Gunbuster

Gunbuster
Official Blu-ray cover from Discotek Media featuring Kazumi (left), Noriko (middle), and Jung (right).
トップをねらえ! (Toppu o Nerae!)
Genre	Mecha[1]
Created by	Toshio Okada
Original video animation
Directed by	Hideaki Anno
Produced by	Hiroaki Inoue Minoru Takanashi Shirō Sasaki
Written by	Hideaki Anno Toshio Okada Hiroyuki Yamaga
Music by	Kohei Tanaka
Studio	Gainax
Licensed by	EU: Kiseki Films (former) Beez Entertainment (former) Anime Limited (current) NA: U.S. Renditions (former) Manga Entertainment (former) Bandai Visual USA (former) Discotek Media (current)
Released	7 October 1988 – 7 July 1989
Runtime	25–29 minutes
Episodes	6 (List of episodes)
Anime film
Gunbuster vs. Diebuster
Directed by	Hideaki Anno Kazuya Tsurumaki
Written by	Toshio Okada Yōji Enokido[2]
Music by	Kohei Tanaka
Studio	Gainax
Licensed by	EU: Beez Entertainment (former) NA: Bandai Visual USA (former) Sentai Filmworks (current)
Released	1 October 2006
Runtime	195 minutes
Manga
Written by	Kabocha
Published by	Kadokawa Shoten
Magazine	Young Ace
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	December 4, 2010 – June 4, 2013
Volumes	5[3]
Sequel
DieBuster
Anime and manga portal

Gunbuster, known in Japan as Top o Nerae! (トップをねらえ!, Toppu o Nerae!, Aim for the Top!), is a Japanese OVA anime series produced by Bandai Visual, Victor, and Gainax and released from 1988 to 1989. It was the directorial debut of Hideaki Anno, best known as the creator and director of Neon Genesis Evangelion. The title is a combination of the titles of classic tennis manga and anime Aim for the Ace! and hit action drama film Top Gun, whose plot inspired Gunbuster's.^[4] To celebrate Gainax's 20th anniversary in 2004, a sequel to Gunbuster, Diebuster (or Gunbuster 2), was released as an OVA. The sequel features new characters and mecha, but retains the format and many of the concepts of the original series.