Gundress - The Movie

Starring:Doug Stone, Masako Katsuki, Julie Anne Taylor, Jamieson Price, Lex Lang, Dave Wittenberg, Janine Brown, Zan, Bridget Hoffman, Karen Strassman, Kumiko Watanabe, Jane Alan, Akemi Okamura, Kirk Thornton, Rie Ishizuka, Tomoko Kawakami, Reiko Takagi, Peter Spellos, Dave Mallow, Michael McConnohie
Director: Katsuyoshi Yatabe
Studio: Anime Works
Product Type: DVD

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This 1999 feature was initially released theatrically in Japan in an unfinished form to raise the money to finish it. Based on a video game, Gundress borrows heavily from Bubblegum Crash and other series. Angel Arms, an extra-legal squad of six women created to fight crime in half-ruined Bayside City in 2100 A.D., must protect an arms dealer from the hit squad that corrupt government officials send after him. The shopworn plot centers on Alissa, the uncooperative member of the group who is a cyborg and the ex-lover of criminal/terrorist Jean-Luc, the leader of the hit squad. Despite explosions, murders, gun battles, and fights between the stubby "Land Mate" mecha suits, there's little excitement and less surprises. Rated 16 Up: Nudity, violence, profanity, ethnic stereotypes. --Charles Solomon

Customer Reviews:

below Shirow's level.......2006-03-13

Don't expect this to be Ghost in the Shell. It really isn't. Its more of a Bubblegum Crisis knock off. Five hot chicks, who work for another hot chick, pilot a squad of very kewl looking 'Land Mates', or power armours, and fight crime. I like the robot designs.

If you want to watch hot anime girls doing action watch these: (Gunslinger Girl, Noir, Iria, Burst Angel, Original Dirty Pair, Mezzo, Najica Blitz, Slayers, Shadow Skill, You're Under Arrest, and more).

Poor production quality.......2005-12-21

The only thing that the legendary Masamune Shirow did on this was design the characters and the landmate (mecha/droids). He notes/explains in his defense that the mechs were not designed to be animated and did all his sketches pretty quickly and roughly. He had nothing to do with the story, so don't get fooled by the marketing trick "Masamune Shirow's Gundress".

This anime this is no where near the design level or story level of Appleseed or Ghost in the Shell. The story is simplistic. Why are all the characters female? Besides eye candy there is no explanation. The production value is as another reviewer noted on the level of GI Joe or Transformers. I really hope this was made in the 80's and remastered in the 90's - that's the only excuse for this poor quality. I would not recommend this for people.

There is a humorous making of Gundress doc. The writer/head of the production team boasts that Japanese animation is superior, blah blah blah. Well, his team completely failed in rising to the occasion.

Good Film, but Not Very Shirow-esque :-(.......2002-08-28

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 :-)

Poor production values.......2002-07-24

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.

Great holdover til Man Machine Interface.......2002-07-09

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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