Forum - View topicTop wo Nerae
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Iron Chef
 Posts: 487 Location: Seattle, WA |
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So I'm watching Top wo Nerae 2: Die Buster (this just off the heels of watching the remastered Top wo Nerae: Gunbuster), and I'm seeing just a wee bit of difference in tone between the two.
Gunbuster, while it did have it's light-hearted moments, was a very serious show, and tried to hold true to the physics and science that it was presenting. Die Buster is coming off like a space/mecha version of FLCL, without the "hip" soundtrack. Cripes, one of the shuttles even looked like a puppy. What's the deal here? How often do related shows deviate from each other like this? At least the Tenchi series kept the same characters... |
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one3rd
 Posts: 1820 Location: アメリカ |
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At this point, more than fifteen years after the original, it's likely that GAINAX is just doing it for the money.
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angel_lover
 Posts: 645 Location: UK |
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That's maybe a bit unfair on GAINAX, as all commercial companies exist primarily to make money. Nevertheless, GAINAX is one of the companies trying to push the anime envelope and not make endless rehashes of existing limited plots, so in a way I think it's good that 'Gunbuster 2' is more parody than sequel.
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darkhunter
 Posts: 2992 Location: Los Angelas |
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Ninja Scroll Movie and Ninja Scroll TV. Techi and Tenchi GXP (which doesn't start Tenchi) Love Hina and Love Hina Special. |
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Iron Chef
Posts: 487 Location: Seattle, WA |
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Okay, I can buy that. That certainly explains the rather thick layer of cheez that coats the show. |
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zaphdash
 Posts: 620 Location: Brooklyn |
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I think they probably could have made the show without attaching the Gunbuster name to it, though. I don't think this is a terrible show, but Gunbuster is one of my all-time favorites and this really isn't living up to that standard. |
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DMann
Posts: 6 |
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But they didn't attach the Gunbuster name to the show. The name of the first was just Aim for the Top!, with Gunbuster simply being a subtitle. The company that released it in North America decided to reduce it to Gunbuster, for some reason. The title for this new show is "Aim for the Top! 2: Die Buster," and there is no implication of Gunbuster in it (yet), only Buster Units. It was the decision of the groups fansubbing it to make it "Gunbuster 2." And I recall the original Gunbuster having quite a bit of "cheez" in the last few episodes, as well. |
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Iron Chef
Posts: 487 Location: Seattle, WA |
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Which is why I originally mentioned that it had its light-hearted moments (like the when Noriko is training in her machine and it's doing pushups and stuff), but in the end I think Gunbuster was much more dramatic than Die Buster is turning out to be. The characters went through their trials, some tears were shed and lessons were learned. I just can't see that happening in Die Buster. |
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zaphdash
Posts: 620 Location: Brooklyn |
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Can we say "splitting hairs"? I know all of that. I call the original Gunbuster, and this one Gunbuster 2, because it's shorter and easier that way. If you want to get really anal about it, then simply amend my previous statement to be, "I think they probably could have made the show without attaching the Top o Nerae name to it, though." It doesn't change the fact that this is a sequel to that, and they're both very different shows that could probably have been made completely separately. I'm not hating the sequel, but like I said, it's just not up to par compared to the original. The original had heart, but like Iron Chef said, the sequel comes off something like FLCL in space, except it's not as cool as FLCL was, either. It's like it wants to do Gunbuster and it wants to do FLCL at the same time, but it's not doing either one of them very well, and in the meantime it's just cashing in on the Gunbuster -- I'm sorry, Top o Nerae -- name. |
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DMann
Posts: 6 |
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I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound anal or anything, it's just that I don't think that we should try to hold this series up to the standards of the original. It has an almost completley different staff than the original, and the fanbase who it's trying to sell to has changed quite a bit since that of the original.
Honestly, just because it's part of the same series doesn't mean it has to be exactly like the first. Look at all the Gundams. Each of them has something unique that applies only to that show, and the same could be said for all the Star Treks. I would think that the Top! series would be the same way. Not all alike, but each one is something kind of different, with similarities that tie it into a series. Gunbuster was very good, and I enjoyed it very much, but I am much happier that they're trying something new, rather than simply rehashing it. It would be boring if we could predict exactly what was going to happen in the series. They wanted Die Buster to have it's own feel, and so far, I'm quite happy with it. In defense of the science of the Die Buster, we don't know how much time has passed since Gunbuster (assuming that it's in the same universe, and not an alternate one). Technology seemed to advance pretty quickly in Gunbuster, so, after a certain amount of time, it is quite possible that they could reach such a level of technology. Finally, zaphdash, I didn't mean to sound like I was spliting hairs. It sounded to me like you were blameing it for something it never said it was doing. Nor did I mean to sound like it was you I was pointing out. I've seen it done quite a few times, and by mistake too, so I'm sorry if I offended you. |
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one3rd
Posts: 1820 Location: アメリカ |
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Isn't that because time advanced really quickly in Gunbuster? |
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zaphdash
Posts: 620 Location: Brooklyn |
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That's my whole point. It's a completely different show, so it kind of feels like it's just riding the Top o Nerae name. When there's a show as good as Gunbuster, I expect that any sequel will live up to the same level of quality. Top 2 doesn't really have much in common with Gunbuster except that giant robots fight space monsters, and besides the lack of any real connection to the original series, the sequel isn't nearly as good. These are all things that could change as the series goes on. It's not that bad, and I'll keep watching it, so I don't want to make it sound like the book is already closed on this one. It's just that at this moment, it seems like Gainax just wanted to make FLCL in space, and then they tacked on the Top o Nerae name. I think that the difference between Gunbuster and Gundam is that, firstly, the direct sequels to Gundam did (with the exception of the first part of Gundam ZZ) still include the same themes and the same tone as the first series, even while they covered new ground. The other difference is that a lot of Gundam was already out before I ever decided mecha anime might be worth my time after all, so the franchise's quality was already somewhat diluted by weaker shows that were made before I cared. I can still say I don't like this Gundam show or that, but it's hard for me to feel quite the same way about it because I wasn't watching back when there was only one Gundam show, and I wasn't watching when they started introducing new Gundam shows of questionable comparative quality. I'm not sure if I can really explain this in a way that makes sense, but it's basically like...those shows came to Gundam before I did, so even if I don't think they're very good shows, it's hard for me to argue that they shouldn't be Gundam. They're there, for better or worse. I saw Gunbuster, I loved Gunbuster, when there was just Gunbuster. Now I'm observing as Gainax introduces Gunbuster 2, which shares very little in common with its predecessor beyond the name.
It seems it was just a misunderstanding. I shouldn't have gotten so defensive either. |
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Iron Chef
Posts: 487 Location: Seattle, WA |
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Awwwww...lookit everybody being civil in their discussion of anime! That's so cute! (And virtually unheard of anymore, I might add.) Kids, they grow up so fast these days.
Anyhoo, DMann, you make some really good points there, and I should have seen the correlation between Gundam and Gunbuster before you mentioned it. G Gundam was a hokey show from start to finish, even though pretty much every other Gundam series I've seen has been melodramatically serious. If it's any consolation, I flogged myself repeatedly in penance. However, as far as science goes, the design of the mecha doesn't necessarily connect with the advancement of science. A puppy-shaped shuttle simply doesn't make sense to build, even if it is cute. What I was trying to point out is that what was going on in Gunbuster was more accurate as to what would be needed and wanted as opposed to what would be...I dunno, "Gainax-ish." As ridiculous as this may sound, giant robots don't need capes and shuttles don't need puppy ears. But yeah, we're pretty much down to splitting hairs, now that the obvious has been pointed out. Thanks to all for their input. |
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