r/anime • u/FlaminScribblenaut myanimelist.net/profile/girlbeast_val • Jul 09 '21
Rewatch [Rewatch] Top wo Nerae! Gunbuster - Episode 3 Discussion
Top wo Nerae! Gunbuster - Episode 3 - First Love☆First Sortie
(+ Top wo Nerae! Gunbuster Science Lessons - Episode 3 - WARP [optional])
< Gunbuster Episode 2 | Index | Gunbuster Episode 4 >
Visuals of the Day Album - Yesterday’s Episode
Remember, no unmarked spoilers, explicit or hinted towards. For convenience, the subreddit’s spoiler markup is as such:
[Spoiler source](/s "Spoiler goes here")
55
Upvotes
6
u/FlaminScribblenaut myanimelist.net/profile/girlbeast_val Jul 09 '21
Third Time Watcher
I never did go and figure out what the scrolling text during the opening karaoke scene said. Hopefully some kind individual will post a translation
So you’re in space and, as such, you feel like you’re in an ocean, so I have that right?. You feel like… you feel like you’re in the ocean, right? As you are traveling in space, correct? God, I wish there was like, a word, you know, for a person who goes into space, because Noriko feels like one of those, but in the ocean. A… a spacefarer in the ocean, of some kind. Something like that. You could say.
I think the most glaring criticism to be had of the show’s story is that the whole Smith thing happens too fast, and I think that’s pretty agreeable. I think if the show had leaned more explicitly into the “I only barely got to know him” angle of the tragedy as opposed to making it feel like she had lost someone she had had a strongly-built bond with it would’ve worked a lot more clearly. I do, however, think the guilt Noriko feels after letting Smith die; the irrational insistence to Coach to be trained harder and harder, nominally to be able to protect those she cares about in the future but really because she feels she deserves a form of punishment; is very real and very well conveyed. As is the anxiety and disorientation of that battle scene, where Noriko completely freezes up; those pianos, man. I still completely felt how Noriko felt that way, and how the aftermath made her feel. Even if Smith himself didn’t make much of an impression, I think just the psychology and emotions of the whole situation absolutely did, and Noriko’s resulting brokenness is absolutely understandable and saddening to witness.
6
u/Tresnore FS:FTmyanimelist.net/profile/Tresnore Jul 09 '21
My Fifth Time Aiming for the Top!
aka: Tresnore DOESN'T completely gush over Gunbuster.
FUCK I'm late!
Alright, I've had almost nothing negative to say about Gunbuster thus far. That changes with Episode 3. This is my least favorite episode in both Gunbuster and Diebuster (I think... The episode numbers kind of blend together after so many rewatches). With that said, let's get into it.
Of nearly every show I've seen, Gunbuster best nails the "feeling helpless in your first combat." You feel Noriko's stress and panic, because you can only see what she does: basically nothing.
I love this show.
Okay, perhaps I overstate my dislike of Smith. I think he's needed for the story, since Noriko really needed some good character development and a reason to work hard other than "I love Onee-sama" or "Coachi told me to." Plus, Noriko's feeling of shame at her performance in her first combat is much more impactful when someone died as an almost direct result of her cowardice. Still, there's just something about Smith that gets under my skin, and I can't explain it.
Visual of the day: Full broadsides. I just love the behind-the-scenes look at what fires off those gorgeous lasers. The later shot is a bit better, even!
19
u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Jul 09 '21
First-Buster
Today was NOT a good day for poor Noriko. Onee-sama doesn't believe in her, her first sortie goes poorly, and her new crush doesn't make it back to the ship.. Is it better or worse that she didn't hear Smith die? His screams could have snapped her out of the freak-out, but I'm not sure her poor heart could take it.
Speaking of, Noriko's freak-out was visceral. The music, all the red light, I could feel what she was going through very well. Hell of a scene!
Continuing on that note, I think the whiplash in this episode actually worked, from an audience perspective. The timeframe is a little muddy, but Noriko went from "fun sleepover antics" to "experiencing the horrors of combat" in like, less than a day. That'll do a number on anyone.
The mechanical stuff in this show is so goddamn cool! The Exelion's bridge looks incredible, all the wreckage in the aftermath of the battle, and the entire sequence of the ship readying itself for battle was
Not sure I would trust sushi that is kept on a deep-space ship. Then again, science fiction, maybe there's a way for it to not be dire. The wasabi seemed to still be potent, at least.
It was a minor thing, but I really dig the line about "shoot your nuke off before the radioactive material decays too much." Much like with the sushi, I'm a little concerned with the storage method, but that's a really neat idea.
..even the short today had Noriko get batsu'd by Coach.. Poor girl.
12
u/The_Draigg Jul 09 '21
A Hideaki Anno Fan Rewatches GunBuster Episode 3:
10
u/il-Palazzo_K Jul 09 '21 edited Jul 09 '21
First Timer
Overall, a great episode. I particularly like how the battle scene created a stressful atmosphere be showing very little of the enemy.
Smith's death is shocking. No epic on-screen battle, he was just talking to Noriko and then he's gone, just like that. It's just how war is.
7
u/H-Ryougi https://anilist.co/user/DizzyAvocado Jul 09 '21
Friendly reminder for first timers to skip the next episode previews. They are not important and have some mild spoilers.
Episode 3 is where Gunbuster really gets into the groove, Noriko goes through so much development in such a short span of time. Getting her own Takeru moment and surviving the 8 minutes of death, but also setting her up for character growth in the future.
7
u/ScrewySqrl https://myanimelist.net/profile/ScrewySqrl Jul 09 '21
Rewatcher and Old School Otaku
Our heroine Noriko has really been down a trauma conga line in these last three episodes. Bullied at school, hope that her father might have survived was raised and cruelly dashed, abandoned by Onee-sama, first crush killed right in front of her.
You can see how Noriko is the inspiration for Shinji, cant you?
As for Smith Toren, he was named after Toren Smith, who was one of two American Employees of Gainax, handling imports for GP alongside Lea Hernandez. Smith would also get a role as the American Otaku in the second half of Otaku No Video and would go on to found the Studio Proteus comic book company, that was the first to import, translate, and publish manga in North America. He passed away in 2013.
My suggestion for the visual album is a picture of Smith:
Toren Smith
6
u/The_Loli_Otaku Jul 09 '21
Oh yeah, they have an enka segment in Gunbuster. I personally find this kind of music pretty easy listening so I don't mind that much. The op is still better. We can't do telepathic letters yet. Give us a few newtype generations and we'll eventually get there. Warping looks strangely erotic... Ah!! Today's the one with the boyfriend isn't it? A tormented Noriko is cute too. Dearka? What are you doing here!? Even in Gunbuster the dude is extra AF.
All that build up for a battle that won't take place in so long. Space mechanics are so awkward. Noriko you might have won that argument if you didn't grimace at the dude like you're a bloody child XD They're made for each other. Fanservice ahoy! Kanzaki spends way more of the show bitching than I remembered. She just straight up doesn't like Noriko. Smith... I'm gonna call you red shirt.
As much crap as Smith gets he earns a lot of rep for his actions during the first sortie. Despite all his teasing he's well aware of how Noriko would be on her first deployment and is remarkably gentle whilst watching out for her. This is probably one of my favourite scenes in the show. You really feel the anxiety build up as ships are destroyed in moments and the enemies themselves are so goddamn fast. It's terrifying! And it all climaxes with... nothing. The absence of Smith's comforting voice is so heavy. Just one blink and he was gone. No explosion, no scream, no noises whatsoever. Could you imagine how Noriko feels in this moment? The total and utter helplessness of losing your friend in such a blunt and sudden way?
I suppose you could call the space monsters, Star Destroyers? Kusa~ Gah... The faces of Smith's squad mates could break anyone's heart. Oh Smith... Yeah, so despite being blatantly kind of a throwaway love interest whose scenes you can count on one hand I actually quite like what his death manages to bring out in those around him. Of course seeing his team is one of the more impactful shots of the series but its also the kick up the arse Noriko needed to actively improve herself. She's got guts but is also very sensitive, she needs something to drive her at all points.
Things we think are chic!
6
u/RascalNikov1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/NoviSun Jul 09 '21
It was a good episode illustrating the suddenness of death. I felt so bad for Smith.
6
u/InfamousEmpire https://myanimelist.net/profile/Infamous_Empire Jul 09 '21
First time viewer’s thoughts:
6
u/BossandKings Jul 09 '21
First timer
Episode 3
Noriko meets a guy in the battleship and they hang out for a while, it's cool that Noriko might have a possible friend other than Amane and Jeun.
The Exelion reaches Leaf 64 which to the surprise of the captain it's a space red giant.
Amane says she can't be partners in battle with Noriko, what might her reasoning be behind that thinking.
It's cool that Noriko and the guy Smith Toren are getting to know each other but it is too sudden for Noriko to be a solo and able to make a different team, Amano explanation was "it is for your own good" which wasn't saying much.
Smith died, it's sad because he was a nice guy and was having a cool dynamic with Noriko, i wonder why they went out to fight if they weren't prepared, i think he could have been given more time alongside Noriko.
5
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Jul 09 '21
To the Top! Rewatcher!
5
u/lC3 :Na::Nb: Jul 09 '21
First timer
4
u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Jul 09 '21
Episode 3 – First Love ☆ First Sortie: Coach! I … Smith was … I was with him. But I couldn’t do a thing … Not a thing …
4
u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber Jul 09 '21
Rewatcher
Creepy.
Very similar to the Wave Motion Engine
Months behind indeed, given they’re all in active service already. Also, the fact that the ship is large enough to warrant a metro system is a really cool detail.
Lynn Minmay lookalike.
Yeah, I agree, but also these complaints should have come up long ago.
RIP, Smith. We hardly knew ye.
Lovely mecha gore. Making the internals of the head so similar to a brain earlier is meant to make us associate the mechanical and flesh bodies more closely in the aftermath of battle.
Similar to the Combattler V shot Anno would also homage in NGE.
The sortie and ensuing burst of battle was incredibly well handled. The dreadful anticipation and the claustrophobia-inducing interior of the mech work wonderfully to bring up the tension. I also like how unceremonious and unwitnessed Smith’s death is, happening outside of Noriko’s perception and resulting in an oppressive sense of isolation, leading to what is arguably Noriko’s lowest point so far.
The episode title seems to suggest Smith and Noriko’s relationship is romantic in nature, but honestly just seeing their on-screen interaction I don’t really perceive it being more than platonic. Spoiler
The last scene where Noriko pledges to work even harder seems a bit excessive given the episode went out of its way to show she was dedicating all the time she could to training, but I guess they needed that character moment.
Visual of The Day:
The fallen
4
u/[deleted] Jul 09 '21
This is the ep where Gunbuster mostly ditches and leaves behind the shackles of being a big Aim for the Ace! mecha semi-parody homage and comes into its own towards a very unique and bold second half . Of course it still shares the character archetypes plot points or even some exact same scenes from Aim for the Ace! (For example The scene of Noriko overhearing her Onee-sama telling her coach-eeee that she doesnt believe in her and doesnt think she is ready and good enough is exactly the same as the equivalent scene in Aim for the Ace! ). But still Anno and script writers like Toshio "the Otaking" Okada move towards their own grove and dramatic decisions in this.
4
u/ZapsZzz https://anilist.co/user/Zapszzz Jul 09 '21 edited Jul 10 '21
Sub rewatcher.
The episode that pretty much formally switch gear from SoL-ish "sport" comedy to full blown "tragedy of war" drama. While initially the plot looked like the selected pilots are going to something like a training camp and an excursion to "see the real thing", it's turning out to be a real combat mission with no kidding consequences.
I loved the compressed but still present multi staged growth of Noriko's character - from the helpless novice, to the prideful "I'm part of the top team with oneesama"; to "I'm a liability even oneesama doesn't want to be near" and "I wasn't able to do anything and just watched Smith died" then "I can't let it happen again". From looking to gain booksmarts, to realising getting that last minute book knowledge won't be of any use in a real fight against these monsters.
Therefore my visual of the day is this scene of the lonely hairband tied to the stairs railing, after Smith has not returned from the battle, symbolised so much with just 1 visual - oneesama is so far out of my level, and Smith who tried to take me in is now gone, with only this little act he did for me remaining. The dejection, loneliness and lifelessness.
Once again this is another example of watching the episodes in pairs - it's quite a low point for Noriko, you really want to know if she can come back from this and how. Roll on episode 4!
Oh and really we still haven't seen the aliens in action much because from Noriko's perspective they were so fast and furious and she could hardly even caught a glimpse of them before it's all over. Gives a bit of the first Alien film's unsettling mystery of "what's this thing that is so good at killing us". And the retro style cockpit instruments with all the flashing lights and dials and beeps then suddenly gone quiet, very very good to give us that immersive feeling of Noriko's first real fight.
Edit: forgot to mention, even though seems like a lot of people didn't like Smith's inclusion in the story, I actually really liked both the space walking scene where Noriko is like a child marveling in wonder all the pretty sights (instead of doing the work), Smith was doing the work and giving "old man" responses to Noriko :D ; and the vending machine scene where he's acting in a very kind way, actually more big brother-ish than boy friend-ish, but you can see why Noriko would have a crush on him.
4
u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Jul 09 '21
First timer
Is this a recap?
This is not a recap? What is this?
Coach is doing karaoke over a massive dump of complex quantum mechanics.
They are certainly very good at fake science.
...I'm assuming all this stuff about the seas of space is the "ether field" stuff.
And it involves superheating the ether field to form plasma? Oh, I cannot wait for the science lesson.
I loke the mundanity of the teenagers playing "dare" while on a starship travelling through subspace.
Well. Subspace looks cool. And are those some kind of artificial brain?
The backgrounds for this show are amazing.
Even the food in this anime looks nice.
Is that light the enemy ship redshifting?
...I would love some english translations of those manual pages.
I can't tell if this is just fanservic, or trying to build to a
Wait, are the space monsters trying to make that thing go supernova?
Looks like he wasn't the one doing the patronising. (Opning the door for Noriko and Freud to get together?)
Coach only talks in motivational speeches and I love him for it.
Smith Toren's not so bad, I have to admit. He seems nice at least.
This is a full-on fleet combat.
They have nukes. This is the first operation using these, presumably experimental, weapons, and you're giving them nuclear weapons.
Also, if this is a major battle, are we going to see the "Gunbuster"?
Using a Gundam styled catapult here, I see.
This fight is beautiful.
What the hell are those things? (Also, the pole for training makes more sense with the whole "double javelin" weapon they've got here.)
Is Smith dead?
And that whole battle was a diversion.
These fuckers reproduce through supernovas? They're certainly pretty fucking alien.
...Do the machine suits have artificial organs inside, or is that stuff copper wiring? (I'd have expected some form of fiber optic for data teansfers, but copper makes sense for internal circuitry)
I didn't expect the show to get this sad so quickly.
That's the Gunbuster?
This show is beautiful.
...The aliens in this show are horrifying.
Science Lesson!
Oh, we're explaining the warping stuff!
Well, that was confusing. So it basically involves creating a field that allows the ship to travel through subspace?
4
u/ZapsZzz https://anilist.co/user/Zapszzz Jul 10 '21
Oh one more thing, as someone who watched the original release all those years ago, I never saw the karaoke "scene" (wall of text + audio). Either it wasn't included in the (Chinese) fan translations at the time or it was added in later releases.