Gunbuster vs. Diebuster: Aim for the Top! The GATTAI!! Movies Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Gunbuster vs. Diebuster: Aim for the Top! The GATTAI!! Movies Blu-ray Movie Review

Here we have it folks, the most confusing film title in history!

Reviewed by Dustin Somner January 8, 2009

Gunbuster marked the directorial debut of Hideaki Anno, who later went on to direct the widely popular "Neon Genesis Evangelion" series. First created in 1988 as a six-episode original video animation (OVA) series, Gunbuster was re-released to Japanese theaters during 2006. The series was edited and abridged to shorten the running time and create a film-like flow. Diebuster is the sequel to Gunbuster, and was created in 2004 to mark the 20th anniversary of the Gainax animation studio. Although Diebuster was also created as a six-part OVA series it was released in an abridged theatrical version alongside Gunbuster in 2006. This box set presents both movies in their abridged format on two separate Blu-ray discs, with a third disc dedicated solely to the special features.

"I'm pretending to squish your head between my fingers"

Gunbuster is set in the future, when the human race is waging war on space monsters (something had to be lost in the translation on that one) who are steadily approaching Earth.. Noriko and Kazumi are young flight students, who have trained to join Earth’s forces. Unfortunately for Kazumi, she is paired with Noriko, who is the worst pilot at the school. Noriko’s lack of self-confidence is due to her initial inability to live up to her deceased father’s impressive military career. During the first half of the film Noriko must deal with the loss of her father, as well as the loss of her first flight partner, a man named Smith.

During the course of an epic space battle with the monsters, Noriko boards a mechanical suit called Gunbuster, and realizes her full potential as a pilot. She attacks the space monsters and manages to save Earth from the onslaught of alien forces. Throughout the rest of the movie, multiple themes are explored between the ongoing battles with the space monsters. Kazumi and Noriko become close friends, and the subject of time is addressed in a creative way (time in space moves slower than on Earth, so Noriko and Kazumi age slower than their fellow academy members that have stayed behind on Earth).

I enjoyed Gunbuster from a nostalgic standpoint. The film is often campy, and it became almost comical to watch Noriko overcome the space monsters in ever growing numbers every 20 minutes. Though the plot lacks sophistication, the many emotional moments in the film are handled with grace. I wish this presentation had been in the original OVA format, since the character development seems to be non-existent. Presented as a continuous film with a shortened runtime, Gunbuster feels downright disjointed, and there isn’t enough explanation for some of the breaks in the story. Since anime on Blu-ray is still growing, we can hope that at some point in the future Bandai will choose to release Gunbuster in the original OVA format.

Diebuster follows a similar plotline to Gunbuster, but has been updated for a new generation of viewers. The film revolves around a relationship between Nono and Lal’C, who both eventually become members of an elite force called the Fraternity. This organization is made up of young “Topless” pilots (not the way you think folks), who operate their own unique Buster Machines. Nono becomes Buster Machine #7, and learns she can control thousands of lower level Buster Machines that Earth’s force has apparently mistaken for space monsters. With the help of her fellow “Topless” pilots, Nono is able to destroy a large space monster.

Following this battle, we discover that the final space monster is headed to Earth with the help of an energy source that allows it to warp closer and closer to our home planet. Nono suddenly disappears, and the military makes a bold decision to use Earth as a battering ram to destroy the final space monster. While Earth is on it’s collision course, Nono reappears, and with the help of Lal’C, faces off with the final space monster (rather than allowing Earth to be destroyed).

I found Diebuster more interesting than Gunbuster, but it still suffers from the same drawbacks. There is a severe lack of character development, and the film seemed nearly as choppy as it’s predecessor. I really wish I could have seen the full uncut OVA instead of this film, but it was still entertaining. The space battles are well-staged (though short), and the occasional emotional interactions between characters contrasts nicely with the epic nature of humanity’s struggle against the “space monsters”. My favorite aspect of the story was the creative twist at the end, that helped tie the plot to Gunbuster.

Gunbuster vs. Diebuster: Aim for the Top! The GATTAI!! Movies Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Gunbuster is delivered in a decent if unremarkable 1080P transfer. The majority of the film is framed at a 4:3 ratio with black bars lining the side of your high definition display. Oddly enough, the film converts to a matted 16:9 ratio just after the hour mark. At the point it changes to a 16:9 ratio, the picture also switches to black and white. I'm not sure why the decision was made to switch the ratio and coloring partway through the feature, but it came across a little jarring. Just prior to the credits, color is added back into the film, which leads me to believe the final segment was originally completed in color, but was altered to black and white (and perhaps matted) for this film version. Regarding the quality of the video, I believe the transfer is true to the source material. Bandai used the AVC CODEC with a high bit rate around 35 MBPS, but that still doesn't remedy the fact that this is a low-budget film with dated animation. Black levels vary from scene to scene, and colors are muted. I didn't detect the presence of shimmering or stair stepping lines (thanks to the increased resolution of 1080P), and the transfer is as sharp as could be expected.

Diebuster demonstrates a noticeable improvement in the video department. The AVC CODEC is again utilized, and the bit rate is similar to the first film. As with Gunbuster, the source material is accurately represented, but in this case, we are dealing with a film that is only 4 years old, so I can afford to have higher expectations. The detail in Diebuster far surpasses it's predecessor, and we no longer have the crudely thick animation lines of the first film. I was impressed with the video quality of Diebuster, but need to point out a couple of things that you will want to know if your considering a purchase of this set. Diebuster is still a relatively low-budget affair, and the animation quality never approaches the level we've come to expect in a theatrical anime release. Given the lower budget, certain techniques are utilized to reduce the visability of less polished scenes. Although this is representative of the source, there are scenes that are so bright they appear to be washed out. Smoke is also used in some scenes, but noise is never an issue. I didn't detect any compression artifacts, black levels were appropriately deep (aside from several scenes where the brightness appeared to be artificially pumped up), and the colors on display covered a wide spectrum. Overall, I was very pleased with the video quality, and (as with Gunbuster) any shortcomings are a result of the animation and not the transfer.

Gunbuster vs. Diebuster: Aim for the Top! The GATTAI!! Movies Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

In an impressive move, Bandai has provided a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD track on both films in their native language of Japanese. Surprisingly, these films have never been dubbed in English, so this is your only audio option (I prefer to watch anime or foreign films in their native language anyway, so this wasn't a concern to me).

The audio for Gunbuster is appropriately dated, but the 5.1 remix completed in 2006 for the theatrical release shows a level of dimensionality I was not expecting. In fact, the entire original voice cast was brought back prior to the theatrical release, so the audio recording on this Blu-ray has been reconstructed. On the downside, the subwoofer wasn't as active as it should have been for a film with space explosions every 5 minutes. Ultimately, the sound effects were primitive and harsh, but I appreciated the fact that the remix stayed true to the original feel of the film. As with the video quality of Gunbuster, fans should appreciate the audio quality on the basis of nostalgia, and avoid comparisons with a modern anime film.

Diebuster on the other hand was crafted for the more sensitive ears of modern home theater enthusiasts. Sound effects have come a long way in 20 years, so this track demonstrates a noticeable improvement in nearly every way. Your surrounds will come alive during action sequences, creating an excellent level of immersion. Low and highs were at appropriate levels, and the musical score never overpowered the dialog. The only nitpick I have with the audio on Diebuster, was the ticking noise in my back surrounds during several scenes set on a starship around the 57 minute mark of the movie. I'm not sure why this was included in the audio mix, and it was startling enough that I walked over to one of my back surrounds just to make sure it wasn't a technical problem. This was simply an odd inclusion in the audio track on the disc.

Gunbuster vs. Diebuster: Aim for the Top! The GATTAI!! Movies Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The extras are included on their own disc in this three-disc box set. All features are presented in 1080i, with a 2-channel Linear PCM track in Japanese (with English subtitles).

The GATTAI!! Movie - Stage Appearances by Cast and Staff: running 31 minutes in length, this featurette covers a Q&A session with the filmmakers and voice actors at the time of the Gunbuster/Diebuster theatrical release. This feature wasn't that interesting, as it is really just provided an opportunity for those involved in the film to talk about how great it was to work with each other, and how honored they felt to have worked on the film.

GUNBUSTER - Interview on Re-recording Session: As explained before, the original voice actors from Gunbuster came together in 2006 and re-recorded the dialogue for the entire film. This 26 minute featurette focuses on how the voice actors felt about revisiting the movie, and the influence the film has had on their lives and careers. You can truly see how passionate the voice actors are about the source material, and how it can be overwhelming at times for them to be involved in a film that is so close to the hearts of Japanese anime fans.

From DIEBUSTER to The GATTAI!! Movie: By far the best featurette on the disc, this 30 minute supplement includes interviews with the director, music composer, voice actors, and others that were involved in the creation of Diebuster. The first 10 minutes address the changes that had to be made to the OVA series in order to create the abridged Diebuster film. Apparently the initial 3 episodes in the 6 episode OVA were more lighthearted, with the heavier, emotional content kicking in for the final 3 installments. In order to cut down the runtime for the theatrical release, episodes two and three were entirely removed from the series. In their place, a new segment was created that runs for roughly 2 minutes, and serves to demonstrate the relationship that Nono and Lal'C develop during the missing 2 episodes. Toward the end of this supplement, the director and music composer discuss the intricacies of the connected plots of Gunbuster and Diebuster, as well as the emotional impact of the somewhat tragic ending to Diebuster. This is a must-watch.

Gunbuster vs. Diebuster: Aim for the Top! The GATTAI!! Movies Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I wouldn't recommend this box set as a purchase unless you know what you're getting into. If you've ever seen Gunbuster on a late-night cable TV broadcast, you'll certainly be amazed at the quality of the audio and video of this release. Unfortunately, that doesn't change the fact that the animation is dated, and the story is far from thought-provoking. Diebuster fairs marginally better, with equally impressive audio/video specs, and a more polished presentation. But the low budget animation won't knock your socks off like Spriggan, or any other theatrical anime release we've seen in the past 10 years. Rent it.