Diebuster

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Top o Nerae! 2 - Diebuster
トップをねらえ 2！ (Aim for the Top 2!)
Genre	Science Fiction, Adventure, Mecha, Drama
OVA
Directed by	Kazuya Tsurumaki
Studio	Gainax
No. of episodes	6
Released	3 October 2004 to 14 August 2006
Runtime
Movie
Directed by	Kazuya Tsurumaki
Studio	Gainax
Released	1 October 2006
Runtime	{{{runtime}}}

Diebuster, known in Japan as Aim for the Top 2! (トップをねらえ 2!, Top o Nerae 2!^?) is a six episode anime OVA series created by Gainax in 2004.

The first episode was aired on October 3, 2004, while the final episode was released on August 14, 2006. A movie, officially titled Top o Nerae 2! & Top o Nerae! Gattai Gekijouban retelling/recapping the end of the first Gunbuster OVA and the finale of Diebuster. It was scheduled to air on October 1, 2006 at the Tokyo Anime Center's 3D Akiba theatre.

Also called Gunbuster 2 by some Western fans, it is the direct sequel to Gunbuster, but is animated in a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio, rather than the 4:3 aspect ratio of Gunbuster. It has not been licensed or even announced for American release. Additionally a manga adaptation of the series is available in Japan.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Characters 3 Buster Machines 4 Space Monsters 5 Episodes 6 Music and Theme Songs 7 Trivia 8 External links

[edit] Plot

Top wo Nerae 2! Diebuster follows the story of Nono, a country girl who dreams of becoming a space pilot (or to be more precise, a 'Nonoriri,' an idealized version of what she thinks a space pilot should be like) who, due to a chance encounter with an actual space pilot finds herself becoming part of the elite Fraternity. Made up of teenaged pilots called Topless, and armed with quasi-humanoid weapons called Buster Machines, the Fraternity's mission is to protect the people of the Solar System from attack by swarms of uchuu kaijuu (literally, space monsters).

The series namely revolves around Nono's quest to become a Nonoriri, her relationship with Lark Melk Marre, the first Topless she meets whom she immediately idolizes (to the point of calling her onee-sama, or big sister), and the hard work she believes she has to do to be 'worthy' of Lark's attention. It also explores her interactions with the rest of the Idols, her efforts to fit in and, ultimately, the truth to her forgotten past.

[edit] Characters

Nono (Seiyū - Fukui Yukari)

Hailing from a rural community in the Martian countryside, Nono is a simple and clumsy girl with a big dream: she wants to be a space pilot. And not just any space pilot, but a 'Nonoriri', which (in her mind anyway) is the pinnacle of what a space pilot can become. Of course, dreaming of being a pilot and actually becoming one are two entirely different things, as she soon finds out upon reaching the city. Even after landing a somewhat dead-end job as a waitress in one of the city's bars, Nono stubbornly holds on to her ideals, despite the chiding of her boss and the bar's regular patrons. Her persistence pays off, however, when she encounters a real space pilot in the person of Lark Melk Marre, member of the elite Fraternity and current pilot of Buster Machine Dix Neuf. It is through Lark (whom she impulsively dubs her onee-san, or big sister) that Nono finally finds the means to make her dreams a reality.

Possessing a bubbly personality and a near-endless supply of optimism, Nono seems to be a normal, if clumsy, country girl. However, Nono is anything but normal; in fact, she isn't even human, but an android, who can't quite remember the reason why she was built (though much of her past is revealed later in the series). She idolizes Lark, despite the fact that the latter seems to regard her with mild annoyance, and will do anything to please her.

Lark Melk Marre (Seiyū - Sakamoto Maaya)

The current holder of the top kill score among Topless pilots, Lark, along with fellow pilots Nichola and Chikko, is part of the so-called 'Idol' group (pilots with exceptionally high kill rates). She is also the current pilot of Buster Machine Dix Neuf, the oldest buster machine still in operation. Nicknamed 'princess' by her teammates, Lark is outwardly cool and self-confident -- traits that draw Nono's admiration for her, much to her initial annoyance. It is Lark who helps induct Nono (with some indirect assistance from Nichola) into the Fraternity as an 'auxiliary member', despite the fact that Nono manifests none of the traits associated with being a Topless.

While initially bothered by Nono's hero-worship of her, Lark gradually gets used to her company, to the point where she can talk about things she wouldn't normally tell anyone. She senses some potential in Nono, and admires the girl's never-give-up attitude a little (though she might act otherwise), but doubts if guts and perseverance alone can make the girl's dreams come true.

Nichola (Seiyū - Iwata Mitsuo)

The only male member of the 'Idol' team, Nichola is the pilot of Buster Machine Vingt Sept and, before Lark's inclusion into the ranks of the Topless, was considered one of the most powerful Topless of his generation. He is Lark's inspiration (in as much as Lark is Nono's inspiration), and seems to have a relationship with her, though it is debatable whether it is of a romantic nature or not. He is interested in Nono and sees potential in her to be a Buster Machine pilot, despite the fact that Nono has never manifested any kind of Topless reaction (something that, according to their minder Casio, may not be possible in artificial beings), and secretly helps Nono join the Fraternity under the premise of being an 'auxiliary' member.

Considered 'old' among the current Topless (as he is nearing late adolescence), Nichola is already having a hard time manifesting the Exotic Maneuvers needed to power his machine. As such, he seems to secretly be seeking a way to extend his 'tenure' as a Topless, to the point of joining the Serpentine Twin's inner circle and acting as their watcher over Nono's activities.

Chikko (Seiyū - Sawashiro Miyuki)

The final member of the 'Idol' team, Chikko is brash, impulsive, and utterly determined (at least in the beginning) to best Lark's longstanding kill record, seeing it as a chance to wipe the normally smug look off the face of the teacher's pet(another of Lark's nicknames among the members of the Fraternity). She has a low opinion of Topless in general (despite the fact that she's a Topless herself) due to an event in her childhood where -- in spite of her powers -- she was unable to cure the illness of a close friend, and is annoyed by Nono's constant attempts to prove herself worthy to become a Buster Machine pilot. Ironically, it is Nono who later helps her change her way of thinking for the better. While it isn't outwardly implied, the two become friends, though not on the same level as Nono and Lark.

Initially Chikko pilots the Buster Machine Soixante-Six, but it is destroyed when (against her initial orders) she uses it to impulsively attack the Jupiter Express (a massive swarm of space monsters that roamed the space between Jupiter and Saturn). After a period of self-doubt, she is able to awaken Buster Machine Quatre-Vingt-Dix, and it remains her machine for the rest of the series.

Casio (Seiyū - Yamazaki Takumi)

The only adult member of the 'Idol' team, Casio is their guardian, technician, and confidant rolled into one. A former Topless himself (he was a pilot of Dix Neuf before Lark joined the Fraternity), Casio possesses an intimate understanding of the workings of the Buster Machines, as well as the people forced to pilot them. That is part of why he was one of the first to express his doubts on Nichola's assertion that Nono had the potential to become a pilot. Despite his initial misgivings, however, he joins Lark in welcoming Nono into their 'team'.

Despite being a lech and a joker, Casio can be surprisingly serious when the situation merits it. He secretly yearns to pilot a Buster Machine again, but is resigned to the fact that he can only be near them, due to his advanced age. He is aware of the shady activities of the Serpentine Twins, but not the exact details of their little 'project.'

[edit] Buster Machines

Unlike the mechanical devices seen in Gunbuster, The Buster Machines in Diebuster appear to be sentient biomechanical mecha built by some unspecified Buster Machine Corporation, later generations of the first two buster machines from the first OVA. According to Casio, former Topless, the oldest functioning Buster Machine, Dix-Neuf, is older than five hundred years. The process of constructing the Buster Machines seems to be extremely complex, to the point that only 50% of the mecha built ever “awaken” (function). This explains why, at the time of Episode 2, only 32 Buster Machines were still in operation, from a total of 90.

Listed below are a few of the more prominent Buster Machines featured in the series.

Buster Machine Dix Neuf

Currently the oldest Buster Machine still on active status, Dix Neuf is the machine Lark pilots. Seemingly designed to look like a stereotypical Japanese school bully or gangster, Dix Neuf is the only machine present from the beginning to the end of the series. It sports an assortment of weaponry, ranging from 'standard' armaments such finger-mounted chainguns and missiles, to energy-based attacks like the classic Buster Beam, and can transform into a 'cruise mode' reminiscent of the command module of the Apollo series of spacecraft.

While capable of battling opponents without a pilot (due to its AI), Dix Neuf's true potential is only realized when a Topless pilots it: its mobility increases exponentially, its otherwise rigid 'trench coat' is able to flex and move almost as if it weighed little more than a piece of clothing, and it can use weaponry powered by its pilot's Exotic Maneuvers.

Buster Machine Vingt Sept

The Buster Machine that Nichola pilots, Vingt Sept is a somewhat gangly-looking machine sporting outstretched 'wings' (which can be used as a secondary pair of arms) at its shoulders that house a multitude of speaker-like openings on its surface, which likely help magnify the range and effect of the reality-bending Exotic Maneuvers Nichola uses. Designed primarily for quick movement and melee combat, Vingt Sept is light on ranged attacks, relying instead on remote-detonated 'mines,' as evidenced in the battle against the Jupiter Express.

Buster Machine Quatre-Vingt-Dix

Chikko's final Buster Machine, Quatre-Vingt-Dix is the newest model to be rolled out of the factories in more than a decade. Slim and somewhat feminine in appearance (even sporting a pink and white paint job), Quatre-Vingt-Dix seems to be designed as a long-ranged support unit, as most of the attacks it displays in the series seemed to be ranged (as well as affecting wide areas) in nature. It is famous for its Buster Smash, a tennis-inspired wide-area attack capable of freezing large numbers of opponents instantaneously.

[edit] Space Monsters

Gigantic lifeforms of unknown origin that travel the spaceways in massive swarms (termed 'Expresses') composed of thousands of creatures each, space monsters are considered a threat for the sheer amount of damage they can cause to human settlements. Only the Buster Machines seem to have the ability to battle them, but the sheer numbers of some swarms can overwhelm even the best Topless pilot.

Coming in an assortment of shapes and sizes, the space monsters possess natural weaponry on par with the Buster Machines. Some forms can generate blasts of energy, while others spawn smaller versions of themselves that then proceed to impale their opponents. A few forms seem to eschew ranged attacks completely, and primarily use ramming attacks to overwhelm their foes.

It is not known precisely where the space monsters come from, or why they are attacking humanity, but it is generally believed that a 'mother swarm' encircles the Solar System outside of the planet Pluto (which resembles a nebulous cloud of red material when viewed from afar), preventing humanity from travelling further into space.

In fact, the 'space monsters' that the Fraternity have been battling for so long are actually an autonomous and self-evolving defense system left behind by the Imperial Space Navy to guard the solar system in the aftermath of the Galaxy Center Throw mission. The irony of the situation is the fact that, after centuries of auto-evolution, the 'guardians' adapted forms similar to their programmed enemies (the real space monsters from the first Gunbuster OVA, called the STMC) as they were more efficient. Humanity is besieged by their former protectors because of their own evolution. The similarity of Topless' psionic powers resembles the powers of the variable gravity wells, the true space monsters humanity once fought. It's almost as if humanity will one day replace the space monsters that acted like the galaxy's immune system.

[edit] Episodes

1. Please Let Me Call You Big Sister! (お姉さまと呼ばせてください！)
2. Don't call me Big Sis! (お姉さまなんかになりたくない)
3. I hate Topless! (トップレスなんて大嫌い)
4. Resurrection! The Legendary Buster Machine! (復活! 伝説のバスターマシン!)
5. They who move the Stars (星を動かすもの)
6. The Story of Your Life.

[edit] Music and Theme Songs

Most of the music in Diebuster is composed of remixes of tracks used in the original Gunbuster OVA (the launching themes of the individual Buster Machines in particular), as well as orchestral music.

Opening Theme

• "Grooving Magic", by ROUND TABLE feat. Nino

Ending Theme

• "Stardust Tears", by ACKO

[edit] Trivia

• Nono's assertion that anything could be achieved through willpower and effort mirrors the same idea that Coach (in Gunbuster) seems to constantly remind Noriko of.
• Nono's inazuma kick in the first episode is a homage to the inazuma kick from the original Gunbuster. Similarly, Dix Neuf finishes off the attacking space monster with a Buster Beam, another weapon from Gunbuster.
• Much of the original soundtrack for Diebuster is filled with modern variations of the original soundtrack for Gunbuster. A famous example would be the 'Buster Machine March' which played in Gunbuster during the Gunbuster's first combat sortie, whereas in Diebuster it plays in episodes 1, 4, and 6 of Diebuster.
• In the third episode, the 'planet' Jupiter featured is a ship of similar design to the Eltreum.
• In episode four, Nono hums a melody from 'Active Heart'; the opening song from the original Gunbuster OVA.
• In the fourth episode, the Variable Gravity Well that the Serpentine Twins unearth and revive is revealed to be none other than a cruiser-type STMC -- the same type that the Gunbuster defeats on its first sortie. In the same episode, there is a scene where Nono is accepted into Dix Neuf's open palm, which mirrors a similar scene in the first OVA (except it is Noriko's onee-san Kazumi that is accepted into the Gunbuster's palm).
• In episode five, the Space Navy travels beyond Pluto to the Sol system's twelfth 'planet' -- the Black Hole, Exelio. It is the same black hole created when the Exelion's (the warship that initially carried the Gunbuster) vanishing drive was detonated to destroy the solar system's space monster hive.
• In episode six, the very end scene mirrors the last scene of Aim for the Top!, therefore showing that the events of Diebuster take place about twelve thousand years after the original OVA.

[edit] External links

• (Japanese) Official Top o Nerae 2! website
• (Japanese) Gainax Top o Nerae 2! website
• (Japanese) Top Wo Narae 2! & Top Wo Narae! Gattai Gekijouban movie website
• (Japanese) Top o Narae 2! Webnovel
• (English) Diebuster (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• (Japanese)DIEBUSTER WEB RADIO TOP! LESS (onsen（音泉）2005.10.4-　 DJ:Mitsuo Iwata(Nichola),Yukari Fukui(Nono))
• (French) Non-Official website GAINAX