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Rating: 
Summary: Good Film, but Not Very Shirow-esque :-(
Review: Despite being conceived by Masamune Shirow, Gundress is very much the antithesis of Ghost in the Shell, Appleseed, and other Shirow-derived anime in that it is highly upbeat. In fact, it is just too "happy" to fit in with other Shirow-derived anime. This "happiness" is evident in the fast-paced and almost-always optimistic narrative, the pervasive use of bright colors, and especially the music. This does not mean that Gundress is a terrible film, however. Gundress is somewhat fun to watch, and will require several viewings to truly uncover everything - all the clues, all the visual details, the intertextual references, etc. It is also slightly reminiscent of the original Bubblegum Crisis series in several scenes in the first third of the film; a tertiary character is even reminiscent of Mikura's boss in Mezzo Forte. On the (very) positive side, Gundress is compatible with the PlayStation2 :-)
Rating:
Summary: Good Film, but Not Very Shirow-esque :-(
Review: Despite being conceived by Masamune Shirow, Gundress is very much the antithesis of Ghost in the Shell, Appleseed, and other Shirow-derived anime in that it is highly upbeat. In fact, it is just too "happy" to fit in with other Shirow-derived anime. This "happiness" is evident in the fast-paced and almost-always optimistic narrative, the pervasive use of bright colors, and especially the music. This does not mean that Gundress is a terrible film, however. Gundress is somewhat fun to watch, and will require several viewings to truly uncover everything - all the clues, all the visual details, the intertextual references, etc. It is also slightly reminiscent of the original Bubblegum Crisis series in several scenes in the first third of the film; a tertiary character is even reminiscent of Mikura's boss in Mezzo Forte. On the (very) positive side, Gundress is compatible with the PlayStation2 :-)
Rating:
Summary: Good Film, but Not Very Shirow-esque :-(
Review: Despite being conceived by Masamune Shirow, Gundress is very much the antithesis of Ghost in the Shell, Appleseed, and other Shirow-derived anime in that it is highly upbeat. In fact, it is just too "happy" to fit in with other Shirow-derived anime. This "happiness" is evident in the fast-paced and almost-always optimistic narrative, the pervasive use of bright colors, and especially the music. This does not mean that Gundress is a terrible film, however. Gundress is somewhat fun to watch, and will require several viewings to truly uncover everything - all the clues, all the visual details, the intertextual references, etc. It is also slightly reminiscent of the original Bubblegum Crisis series in several scenes in the first third of the film; a tertiary character is even reminiscent of Mikura's boss in Mezzo Forte. On the (very) positive side, Gundress is compatible with the PlayStation2 :-)
Rating: 
Summary: Poor production values
Review: The quality of the animation in this DVD is very poor - Think GI Joe & Transformers in the 80's. Very disappointing for something that supposedly had input from Shirow. The story is pretty standard, with the all the usual characters that tend to populate lower quality anime. The only thing Shirow here is the look of most of the female characters, but done in a hurried & budget sort of way. The landmates are a far cry from the ones seen in Intron Depot & other Shirow works. Save your money and go rent it first.
Rating:
Summary: Poor production values
Review: The quality of the animation in this DVD is very poor - Think GI Joe & Transformers in the 80's. Very disappointing for something that supposedly had input from Shirow. The story is pretty standard, with the all the usual characters that tend to populate lower quality anime. The only thing Shirow here is the look of most of the female characters, but done in a hurried & budget sort of way. The landmates are a far cry from the ones seen in Intron Depot & other Shirow works. Save your money and go rent it first.
Rating:
Summary: Poor production values
Review: The quality of the animation in this DVD is very poor - Think GI Joe & Transformers in the 80's. Very disappointing for something that supposedly had input from Shirow. The story is pretty standard, with the all the usual characters that tend to populate lower quality anime. The only thing Shirow here is the look of most of the female characters, but done in a hurried & budget sort of way. The landmates are a far cry from the ones seen in Intron Depot & other Shirow works. Save your money and go rent it first.
Rating: 
Summary: Great holdover til Man Machine Interface
Review: This movie was released in Japan amidst controversy, because it was sent to theaters without really being finished. This spelled death for such an ambitious project at the box office, & it was forgotten in Asia for the next 3 years. Fast forward to 2002, & it finally gets a release Stateside, albeit in the form of version 3.20, with all scenes completed, & minorly edited to conform more to Western sensibilities. Masamune Shirow's character designs make this a must-own for Shirow followers. Even his minor involvement makes this average production shine. It fits in much more with Shirow's sensibility & sense of humor than the stripped down & unisex look of Mamoru Oshii's film adaptation of 'Ghost in the Shell'. The landmate desgins are classic Shirow mechas, & almost all of the female characters portray the Shirow 'face', that trademarked visage that the man has been obsessed with since the inception of 'Appleseed' over 20 years ago. Overall, a great addition to any anime library, & a worthy timekiller until the English adaptation of 'Ghost in the Shell 2: Man Machine Interface' is finally released. Go Go Shirow!!!
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