Today is my birthday.
It's also the anniversary of the debut of Gunbuster.
On the 7th of October 1988, the 1st episode of Gunbuster was released. Directed by Hideaki Anno, the series had a total of 6 episodes & it would receive a sequel (Diebuster) in 2004. It debuted in SRW F Final (SS) in 1998.
— SRW.D180223 (@180223) October 6, 2020
Happy 32th Anniversary Gunbuster 🎉 pic.twitter.com/NJqUxSzHQG
There are other series of note that debuted on this day in other years (e.g. Gundam Build Fighters, Gravion, GARO), but this one is a big deal. This is the series that gave the world the Gainax Pose.
As the video explains, this visual trope arose and attained its status because--much like Akira's famous bike slide--its power was in how succinctly it communicated by body language what the viewer needed to know before the character using it said a single word. When you see someone pull off this pose, you know that they are--literally--standing in their power and something satisfying for the audience is about to happen or just happened.
What isn't surprising is that this pose has endured past the end of Gainax and into its various successors. You'll see this in Diebuster (duh), Gurren Lagann, and most recently in Promare. Yet you rarely see it done elsewhere, East or West, even when it would be a good decision to do so. I'm going to make myself into one such exception soon, and I hope others--especially those working in animation and comics--do the same. (Just do it carefully; the aforementioned bike slide is wearing out its welcome because it's used too freely under the guise of "homage".)
Side Note: Prayers requested for my man Oliver Campbell and his wife Dandie. They're expecting their first child to arrive today.
Bradford
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday!
xavier