrong by using her intense training and raw talent to single-handedly defeat resident bully Ryoko Kashiwara in a robot fight.

And as Noriko, Kazumi and Coach leave Earth to board the colossal starship Exelion, the saga of Aim for the Top! Gunbuster begins.

The title Top O Nerae (Aim for the Top!) is a parody of the popular '70s manga/anime Ace O Nerae! (Aim for the Ace!), a story about an underdog female tennis player who strives to be the best. Sound familiar?

Many of the characters' names were based on actual people who worked with GAINAX in the series' production. The only exception is Jung-Freud.

While Gunbuster is a parody of giant robot anime, it's actually a loose adaptation of the Robert A. Heinlein novel Starship Troopers. At least it's better than the live-action film.

If you have a Gunbuster page, feel free to use this banner.