Gundress

“The Forgotten '90s Anime Flop That Could Have Been”

It would be an understatement to say that anime featuring female-led protagonists was all the rave in the '90s. After the success of the “Bubblegum Crisis” franchise, “Dominion Tank Police” and Ghost in the Shell studios wanted to create the next big thing. Well, the next big thing in the minds of Studio Junio was the anime Gundress. Unfortunately, like “The 13th Warrior,” released the same year, Gundress, though an anime, suffered from the same issues that plague many cinematic releases.

With its impressive talent and ambition to launch a multimedia franchise, Gundress had a notoriously disastrous production. The Japanese studio Nikkatsu, which aimed to expand into anime, produced the movie. However, the production faced many issues, like poor communication, inexperienced staff, and going severely over budget.

Nikkatsu's shift into adult content and its bankruptcy in 1993 had little to do with the anime's failure, but I am still curious why Production I.G. and Bandai Visual were not involved. Even the Madhouse and Toei teams would have wet my whistle. But the real question is how a studio spends $5 million on an 80-minute anime.

Despite the production hell caused by the abovementioned issues, Gundress was released to audiences in an incomplete state, which has puzzled many. Audiences may have been apprised of the film's status at its premiere, an unorthodox practice that prompted debates regarding the difficulties encountered during production. Comparisons to other sci-fi classics have been made, emphasizing the missed opportunities in the execution of Gundress.

As a result, Gundress performed poorly in Japanese theaters, both critically and financially. Many involved staff left the anime industry following the failure. The film became regarded as one of the biggest box-office bombs in anime history. Nevertheless, despite its flaws, Gundress has gained a cult following over the years.

Released on March 20, 1999, Studio Junio created this movie, which Nikkatsu and Sanctuary produced with Media Blasters' licensing for international audiences. The anime is available via DVD and is currently listed on Amazon at the time of writing. As far as trying to view it, it's not currently licensed, which means you'll probably have to sail the Seven Seas.

Gundress was under the direction of a group that included Junichi Sakai, Katsuyoshi Yatabe, Kazumasa Fujiie, and Kentaro Izaki. Yutaka Tominga provided the music, while Katsuyoshi Yatabe, Kazunobu Fuseki, and Michiaki Sugimoto handled the storyboards. Masamune Shirow, renowned for his work in the anime industry, contributed to the character and mecha designs, setting high expectations for the visual aspect of the film.

So, what is this monstrosity about? Gundress is set in a futuristic Japan where a private security firm is tasked with protecting an arms dealer, potentially pivotal in the fight against both seen and unseen powers. This mission becomes complicated when an assassin, connected personally to one of the team members, is sent to disrupt their plans. The narrative weaves action with emotional depth, exploring themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the personal costs of warfare.

Now, on the surface, that’s great, excellent, even. The whole premise sounds like an anime I can get behind. “Girls with Guns” piloting big machines made up of five ladies with varying abilities should make for a great anime, or at least a decent one, and it does.

Gundress begins in typical action anime movie style. The bad guys land on the shipping dock, briefcase in hand, ready to make a deal while under the watch of prying eyes and the chatter of someone hunting for “big game.” Everyone has their game in Bayside, one of Japan's largest international ports and a city recovering from two earthquakes a few years prior.

We meet our antagonist, Hassan. No stereotypes there (right), just a Middle Eastern arms dealer. Taking out the bad guys with ease. We see that these five girls are not more than excellent sharpshooters. A mysterious woman leads them while she is concentrating on a computer screen. Because that's what beautiful, mysterious women do. Sit behind computer screens and tell others what to do—that's what Charlie did in Charlie's Angels (2019).

We find out that the brains of this private enterprise unit is Takako Houraiji, a beautiful and statuesque lady who has a penchant for the occasional glass of wine. She is the CEO of the Angel Arms Company, which the mayor funded and founded by a former policewoman.

She employs a team of five beauties who are tasked with keeping the bad guys and the cops on their toes. Alisa Takakura, Kei Yung, Marcia Asano, Silvia Kakihana, and Michelle Iga make up the squad, and as much as I’d like to be cliche and say that they have their own unique personalities and backstories, the reality is that their development varies. You can insert production hell as a possible reason, but nevertheless, the takedown was a cache of Landmates and weapons and our first sign of tension.

Division in a team is never a good sign, and we find out quickly that this team has its usual cast of tropes. The disjointed Quintessential Quintuplets are fractured, and Alisa is the issue. We're not sure why, but we do know that the resident hothead, food connoisseur Silvia, has a chip on her shoulder concerning her, though this opinion is not the group's consensus.

Well, it wouldn't be when your group is packing Michelle and Marcia. Shirow had bigger plans for the former, but she was relegated to being a cute computer nerd, whereas the latter, Marcia, hesitated under fire. Girl, you were piloting a mecha against a cyborg adversary; regain your composure. The team leader, Kei, just hopes Alisa gets her head together. Takako wants to kick her off the team. I guess Alisa has been the black sheep for quite a while, but maybe you would too if the love of your life died protecting you.

“If My Boyfriend Died Trying to Protect Me, Would I Be Able to Forget Him?”

There is a saying that you're as sick as your secrets, and secrets have a way of being exposed. To put it another way, “visitors from that shall return to the darkness once they came.” Author Jones, aka Jean Luc Skinner, is an assassin sent to kill the arms dealer Hassan. Angel Arms ends up protecting Hassan in hopes that his information will help bring down a global terror ring.

From here in the anime, the tone shifts, mainly focusing on Alisa, her past, and her former lover, John Luc. We get to see how she became the cybernetic machine she is today. She is no saint, but the second chance she's given is a running theme and maturing as a woman, even if her former lover failed too. It deviates from a typical cyberpunk anime and has a touch of romance and a love lost that makes it interesting.

The art of Gundress is noted for its cyberpunk style, reminiscent of Shirow's other works. Masamune Shirow is most associated with Ghost in the Shell for those new to this anime or anime in general. Still, beyond that, the mangaka/artist is associated with the Dominion series, namely New Dominion Tank Police, Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn, and Appleseed.

The powered suits used by the main cast, Landmates, share the same name and general design features as those seen in the Appleseed metaseries. Kelveros, the mech in the film Alisa reprograms, resembles the Tachikoma from "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex," though less colorful.

Speaking of color, grays and browns predominate in the film's color palette, which some viewers found to be lacking in atmosphere. Considering the region suffered an earthquake and was subject to terrorism, that makes sense. Masamune Shirow and Tetsuro Aoki designed the characters in "Gundress." I will give credit where it's due. And that credit is best used on the character design of Alisa. I love the use of technology. I love the neural link that she imposes and the use of cybernettics within her body.

The voice cast, featuring talents such as Masako Katsuki, Kumiko Watanabe, Akemi Okamura, Reiko Takagi, Rie Ishizuka, and the late Tomoko Kawakami, adds a layer of quality to the film. Having watched both versions, viewers won't go wrong either way, although, dare I say it, I like the English dub of the anime better; forgive me!

Alisa is given a more mature and mellow voice in the English dub, which departs from the typical upbeat female anime leads. This choice adds depth to her character, showing a more seasoned and jaded perspective. Having James Lyon on board and voice legend Michael McConnohie were pluses, but this ship was sunk from the start.

The English voice actors did a better job of creating character development, even though it was weak from the jump. However, another plus to this anime is the closing theme, "Close to Me," by Korean group R-Orange. While not a major banger, it only reminded me of what this anime could have been.

Yeah, it is true that some people really adore this anime. Just search the web for clues; it is interesting how many anime from before the year 2000 fit this description. Even with its shortcomings, hand-drawn anime has its merits. It has an aesthetic all its own, even if that new Ufotable anime looks divine.

Gundress is a piece of forgotten anime history. With a skilled crew and top-notch production values, it ought to have been an unforgettable film thanks to its combination of action, science fiction, and mecha themes. Well, it turns out that was totally wrong. I guess they had high hopes, but in the end, it did ruin some careers, and quite a few of those careers left the industry. I mean, when was the last time you heard of an Orca-written anime?