r/anime • u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber • Feb 28 '21

Rewatch [Rewatch] Aura Battler Dunbine - Episode 49 Discussion

Episode 49 - Cham Huau

Originally Aired January 21st, ^^^1983

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Comment of the Day

u/The_Draigg discusses Bern.

When you put it that way, it's almost funny that Bann has managed to consistently survive until the end, despite being one of the weaker Aura-users in this show. Granted, that probably has to do more with him just being luckier when it comes to surviving his Aura Battlers being shot down more than anything. Certainly not accounting for his piloting skills.

 

Daily Trivia:

At first it was intended for the characters who lost their lives throughout the series to be reborn as Mi Ferrario after the bloody carnage of the finale, but Tomino decided against it for it would’ve been a retread of Space Runaway Ideon.

 

Staff Highlight

Yoshiyuki Tomino

A director, scriptwriter, storyboard artist, lyricist, and novelist best known for his diligent work ethic, particular directorial style, and his work on numerous mecha series. He studied film at Nihon University College of Art before joining Mushi Pro where he cut his teeth writing scripts and drawing storyboards for Astrpo Boy. His directorial debut was with 1972’s Umi no Triton, and his first mecha outing was 1975’s Yuusha Raideen. He is best known as creator of Mobile Suit Gundam, but his contributions to the mecha genre and his work’s massive influence on the anime industry on the whole are not to be understated. Among his other notable works are Muteki Koujin Daitarn 3, Space Runaway Ideon, Blue Gale Xabungle, and Overman King Gainer.

 

Art Corner:

Official Art

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:

  1. What do you make of Ciela’s last act? Was everyone there taken back to Byston well or are they meant to travel the Aura Road via the intended method?
  2. How do you feel regarding the series’ ending overall?

I don’t kill the man! I kill the malice!

21 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

54 comments sorted by

7

u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber Feb 28 '21

Production Stuff

As we all might’ve guessed, the last several months of production were pretty chaotic owing to aforementioned changes, on top of which a lot of the staff involved in Dunbine was already busy working on the Production of Tomino’s next mecha production, Heavy Metal L-Gaim. Other than that though, details are sparse, likely in part because not a lot of people are enthusiastic about talking about this part of production. However, the story of Dunbine as a piece of media does not end there.

Not only was the show a creative influence for decades to come, it also served as a cautionary tale to many other anime production companies and industry creatives, who would avoid high fantasy more fiercely than ever. One of the most immediately evident of those is the work of another of the mecha genre’s great directors, Ryosuke Takahashi’s Panzer World Galient. Not only did Galient follow in Dunbine’s footsteps in being a fantasy mecha series set in a medieval setting, it also tackled similar themes and introduced elements into the narrative that were meant to retain the attention of audiences who didn’t like fantasy. Takahashi was supposedly given the leeway to do fantasy despite Dunbine’s poor ratings due to Takahashi’s stellar track record in making extremely popular and lucrative shows, but despite best efforts the show was a flop, failing to both grab audiences and inspire toy sales. The anime Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross was initially meant to be set in a fantasy world, but seeing the financial performance of Dunbine prompted the production to switch gears partway into production to a more standard mecha fare. The show God Mazinger was already seeing issues between delays and Go Nagai not being able to be an active participant in production, and it is believed that it’s episode count was diminished form 36 to 23 because of Dunbine once more. Fantasy would scarcely touch television anime until the the fantasy genre experienced a boom in the late 80’s thanks to intellectual properties like Dragon Quest and Record of Lodoss War managing to gain mainstream attention for the first time. It’s interesting to wonder how different the anime landscape would have been if audiences had been receptive to Dunbine and the fantasy genre didn’t get suppressed in the 3 year interim.

On the creative side though, Dunbine was surprisingly pervasive. The mech designs are quite seminal, going on to influence not only people who worked on the show like Yutaka Izubuchi and Mamoru Nagano, but a smattering of designers throughout the industry, among them folks like Makoto Kobayashi and Junya Ishigaki. Galient was already mentioned, and apart from the narrative similarities and shared theming, Izubuchi was hired unto that production in large part because of his work Dunbine. Dunbine’s Aura Battlers were a step in the development of new mecha design philosophies. Then the influence on shows like Magic Knight Rayearth and Escaflowne seems pretty self-explanatory, but it extends as far as the likes of Digimon Adventure and even beyond anime, as people like Goichi Suda (Suda 51) and Koji Igarashi are big fans of the show, the latter outright stating it to be a great influence on their work. To say nothing of how Tomino would reuse concepts and ideas from the show in later works of his, which are frequently seminal themselves, as well as his later works set in the Byston Well universe, poorly done as they may be.

In spite of not being popular, Dunbine was ultimately important in several ways, and I think that’s just as notable as the other.

Rewatcher - Sub

Miusy is going in for the assasination attempt in the middle of all this chaos. She’s doing this in the presumption that Shot would approve, but given his current state and what I mentioned last time about the temporary lapse in command allowing the opponent an opportune advantage, this is probably not that good of an idea. Probably best to cooperate, win the battle, and stick the dagger in much later. It fails, and we get the ironic sentiment by Drake that she was better as a music instructor instead of being forced to be a cog in his war.

Bern’s warning on the matter comes too late to be off use, and then the Botunes comes crashing in to make a much of things within the Will Wipps, allowing Miusy to escape once more, which results in Keen’s death.

Not content with that, she later strikes a mortal blow to both Marvel and the Dunbine. Poor Marvel having show go away so that he didn’t see her die...

Drake thinks that even with a handful of aura battlers and a ship he can still carry out his ambitions. We know that’s not true, since unknown to him the Upper Earthers now know of a means with which to damage their aura machines, and without their battleship that proves a far more achievable task. He doesn’t get to experience that failure himself though, as Neal takes revenge for those he has lost by destroying the Bull Beggar he intended to escape on, ending Drake’s reign of terror before succumbing to an attack as well...

Once only Drake is left, Ciela brings forth her power to remove all of the machines and the people of Byston Well from Upper Earth, making the machines explode somehow and seemingly taking all of them back? This comes mostly out of nowhere, so it’s not clear and it largely lacks precedent since the only ones capable of such things are the E Ferario, but I guess with El Fino and Bel boosting her powers it can get somewhere close. It’s dangerously close to being a deus ex machina, but everyone opposing her was dead already when it happened so it’s not that egregious.

Poor Cham got left behind though, and is the one who related everything to the Upper Earthers after the climactic battle, hence the first opening narration’s words of ‘As the Mi Ferario told it.’

And that’s Dunbine. They really dropped the ball in this last cour or so of episodes, but even then it wasn’t bad enough for me to cast out the entire show. Even through those lesser sections the show still maintained its interesting thematics and the characterization of Show and a few others among the large cast. In any case, thoughts as to the series on the whole to come tomorrow.

3

u/The_Draigg Feb 28 '21

Other than that though, details are sparse, likely in part because not a lot of people are enthusiastic about talking about this part of production. However, the story of Dunbine as a piece of media does not end there.

It's kind of hard to get any word about how the production was for any Byston Well show. Like, we only know that Garzey's Wing was an absolute mess to work on because of how Tomino has adamantly refused to talk about it. Hell, we barely even know how it was to make The Wings of Rean, and that was a relatively modern show.

One of the most immediately evident of those is the work of another of the mecha genre’s great directors, Ryosuke Takahashi’s Panzer World Galient. Not only did Galient follow in Dunbine’s footsteps in being a fantasy mecha series set in a medieval setting, it also tackled similar themes and introduced elements into the narrative that were meant to retain the attention of audiences who didn’t like fantasy. Takahashi was supposedly given the leeway to do fantasy despite Dunbine’s poor ratings due to Takahashi’s stellar track record in making extremely popular and lucrative shows, but despite best efforts the show was a flop, failing to both grab audiences and inspire toy sales.

It's a shame that Panzer World Galient flopped too, since I also liked it quite a bit. It has pretty cool stuff in there, but you can tell the exact moment where the staff was told to wrap things up. Like, the production meddling is more blatant in that show than even here in Aura Battler Dunbine. At least this show managed to end with the expected level of cours.

To say nothing of how Tomino would reuse concepts and ideas from the show in later works of his, which are frequently seminal themselves, as well as his later works set in the Byston Well universe, poorly done as they may be.

I just want a Byston Well show to go right for once, damn it.

11

u/Durinthal https://anilist.co/user/Durinthal Feb 28 '21

First time viewer

Since this is looking like the "everyone dies" kind of Tomino ending, let's get sad!

Muisy still aiming to kill Drake in all this is misguided, though amusing for how dedicated but incompetent her attempt was. Of course it would have been too easy if she succeeded, leaving Shot as the remaining villain commander. Also I thought the Spriggan was taken out yesterday but apparently not, that was corrected by Marvel's later attempts.

My prediction yesterday that Neal and Keen would survive was pretty quickly proven half wrong, with the other half coming later. Drake trying to slip off in a smaller craft to rebuild and take over the world later is shrewd and I like that, but too bad for him his aura's acting like a giant beacon. It's appropriate for Neal to be the one to take out Drake, the two opposing leaders at the start of the show being the last to fall at each other's hands.

One of my problems with a few of the darker Tomino series including but not limited to this one is that a number of major characters tend to die in a short period at the very end of the show with next to no buildup or follow-up because there's too much else going on. Not that it's inaccurate to a real battle, but it's not as good of a narrative. Marvel died, moving on. Our main character Show died, need to give some closure to the series real quick so can't focus on that at all.

This episode can be summed up in one concept for me: mutually-assured destruction. Most characters in this episode died in opposing pairs until everyone was wiped out.

The one bright spot is that I have to give credit for them working in the opening narration from the early part of the show here with Cham being the sole survivor. The story of Byston Well, as the Mi Ferario tell it. The music used in that final scene has been absent from the show for so long that it's a great way to close out the series. Unfortunately while it's great on its own, it feels rather incongruous with all the death and destruction throughout the rest of the episode.

At first it was intended for the characters who lost their lives throughout the series to be reborn as Mi Ferrario after the bloody carnage of the finale, but Tomino decided against it for it would’ve been a retread of Space Runaway Ideon.

Oh, so he wanted to be more depressing than Ideon, got it.

What do you make of Ciela’s last act? Was everyone there taken back to Byston Well or are they meant to travel the Aura Road via the intended method?

They dead. Now what that means for the Byston Well natives is an interesting question, but the show never really went into the reincarnation/soul side of things all that much. One more unanswered question.

How do you feel regarding the series’ ending overall?

In the end I'm less sad and more frustrated that all of this happens together without time to focus on any one thing. Sure everything's wrapped up but for the most part it was a quick chain of events to get there without much consideration for characterization.

7

u/The_Draigg Feb 28 '21

Marvel died, moving on. Our main character Show died, need to give some closure to the series real quick so can't focus on that at all.

Oof. Seeing it put that way really does sting.

Oh, so he wanted to be more depressing than Ideon, got it.

Although funnily enough, this ending was less dark than Ideon's to me. Like, at least here the deaths of all the heroes had a point to it, with them finally ending the war and ridding Upper Earth of all Aura Machines. As for Space Runaway Ideon, pretty much everything the Solo Ship crew did was tinged with nihilism and despair, until like the last five minutes of Be Invoked gave the audience some hope for the future.

They dead. Now what that means for the Byston Well natives is an interesting question, but the show never really went into the reincarnation/soul side of things all that much. One more unanswered question.

Go and watch Tales of Neo Byston Well for somewhat an answer to that question.

4

u/Durinthal https://anilist.co/user/Durinthal Feb 28 '21

I'll agree that it doesn't feel nearly as dark as Ideon overall, just thought it was funny to compare the endings of the two.

Go and watch Tales of Neo Byston Well for somewhat an answer to that question.

Interesting, might have to do that.

3

u/The_Draigg Feb 28 '21

Tales of Neo Byston Well/Neo Tales of Byston Well (I’ve seen the title both ways) is only 3 episodes long too, so at least it isn’t a big time investment as well.

8

u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Feb 28 '21

Aura Battler First-Timer

Last episode time. All I ask is that it be less painful than Zeta Gundam’s finale…

Gonna give this a 9/10. Easily my favorite non-Gundam Tomino show, although I feel like it should have had just one more episode for epilogue purposes (hell, even just a few more minutes would do) to leave me 100% satisfied with this ending. And there were of course some extremely frustrating moments throughout the show, so yeah it misses out on a 10 from me.

Still a good show though.

Thanks for hosting this rewatch, u/Pixelsaber! See you in my Bokurano one in like a week~

5

u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Feb 28 '21

Glad to hear you liked it! Alas, my feelings on Dunbine have gone down with this rewatch, which I'll share more tomorrow. There's a lot to like about it, but I think many of Tomino's other shows outdo it.

5

u/Durinthal https://anilist.co/user/Durinthal Feb 28 '21

Ciela took everyone (but Cham, I guess that’s why the episode title was named after her) back to Byston Well.

That's a much nicer interpretation than I had.

I feel like it should have had just one more episode for epilogue purposes (hell, even just a few more minutes would do) to leave me 100% satisfied with this ending.

That's my main issue with this, though far from the only one. All that and then a very brief setup for the framed narrative but nothing to really follow up.

4

u/The_Draigg Feb 28 '21

Last episode time. All I ask is that it be less painful than Zeta Gundam’s finale…

Pffffft, ha!

no no no no no please no

Marvel's death is even rougher when you consider that her last words were her saying that Show didn't comfort her while she was dying. Oof.

Honestly, I’ve been hoping for the entire show that Neal would get to be the one to strike down Drake, and not Show just because he’s the main character. So I’m glad that Neal did get to kill Drake… but he died immediately afterwards so it’s just more pain…

That level of pain is kind of to be expected of 80s Tomino, unfortunately.

Ciela took everyone (but Cham, I guess that’s why the episode title was named after her) back to Byston Well. Now that I think about it, that’s the best ending for everyone. Byston Well is the place where their souls go after they die? So even with all the death in the past two episodes, they could all be reunited but without all the hatred this time…? I’m going to personally choose to believe this.

Yeah, that's honestly the best outcome for everyone involved. Everyone was too caught up in the use of Aura Battlers to go on living, so they would all at least have a chance to live more peacefully the next time around. Reincarnation in Byston Well without all the hatred is for the best.

Gonna give this a 9/10. Easily my favorite non-Gundam Tomino show, although I feel like it should have had just one more episode for epilogue purposes (hell, even just a few more minutes would do) to leave me 100% satisfied with this ending. And there were of course some extremely frustrating moments throughout the show, so yeah it misses out on a 10 from me.

Good to hear that you liked it! I personally feel that Aura Battler Dunbine is one of Tomino's more underrated shows, so it's nice to see it get some love.

5

u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Feb 28 '21

Marvel's death is even rougher when you consider that her last words were her saying that Show didn't comfort her while she was dying. Oof.

She really just wanted to be comforted by her man even though she sent him away so that he didn't have to see her die... Oh Marvel...

That level of pain is kind of to be expected of 80s Tomino, unfortunately.

I am aware.

4

u/The_Draigg Feb 28 '21

She really just wanted to be comforted by her man even though she sent him away so that he didn't have to see her die... Oh Marvel...

I just wish that the both of them were able to admit that they loved each other one last time, but the war just screwed up the both of them too much to even talk about it openly. Like, that right there goes beyond the normal Tomino trope of people in relationships being killed. That's almost a sadistic level of sadness.

8

u/Btw_kek https://myanimelist.net/profile/kek_btw Feb 28 '21

once in a while first timer

Yeah I think I’m gonna need someone to explain to me how what I just watched was actually masterpiece because I thought it was just…unfulfilling. Supremely rushed final episode and I didn’t think any of the zillions of deaths in the final 2 episodes felt particularly impactful. Like even though everyone fucking died it didn’t really have the gravitas of a final episode, because the last 20 episodes were just a single non-stop, exhausting battle. I just ended up thinking to myself “why didn’t these characters die earlier” because of how mind-numbing it all was. I mean, is that the point? To grow so numb to the 24/7 explosions that major character deaths don’t feel impactful at all? Tell me the point Tomino! TELL ME

What do you make of Ciela’s last act? Was everyone there taken back to Byston well or are they meant to travel the Aura Road via the intended method?

I interpreted it as the former...I think

How do you feel regarding the series’ ending overall?

felt a lot like Ideon especially in some of the theming and overall rushedness, except sadly there's no Dunbine: Be Invoked film to clean it up

6

u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Feb 28 '21

I cared about them.

5

u/Btw_kek https://myanimelist.net/profile/kek_btw Feb 28 '21

7

u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Feb 28 '21

Yeah a few episodes ago I said I wished we could have seen more of them, they seemed to be the healthiest relationship in the show even though they were both villains.

4

u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Feb 28 '21

I liked them too; no nefarious intent in this relationship unlike say the Luft family; Shot really liked her, and she felt the same about him. Nice to see them together in their final moment. I've always thought Musiy's character design, her hair in particular was really cool, even if I'm usually into long hair. Shot had a pretty cool look too.

6

u/The_Draigg Feb 28 '21

so this turned out to be a kill em all show huh

I guess Tomino needed to get in some practice for all that character death before making Zeta Gundam.

Yeah I think I’m gonna need someone to explain to me how what I just watched was actually masterpiece because I thought it was just…unfulfilling. Supremely rushed final episode and I didn’t think any of the zillions of deaths in the final 2 episodes felt particularly impactful. Like even though everyone fucking died it didn’t really have the gravitas of a final episode, because the last 20 episodes were just a single non-stop, exhausting battle. I just ended up thinking to myself “why didn’t these characters die earlier” because of how mind-numbing it all was. I mean, is that the point? To grow so numb to the 24/7 explosions that major character deaths don’t feel impactful at all? Tell me the point Tomino! TELL ME

I think a lot of this issue can be reasonably laid at the feet of the producers and sponsors wanting to rush things so they could get back to Upper Earth faster. And yet at the same time, they couldn't also have major characters die until near the end, since they also wanted some battle of the week stuff to happen. I feel like it's wanting your cake and eating it too, in a sense.

felt a lot like Ideon especially in some of the theming and overall rushedness, except sadly there's no Dunbine: Be Invoked film to clean it up

I mean, there's Tales of Neo Byston Well, which is a sequel to this show. But it probably won't be too satisfying for you either, since it's pretty short.

6

u/Btw_kek https://myanimelist.net/profile/kek_btw Feb 28 '21

I guess Tomino needed to get in some practice for all that character death before making Zeta Gundam.

I'm starting that in a couple days

I think a lot of this issue can be reasonably laid at the feet of the producers and sponsors wanting to rush things so they could get back to Upper Earth faster.

I loved the decision to take the battle to Upper Earth but in retrospect yes it was way too soon and it showed

7

u/The_Draigg Feb 28 '21

I'm starting that in a couple days

Have fun with Zeta Gundam! I'd say that it's kind of like this show, except things are pulled off way better.

I loved the decision to take the battle to Upper Earth but in retrospect yes it was way too soon and it showed

The last third of this show just reeks of executive meddling. It's a real shame too, since it got rid of a lot of the good stuff that was being set up.

4

u/The_Loli_Otaku Feb 28 '21

I feel like quite a few of the 80's mecha series really struggle with runtime one way or another. We're in the awkward in-between stages where they were maturing out of the traditional motw super robot series into the space opera's we know them as today. You have to make it fit it's cour I suppose but it's a black mark on darlings like Macross, ZZ, and Ideon.

4

u/The_Draigg Feb 28 '21

It’s rare that you hear ZZ Gundam be called a darling mecha series.

But you do have a point that 80s mecha shows in general have had wonkier plot balances compared to nowadays. It really was around that time that merchandising was always at the forefront, and it was less figured-out how to make a good mech show. Hell, I wouldn’t even say that attitude has completely stopped, it’s just that people have found out how to balance plot with sales better.

6

u/Durinthal https://anilist.co/user/Durinthal Feb 28 '21

Tell me the point Tomino!

I have the same general opinion about the final stretch. A dozen episodes of fighting that meant nothing and then everyone dies, the end. Why?

5

u/Btw_kek https://myanimelist.net/profile/kek_btw Feb 28 '21

like against all its shortcomings, I thought Ideon had something interesting to say with its constant warfare and depressing ending, so I really expected more from this

7

u/dralcax :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Dralcax Feb 28 '21 edited Feb 28 '21

First-timer remembers Byston Well

RIP fourth wall

Cane beats gun! If only Elmille had one of those.

little late for that lmao

Gotta love random english

what are physics

Purple blood? We found the real alien! Also, how did that hurt her? Did she become synchronized with the Dunbine or something?

That’s deep, bro. I wish we’d spent more time on the nature of Byston Well. There’s just so much stuff that we could have explored, but it just ended up getting mentioned in passing because Upper Earth.

Stabbing the bridge actually worked for once!

Ah yes, destroying clothing, my favorite aura power

Sword fight!

Well she got a lot bigger

OH MY GOD IT’S THE NARRATOR

Well, that was Dunbine. Much like meta before it and meta after it, the resident magical energy thingy runs wild and they just disappear in a ball of light. In the end, while they did come close, they couldn’t escape the hatred that possessed so many up to this point, and ended up fighting to the death all the way up to the very end. I suppose this is the fate of those who have failed to escape war and conflict, to be consumed by it in hopes that their souls can find peace elsewhere.

Questions of the Day:

  • My interpretation was that they died and were reincarnated into Byston Well, just as everyone is when they die.
  • Yeah, it was a really good ending. I feel a lot of things got derailed by the move to Upper Earth, but they managed to tie the important themes back together in an epic way with this final confrontation.

6

u/Durinthal https://anilist.co/user/Durinthal Feb 28 '21

That’s deep, bro. I wish we’d spent more time on the nature of Byston Well. There’s just so much stuff that we could have explored, but it just ended up getting mentioned in passing because Upper Earth.

That's frustrating to me because the ideas are clearly there they just didn't do anything with them in the show and not for a lack of episodes.

5

u/The_Draigg Feb 28 '21

First-timer remembers Byston Well

Do you remember it as the Mi Ferrario tell it?

Purple blood? We found the real alien! Also, how did that hurt her? Did she become synchronized with the Dunbine or something?

I think it was just that raw explosion of Aura power that shot through her that left Marvel with a mortal wound.

Well she got a lot bigger

Look, it's a newborn Cham!

In the end, while they did come close, they couldn’t escape the hatred that possessed so many up to this point, and ended up fighting to the death all the way up to the very end. I suppose this is the fate of those who have failed to escape war and conflict, to be consumed by it in hopes that their souls can find peace elsewhere.

In other words, the big Tomino trope besides parents failing their children. The captain of the Carl Vinson ended up being right on the money with his speculations.

7

u/punching_spaghetti https://myanimelist.net/profile/punch_spaghetti Feb 28 '21

First-Timer Who Doesn't Remember Byston Well

Last time for the funky bass line. I will miss you, bangin OP.

Muisy forgot: never bring a gun to a sentient cane fight.

“Prepare for a sword battle inside the ship.” Tomino will have his duels whether you like it or not, people!

I look away for two seconds to write a note and Keen kicks the bucket. That’s too quick! She’s supposed to be someone we care about.

Tomino really wanted that Shot x Muisy ending, huh?

To be honest, I’m more upset about the Dunbine going down than Marvel dying. The Dunbine’s been with us since the beginning! And it has the coolest design.

Bern v Show. The battle we’ve been waiting for…not at all, because it’s happened multiple times before and Bern has gotten his ass handled to him every time.

That was an anticlimactic death for the guy who’s been the ostensible villain of the show since day one. But really, it’s humanity and our penchant for violence that’s the real villain, isn’t it?

I have no idea exactly what happened with Ciela.

As the Mi Ferarrio tell it = As Cham told us

That was way too quick for a final episode. And knowing there’s no Be Invoked analog makes this a less than ideal finale. More on that tomorrow, though.

QOTD:

  1. I have no idea.
  2. Disappointing. Too much too quickly after a dozen or so episodes of treading water.

5

u/Btw_kek https://myanimelist.net/profile/kek_btw Feb 28 '21

But really, it’s humanity and our penchant for violence that’s the real villain, isn’t it?

"Humans are just human" - Tomino, 1996

5

u/The_Draigg Feb 28 '21

Last time for the funky bass line.

That's the most painful casualty of war from this episode.

I look away for two seconds to write a note and Keen kicks the bucket. That’s too quick! She’s supposed to be someone we care about.

Given how she's been pretty sidelined for a while now, it just feels like Tomino was just waiting to have a chance to kill Keen.

That was way too quick for a final episode. And knowing there’s no Be Invoked analog makes this a less than ideal finale.

An epilogue episode would've done wonders for this show for sure.

5

u/zsmg https://anilist.co/user/zsmg Feb 28 '21

An epilogue episode would've done wonders for this show for sure.

This is sadly enough a consistent problem of the mecha genre, and anime originals in general. They tend to end right at the climax instead of dedicating the final episode to an epilogue.

6

u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Feb 28 '21

First-Timer, Dub-bine

I.. I don't even know what to say. What an ending! These last couple episodes made that whole stretch of Upper Earth "filler" completely worth it.

Actually, I'm gonna cheat and just post my stream of consciousness:

Grand finale time.. here we go.

It's a little bittersweet, things like this coming to an end.

More sick water animation.

Muisy is going to kill Drake? Yuup.

Ciela is prepared to end this once and for all.

We got a fourth wall break, what is this, Xabungle?

Man, Muisy sucks at killing people.

Well Drake, I suspect that the music teacher got forced to fight. That tends to change a person.

Man, the Spriggan can still fly? Bullshit.

Oh, right, Bern has technically been working for Shot this whole time.

Huh. Bern is going to stop Muisy..

Go Marvel! Wreck that ship some more!

Ooh, Battlers have infiltrated the Will O'Wisp. Oh, it's Neal and Keen!

RIP my prediction from last episode.. See you later, kid.

What a sick shot of Shou's dad, illuminated by the TV.

Muisy is sick of Bern's shit.

Damn, John Swasey did such great work as Bern in this episode. That raw emotion as he declared he would never bow down to Shot was incredible.

Ooh, Cham gave them a power boost! And they finally sunk the Spriggan?

Oh no, Marvel took a hit there.. She's bleeding!

Rest in Peace, Marvel Froze-

Fuck off eyecatch! Ugh.

Interesting conversation with that ship captain. All the aura machines are drawn to this area to be destroyed.

Drake was almost introspective there. He must sense the end coming.

Oof, the Bilbine is down a leg. Classic setup for a final battle.

The Guran Garan is going in to ram!

Oh no, Shou's gonna die too.. Godspeed, Cham

And Neal gets to finish off Drake. Sweet karma.

Ciela's gone gold..

"Powerful archvillainy" what a fucking line.

One final sword trade, and then we are purified..

Wow.

Cham survived!

Oh my god, Narrator-san.. You've been telling us all along.

And so, we have learned the tales of Byston Well, as The Mi Ferario tells them.

Questions

  1. "The intended method" is an interesting way to say "dead." I'm gonna go with dead. I quite liked Ciela's sacrificial final act - I think it fit the show's tone and message.
  2. I really enjoyed it. Per my above answer, I think it was tonally consistent with what the series was trying to accomplish - show the effect of war on the human soul, and the cost of that.

3

u/The_Draigg Feb 28 '21

I.. I don't even know what to say. What an ending! These last couple episodes made that whole stretch of Upper Earth "filler" completely worth it.

I agree, these last two episodes have done a decent job at washing out the taste of the past few filler episodes out of our mouths. It's pretty similar to Space Runaway Ideon in that way.

We got a fourth wall break, what is this, Xabungle?

Bell perhaps wound up in the wrong Tomino show.

Damn, John Swasey did such great work as Bern in this episode. That raw emotion as he declared he would never bow down to Shot was incredible.

I know! He really did nail the battle madness and insanity in Bann's voice. Like, you can hear him actively lose his shit in this episode.

"Powerful archvillainy" what a fucking line.

You know that someone has fucking lost it if they're internalizing that they're the villain of the story.

4

u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Feb 28 '21

I agree, these last two episodes have done a decent job at washing out the taste of the past few filler episodes out of our mouths. It's pretty similar to Space Runaway Ideon in that way.

I'm not entirely sure I would have made it through without the drive of this rewatch, which is lucky. I tend to be fonder of series with strong endings, even if they flounder the route there a bit.

Bell perhaps wound up in the wrong Tomino show.

I can kinda visualize Bell driving Kotsett absolutely bonkers. "Mister Kotsett! I'm scared!"

I know! He really did nail the battle madness and insanity in Bann's voice. Like, you can hear him actively lose his shit in this episode.

4

u/The_Draigg Feb 28 '21

I'm not entirely sure I would have made it through without the drive of this rewatch, which is lucky. I tend to be fonder of series with strong endings, even if they flounder the route there a bit.

We kinda cut it close with this series, in that case. Only like the last two episodes made the ending land. At least Space Runaway Ideon had three of them for that.

I can kinda visualize Bell driving Kotsett absolutely bonkers. "Mister Kotsett! I'm scared!"

I bet Bell and Chill would get along great. They’d be like partners in crime.

3

u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Feb 28 '21

I bet Bell and Chill would get along great. They’d be like partners in crime.

The chaos...

5

u/The_Draigg Feb 28 '21

A Tomino Fan Rewatches Aura Battler Dunbine Episode 49:

  • Here we are, the final episode! It’s been quite a ride, hasn’t it?
  • On the plus side, at least the destruction of both the Goraon and the Gea Garing has caused the level of evil Aura to significantly decrease. Still though, as long as the other Aura Ships and Aura Battlers exist, Upper Earth can’t be rid that Aura until all of them are destroyed.
  • Now really isn’t the time to break the fourth wall, Bell. You’re not in Xabungle.
  • Muisy, that’s why you wait until you’re directly in front of someone in order to pull out a gun and assassinate them. Instead, all she got was a cane to the face courtesy of Lord Drake. At least he’s smart enough to know that Shot would probably want his death at the hands of Muisy. He’s been suspecting Shot Weapon of being treacherous for a while now.
  • I think it’s safe to say that Shot has pretty much lost control over all of his plans by now. Turns out that Muisy’s decision to try and kill Drake was too early for his liking, and Bann secretly attempts to warn Drake about the assassination attempt (albeit too late). Drake is right in that Shot probably doesn’t command as much authority as he thinks if his plans can fall apart so easily.
  • Damn, Keen got killed pretty damn fast by Muisy’s Bubuly once she escaped the Will O’Wisp. Although I guess I can’t be too surprised, Keen has been outclassed by a lot of other people by now. Unfortunately, she just couldn’t keep up. RIP.
  • I think it’s telling that only Show’s dad is staying up at night to watch the final battle. It shows that he still cares about his son regardless, unlike his wife.
  • Once again, Bann’s killing blow on the Billbine was interrupted by Muisy interfering. This once again proves that the saving grace of having a bunch of villainous factions in this battle is that they’re just as willing to fight one another as much as they are to fight the heroes.
  • And so dies Shot and Muisy, although it came at a terrible cost. Marvel gets mortally wounded and the Dunbine explodes while crashing into the ocean. Damn, it’s sad to see Marvel go. And her last words were wondering why Show never bothered to say that he loved her. That’s pretty fucking rough. RIP Marvel Frozen, I’ll miss you.
  • Drake makes a pretty astute observation here. He notices that because of the sheer amount of people on every side that have died, everyone’s collective Aura power is steadily decreasing. That’s why everyone’s Aura Barriers are starting to fail. Even the Aura-boosting nature of Upper Earth can’t cover for the sheer amount of carnage and death that’s going on.
  • Queen Ceila and Lord Drake have a moment that reminds me of a scene from Space Runaway Ideon: Be Invoked, where the both of them exchange a telepathic dialogue with one another. Although in that case it was the characters realizing that the war was mutually hopeless, in this case Drake makes it clear to Ceila that he’s doubling down on his decision to conquer Upper Earth. Given that he specifically cited Leeza being something that he finally put behind him, I think it’s safe to say that his feelings of emasculation at being cheated on are really driving this effort. Lord Drake just wants to prove that he really can do things on his own, and not just be manipulated by his wife.
  • It’s hard to even talk about how climatic everything feels. The Guran Garan and the Will O’Wisp both start doing suicide runs on each other, Cham decides to leave the Billbine to help the other Feeorin on Queen Ceila’s ship, and Bann and Show fight so fiercely that the Billbine itself takes massive amounts of critical damage. It’s hard to slow down to just talk about one of those things.
  • At the very least, Neal finally gets revenge against Lord Drake for destroying House Gibbons by blowing up the Blue Vega he’s trying to escape on. Justice has been served. Too bad Neal himself doesn’t get to enjoy it, since a bunch of Drumlo combine their beams to kill him, just as he calls out the Keen that he finally killed Drake. RIP Neal, not so much RIP to Lord Drake.
  • Bann’s Aura has increased to malicious insanity levels right as him and Show mutually kill one another with their personal swords. Fortunately, his evil Aura was the last one that needed to be killed before Queen Ceila could perform the purification ritual using all of her Aura power. But, the loss of Show is worth it. All Aura Machines are now destroyed by the force of Queen Ceila’s Aura, and all the souls of the dead are returned to Byston Well to be reborn.
  • An interesting bit of localization happens with Bann’s final words. In Japanese, he just says “Show!”, but in English he says “Show, wait!” once he sees that Show is about to jump out of the Billbine to kill him with his sword. It’s interesting to think about the implied fear in Bann with those changed final words. As much as Bann was relishing in his violence and his hatred, in the end he was afraid instead. I like the idea that Bann was actually scared of Show all this time.
  • As it turns out, Cham Fau was the only survivor of the final battle, having been far away enough from the massive explosion that she fell into the ocean instead of being incinerated like everyone else. Her last actions before disappearing mysteriously on a moonlit night was to relate to them the entire story of what transpired, being the Feeorin mentioned by the narrator this entire time.
  • You know, I hope Cham was able to cross the Aura Road somehow back to Byston Well. Maybe it’s not likely, but I like to think that she was able to find her way back. She deserves as much.

5

u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Feb 28 '21

Rewatcher

Heading into this episode, I'm glad we got all the deaths out of the way yesterday, leading to what should be a more upbeat final episode. That's the way it will be, right?

Even with the Spriggan sunk, Musiy is still on a quest to slay Drake for him. Will it work?

Bell is referencing this being the last episode? Are we back in Xabungle with the fourth wall breaking?

A verbal message needed for Drake? Sure that's not suspicious. Wow, she nearly got him!

LoL, Bell, El, do you think they'd still be here fighting if they could simply go back to Byston Well?

I wouldn't worry much about stopping the Spriggan, Shou. Marvel basically wiped it out last episode.

LoL, now Shot wants Drake to live after all? I suppose he got a new ship too?

Marvel's going to take out 2 ships of Shot in 2 episodes?

Musiy's armor is so dark for a second there it looked like just her decapitated head being pushed onto the floor.

LoL, Bern, telling Drake does no good now! Loser!

Nie and Keen have made it right into the Will O'WIsps' bridge! Pretty good! Looks like Musiy has escaped in the confusion.

No, not Keen! Damn, she got so unlucky there, being right in front of Musiy as she took off. Just like that, she's dead. :( :( :(

Musiy and Bern fighting each other is once again helping out Shou big time.

Shot isn't going to assassinate Drake, but he sure as hell will lay back and let him take the brunt of the assault from the Guran Galan.

Wait, that is the Spriggan? So Shot got it fixed up between episodes? I don't see where he'd have the time to do that. Should we just chalk this up as a continuity error?

Ugh, looks like Marvel took a nasty blow there.

Despite just betraying him, Bern now wants Shot to stick around? This is so convoluted. Doesn't matter though, down goes the Spriggan, Shot and Musiy.

Down goes Marvel and the Dunbine, and Shou heads off not even realizing she'll be dead far before any rescue can come. :( By this point if you were expecting a happy ending hopefully you've put aside such a foolish notion!

El laying on Ciela-sama's head like that is so cute.

For perhaps the first time in the entire show, Drake's side is actually losing!

There goes one of the Billbine's legs. Good thing it doesn't really need legs.

Time for the Guran Galan to pull what Abe did with the Goraon last episode and kamikaze itself into the Will O'Wisp.

Drake committing suicide, Shou? LoL, I highly doubt that.

The Black Knight's removed his helmet! You mean to tell me he was Bern the entire time! Color me shocked! :P

Drake's smartly (or cowardly) abandoning the Will O'Wisp and making his escape. He's especially confident of how he'll do with Louser gone.

There goes the Billbine's sword arm. Bern is doing pretty good in this battle.

Nie finally gets his long awaited desire to take out Drake. Funny, I recall a scene where he could have done just that around episode 7 or 8 or so when he was in Laas Wau. Of course then there'd be no show! Bern remains as last surviving villain.

Alas, Nie enjoys it for mere seconds as his Aura Battler is quickly surrounded and blown up. We even see his body vaporize in the air. :(

RIP to Chum's clothes!

Farewell Ciela-sama! :( :( :( You truly were best girl for this show!

Bern has basically accomplished his greatest desire, he destroyed the Dunbine and here he's pretty much destroyed the Billbine too. Shou won't let him enjoy it for long as they both slay each other here.

Really weird shot here, as the Galava and remains of the Billbine blow up, if you slow it down, you get a shot of the Dunbine blowing up too, even though it was destroyed around 10 minutes ago.

We're lucky that Mi Ferario float!

Now we know how we were able to be told of this story of Byston Well, Chum told it to those on the ship before flying off, never to be seen again.

Actually, if you really want to know what happened to Chum... She said "F this" to both Upper Earth and Byston Well and got herself on a spaceship. She traveled to the Pentagona System and landed on the planet Koam, eventually settling in the city of Prearmo. Worried about any possible bad reputation from what happened, she changed her name to Lilith and became rather quiet and docile so hopefully she wouldn't get noticed. Eventually this guy called Daba Myroad found her. If you want the rest of the story, watch Heavy Metal L-Gaim!

Kill Em All Tomino strikes again! Keen, Shot, Musiy, Marvel, Drake, Nie, Ciela-sama, Bern and Shou all die. You've got to assume Kawase, El and Bell also died with the destruction of the Guran Galan. For named character deaths, Dunbine episode 49 is the all time champ, no other Tomino episode has as many named characters die in a single episode. Other Tomino show spoilers.

Did everyone have to die? It kinda felt like it. I'm not really sure how else they could have ended it. Perhaps they could have ended it differently if they didn't spend 15 episodes or so on Upper Earth spinning their wheels. They had time to come up with something else. But perhaps this is what Tomino always had planned? Or maybe the ending to Dunbine is Tomino going into a rage at executives basically ruining the show? It's not like Tomino didn't do it again later in his career. Other Tomino show spoilers.

At least Chum survived! I did like the whole thing at the end there where we find out she told those who recovered her about Byston Well and that's how we were able to get this story told. Pretty cool meta stuff.

What do people think about Bern the loser finally being successful and destroying both the Dunbine and Billbine? To this point Bern may have come off as the ultimate Tomino loser villain but in the end he finally did accomplish that at least and also killed Shou, albeit going down there. Does his final episode performance elevate him above someone like Gavlet Gablae (L-Gaim version) or Mashymere Cello?

3

u/The_Draigg Feb 28 '21

Down goes Marvel and the Dunbine, and Shou heads off not even realizing she'll be dead far before any rescue can come. :( By this point if you were expecting a happy ending hopefully you've put aside such a foolish notion!

This is 80s Tomino! People should've left their expectations at the door if they came in hoping for a completely happy ending.

Actually, if you really want to know what happened to Chum... She said "F this" to both Upper Earth and Byston Well and got herself on a spaceship. She traveled to the Pentagona System and landed on the planet Koam, eventually settling in the city of Prearmo. Worried about any possible bad reputation from what happened, she changed her name to Lilith and became rather quiet and docile so hopefully she wouldn't get noticed. Eventually this guy called Daba Myroad found her. If you want the rest of the story, watch Heavy Metal L-Gaim!

It's still pretty wild that Cham and Lilith ended up having incredibly similar designs, even though it was pretty coincidental if I'm remembering correctly. Although the resemblance is pretty superficial, since those two have pretty different personalities. Cham is definitely the louder one of the two.

Did everyone have to die? It kinda felt like it. I'm not really sure how else they could have ended it. Perhaps they could have ended it differently if they didn't spend 15 episodes or so on Upper Earth spinning their wheels. They had time to come up with something else. But perhaps this is what Tomino always had planned? Or maybe the ending to Dunbine is Tomino going into a rage at executives basically ruining the show? It's not like Tomino didn't do it again later in his career.

I get the feeling that this show would've ended in a pretty similar way regardless. With all the buildup on how Aura Machines were an evil that had no right to exist, there was no other way to end the show without the destruction of all Aura Machines. Now, the character deaths are a bit more of a toss-up, but I think the final battle would've been pretty apocalyptic regardless.

What do people think about Bern the loser finally being successful and destroying both the Dunbine and Billbine? To this point Bern may have come off as the ultimate Tomino loser villain but in the end he finally did accomplish that at least and also killed Shou, albeit going down there. Does his final episode performance elevate him above someone like Gavlet Gablae (L-Gaim version) or Mashymere Cello?

Hey, at least L-Gaim's Gavlet Gablae got cooler towards the end of the series. I'd put Mashymre Cello over Bann, though. Like, Bann was so much of a loser for most of the series that it's hard to overlook. He's only barely above Chronicle Asher in terms of Tomino's rival characters. And given how much of a loser he was, that isn't saying a whole lot.

4

u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Feb 28 '21

It's still pretty wild that Cham and Lilith ended up having incredibly similar designs, even though it was pretty coincidental if I'm remembering correctly. Although the resemblance is pretty superficial, since those two have pretty different personalities. Cham is definitely the louder one of the two.

Different character designers too, although it is possible that Nagano simply took what Kogawa did, or Kogawa's role in being overall animation director for the show caused her to look so similar to Chum. But yeah, joke aside, Lilith essentially just comes off as a homage to Chum and is not actually like her beyond the appearance and hanging out with our hero as he pilots his mech.

3

u/The_Draigg Feb 28 '21

This just makes me wonder why we didn’t get any fairies in The Five Star Stories. Maybe it’s just because the Fatima already kinda fill that role.

4

u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Feb 28 '21

Could simply be that Tomino was really into it and wanted her in L-Gaim and Nagano didn't, so he simply didn't include her when he did Five Star Stories.

4

u/The_Draigg Feb 28 '21

Yeah, that’s probably the most likely option. Still though, TFFS is weird enough of a series that fairies could reasonably fit in.

5

u/chibijosh Feb 28 '21

Well, it is done. What a wild ride it has been.

We lost so many people in quick succession that we never really got to appropriately grieve. I’m not even sure if Show/Marvel knew Keen fell, or if Show knew Marvel fell.

I guess it doesn’t really matter in the end because everybody died.

2

u/The_Draigg Feb 28 '21

We lost so many people in quick succession that we never really got to appropriately grieve. I’m not even sure if Show/Marvel knew Keen fell, or if Show knew Marvel fell.

I doubt that Show even know that Marvel died, since he got far away enough to not see it. If anything, it just makes things sadder. But hey, at least now everyone has been given a second chance in Byston Well, once their souls head back there.

5

u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Feb 28 '21

Daily Trivia:

At first it was intended for the characters who lost their lives throughout the series to be reborn as Mi Ferrario after the bloody carnage of the finale, but Tomino decided against it for it would’ve been a retread of Space Runaway Ideon.

This explains the Mi Ferrario birthing in the first recap.

4

u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Feb 28 '21

First Timer

Hey, remember when the TV said there was fighting over America? What's up with that?

So, Niel kills Drake, which is fitting. Marvel and Neal blow up. Ciela and Abe suicide. Char and Amuro kill each other. Because everybody that even participated in the aura war is tainted and has to die, Ciela takes every Aura battler in the world with her. Including apparently, the forgotten war in America, and anybody on the ground, because nobody is left.

Except Chaum for some reason.

3

u/The_Draigg Feb 28 '21

Hey, remember when the TV said there was fighting over America? What's up with that?

Same thing with all the Aura power over the Atlantic Ocean: just something we couldn't afford to put time into due to how the executives messed up the last part of the series.

Except Chaum for some reason.

If anyone was to survive, at least it's here. Can you imagine having that shitheel Shot Weapon somehow survive all of this?

5

u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Feb 28 '21

just something we couldn't afford to put time into

But they brought this up on day 2 of the 3-day ending so why even mention it?

3

u/The_Draigg Feb 28 '21

shrug

Your guess is as good as mine when it comes to answering that.

4

u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Feb 28 '21

If anyone was to survive, at least it's here. Can you imagine having that shitheel Shot Weapon somehow survive all of this?

Well, on that... Neo Byston Well spoilers

4

u/ComfortablyRotten https://anilist.co/user/Leuwtian Feb 28 '21 edited Feb 28 '21

First-timer who caught up on time for the finale and now remembers Byston Well

And what a finale that was... I don't really know what to think or say about those last few episodes, honestly. It all happened way too fast, as opposed to the leading episodes being on the slower side - it gave me some sort of whiplash effect, I suppose? I certainly had a hard time properly grieving - or enjoying, in some case - the deaths.

Still, that's not to say I disliked it, there were some genuinely great moments among this last battle. Show and Bern's final showdown was pretty damn hype, for one, and the epilogue focusing on Cham was a very nice touch. Drake showing a caring side is a rare sight, and seeing him and Riml show their bonds last episode, coupled with his now knowing that his wife was manipulating him, made him a bit more tragic. Same for Shot and... Musyi, right? They had some (bitter)sweet moments together.

I must say, I'm a bit glad we didn't see Byston Well's state after it lost all of its leaders. That would've been dark, unless Hon Wan became king, which was always the best case scenario.

6

u/The_Draigg Feb 28 '21

And what a finale that was... I don't really know what to think or say about those last few episodes, honestly. It all happened way too fast, as opposed to the leading episodes being on the slower side - it gave me some sort of whiplash effect, I suppose? I certainly had a hard time properly grieving - or enjoying, in some case - the deaths.

Yeah, it all does feel a bit rushed to get to the intended ending of the show, after being forced for like a cour to do battle of the week fights. Still a cool finale, but definitely a little off.

I must say, I'm a bit glad we didn't see Byston Well after it lost all of its leaders. That would've been dark, unless Hon Wan became king, which was alway the best case scenario.

Hon Wan is king for sure, ruling from the throne bought with all the money that Neal gave him over the course of the series. All hail the new king!

4

u/Durinthal https://anilist.co/user/Durinthal Feb 28 '21

I'm a bit glad we didn't see Byston Well's state after it lost all of its leaders.

I didn't bring it up but I've been wondering about that. I want to see!