Seisenshi Dunbine OVA

Seisenshi Dunbine OVA is loosely a sequel to the original TV series that began airing in 1983, but watching the original show is by no means mandatory. In fact, I’ve never seen the original run myself, and I still found that the three OVA episodes stand perfectly well on their own. Centuries separate the two narratives, and the OVAs can just as easily be viewed as a retelling or reimagining of a similar story. If you’re not keen on committing to a 50-episode series but want to sample this fantasy/sci-fi world and see whether it’s your cup of tea, starting with the three-episode OVA is ... a very reasonable approach. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at what Seisenshi Dunbine OVA does well.

Fans of Dirty Pair may be pleased to learn that the OVAs were directed by Toshifumi Takizawa, which already sets a certain baseline of quality. Production was handled by Sunrise, the well-established studio, and it shows: the artwork is consistently strong and often impressive. While this isn’t a high-budget production (the biomechanical mechs are frequently animated in a rather static way) their designs are intricate and beautifully detailed, which makes this limitation easier to forgive. The story itself is fast paced and moves quickly from one plot point to the next, leaving little time to fully explore character motivations or personalities. That’s perhaps the biggest disappointment here, as just a couple more episodes could have elevated this OVA into something closer to a cult classic.

Some reviewers here on MAL have been overly harsh, claiming that the story makes no sense (an assessment I strongly disagree wit) and dismissing the entire production largely because of the final scene’s intense flashing lights. While I can understand how that sequence might be uncomfortable for some viewers, it hardly justifies a scathing review that ignores key elements such as direction, animation, music, and overall production value. Is this the greatest OVA series of the 1980s? Certainly not. Is it worth watching if you enjoy fantasy settings and mech anime? Absolutely. And if these three episodes resonate with you, they may even inspire you to check out the original series afterward.

Story: 1/2
Direction: 1/2
Animation: 1/2
Characters: 1/2
Music: 1/2
Bonus points: 1/2

Final score: 6/10

the rapid flashing lights ending of this ova physically hurt to look at

the mech designs are kinda cool but they're barely animated. the storyline is nonsense both as its own thing and as a dunbine sequel. there are a few funny scenes but none of the characters really have any personality. some of the action is well animated, i like the weight in the on foot battles, but anything positive i can say about the ova overall is ruined by how the end of the story is viscerally unpleasant to watch and made me cover my eyes for a full minute

Preview: i think it's useful to watch this ova only if you had already watched the Dunbine original series.

I look at this ova , as a continuum with the original series.

Review:
the character design of the mecha is really good, i love the look and the detail, but.... the animation of every battle really lack a lot, even in comparison with the first Dunbine series.

For the characters that you can find, i think you can't expect too much, they all seem like other Tomino characters, i don't have another and more accurate description.

The animation is overall good, except for the combat.
The don't think somebody can understand ... the story if they haven't watched the first Dunbine series, and even if you had, something remain puzzled and missing (as always with Tomino)
And don't forget the epilectic seizure at the end !