Gainax re-invents giant robot anime. Again.

The FLCL team returns with style

Rumored for years and delayed for months, Die Buster finally debuted in October 2004 and concluded in August 2006. The 6-episode OVA, reunites the dream team behind FLCL: director Kazuya Tsurumaki, scriptwriter Yoji Enokido, producer Hironori Sato, and character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto.

The animation is as colorful and inventive as you'd expect from Tsurumaki. Kohei Tanaka of the original Gunbuster returns to score the sequel with dramatic symphonic pieces-- lotsa brass and strings. The subtleties of Sadamoto's character designs really come out in the animation... In sum, Gainax re-invents giant robot anime again. There's plenty of little designs that make this sci-fi world come to life, typical of older Gainax shows up to Eva, and there's even a bit of the old Gainax fan-service! Action-packed mecha battles, characters to actually care about, and consistently inventive design make Die Buster the best Gainax creation in years.

In the 9-2004 NewtypeUSA, Tsurumaki elaborated how these creators influenced Die Buster: “Since I’m directing the show, you know there’s going to be some FLCL-ishness… [We] all have differing opinions on how this new series should go. Sato likes hot-blooded sports shows, while Enokido wants to do a story about an average boy coming to realize his own weaknesses and fighting to make a better life for himself, like in Evangelion and Nadia. What I want to do is combine a bunch of technical sci-fi concepts with an indescribably weird mood.”

Characters

		looks like:
	Nono has the peculiar habit of splitting everything she touches in half.
	Princess Lark A Topless, one of the elite pilots for the Fraternity's Space Monster Interceptor Squadron.	Kitsurubami from FLCL
	a cat Cats are used as communications devices.
	Mama-san Owns the diner. Note the cigarette/pipe combination, a typically imaginative Gainax touch.	a grownup, disillusioned Yucie?
	Chiko Another Topless who's a rival of Raruka.	Ruri from Nadesico
	Nikola Another kickass Topless.

Scans

Similarities with FLCL

Tsurumaki uses Die Buster to expand on some of his ideas from FLCL:

• cats are used in both shows to communicate across space.
• Robots pop out of foreheads in FLCL through something called N-O Fields, while in Diebuster the Busters are controlled somehow through forehead patches.
• There may be a connection between the Fraternity in Die Buster and the Fraternity in FLCL that Amarao works for.
• Vespa-ish motor scooters.

Links

Gunbuster 2 Official Page (JP)

Official Trailer

Save the World: Gunbuster 2 general fansite with scans, character info, etc

Gunbuster 2 Yahoo Group