Gunbuster Vols. 1-3
Bandai Visual, 1988-89
Manga Video, 1996
(Re-released from the 1990 U.S. Renditions Version)
Subtitled VHS
Not Rated. Contains violence, nudity and mature themes.

Gunbuster is the story of Noriko Takaya, a beautiful young student who enlists herself in a space expedition to battle alien forces. An underdog by nature, Noriko outcomes the skepticism of her peers to pilot the powerful robot Gunbuster and save the entire universe.

Released in 1988, Gunbuster set new standards for Japanese animation with its theatrical-quality animation, excellent voice acting and an unforgettable musical score. The series is also notoriously known for starting the trend of female characters with "bouncing breasts". While the story is actually a parody of Ace O Nerae!, Starship Troopers and various sci-fi classics, you can't help but cry on Gunbuster's dramatic elements.

Other anime titles may come and go, but Gunbuster remains forever in the hearts of sci-fi fans in the years to come.

Rating: *****

Credits

Director
Hideaki Anno (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Producers
Minoru Takanashi
Shiro Sasaki
Hiroaki Inoue

Story
Toshio Okada

Animation Directors
Yuji Moriyama (Project A-Ko series, All-Purpose Cultural Cat-Girl Nuku-Nuku)
Toshiyuki Kubo'oka

Original Character Design
Haruhiko Mikimoto (Super-Dimensional Fortress Macross, Megazone 23 Part 1)

Animation Character Design
Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (Nadia of the Mysterious Seas, Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Mechanical Design
Kazutaka Miyatake (Super Dimensional Fortress Macross)
Koichi Ohata (Genocyber, M.D. Geist 1-2)

Music
Kohei Tanaka (Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team, Gate Keepers)

English Production Credits

Translators
Deborah Grant (Vol. 1)
Yuji Nakajima (Vol. 1)
Toshifumi Yoshida (Vols. 2-3)
Trish Ledoux (Vols. 2-3)

Additional Translation
Ken Iyadomi

Production Coordinator
Upton S. Redmonton

Technical Advisor
David Keith Riddick

Script Editor
Robert Napton

Subtitling
E & C Productions (Vol. 1)

Gunbuster is currently out of print, but you can still order the series directly from Manga Entertainment or on eBay.

You can also watch the series online at Sputnik 7.