Latest news with #Gunbuster
Forbes
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The ‘Gundam GQuuuuuuX' Anime Series Gets Off To A Promising Start
'Gundam GQuuuuuuX' is now streaming worldwide via Amazon Prime Video. Following the Gundam GQuuuuuuX movie, Beginning, released earlier this year in Japan, the series has now started, and thus far it is rather promising. The problem with the movie was that it went hard on the background of the series being a 'what if' switch up from the original Mobile Suit Gundam. Where Char finds the Gundam first, rather than Amuro. This made the whole thing feel like cheap fanfiction, not least because the Gihren's Greed games had already explored this scenario and created the red Casval Gundam as a result. Now that the GQuuuuuuX series is here, it sensibly starts much later and deals with current events. Yes, the Red Gundam is present, but its whole backstory is still to be laid out. Not to mention it all works better having Challia Bull on the bridge of the White Base talking about Char in the past tense, it all fits a lot better in terms of basic narrative construction. So, now that we are getting into the world of GQuuuuuuX the right way around, it feels more considered and that the pieces fit. I'm still not really digging Ikuto Yamashita's new mecha designs, as they just look messy and lack any real semblance of form-follows-function for a real robot show. Admittedly, Gundam originally sat across super robot and real robot design sensibilities, as Kunio Okawara knowingly incorporated samurai elements into the designs, but even then, the GQuuuuuuX mecha seem off, even for their own setting. I love the characters, though, and it's nice to have some solid FLCL and Diebuster vibes with those. Talking of Gunbuster, I am pretty sure that the launching 'lights' you see inside the White Base are from the first Gunbuster used when the RX-7s were launched from the Exelion. Obviously, after the first episode, we still have lots of questions that need answering, such as what's up with the Omega Psychommu and what's a 'Mav,' but thus far, I am enjoying the series a lot more than the movie. Gundam GQuuuuuuX is now streaming worldwide via Amazon Prime Video. Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently featured in the Giant Robots exhibition currently touring Japan.
Forbes
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Gunbuster' Blu-Ray Review: Probably The Best Anime Gainax Ever Made
One of the best anime that Gainax ever made has to be the seminal Gunbuster, and this Blu-ray release certainly does it justice. Released in 1988, Gunbuster was an OVA unlike any other at the time. Initially, it seemed to be a mecha parody of Ace o Nerae, a high-school girl's tennis manga later anime. With the title of Top o Nerae and featuring high-school girls doing calisthenics in mecha, you would think Gunbuster was meant to be tongue-in-cheek. In reality, Gunbuster was and is a very hard science-fiction story dealing with immense 'space monsters' that view humanity as a galactic infection. So what starts out as this high-school melodrama done for laughs grows into something darker and more profound as the story progresses. Dealing with the effects of time-dilation on the characters, where the high-school protagonist Noriko Takaya stays young while her friends and classmates age around her, also has similarities to Joe Haldeman's The Forever War. The space monsters are also entirely terrifying, gestating inside young suns to hideously emerge as massive space insects. So, as the conflict ramps up and humanity realizes just how badly outgunned it truly is, in steps the titular Gunbuster. Against the hard science and massive engineering keeping humanity in the fight is the anomalous super-robot Gunbuster, built from 'hard work and guts' and thus nearly invincible. When the tide finally turns in humanity's favor, with Gunbuster rising cross-armed from the bow of the starship Exelion, you know that this mecha means business. However, that's barely anything compared to the feats seen in the last two episodes, and it shows how a simple high-school girl slice-of-life drama can evolve into something truly epic. Set across six episodes, Gunbuster is also a tour-de-force of animation. The movie Gundam: Char's Counterattack was also released in 1988, and Gunbuster looks amazing by comparison. Even Gundam 0080, an OVA released in 1989 and also featuring character designs by Haruhiko Mikimoto, doesn't hold a candle to the animation in Gunbuster. You also have Kohei Tanaka's amazing musical score that underpins the evocative isolation Noriko feels as she speeds through time and space, as well as the epic no-holds-barred combat that is required to keep humanity safe. The production itself for Gunbuster was also a who's-who of major anime talent, from Masami Obari handling key animation to Kazutaka Miyatake designing the battleships and obviously Koichi Ohata's amazing mecha design. Not to mention the stamp of Hideaki Anno throughout the story and heavily nerdy science in the back end. The silly science lessons between each episode are also this wonderful juxtaposition of wild antics and incredibly dense science that explains how the physics of things like warp work. As for this release, it's been a very long time since I saw Gunbuster, and this Blu-ray version is genuinely astonishing. I remember Gunbuster being a pretty anime when I was younger, but this Blu-ray really emphasizes that. The visual and audio quality are fantastic. You also have all the science lessons at the end of episodes included. You also get some fun little extras too, all included on one Blu-ray disc. What really stands out, though, compared to all of Gainax's works, is just how accomplished and balanced it all is. Everything delivers. From the nerdy references, from Cutey Honey to Ideon, and having the starship Eltreum being built in orbit on giant model kit sprues, means the nerdiness is there throughout. However, none of that gets in the way of a poignant and immense story that stays with you in a remarkably profound way. Yes, Evangelion is popular, and yes, The Wings of Honneamise is an undeniable work of art, but Gunbuster is the best anime Gainax ever made. From its humble, almost trite beginnings to fighting for humanity's survival on a galactic scale, Gunbuster delivers on all of it and never disappoints for even a single frame. If you've never seen Gunbuster, then get this Blu-ray and correct that cultural oversight. They really don't make anime like this anymore, and while that is an obvious shame, we still have Gunbuster in all its glory to make up for that. Gunbuster is available from the Crunchyroll store for $29.96. Disclosure: Crunchyroll sent me this Blu-ray for the purposes of this review. Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently featured in the Giant Robots exhibition currently touring Japan.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Government plan backfires as aggressive resource approach suffers from unexpected market shift: 'There is more pain to come'
Indonesia's foray into nickel mining has hit a snag because of improving electric vehicle technology. The move, backed by Chinese investors, pushed the country to the front of the line, but smelters are shutting down with a shortage of the metal and low demand, Bloomberg reported. Three years ago, nickel prices peaked, but overproduction and cheaper EV battery chemistries have changed the equation. Indonesia produces over half of the world's nickel, but one of its top smelters is on the verge of closing up shop. PT Gunbuster Nickel Industry had to postpone paying its suppliers, according to Bloomberg. "While the policies did boost Indonesia's export earnings and created thousands of jobs, the surge in processing capacity has far outpaced demand for nickel," the outlet stated. "The country is now looking to curb its mine supply in an effort to support the market — a move with grave consequences for producers." Bloomberg said that the government, "eager to boost manufacturing," used cheap coal and Chinese technology to turn the natural resource into a high-value export. But it may have overdone it. It's not just Indonesian companies that are falling off. Chinese industrial parks as well as an Australian group are in trouble, and Gunbuster parent Jiangsu Delong Nickel Industry Co. has collapsed. The last hope may be the stainless steel industry, which uses nickel pig iron, though China is in a "prolonged property slump," per Bloomberg. One expert said the slump could stretch beyond another six months. "There are some bright spots for demand in the stainless steel market, but nickel batteries are losing market share in the electric vehicle market," Dan Smith, head of research at Amalgamated Metal Trading Ltd., told Bloomberg. "There is more pain to come for producers before the market rebalances." The about-face offers an opportunity for the government to turn to clean energy and technologies. Nickel mining has polluted the ocean and led to erosion, flooding, and mudslides, the BBC reported in 2023, harming the Indigenous Bajau people as well as coral reefs and clams. While electric vehicles are undoubtedly better than gas-powered cars for the health of the planet and that of humans, this shows that without significant regulations and oversight, even forward-looking projects based on sustainability can go wrong. Do you think fracking should be illegal in America? Yes — everywhere Yes — in most areas In some areas No Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. And no matter what EV batteries need going forward, the metals required will be mined in abundance, meaning companies must rely on solar, wind, and other renewable energy to power operations. It's also imperative that they work with governments and industry leaders to ensure environmentally safe practices and the well-being of people, wildlife, and plants. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
