The 1988 OVA series Gunbuster continues to be a real favorite among fans, standing the test of time, and I even got my family to watch it recently where they discovered a whole lot of fun and enjoyment coming from it. Unfortunately, the series has been out of print for some time and hopes for a new license pickup somewhere is floated around from time to time. The folks at Siren Visual were asked this recently on their page as they’re a potentially good match for the show as a releasing studio in the Australian market:
Would you ever consider picking up more classic titles like you have recently (like Monster, Nadia and Rahxephon)? Personally I’d love to see an English Blu-Ray release of Gainax’s Gunbuster OVA series to compliment Nadia’s release which I just finished watching. I have the movie Blu-Ray which looks fantastic, but is very fragmented as it cuts a lot out from the OVAs. It feels like a title up your alley and something I don’t doubt Anime Limited/All The Anime would be a little interested in too to split authoring/mastering costs.
LOVE Gunbuster, but the last time I checked with the licensor, the original series had lingering copyright issues over the soundtrack. The second series was released by Discotek Media not so long ago.
The lingering issue is that part of the theme from it is inspired by the Vangelis theme from the Chariots of Fire movie. This wasn’t a problem for a long time, most likely under the radar, but when it was discovered the show itself was shelved not only for overseas licensing but has also dried up in Japan, presumably while litigation, negotiations and other aspects are dealt with. Which is unfortunate as the series is one that in our humble opinion belongs on most every anime fan’s shelf in order to highlight some of the best of the genre and the early creative attempts of Gainax.
Plot concept: In the very near future, a race of huge, insect-like aliens is discovered traveling the galaxy. These aliens seem dedicated to the eradication of the human species as it takes its first steps away from the solar system, and they are getting closer and closer to Earth. Humanity has responded by developing space-going battleships and giant fighting robots. These robots are piloted by the best and brightest of Earth’s youth, picked from training schools around the world. The story begins in the year 2023, not long after the first battles with the aliens, and centers on young Noriko Takaya. Although Noriko’s father was a famous captain in the space fleet who was killed during one of the first battles of the war, her own talents as a pilot are questionable. Nonetheless, she has entered a training school. Through the series Noriko, joined by the beautiful and talented Kazumi Amano, will fight to overcome the trauma of war, the doubts of her peers, and her own lack of confidence.
[Source: Siren Visual]
The recent Japanese Blu-ray Disc release of Gunbuster includes (alongside the original stereo mix) a new 5.1 audio track. And when I say new, I mean that they re-recorded all of the dialogue and re-did the sound effects for surround. (I�ve heard that they lost the original dubbing elements.) The music is the same except for that one troublesome piece which was replaced with a different track from the OST (but it still fits the scene really well). If the �Chariots of Fire� music is the problem, I don�t understand why they don�t just release it with only the new 5.1 mix. (The previous Region 1 DVD release used the original audio mix but similarly replaced that one piece of BGM.)