[Categories: Anime Reviews]
Gunbuster 2 episode 3: It’s Chiko time!
After two episodes of Nono’s introduction to her new life in space the third instalment makes a surprising change of course in introducing several other Buster Machine pilots. The most significant of these is Chiko (below), a headstrong young pilot with some real insecurity issues. Mecha fans will immediately identify her personality as the archetypal Competitive One, harking back to Jung Freud’s rivalry with Noriko in the original Top O Nerae!; there’s even a short spat between her and Nono whilst on patrol. We soon learn the reasons behind Chiko’s driven attitude and short temper: going back to the character development issues I outlined in my episode 2 review, we learn more about Chiko and her motivations in one episode than did about both Raruku and Nono in the last two! Still, it makes this ep the most interesting so far in terms of the show’s personalities.
This episode also introduces another Buster Machine, the latest off the production line and the new weapon against the space monsters. Needless to say it allows for another spectacular mecha battle towards the end (and more combat moves yelled out loud in ear-shredding Engrish!): once again Top O Nerae! 2 delivers in terms of bright, vibrant and eye-popping combat. There is talk of ‘Fraternity’, ‘the Twins’ being in charge of TOPLESS and that of the new Buster Machine ‘awakening’, which leads me to believe that the mecha are themselves living entities that require the emotional input of a pilot as well as his or her physical abilities. An interesting idea indeed - Nikola, one of the other pilots is sure that Nono has this potential.
There is a lot to take in during this episode: there are plenty of questions being raised, the pacing and animation is sometimes frantic and the dialogue/subs threaten information overload at times. The fact that the show will only be six episodes in length is in particular evidence but for once it is a Gainax production that does not seem to have been made on a shoestring; whether or not you like the colours and character designs (I’m still undecided, as much as I respect Sadamoto’s efforts) there’s no denying how lavish and fluid it all looks.
For all this though, Top O Nerae! 2 is still lacking something - it frustrates me to work out what but there is definitely a lack of depth or heart that I can’t put my finger on. Maybe I’m being a little hasty in judging a series when I’ve only seen half of it but there’s a sort of magical quality that Gainax’s other series share that draws the viewer into the characters and their situations - there is still no clear sign of it here, for all the eye candy and bright, bold soundrack. Top O Nirae! 2 is intensely watchable but it has yet to really hit the spot.
Gunbuster 2 is still worth sticking with I think, but my expectations are now considerably lower.
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