This revisited classic anime is definitely one for all the collectors out there. Even those with Gunbuster on VHS will want to pick this one up.

Audio has been re-mastered, but thankfully they didn't bow to the home theater god and drop in a 5.1 surround track just to say they have it. So many animes recorded in stereo and then transferred to DVD have a pretty poorly re-mastered 5.1 surround encoding. There is no point in having a separate rear channel recording when it is not utilized or it's just simulated. In fact the audio actually tends to sound a bit anemic on these 5.1 mixes that are generated from a 2.0 master. It is better just to listen to the 2.0 channel recording with the Dolby Pro Logic setting on the receiver. So I thank Honneamise for retaining the quality of this series. There is only a Japanese-language option available, which is fine by me because the voice acting is so awesome, and the subtitles have been updated as well. As an added feature, there is an option for just the dialogue subtitles or for the dialogue and signs as well.

This revisited classic anime is definitely one for all the collectors out there. Even those with Gunbuster on VHS will want to pick this one up. It comes in a slick folding box set with custom artwork that can be displayed all by itself. Plus the included booklet will be most appreciated by fans. There are some pretty avant garde elements to Gunbuster and it is worth seeing where ideas happened first. And it might be fun to have a contest with friends to see how many series you can name that have been influenced by Gunbuster. They really thought outside the box to make this series great. Take the final episode, for instance. It is done entirely in monochrome color and then the final fight sequence is animated as a pencil-drawn animatic. I am quite sure that many folks would check to see if their monitor is broken, but in fact this is entirely intentional. Gunbuster offers a ton of original storytelling and great artwork. At its price, this box set is a steal. It may have a relatively short running time, but its replay value is one of the highest out there.

Chris Feldman is a freelance 3D modeler and animator whose work has been featured in television, games and manufacturing. He is an active member of the pop art community, as well as a long-time staff member/promoter of anime and comic conventions. In his very finite spare time, he volunteers teaching animation to kids.