Watching Gunbuster is opening a time capsule.  Within not only includes keys to a great director's success, but also a guide to where robot anime was headed, for better and for worse.

Yes, the robot genre was jump started by Mobile Suit Gundam, one of the great pillars of anime.  Yes, other shows were influential to anime's fighting robot genre, but not all these influential shows were great.  Gunbuster undoubtedly is.

Gunbuster stands as a pivotal series.  An OAV of six episodes, Gunbuster was directed by none other than Gainax's Hideaki Anno, and this series is completely Anno through and through.  Nearly every trademark of Anno can be found in this series, or, at least, every directorial aspect found in Neon Genesis Evangelion presented in a smaller scope.

The only difference is that Evangelion represents everything was moving anyway from the rip roaring robot shows of the 70’s and early 80's, while Gunbuster is an addition to the ridiculous camp of shouting fighting moves and bizarre, unnecessary, yet nonetheless cool transformation sequences.

The plot, as now quite familiar, is that space aliens threaten Earth.  Noriko is a student at the generically named "Girl's Academy" who first fights for the top ranking of her class and the respect of her fellow classmates, but by the climax ends up fighting hordes of very deadly space monsters in the military's secret weapon, the Gunbuster.

Fighting for the top ranking among competitive classmates has now become a bore.  Another anime clique that should be buried forever for newer, more interesting ideas.  However, when Gunbuster first came out, this idea of a girls fighting for the number one spot in rank and acting like normal high schoolers was interesting and different.  The idea gave an eerie resonance to its female protagonist and viewers strongly identified with how they too were going through the same situations at their normal high school.

The high school melodrama wrapped around the robot’s plot was not taken seriously by me.  What military organization would allow such silly and loose standards?  Gunbuster's protagonist, Noriko Takaya, wanders in a military instillation without any notice.  However, when I saw the series running, I saw within the frames a deeply hidden self-mocking tone that I see in the majority of Gainax series.  Gainax seems to never take themselves seriously and expects their audience to never take their series completely serious, and yet, at the same time, Gainax builds their series so they should be taken true to the heart.  Gunbuster, like many Gainax series, needs to be seen as ridiculous, accepted as ridiculous, and be believed as though the series was no other way except serious.

That is one part of Gunbuster's appeal.  It is a rip-roaring robot adventure with billions of enemies all ripe for the kill.  Yet, between the frames is something a little more than just a robot adventure.  Between the silliness is that convincing attitude that made me think, when the Gunbuster was transforming, or when the robots are deploying in thousands of forces, that if the circumstances of the situation were possible and came true, such a ridiculous scene or concept would not be as ridiculous at it would first seem.

Perhaps that is part of the genius of Anno's directorial style, and through every pore of this series contains his signature themes, concepts, and executions.  This show has the stark, straight on camera view, Anno's misunderstood, emotionally unstable protagonist, his infamous use of subtitles for locations, obligatory details, and procedural instructions.  Even the black and white final episode all screams Hideaki Anno.  Noriko is a prototype of Evangelion's protagonist Shinji Ikari.  Noriko lacks confidence, is easily distraught by others actions, and cries often.  However, during the fourth episode, Noriko comes through, just as I hoped and knew she would do.  Anno is one of the only directors who can make such a sympathetic character so whiney, blubbery, and emotional, but still give off a vibe that these characters cannot help their actions and that when the time comes, they will not let themselves and others down.  Noriko embodies an early version of Anno's fragile main characters.  Though, when Noriko finally comes round, she stays round till the final credits.

In addition, the show is fantastically presented.  Some events, usually due to a low budget, are magnified by their lack of direct visuals. The hideous space aliens are far more effective during their first shot because they hare only been alluded to for much of the show.  Their first appearance is a pay-off as well as a culmination.  Their appearance, as well as the Gunbuster's appearance, feels like the climax of the show.  In fact, every episode feels like the last.  This is yet another fascinating aspect of Gunbuster.  Every episode contains plot points in which, in a lesser show, would be the climax.  I will not spoil the ending points, but will say that every episode seems like a self-contained series, and that every episode that follows seems on a scale of a far larger magnitude.  The show builds exponentially.

Also, on a smaller, though still significant note, Gunbuster was one of the first shows to include bouncing breasts as fan service.  Today, fan service as such is a given in any show.  Yes, you read right, the first.

At its heart, Gunbuster is two things.  First, it is a campy robot adventure with its combining robot Gunbuster.  Aliens invade, aliens are fought against with giant, cannon-fodder robots and the Gunbuster, and many aliens perish.  The alien’s plot is actually quite subdued, compared to the second aspect of Gunbuster, and that is the human story behind the fighting.  The characters are all acting and reacting to each others plights, and some of the most dramatic moments happen when the character's plot shows its full force.

Gunbuster also is one of the only shows that accurately portray time dilation, or the effect that time slows when one moves near the speed of light.  While the other sciences within Gunbuster are certainly questionable, the time dilation acts as not only a unique aspect to the series, but also as a strong, character drama catalyst.  After all, Gunbuster is about the characters behind the Gunbuster.

Gunbuster is great anime.  It helped paved the way in not only in the robot genre, but also for studio Gainax and director Hideaki Anno.  This is an Anno series through and through, and its depiction of time dilation, its strong human story, and its use of non-visuals to depict certain events makes Gunbuster a rip-roaring adventure, a staple of robot anime, and a sci-fi classic.  It is everything in one and certainly a staple for the genre.  When its main robot, Gunbuster, has the record for the largest amount of kills for a single mecha, according to Fanboy.com, it means that this series not only helped depict robot anime, but held no grounds with the camp.