Man, I hope I don't have to start all these posts with apologies for not posting for so long ... but I'll do my best to get these out every one to two weeks from here on out.
For this post, we travel all the way back to 1988 to the OVA that put director Hideaki Anno on the map -- and propelled Gainax forward -- Gunbuster.
At first glance, Gunbuster seems like any other mecha series. The OVA begins in the year 2023 and has a teenager at the helm, the energetic Noriko Takaya (Noriko Hidaka), whose father fought in and went missing during a war against insectoid aliens who threaten Earth. Noriko wants to fight in the war like her father did; however, she has negligible mecha-piloting talent, at best, at least on the surface. But her full potential is brought to the surface under the grizzled tutelage of Koichiro "Coach" Ohta (Norio Wakamoto) and the inspiration of Noriko's upperclasswoman, Kazumi Amano (Rei Sakuma). Noriko and Kazuma soon become entrenched in the war effort, but their world changes much more than they anticipate the deeper they get in the battles.
Gunbuster is one of those Gainax works that somehow mocks itself and yet takes itself seriously at the same time. Born from parody -- its Japanese title, Top wo Nerae!, translated as Aim for the Top!, pokes fun at Sumika Yamamoto's famous tennis manga/anime, Ace wo Nerae! (Aim for the Ace!), whose basic plot outline formed the inspiration for the story, and the 1986 movie Top Gun, from which Gunbuster borrows some stylistic elements (notably Coach Ohta's oversized sunglasses) -- the OVA borrows affectionately from the canon of mecha series but puts its own wholly unique spin on the deal as the series progresses. (In fact, Gainax's mecha trifecta -- Gunbuster, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann -- all operate in this way.)
The first episode definitely revels in the ridiculous. The above screenshot is from a scene where Coach Ohta trains Noriko in the mechanics of controlling her giant robot by having her run down a beach while in command of the mecha, with Ohta riding just ahead on his motorcycle. Noriko shadowboxes while controlling the mecha in a training sequence that is a literal interpretation of the hero undergoing mecha training in a Rockyesque way -- it both propels the plot and provides some absurd laughs (and probably more than a few wistful dreams wishing this were a reality).
But Gunbuster can be quite serious, and interesting, when it so desires. For instance, the scientific concept of time dilation is worked into the plot and provides for some of the most dramatic moments in the series. As Noriko and Kazuma battle in space, time passes at a different rate of speed for them than it does on Earth; while the two girls age relatively slowly, time leaps forward on Earth in bunches of years, or even decades. Many of Gunbuster's most poignant moments come when Noriko and Kazuma return to Earth after missions and are confronted with the vast changes in the lives of their friends. Not to give too much way, but this plot device also plays into Gunbuster's legitimately fantastic ending, one of the most memorable in anime history.
In many ways, Gunbuster can be seen as the grandfather of Gainax's later works. The mix of space opera and personal drama brings Anno's Evangelion to mind (although Gunbuster never gets as heavy as that series), while Coach Ohta's mantra of "Hard work and guts!" that resonates through the series as Noriko and Kazuma succeed seemingly through sheer willpower is definitely shades of Gurren Lagann (or, rather, the latter is shades of the former). This OVA is the prototype where Gainax laid the foundation for what was to come later, although that is not to say that Gunbuster is in any way inferior to Gainax's most famous series.
(Diebuster, a sort of side story/sequel (it makes sense in context) made to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Gunbuster's initial release, also acts as a bridge between Gainax works. It was directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki, who helmed FLCL four years prior. Think of it as a Gurren Lagann type of story done in a FLCL-type visual style. )
For those who want to see Gunbuster for the first time, it should be noted that it is somewhat risque (due to its status as an OVA). There is a fair amount of nudity throughout the series (particularly in the second episode); as an amusing note, Gunbuster originated the infamous Gainax Bounce.
Don't let any fan service turn you away from what remains a true original in mecha series, an OVA that pays homage to its roots while blazing its own trail.
