Gunbuster:
The Movie (1988/Maiden Japan/Sentai
Blu-ray)
Picture: C Sound: C Extras: C
Film; C+
Noriko
was just an ordinary school girl, that was until her father
sacrificed his life to temporarily stop the an alien invasion. Now,
he has a few years to train along with Amano, both her friend/partner
and rival, in battle AND in love. Together, they are the top
candidates to pilot GUNBUSTER, Earth's last hope and line of defense.
Under the teachings of their beloved Coach will Noriko have the
necessary training, much less courage to do what must be done?
In
Gunbuster: The Movie (1988), Noriko is better known as 'Cry
baby' Noriko. After losing her father it was only because her father
was the admiral was she ever select for the pilot program. It is
only after her first battle and lost of her crew and teammates does
Noriko start to change. However, with each mission, what is hours
for her traveling faster than light in space means years have gone by
on Earth. By the time they return, all they know and love may have
died. Will Noriko and Amano have to courage to make the sacrifice to
leave Earth on the possibility they will never see their loved ones
again?
This was another anime someone dug out of cold storage,
but you can see how it influenced current day mecha/robot anime,
while the designs have changed the core ideas have not. Teenagers
piloting giant mechas to save the world, their emotional drama and
the courage to face impossible odds. While the movie was a classic,
seemed like it lost some funding, in the second half it was all black
and white and told the story in still frames.
The
choppiness extends to the 1080p digital High Definition image, a mix
of 1.33 X 1 and 1.78 X 1 aspect ratios, while the lossless DTS-HD MA
(Master Audio) 5.1 mix is ambitious, but just spreads the sound
around and shows how much more dated a recording we are actually
getting. Nice try though. Extras include Japanese commentary, staff
& cast interviews, and trailers.
-
Ricky Chiang
