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Gunbuster starts with a fairly simple formula. Monstrous alien life forms are threatening the Earth, a young and inexperienced pilot must rise to the occasion and use a super-powered mecha to lead humanity's counterattack against the enemy and save the planet. The execution of this premise, however, is among the best in the genre, and the seamless way this merely 6-episode OVA covers the main character Noriko's growth from student to hero while escalating both the stakes and scale of her battles is nothing short of masterful storytelling. From schoolyard bullying, to losing loved ones in battle, to shouldering the responsibility of the entire human ... race, we follow Noriko's development as a character, and the strengthening of her resolve to fight is likely better handled than in any other anime of this sort, relying on both subtlety and moments of sheer emotional power.

One impressive thing about Gunbuster is its general commitment to maintaining a setting based on hard science in many aspects that don't concern the Gunbuster itself. Ships travelling at sub-light speed undergo time dilation as per Einsteinian physics, meaning that time on a relatively stationary body like the Earth passes faster- many of the more emotional moments in the show are based on this difference in the passage of time between those fighting in space and those left behind on Earth. Furthermore, a good portion of the show centers not around the mechas but the space fleet, grounding the setting in procedure and a more realistic, wartime feel. This, in turn, makes the comparatively unrealistic mecha battles all the more triumphant for being special, unique among a setting dedicated to the relatively mundane. In fact, these moments have real power- not simply because it's cool to see a giant robot fight gigantic alien insects, but because every important fight is built up to, set up with real tension and high stakes while carrying the entire emotional weight of the characterization and conflicts. In other words, it's literally and physically exciting: something that can be said of very few things in the entire medium. Not only that, but the climax of the show along with its ending are incredibly powerful emotionally- the final episode is nothing short of moving on an inspirational, triumphant level.

Personally, Gunbuster is one of my all-time favorite series, and there are few things in anime that I ever enjoyed more. It's far from perfect though, most notable among its flaws being that there are moments when the budget of the show cannot catch up to its vision. Furthermore, the pacing in the first half is slower than the second, which allows for good and thoughtful characterization but alienates the first three episodes from the last three in terms of general quality- episodes 1, 2, and 3 only exist to build up episodes 4, 5, and 6. Being made in 1988, its style may put off some younger or newer viewers, and if you're not already somewhat familiar with the genre you may find it hard to suspend your disbelief in the initial episodes. In fact, it can only be fully appreciated by one already somewhat familiar with the super robot subgenre, Nevertheless, I implore anyone who considers themselves an anime fan to watch this short series. It might lack the artistic or literary value of a select circle of masterpieces, but it is a superb piece of work that does nearly everything better than almost anything out there.

F. Compo is quite the hidden gem in my opinion, a Slice of Life comedy by the veteran mangaka Tsukasa Hojo, better known for the detective/action series City Hunter. It focuses on a young college student, Masahiko, who is adopted by his "aunt's" family after the sudden death of his father in a traffic accident- however, his uncle and aunt have swapped their roles as man and woman and live as crossdressers. Masahiko, too, is shunted into women's clothing as the plot demands, for both comic escapades and a light examination of gender identity, which generally takes a backseat to the romantic and humorous parts ... of the show but is nonetheless present.

The comedy, for the most part, works well. Masahiko himself is the most unassuming character of the bunch but his interplay with the others makes up for his relative lack of personality, especially his cousin Shion, a beautiful and sarcastic high school girl who he comes to fall in love with despite questions as to her true gender. Hojo's treatment of the genderbending antics that result in most of the jokes in the manga is light but sincere, unlike many genderbending manga where crossdressing exists only for laughs.

One thing that the reader may actually fail to pay attention to is the artstyle, which is fairly typical for the period but convincingly realistic, the characters faces and expressions conveying a sense of humanity that often fails to come across in the medium. The characters themselves are complex and deeply sympathetic, and it's likely that you as a reader will find yourself emotionally invested in what is not so much a story but a true "Slice of Life" in that it encompasses the family's life in its entirety in a over the course of a few years. In fact, F.Compo is really about family more than gender identity, and it conveys a sense of the beauty of family better than nearly anything I've read. Though it starts off fairly simple, I would recommend reading at least half of it to get a real impression of what it's about.