Gunbuster Rewatched:

This would be the third time at least.  But it has been years, maybe even decades, since the last time.  It really is a charming series, fantastic for something made in the 80's and only 6 episodes in length.  Plus the sixth episode looks like it ran out of budget and is just some black and white still frames, so really it's only 5 episodes in length.

One startling sight is the assumption that the Soviet Union would still be around in the space age future.  Another startling fact is the story is set in the 2020's, ie, they thought we would be able to warp around space and create black holes at will by now.  Umm, not so much.  We still can't get back to the moon.  The sci fi assumptions of this story could not have been more wrong.

But of course this story was never about science.  It was about Noriko's coming of age.  She went from the unreliable child who had to be protected in episode 3 to the girl who could win the day in episode 4 to the woman who could bring out the best in others and save the world in episode 5.  I love the dynamic where the ever-reliable Onee-sama ends up being the weak link and requires Noriko to give her a pep talk.  But I also love that said Onee-sama actually was reliable and got back in the fight and supported the battle plan to its conclusion.  If she had actually collapsed it would have been a betrayal of everything the series had built up, but to waver a moment and then dazzlingly succeed is perfect.  Just the right amount of drama.

I do like the amount of nudity in this series, but there's real depth and heart to this story, no one should think its priority is bare flesh.  The music, the voice actors, the artists didn't put their heart and soul into this work to show naked girls.  Noriko Hidaka, Kazuki Yao and Norio Wakamoto make for a voice acting dream team and they made my heart thrum with every exchange.  Tomomichi Nishimura even has a small role.  Noriko Hidaka especially, she's such an incredible seiyuu, the talent behind Touch's Minami, Ranma 1/2's Akane, and Noriko from Gunbuster, I wish they would cast her in more roles.  I miss her.  Look how great she was in this small oav!  Give her more heroine roles now that anime has the length and budget to showcase her talent!  She'll shine the same as ever.

Nevertheless, there's a huge gap between Gunbuster and, say, Uma Musume.  My ratings are correct:  short old series like this can't keep up with multi-cour newer series.  Shamanic Princess, Bastard!, Gunbuster, they all had to go to make room for the new era where anime actually has money behind it.  There's more frames in a few seconds of Koutetsujou no Kabaneri than entire episodes of Gunbuster.  The world is moving forward and leaving these classics behind.  I must leave them behind where they belong in the dust heap too and look forward to 2021's Idoly Pride as anime's new bannerman.  I believe Idoly Pride can do it.  I believe the Japan of 2021 is better than the Japan of 1988.

There's no need to look so far back for good art, we can still look forward to what the future will bring.  The spirit of creation is still with us.