Top wo Nerae 2! Diebuster (Gunbuster 2)

Generations have passed since the war with the Space Monsters started, and none remain who know how it began, with even records of those times being scarce. It is a lost cause, but humanity still fights against them, relying on the "Topless": a group of elite space pilots with special powers that allow them to use the Buster Machines—the last hope against the Space Monsters.

Nono, a girl from a remote Martian town, has heard tales all her life of the legendary pilot "Nono-Riri," and wants nothing more than to leave her humble life behind and follow in the footsteps of her idol. Though she has no idea of the dangers that lie ahead, nothing will stop her from achieving her dream. While Nono is down on her luck, she chances upon the lonesome Topless pilot Lal'C Melk Mark, and decides to stake her entire future on following Lal'C, no matter the cost.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Top wo Nerae 2! Diebuster won the Packaged Work Award at the 2005 Animation Kobe Awards.

Episode Videos

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Related Anime

Adaptation:	Top wo Nerae 2!, Top wo Nerae! Next Generation
Prequel:	Top wo Nerae! Gunbuster
Alternative version:	Top wo Nerae! & Top wo Nerae 2! Gattai Movie!!
Other:	Top wo Nerae 2! Kagaku Kouza

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Nono

Main

Fukui, Yukari
Japanese

Melk Mark, Lal'C

Main

Sakamoto, Maaya
Japanese

Science, Tycho

Main

Sawashiro, Miyuki
Japanese

Takashiro, Casio

Supporting

Yamazaki, Takumi
Japanese

Vacheron, Nicola

Supporting

Iwata, Mitsuo
Japanese

Nigo

Supporting

Hatori

Supporting

Umezu, Hideyuki
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Sasaki, Shirou

Producer, Planning

Yasuda, Takeshi

Producer

Tsurumaki, Kazuya

Director, Episode Director, Storyboard, Planning, Key Animation

Nakano, Tooru

Sound Director

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Opening Theme

"Groovin' Magic" by ROUND TABLE featuring Nino (eps 2-5)

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Ending Theme

	1: "Hoshikuzu Namida" by ACKO (eps 1-5)
	2: "Tatsu Tori Ato wo Nigosazu" by Kouhei Tanaka (eps 6)

Reviews

Oct 27, 2009

Archaeon

Recommended

Many people will know the name of Hideaki Anno, in particular because of Neon Genesis Evangelion. His directorial debut though, was an OVA called Top wo Nerae (known as Gunbuster in the West), and whilst NGE has many, many advocates, I will admit to being one of the few who consider his debut work to be superior in almost every aspect. That said, I approached the sequel, Diebuster, with a degree of trepidation, in particular because the directorial reins had been handed over to Tsurumaki Kazuya, who also directed FLCL, NGE: Death & Rebirth, and the first two installments of the NGE remakes.

To say ...

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Jun 3, 2015

NotenSMSK

Mixed Feelings

Top wo Nerae 2! Diebuster is a hard anime to review. Basically because it is hard to analyse it without comparing it to its prequel. However: that isn't wrong, considering it IS a sequel and it does connect with the original OVA. Furthermore, it tries to conclude with various references to Gunbuster so rather it would be futile to look at it as a stand alone work and it couldn't be appreciated without the comparison either.

Having said that - the story of Top wo Nerae 2! Diebuster isn't sublime. For one, it lets go of the realistic, more scientifically organized orientation that the first OVA ... set and picks up a rather far fetched fictional approach. That is mainly a neg as a sequel. Pushing technology ahead is one thing, but just coming up with ideas that seem to be written at a drinking party doesn't suit the anime as a sequel. Gunbuster set the universe as a futuristic approach to our present universe where technology had advanced, not a magical realm of superhuman races. That also reduced the attribute of tension that was prevalent in Gunbuster and brought the possibility of doing 'magical' stuff that doesn't suit the plot line of mankinds survival.

Secondly, there were plot holes. There were ideas poorly connected - there were ideas that spawned out of nowhere as if the story was not thought out properly in the start and at times there was no good transition from one event to another. And furthermore, small internal plots and politics that was added, brought little appeal to the show - they seemed like excuses to make the plot deep with a lot of stuff going on. This further gave little room for the main characters to interact and give off a more 'emotional' show that would have saved it some face. And just to add - the plot gave too much a feel of "Outlaw Star". The Serpentine Sisters seem like the Mcdougall brothers. The ending fight seems similar and there is a more of the 'chi'/power concept making it look like an Outlaw Star universe.

As a standalone plot, it would save more face - we would have to accept that it is a universe with certain abilities and fictional elements however it still doesn't deliver. There are still many more negatives like plot ones mentioned above - even as a standalone anime, it lacks a very good unique or well executed plot.

Now it may be my personal choice but the extremely vibrant, and girlish outlook of the characters didn't appeal to me. That however is a comment due to the comparison with Gunbuster; if we overlook that I did like the art in general, the fluidity, the backgrounds and color schemes. I would still say I find more appeal to the art style and execution of the original but picking on Diebuster at this point will be a very biased approach.

The characters were another weak thing about the show - Nono lacks much personality integrity - much like Luffy. And that doesn't sit well. Her wish from the start, her affiliation with "Onee-Sama" and her philosophy changes further down the show are lacking in several ways. Lal'c seems to be more well defined, more well crafted but that is only in comparison to Nono. Otherwise she also develops either too quickly, or conveniently for the plot. This is of course comparing to WELL developed characters. The rest of the characters don't require much attention - most were added for 'plot details' and 'politics' that was again lacking because either it didn't get too much time to develop or it seemed too cliched to appeal. More like a poorly developed cliche which makes it have little to no appeal.

So in the end did I enjoy watching the OVA? No. To fans of the original, watching this is a huge disappointment. To people just watching it for the sake of it, you shouldn't think too hard and enjoy what is going on otherwise you won't really like it.

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May 18, 2018

CodeBlazeFate

Not Recommended

Some things need to stand alone.

Sequels are a gamble, especially when the time gap between original and sequel grows and grows. They tend to be put under more scrutiny than their predecessors, as they not only have to deal with standing tall as installments in their own right, but they need to provide merit as a sequel to a product that never needed one. The trickiest prospect involved is the anniversary sequel, as that is where you’re most likely to enact the gambit. Some projects of this nature can pay off in a way that respects the original and becomes its own product, perhaps even ... succeeding it in the process. However, not everyone can do a Turn A Gundam, and instead, some make Diebuster.

Put it simply, it fails both ways. As a series, it features mediocre at best and largely uninteresting characters, half-assed power-up moments, and tons of convoluted and barely explained sci-fi superpower bullshit & worldbuilding. When the highlight in terms of memorable character moments was a rape attempt, you know you’ve fucked up. As a sequel, Diebuster’s almost insulting. The writers made a completely different type of show -a mediocre one at that- a sequel to Gunbuster. It would be like making Aldnoah.Zero the sequel to Macross. As such, everything about the already poorly-crafted and convoluted world-building (galaxy building?) is brimming with incompatibility.

Buster machines are now biomechanical machines that can only be piloted by people with some hereditary superpower gene rather than robots that take skill for any able-bodied person in general to pilot. They each come with different powers including the ability to freeze space creatures in space with quantum temperatures, and controlling and turning other ships into creatures to use during battle via psychic powers or something akin to that. They have colonized entirely new planets with futuristic military technology, yet transportation technology and all things not inherently related to war against space creatures has yet to advance beyond 2004 —the year this OVA first aired— until the finale outright contradicts that. The finale also proves that it takes place during a specific portion of the original’s finale, as if to self-destruct while getting its idol caught in the explosion. Additionally, whereas Gunbuster used real, hard science for its science fiction, Diebuster uses pseudoscience superpower nonsense. This and more serve as only a taste of how incompatible (for lack of a better word) the world-building is, and why crafting a coherent world is always important. Otherwise, we get two pieces that just cannot fit.

There’s also the fact that the mere existence of the events in Die, even discounting the monumentally awful finale, ultimately sully the finale of the original Gunbuster. Not only did that show end phenomenally, but it did so in a way in which no real sequel could be warranted. Gunbuster ended so conclusively that to continue would be to retroactively take back part of the point of the finale. This isn’t even touching on the world-building. This show really should have been its own thing. It would have been a mediocre at best show, but better a mediocre separate celebration installment than a show that accidentally knocks over its predecessor’s grave, especially when said predecessor became one of the two foundational anime of its studio. However, it would probably require heavy rewrites towards the end in particular. After all, the more it goes on, the worse it gets, peaking in its concluding episodes in terms of sheer atrocity, as the show stops caring almost entirely and ends up outright nullifying the ending of the original, at least canonically.

To cover the positive —read: superficial— aspects of this asteroid, the music is better than last time, and the visuals are still mostly well-crafted. Even with the awful mech designs excessive amounts of usually terrible CGI, the show’s visuals are worthwhile. The character designs are fine enough -particularly that of Nono- and the action animation is smooth, kinetic, and kept track of extremely well...as long as the characters aren’t running. It may not hold up compared to the immaculately detailed and stylized predecessor of yore, but disregarding that leaves you with visuals that were on par with that best at the time, at least animation-wise. The sense of scale is quite large, to add on top of that. Lastly, the music is honestly a tad superior than the original, at least when it isn’t remixing tracks. The OP and ED themes are ok and the background music is serviceable, though that is all I can praise.

Ultimately, the more this show goes on, the more horrible a sequel it becomes. As if it wouldn’t be a bad enough show on its own, it just had to throw a classic series under the bus in a drunken attempt at paying homage and joining a franchise. Barring the prospect of bastardizing a returning cast, Diebuster commits every sin a sequel can commit -including ones I never thought were possible- and ends up shattering itself into pieces upon its obnoxious attempts at trying to send-up and one-up. On its own, it's a mediocre turned bad show too ambitious for its own good. As a sequel, it is so...so much worse. Way to go Gainax, producing the worst thing in your mainline repertoire to celebrate 20 years!

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