Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Heavycloud02
Recently, on a whim, I did a re-watch of this for the first time in many years. I was first surprised to see how well this anime holds up over 20 years later. It hardly felt dated at all and feels the most fresh out of maybe all of the stuff Gainax created. The second thing that surprised me was how low the score is for this 6 episode gem so I thought I'd write a review for it. (I'll be referring to this OVA as Diebuster and the original as Gunbuster)
The animation style, quality, fluidity, character/mecha designs, soundtrack, and even the story telling in Diebuster all top tier here. Some other reviews have said the story is somehow hard to follow but I'm not exactly sure where that is the case. I'd describe this OVA as a work of art, something I'd say about preciously few other anime. I…
Read at the sourceSp1cyCrab
Didn't like the first one, don't like the second one too.
For a show purely about spectacle that doesn't want you to think (the enemy alien race is just called Space Monsters) it does like to talk and explain a lot. It's slightly less horny than Gunbuster (but still unnecessary so). It doesn't pretend to be Real Robot, what you see in the first episode is what you get.
Nono is a more enjoyable protagonist than Noriko. She is endearing, clumsy but full of conviction. The animation in general is great and CGI robots are ok.
It suffers the same issue: it doesn't know what its trying to say. There are cool concepts here and there that don't have time to be explored.
As others reviewers said, Diebuster is so different from the original, that if you like Gunbuster you probably won't like Die…
Read at the sourceYamaGucci_g00n3y
To sum it up, this anime is essentially Evangelion and FLCL combined into a cesspool of GAINAX cliches.
By no means is this OVA necessarily bad, but it feels contrived. GAINAX plots are notorious for being indecipherable, and unsurprisingly, this show's plot is overly elliptical in its pacing, pun intended. It does have a cohesive plot once you do some brainstorming, but like I said, there's hardly time for most viewers to weigh in to connect the dots. I found myself pausing time again to grasp what was happening.
I feel like there's always an effort on part of GAINAX loyalists to read too far into the studio's plots -- like they do so for EVA and FLCL. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love EVA, and I really enjoyed FLCL. However, it was admitted that Evangelion used religious symbolis…
Read at the sourceredhairbanchou
Diebuster is also known as Gunbuster 2 - positioning itself as a sequel to the 1988 OVA series, Gunbuster, Gainax's first big hit. Indeed, it was produced as a 15th anniversary project for that series. Expect spoilers for Gunbuster - you should watch that first (it's better, anyway) - as well as minor spoilers for Diebuster itself.
Story (4/10): Set about a decade before the last scene of episode 6 of Gunbuster (and thus some 12,000 years after episode 1), Diebuster follows a robot with a profound connection to a character from Gunbuster (if you've seen that, you will know immediately who this is); more on this in the Characters section. The long and short of it is that it's not great. Diebuster fails at one of the guiding principles of storytelling - show, don't tell. I'd wager a good 30…
Read at the sourceB3r1x
Top wo Nerae 2! or Diebuster, or Gunbuster 2, or Reach for the Top 2! is a mid 2000s mecha anime by Studio Gainax, well known for producing Neon Genesis Evangelion, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, and also other shows which I haven't seen.
I have however seen Gunbuster, and it was better than Diebuster.
That's the entire review. Watch Gunbuster instead.
Kidding.
Diebuster is a very average mecha anime, at least in my eyes. Let's start with the good. The art has some very good moments, especially in the later episodes, though character designs fall a little flat for me.
Sound is fine- nothing is especially memorable, and the OP and ending are... fine?
When we get to character and plot, that's where things start to fall apart for me. Plot-wise, this does not feel like a sequel to Gunbuster…
Read at the sourceRiilu
A really bad sequel to a really great show.
Story makes little sense, found myself lost as to what was happening. The fanservice nudity was distracting and very in-your-face. Just seems like an extreme fanservice romp for cumbrained otaku. First 3 episodes are nothing but trash, 4-6 is a little better but not by much.
It's just space magic and absurd spectacle with squealing obnoxious girls who must have an allergy to clothes. Tries desperately to wring some tears out of gunbuster fans by hitting you with "At the end of the river of time" but ultimately fails to have any real emotional impact due to underdeveloped characters and nonsense story where stuff just "happens".
If you liked Gunbuster it's not worth watching Diebuster.
Read at the sourceggultra2764
Diebuster serves as a sequel to Gainax’s classic mecha series, Gunbuster, that is set thousands of years following the events of Gunbuster. Focused on a seemingly clutzy teenage girl named Nono, she aspires to become a space pilot and comes to idolize Lal’C Mellk Mal, a girl around Nono’s age who is the pilot of the Buster Machine mecha known as Dix-Neuf. Lal’C is part of the Fraternity, a group of teen mecha pilots called Topless who each have their own Buster Machines used to combat a mysterious space monster threatening humanity’s expansion into space. As Nono interacts with Lal’C and the Fraternity, she comes to realize some truths about herself that make her realize she isn’t an ordinary girl.
Suppose one thing I should get out of the way with covering Diebuster is the many nods it m…
Read at the sourceActar
Diebuster (Gunbuster/Aim for the Top 2) is the perfect sequel anime. In this age of unnecessary sequels that capitalize on the original for the sake of nostalgia-baiting its fanbase, Diebuster 2 is both an oasis in the desert and a masterclass in how to do a sequel right.
So many people say that Diebuster can't beat the original and I agree. It doesn't beat it. It embraces it. It elevates it. It champions it. And that's why I personally think Diebuster is one of the best anime sequels out there. It succeeds precisely because the original was already so amazing. To say that one is better than the other is simply doing both a disservice.
To elaborate, Diebuster expertly expands on the mythos of the original series while being 100% respectful to the original material. The older characters d…
Read at the sourceCodeBlazeFate
Some things need to stand alone.
Sequels are a gamble, especially when the time gap between original and sequel grows and grows. They tend to be put under more scrutiny than their predecessors, as they not only have to deal with standing tall as installments in their own right, but they need to provide merit as a sequel to a product that never needed one. The trickiest prospect involved is the anniversary sequel, as that is where you’re most likely to enact the gambit. Some projects of this nature can pay off in a way that respects the original and becomes its own product, perhaps even succeeding it in the process. However, not everyone can do a Turn A Gundam, and instead, some make Diebuster.
Put it simply, it fails both ways. As a series, it features mediocre at best and largely uninte…
Read at the sourcePyramidSinger
Long story short: Another series with amazing animation, action, and visual design tainted by Gainax being Gainax. This series would be a solid 8 or even a 9, but the bare-bones plot, mostly forgettable characters, absurd plethora of fanservice and uncomfortable exploitation of the female lead leave a sour taste in your mouth. Otherwise this could have been the best thing Gainax ever did. In some ways it's much better than Gunbuster but in others even more frustrating.
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Story: As I said, it's pretty bare plot. Nono wants to become a space pilot because her hero was one. She meets Lal'C, a "Topless" who has a psychic connection to a Buster Machine, and immediately forms a bond with her for reasons that are somewhat lost on me. The rest of the series is mainly a bunch of teen…
Read at the sourceFear_the_Reefer
Out of all the fears that lurk in the back of our minds, there are some that are obvious... From spiders, darkness and the unknown to more everyday occurrences like violence, death, and the constant threat of insectoid invaders from outer space. But there’s one fear that people often overlook, and it’s one that can completely consume your life... The fear of absolute solitude. Not having a past, not having a future, just being alone, with nobody to look out for you but yourself. For some people, this wouldn’t be so bad... After all, as it’s been said, there’s no feeling freer than having nothing left to lose. But to Nono, a spunky girl surviving by the skin of her teeth on the planet Mars, there’s nothing cool or ideal about it. Having spent an unknown and potentially unfathomable amount o…
Read at the sourceNotenSMSK
Top wo Nerae 2! Diebuster is a hard anime to review. Basically because it is hard to analyse it without comparing it to its prequel. However: that isn't wrong, considering it IS a sequel and it does connect with the original OVA. Furthermore, it tries to conclude with various references to Gunbuster so rather it would be futile to look at it as a stand alone work and it couldn't be appreciated without the comparison either.
Having said that - the story of Top wo Nerae 2! Diebuster isn't sublime. For one, it lets go of the realistic, more scientifically organized orientation that the first OVA set and picks up a rather far fetched fictional approach. That is mainly a neg as a sequel. Pushing technology ahead is one thing, but just coming up with ideas that seem to be written at a drinking…
Read at the sourceLoopyfish
To me, the difference between a good and a great anime is usually the ending.
After seeing the first OVA series, Gunbuster, the ending to diebuster created overwhelming amounts of satisfaction and sense of fulfillment - this is not an ordinary occurrence in alot of anime.
Please, do yourselves a favor and even if you cannot bare to watch an old anime, from 1989, bare with it and watch the original gunbuster to the end before you watch this.
In terms of overall anime quality; it seems like you average, overpowered mech anime, such as tengen toppa.
I never imagined i'd write a review for this when i started watching it; but my goodness i feel satisfied after watching ALL of it. I give the story a 10 out of 10 simply due to this reason - the ending.
Please watch this series, you may find…
Read at the sourceqrdel
"Nazenara wa.... Nonoriri is a normal girl"
Diebuster, or Gunbuster 2 or Top No Nare 2! or simply Aim for the Top 2! is one of the best attempts that GAINAX has ever made to create a short yet heart blasting show that makes you fall in love with it from the very first minute of the first episode. Not many can achieve it. Somehow, Gainax can.
The story features a robot-girl Nono who, of all things in the world, wants to become a space pilot the most. In order to do so she follows one of the top fighters - Lark, who pilots Dex Neuf - artificial Buster machine no 19. That's a very short summary of this anime. Why short? Because this is just a core to the whole story which, while not being very complex, sucks you in with no quarter till the final minutes of the show.
This is something unca…
Read at the sourceNatsu_D_Luffy
The technical sequel of Gunbuster!!!!!! but the spiritual sequel of FLCL....
Anyway, wile Gunbuster was more of a depressing story, this one is more uplifting and "badass." I would say that it was a prequel to Gurren Lagann in ways such as style and philosophy (I mean just look at Nono).
Over all, this was a more fun show to watch compared to gunbuster and its art was definitely prettier. Also, the director of this show is about 50 million times superior to Anno, as Anno cannot direct his way out of a paper bag.
Read at the sourceMliekseter
There are, perhaps, 3 reasons why this is my Favourite Anime. And one why it nearly isn't...
Firstly, and most importantly, I simply Love the style of it. The Animation is, in my opinion awesome. Ever watched Tengen Toppa or FLCL? Its Gainax at its best, doing those wonderful super-deformed animations that manages to maintain a very high quality of animation. Its not realistic in any sense of the word, but you still find yourself watching it and finding it so easy to understand.
Secondly, the story is a follow on to the original Gunbuster. Which, for me, somewhat set the bar for many Mecha Animes. But more importantly, it isn't really a Sequel. It doesn't finish off the plot of Gunbuster; Gunbuster doesn't need finishing, it had a pretty definitive end. What it does is proves to us that No…
Read at the sourceArchaeon
Many people will know the name of Hideaki Anno, in particular because of Neon Genesis Evangelion. His directorial debut though, was an OVA called Top wo Nerae (known as Gunbuster in the West), and whilst NGE has many, many advocates, I will admit to being one of the few who consider his debut work to be superior in almost every aspect. That said, I approached the sequel, Diebuster, with a degree of trepidation, in particular because the directorial reins had been handed over to Tsurumaki Kazuya, who also directed FLCL, NGE: Death & Rebirth, and the first two installments of the NGE remakes.
To say I was surprised by the end result would be an understatement.
Top wo Nerae 2 takes a bit of getting used to, especially for fans of the original series. The style, plot and scripting are very…
Read at the sourcepachu
After watching Gunbuster/Top wo Nerae! i was crazy wanting to see more of the history, and then i saw Gunbuster 2/Top wo Nerae 2! To my surprise, on the first scnenes, it appears to be totally different or not correlated to the 1st series.
Then, like the 1st series, it began popping aliens, space and kinda different mechas? Different you say? Yes, the Top wo Nerae 2! mechas look much more like the EVAs than the 1st series mechas. But on the first chapters you note that this 2nd series battles are much MORE OVERPOWERED than the 1st series.
With you think that Dragon Ball Z is overpowered, think again, Diebuster 2 is the winner.
Overall, the anime has interesting art, looking like FLCL (it is the same director), the songs are great, and the action is intense like the 1st season.
But the…
Read at the sourceKarura
It is important to note that this is a continuation, and as such, will be reviewed under the assumption one has seen the prequel.
Lets get down to it. Top wo Nerae! 2, alsno known as Diebuster is the indirect sequel to Top wo Nerae/Gunbuster. I enjoyed this short OVA substantially because of its presentation.
Plot
The story follows a girl called Nono who wishes to be a "Topless," which is basically an ace mech pilot to put it simply. Instead of dragging the story out with pointless episodes and scenes you often see in 26+ shows, Diebuster goes straight to the point and sticks with it. Most of the scenes show multiple different conflicts (whether they are big or small) which are tied together with the main plot quite nicely. Pacing is great, but since it's so short you might forget some…
Read at the sourceDetri
This is simply the best OVA, and perhaps series ever produced. Basically an alternate telling of Gunbuster, but as a parallel of sorts. The original series, from the 1980's, didn't get too much recognition until Gainax really hit mainstream with Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Diebuster, from the director of FLCL, takes a lot from that series as far as animation style, and improves upon it greatly. The six episode OVA has some of the best art and animation and just does an incredible job overall.
Read at the source