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Right off the bat, this can automatically be in the running for best anime film of all time simply because its soundtrack is one of the best albums of all time. But it's the combination of Daft Punk's semi-ironic/completely-sincere disco house and Leiji Matsumoto's 70's style character design that makes this so stunning. It's a match made in heaven.

The story features an alien disco band who get abducted by the earth's record industry, get's "human-washed" and has their song "One More Time" commodified into a hit single. The story is carried by the expressiveness of Matsumoto's design and the mood of the music, which is ... blended into each scene perfectly. I was fascinated at how on-beat the cuts are, which makes the entire film have a distinct rhythm. The BPM literally matches the intensity of the scene.

Of course, if you don't like Daft Punk you won't really enjoy this move, but I can say the same about Matsumoto's artwork. It's so reliant on aesthetic that a lot of people might not like it, but I certainly did.

"A miracle... that's a word God created for us, just for this moment."

Let's see...

-Firebrand redhead with a German name (CHECK)

-Detailed background art that gives the world a unique feel (CHECK)

-Excellent use of timing, framing, and emotion (CHECK)

... -Beautiful and vibrant mechanical design inspired by classics like Uchu Senkan Yamato (CHECK)

-Beautiful, blood pumping soundtrack incorporating pop and classical sounds (CHECK)

-References to psychoanalysis (CHECK)

and of course:

SAD TEENS IN ROBOTS (check)

Yep, it's a Hideaki Anno show.

This, along with Daicon IV, is Gainax's supreme mission statement, and it's the most fun you can have in three hours.

The cinematography is one of the most impressive parts of Gunbuster, with all of Anno's future directorial staples working just as well here as they do in Evangelion and yes, even Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou.

A 80's style ecchi manga, with the same lack of variety, but with a weird psycho-sexual twist. If that's doesn't sound appealing to you, then stay away. But if you like that kind of thing, it ends up fitting it's archetype very well. The art is perfectly nestled in the Rumiko Takahashi school of character design, but also takes on more low-key, shadowy background art. There are only so many ways to draw someone sucking on a finger, but that oft repeated action is usually the visual highlight of each chapter (along with some crazy dreams sequences). If you're expecting a big twist or any ... kind of romantic progress, this isn't the manga for you. Personally, it hit a niche that I didn't know I loved.