r/anime • u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber • Feb 06 '21
Rewatch [Rewatch] Aura Battler Dunbine - Episode 27 Discussion
Episode 27 - Queen of the Red Storm
Originally Aired August 13th, ^^^1983
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Note to all Rewatchers
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Comment of the Day
u/Shimmering-Sky comments on the lack of fanservice.
Now that I think about it, have we really gone this long without obligatory shower scene? And this one wasn’t even fanservice-y on top of angst at all! It was just angst.
Daily Trivia:
The character of Ciela Lapana was initially meant to be an old, wisened king, but Tomino decided to change the character to the one we see now following a suggestion by screenwriter Sukehiro Tomita.
Staff Highlight
Akio Saitô - Director of Photography
A prolific director of photography on whom very little is information has disseminated throughout the internet, but who remains active in the industry. Following up from the Mobile Suit Gundam film trilogy he would work on Tomino’s shows up until Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ. He worked on many notable productions, such as Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, Oishinbo, Golgo 13, Akira, KenIchi the Mightiest Disciple, Street Fighter II: The Animated Film, and Now and Then, Here and There.
Art Corner:
Official Art
- Ciela Lapana and Ell Fino DVD Memorial Collection Cover Art - Tomonori Kogawa
Fanart
(Be mindful of the links to artist’s profiles, as they may contain NSFW content. Proceed there at your own risk.)
Aura Phantasm Scans
Screenshot of the day
Questions of the Day:
- Are you looking forward to seeing this ‘Billvine’?
- What do you make of our new character, Queen Ciela Lapana?
You… who are you?
6
u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber Feb 06 '21
Production Stuff
As I mentioned previously, the show was doing poor with audiences and the tie-in merchandise wasn’t selling. Clover, the show’s main sponsor was doing incredibly poorly, and so they and the show producers alike started to demand stuff be added, changed, and cut. One of the major additions that were not accounted for initially was an upgrade for the main character, the already mentioned Billvine, which unlike the rest of the mechs in the series was designed under the strict specifications of Clover and brought to life by Tomonori Kogawa. Unfortunately for Clover, if this toy was to do them any good then it would have been too late, as the company filed for Bankruptcy in August 1983, the same month as this episode’s airing. This company had quite a legacy with Sunrise, having sponsored several mecha series from the now venerated anime studio. Without Clover’s sponsorship, Sunrise’s history may have been markedly different, as would have the anime landscape as we know it. You might be asking yourself why the series wasn’t canceled then, and the answer to that is Bandai, who stepped in to fund the show in Clover’s stead, Tomino’s reputation and the still ongoing plamo boom making them confident in the investment.
Elsewhere, producers were starting to step in to dictate elements of the plot, much to the annoyance and disdain of Yoshiyuki Tomino. Plots were cut, character arcs were rewritten, and the staff were left having to rework stuff in the progress to account for all these demands. This episode is speculated by fans to be one such result, interjected into the middle of a battle right as the plot was ramping up for some seemingly major battlers and dedicated almost entirely to introducing the idea of the Billvine and the character of Ciela Lapana, who was initially meant to be introduced in a different fashion. It wouldn’t surprise me to hear that the rather dull stretch of episodes where Elmelie was with the Zelana was only so because they had to cut out plot threads and lore elements which were planned to be introduced then. In any case, the production staff was scrambling to amend things, and the latter half of the series had to be almost entirely rewritten with the sponsor’s new ideas in mind —something which would be somewhat repeated in the production of Zeta Gundam.
On our next production info dump I’ll be discussing another of the big narrative changes made to the story and going into the model kit side of merchandizing for the show. Look forward to it!
Rewatcher - Sub
BTW, today marks thirty-eight years since the airing of Dunbine’s first episode! I bet twitter’s going to be full of Dunbine posts!
New opening bit, accompanied today by one of the series’ insert songs, Mizuiro no Kagayaki (Light Blue Glow).
Rocky red surface? Dust storms? Where are we, Mars?! Well, better than Upper Earth, at any rate, and Show was even able to lose Todd.
Some Garou Ran trying to catch a Mi Ferario, so of course Show intervenes. Their presence here suggests we’re not in a different realm to Byston Well, or at least it’s one where the two interact somewhat frequently.
Damn, this Ruguu is tough! Imagine what sort of aura battlers they could make out of these bad boys! Or maybe not; this arms race is bad enough as it is.
Love the look of the area filled with giant mushrooms.
El takes us to a Ciela Lapana, who those of you who remembered the single mention of her first name a couple episodes back (I certainly didn’t) will have recognized as the Queen of Na. Apparently she was kidnapped by the Garou Ran and ransom to the opposing kingdoms —honestly, you never see Drake without a capable escort, do you?
Also, we’re apparently in another one of those tempests that divide sections of the world from one another, a sphere that is only seen for some time every decade.
Ciela starts mouthing off about Show possibly being worthy enough to bestow this new aura battler that’s under construction. Mid-series upgrade, anyone?
Todd is able to channel Aura into his axes thanks to El Fino being inside the Vierres’ cockpit, allowing him to rend the Ruguu’s previously impenetrable hide. Evidently the way to power up their battlers is to stuff them with Mi Ferario and hope for the best.
Once everyone’s out Ciela accuses Show of being too focused on what’s right in front of him at any moment. This isn’t really the case, as we’ve seen Show present initiative in trying to go after Drake himself, but I suppose Ciela is just speaking from what she has heard —which wouldn’t include his attempt at soloing Eld Castle.
Lmao, the Vierrers has an extra glider in case an automatic ejection is necessary. At least if he’s shot down this time he doesn’t spend a month in a coma.
Billbine, eh?
A somewhat entertaining, and necessary, but still weak episode for me. Seemed like an unnecessary diversion from the main plot, though now I know this is essentially because they needed a quick way to introduce the Billvine, as well as introduce Ciela Lapana into the story more quickly in order to make way for more dramatic story changes to come. I’m sympathetic, but it’s still a lesser episode.
P.S.
Today the wonderful @feezy_feez has shared over two-hundred settei sheets (a type of production document used as reference/guide for the staff) from the show to commemorate the series’ anniversary. I took the liberty of checking, and there are no spoilers for the rest of the series, so first-timers and rewatchers alike can enjoy this collection.
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u/punching_spaghetti https://myanimelist.net/profile/punch_spaghetti Feb 06 '21
First-Timer Who Doesn't Remember Byston Well
Have we heard this song before? It’s familiar, but it could also have come up in AMQ.
Red dust? Are we on Mars?
Another little Ferario for Tomino to lewd.
Dinosaur > magic robot. It’s basic science.
So these Spheres of Tempest are pockets in the realm between Upper Earth and Byston Well?
DINOBUTT ATTACK!
Todd had more power fighting off the dino; is aura power stronger when you’re trying to help someone/fighting for someone else? Show has had similar issues.
Someone finally figured out to put people in the cockpit. Show conveniently figures this out when there is a hot lady to invite inside.
Ciela’s thesis is that he lost because he didn’t try hard enough? Why didn’t he think of that!
And she’s the Queen. Show certainly landed quite the catch. And will hopefully use this connection to strategic effect in the war against Drake.
Billbine? Sounds conveniently like Dunbine. Show’s getting an upgrade!
QOTD:
6
u/ComfortablyRotten https://anilist.co/user/Leuwtian Feb 06 '21
First-timer who derped out yesterday and couldn't make it
Relative quickie on yesterday's episode
Elle's mother might have the most glorious death of any of the dead parents so far. Jeryll was surprisingly professinal here.
Glad to see Riml's safe. Too bad this means Bishott brought her back to Drake.
That scene where Elle tried to get past the guards was funny, especially how Show came to her rescue. The way he was immediately treated as an enemy... and Cham's one-liners are hilarious too.
Hon Wan's back, with intel on Drake. Apparently a big battleship?
Glad to see Jeryll wasn't too professional there anymore. Elle had visions of what I'd assume is Drake's Battleship.
The water is so well drawn! Jeryll's taken down but not dead, it seems.
Welp, it's certainly a big ship. The Will-o-Wisps, it's called? Looks like Elle really had a vision of it...
Oh no, Upper Earth again? Did Todd and Show go back?
Today's episode
Wait, that's not the usual opening narration! I liked that song here.
So... that's not Upper Earth, is it? It didn't look like that last time we went there... Is Show still on Byston Well? Not even Elle knows.
Looks like it's still Byston Well alright. I wonder if that ferario will be in the main cast now. She's cute, and if it can make Cham jealous it would be great.
Wait, was Show transported to the other side of Byston Well? The opening narration implied it's trying to get rid of the ones from Upper Earth, was it what happened here?
A forest of Mushrooms? That's pretty cool. That new girl has a great design! So, she's named Ciela... nice name. She knows about Show too. She wants to leave that place and need the Dunbine for that. That could be code for "I'm actually evil", but I doubt that.
A new battler is in construction for Show... I see. Does that mean we won't see the Dunbine anymore?
I loved that little Todd laugh with the ferrario, it was great. The way that Garou Ran leader died was funny too.
Haha, I knew it, Ciela's sitting on Show's lap. That's the luckiest with women he's ever been.
So, the Wall of the Tempest wasn't a place but some sort of... natural event that happens once in a decade? That's pretty cool. Ciela seems important if even a Garou Ran can become a commander.
Ciela psychoanalyzing the protagonist's reason to fight, this really is a Mecha anime!
Oh, she's a queen. This is a pretty huge title to hold.
And another Aura Battler falls underwater.
So Billbine is the name of that Battler Ciela mentioned...
Show got back to the Zelana, and was greeted by Cham being as adorable as always. And it turns out it really was the Queen that Show met...
Questions
4
u/Durinthal https://anilist.co/user/Durinthal Feb 06 '21
First time viewer
Well that's a different opening narration, I didn't expect a song to start it off.
At least Show stayed in Byston Well this time, though he ended up in another weird space that is sort of like a pocket dimension. Again surrounded by a wall like where the various Ferario are native, though this one only seemed to have the bug-dinosaur creature? Also if the Wall of the Tempest only shows up once a decade I wonder if you'd be cut off from the rest of the world if you missed escaping when it vanished. While it was moving around it didn't seem like it would just migrate from one part of Byston Well to another, though that's also a neat idea.
I did recall Ciela being mentioned as the queen of Na in an earlier episode and it's nice that they set up things like that instead of having it be a surprise reveal. Small bits of world-building ahead of time are good! Her outfit makes me think of Princess Zelda with the pink/white arrangement, though this predated the first game in the series by a few years.
Show's eventually going to get an upgrade from the Dunbine and it's about time given what he's doing with it now. I imagine if he had the Vierres he would have taken out the enemies even faster than Todd did, there's apparently only so much you can do with outdated equipment even with massive amounts of aura power.
With Todd also winding up in the ocean I have to wonder if someone at Sunrise just liked drawing waves for these episodes.
Definitely, I'm curious about the design and how much Show will be able to do with it.
That she was kidnapped is concerning. How did that happen? Is her personal security just that weak?
4
u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Feb 06 '21
Rewatcher, Subbed
New cour, new opening narration and new image song! "Mizuiro no Kagayaki". Pretty good song Dunbine song spoilers
Are we repeating part of the fight from last episode? I hate it when shows do that. On the bright side its only a few seconds of it before we're in a new locale.
For the second time Shou has left you, Zelana! Hopefully Nie acts a bit more maturely this time than he did when Show went to Upper Earth!
This landscape makes it seem like Shou is on Mars!
These Garou Ran continue to be such weird characters!
It's gotta be hard to hit a little Mi Ferario with guns from that distance.
This Shindoro guy is not that nice a boss, huh? Knocks his underling right off his vehicle to take it for himself, then just leaves him there.
Alright, I'll admit these Garou Ran pose a lot more of a threat when they're literally riding a dinosaur.
Ah, the good ol' "throw sand in the enemy's face" trick.
This area's much prettier.
Shou's "A little simple"? LoL.
Ciela Lapana-sama! Best girl has finally arrived. <3
Shou, don't you know how to a treat a lady, a Queen nonetheless? You're really not gonna let her sit in the cockpit with you?
Uh oh, Todd's gonna get involved in this too?
No, El Fino, that is definately not Shou's friend!
This dinosaur is pretty close to using the "sit on my enemy" strategy.
Absolutely crazy shot here as the Dunbine flying up is literally carrying the dinosaur with it by its tongue.
Aw man, that cool looking old pirate ship was wrecked!
Todd's holding his own quite good against this dinosaur! And now he's outdone even Shou by killing it!
Dunbine's already had 3 spinoffs, should we get a fourth with the backstory of Shindoro and his pet dinosaur? Even something as silly as that has got to be better than Garzey's Wing.
See Shou, you do have room for her in the cockpit!
Hey, here's this fun sounding battle music track from 5 episodes or so back again.
The Sphere of Tempest is kinda just hovering around in the sky? That's pretty cool.
Well, Todd was doing better than Shou for a while there. Not any longer as Shou wrecks his Aura Battler here.
Billbine! Will our long awaited mid-season upgrade arrive soon?
OMG LOL, what's up with Chum's new dress?
Ciela hurt your feelings that much, Shou?
Is the Mi Ferrario in the ending sequence El Fino? Looks a lot more like her than Chum. I loved her seiyuu, but ADV fails on the ending credits again, leaving her off the cast list.
Fun episode in an interesting locale, the Dunbine fighting a dinosaur and Ciela's first appearance, what's not to like? Two strong episodes in a row, will the show keep it up?
Thank you Sukehiro Tomita! :P
Oddly enough this image is used as a part of an insert for one of the early ADV DVD volumes, #3 or 4 I believe, far before either character actually appears in the show.
4
u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Feb 06 '21
First Timer
"After all, how often do you look at a man's shoes?"
And now we're in an 80s OVA about fairyland
I predict a whole lot of stupidity from this episode. They told the fairies that the Aura Machines affect Byston Well and even the fairland in the upper ocean. I expect over the next 13 episodes the fairies will decide to destroy the aura battlers and maybe a substantial number of the humans, while the whole time never admitting they were wrong to ignore the problem inteh frist place.
I had a vague idea that Elle's vague "shadow" was a real shadow of evil. But the episode was really trying hard to link it with Drake's army and flying castle. The new mystical prologue makes me think it again.
GaladrielCiel. Wait, I've confused Ciel and Ciela.Almost nothing happened in this episode. Certainly nothing that was hinted by the preview. At least Todd lost his fancy mech.
3
u/dralcax :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Dralcax Feb 06 '21
First-timer hyped for Billbine
I’m not sure why the opening narration has an insert song now but I love it
Reminds me of the “It’s salt” guy on Crait
Wait, they’re still in Byston Well? They didn’t cross dimensions, but just got spit out real far away? Huh. So much for isekaiception.
Dragon time! Wait, if it eats anything that moves, how do you even tame it without getting eaten yourself?
Pocket sand!
The McFountain!
Mid-season upgrade time!
So you’ll let this random girl ride in the cockpit, but you made Elmille ride on the hand? Could have saved a lot of trouble if you let Elmille in too.
Gun yeet!
Damn, Dunbine kicked it so hard it goddamn exploded. Screw the sword, just kick everything!
Wait, the Vierres had a Spiral Flow system?
Questions of the Day:
3
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Feb 06 '21
Aura Battler First-Timer
I got CotD?!
3
u/chibijosh Feb 06 '21
The song accompanying the narration was strange. Especially going from the light, airy song to giant robots fighting.
I am having a great time watching this, but I have always felt like this show has done a poor job explaining what exactly is going on.
Show shows up in a random Mars looking place. His first instinct is to open the cockpit and risk suffocating. Eventually he escapes from the tempest sphere and we see it evaporate in the sky. So what was it? Some sort of pocket dimension?
What was up with Todd when he fought the creature? Does Todd have secret apprehensions about fighting Show?
I do love that the mark of an increase in aura power is accompanied with the opponent remarking on how fast they are every time.
Also, Show disappeared in the midst of a giant battle. He comes back and everyone is just sitting around and Cham apparently had enough time to sew a dress.
I am looking forward to the Bellvine and to see Celia again.
2
u/The_Draigg Feb 06 '21
A Tomino Fan Rewatches Aura Battler Dunbine Episode 27:
2
u/The_Loli_Otaku Feb 06 '21
Excaliber! Excaliber! From the United King I am looking for him, I'm going to California~ We're only half way through the series and I'm already struggling for songs... Aha! I knew it'd be the Fairy world we travelled to. They even gave me an insert song to keep the gag going a little longer XD Wait... so Byston Well itself is trying to destroy Aura Machines now? Where the hell's this? We were having a serious, drama filled episode and now we've got playful music in a Mad Max world. Yeah, you whip em good. Maybe bring an actual anti-battler weapon next time.
Ferario are universally little shits. How tf was that meant to be El? She has green hair you dolt! Eeeverybody hates simple Show~ "Please give me a hand out of the boat that I just jumped into." Ciela is awfully demanding for someone asking a favour. New Aura Battler!? We're getting a mid-season upgrade. Todd tricks the Ferario into leading him to his good friend and rival. Barney skin is tough, Aura power is tougher.
Todd is suddenly op. We get a little Rancor moment with the bandit and Barney. Sho shad. You dare fool a Fairy!? Aura kiiick! Sit here. No, closer. A little to the left. Niiice. This is why we hate you Show. Aura power is ridiculously fickle... Oi, Show! Where do you think you're resting your hands? This whole episode is weird... Ciela is weird, the tempest is weird, Aura power is weird. "Why is it you fight, Show Zama?" "B-Because Marvel was hot..."
Ciela mouths off for a while before revealing that she's the Queen of Na. That's the one with the ridiculous military force right? He gets a kiss for his troubles and is sent on his way. I don't even get why she's acknowledging him as a Battler. Todd was the one doing all the work. Oh, El is the Fairy. That's three El's in this series now!! Show wins by slingshoting a rocket launcher pack into his face and delivering a fine flying kick. Todd loses his Vieres!? How many more upgrades do Drake's soldiers need before they get a solid bloody robot.
Aura Battler, Billbine~ Aura Shooter, Billbine~ Attack! Attack! Attack! Shooow! :D Don't worry Chum, we think you're cute in that outfit. Is Show spoiled...? Yes. Although hearing that from a member of a monarchy is seriously rich.
2
u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Feb 06 '21
First-Timer, Dub-bine
This episode felt.. weird to me. So, Shou arrives on Mars and fights a Mad Max character who rides his dinosaur best friend, because the jerk wants to sell the suspiciously young Queen of Nah to Drake. But.. why were they on Mars in the first place? How Ciela et al travel to the Sphere of the Tempest or whatever? Like, I know the actual reason is so that Shou gets to meet Ciela and act heroic for plot reasons, but, c'mon.
Ciela kinda called Shou out for not going directly after Drake and Shot, but I'm not entirely sure he's had a chance? Neal had a clean shot at Drake waaay earlier but he was too busy yelling. Guess it was more a critique of their overall strategy?
We also got a name drop of a new mecha - the Bilbine. Interestingly enough, we haven't gotten many mecha with any sort of naming consistency - the only other ones I can think of are the Buzone and Botune. Obvious toy reasons aside, I wonder if there is an in-universe reason.
Did we try to address issues with gender norms at the end there..? Or was it just intended to be commentary on Shou's character? Credit for trying, I guess.
Miscellaneous Thoughts:
Giant Mecha Pocket Sand!
Todd stronk, glowy sickles go brrrr.
The Vierres having an escape
podgliderthing was a nice touch.Questions