Gunbuster – Anime Backlog

Hello, loyal readers! Convention season is finally over, so hopefully I’ll be more consistent with my anime to-do list. I’ve bagged the next column to follow up on this one so I have more leeway to delve into a longer series on my spreadsheet of over 100 titles. What I want to know is if you want me to be a surprise with every column, or if you’d like to vote for my next title from four potential choices. Spoiler, but I’ve done this a few times on Twitter, assuming those who don’t follow me on social media will enjoy the surprise.

Let me know in the comments if you want to see a poll or want to be surprised.

Now, let’s check another seminal classic off my shameful list, Show next yearDirectorial debut: executioner! (Aim for the top!)

Note: This column often contains spoilers. Readers are advised to use their own discretion.

executioner

Why is it important?

I’ll give you the condensed version, but you can read the wider version executioner At Dawn H. executioner 30th anniversary feature in 2018. executioner (like most of the entries in this column so far) features the early work of some of the biggest names in the anime industry and would go on to influence the studio GainaxOver a decade of output, not to mention sci-fi animated series in general.

Nearly two years later, the six-episode OAV debuted GainaxExpensive (but well-received) Royal Space Force – Wings of Honymis. The dramatic story of a failed teenage space pilot paired with her more mature classmates was the resurgence the studio needed. This helps push the director Show next year Enter the spotlight early Neon Genesis Evangelion. There were some early signs of what would become iconic andfrom the stylized technical screens to Anno’s attention to detail. I chuckled to myself after one of the episodes ended Super deformation In science class, a black screen appeared with white text apologizing for mentioning warp speed under incorrect technical terms. Anno personally signed the correction.

executioner yes Gainax during its highest point. While Anno’s name may evoke the most immediate recognition, it also has an unapologetically bombastic musical score Tanaka Kohei and memorable retro character designs Macross collaborator Haruhiko Mikimoto. other Gainax Members who later became famous for their individual work include storyboard artists Higuchi Shinji (attack on titan live action, Ultraman Xin), background artist Kikuchi Masamune (remember, Spirited Away), animation director Sadamoto Yoshiyuki (Neon Genesis Evangelion comics, great pretender, summer war) and mechanical designers Kazutaka Miyatake (Macrosslaxfond, eureka seven) and Maeda Mahiro (Escaflowne’s vision, Blue Submarine 6).

Does it live up to its name?

executioner An important relic of that era, but a relic nonetheless. I prefer its individual elements rather than its attempt at a cohesive whole. A lot of that comes down to the fact that its stance on emotional depth doesn’t quite go there. Chief pilot Noriko is a tough sell. Her feelings for her father were real. Still, despite her high ambitions and insecurities about the nepotism of her peers, the girl has a hard time figuring out that she has to actually try to be good at something as technically complex as piloting a giant robot. A half-baked romantic subplot later has a lasting and devastating emotional impact on her development, but the romance in a single episode fails to make a strong impression. This brief tryst is supposed to change Noriko’s life and shape her character for the rest of the story.

I prefer her pilot partner Kazumi Amano, but her personality isn’t particularly nuanced either. The last two main characters are Jung Freud, who is underused, and Coach, who is an archetype of his own but does a good enough job as a stern motivator for the girls.

The early episodes are very different from the later episodes, but I like both for different reasons. The first episode feels like a parody because of how many elements have now become the norm in sci-fi/Mecha series and due to its deliberate satire girl Sports series Aim for the ace!. From top to bottom, this animation looks fantastic (I’ve seen discotech‘s Blu-ray version) and quickly made me miss hand-drawn mechanical animation. I miss those things so much. Later episodes also start to play with time dilation, injecting a sense of tragedy into the sci-fi spectacle, which is particularly effective when other emotional beats fail to hit the mark.

What could be a divisive element (and why the streaming version is marked “Mature”) crunchy) is full frontal nudity of a 16 to 17 year old girl. There is an element of excitement in each episode, but it may not be the same as the infamous "Gainax From the “bounce” of Noriko in her clothes, to the long bathing scene, to the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it dress of Noriko in her pajamas. fan service ever existed. You either enjoy it a lot or passively ignore it and enjoy the rest of the animation. It’s just there, largely unasked for. On the one hand, I hope these design sensitivities to sexual content are still there compared to the baby-headed boobs we get now. On the other hand, the obsession with high school space girls feels sordid. Are they at least in their 20s?

View or delete?

Definitely watch the animated spectacle (please note: there are a lot of strobe lighting effects in some episodes) and appreciate how it sets the tone for future sci-fi animations. When it comes to the story, lower your expectations a bit. There is quite a bit of melodrama in the otherwise simple narrative. Also: Keep your eyes open for psychic dolphins.

Final verdict: Watch in the highest possible definition.