Gundress (1999) [Anime Review]

Gundress; or, Mecha Charlie’s Angels
     I lived according to your word. You were everything to me.Your eyes were like those of… a stray dog who had lost a fight. You were scared, and your isolation made you feel that no one loved you. I could understand how the world looked to those eyes. That’s why I was with you. But I misunderstood!
My exploration of good old cyberpunk anime goes on. This time I would like to discuss Gundress, an anime feature from 1999, to which Masamune Shirow contributed as character and mecha designer. Interestingly, the film generated a bit of controversy among anime fans. Well, let’s take a closer look at it.

Release Info

Directed by: Katsuyoshi Yatabe Voice actors: Masako Katsuki, Kumiko Watanabe, Akemi Okamura, Reiko Takagi, Rie Ishizuka, Tomoko Kawakami

Language: Japanese Original Title: ガンドレス Runtime: 85 min

Synopsis
Welcome to the future, it’s the year 2100 in a newly-built Bayside City, an international port. In order to fight off terrorism and smuggling operations, private military organisations step into action. The Angel Arms Company is one of them. It was founded by a former policewoman Takako (Masako Katsuki), and she leads the group composed of six former criminals who now enforce the law in special security suits. The team is ordered to protect an arms-dealer called Hassan (Minoru Inaba) because he might provide some vital information which will enable the authorities to bring down the big crime ring. However, crime lords try to strike back. They send Jean-Luc Skinner (Kenyuu Horiuchi) to kill Hassan. It turns out that the assassin is a former lover of Angel Arms pilot, Alissa (Rie Ishizuka).

At the Edge of Cybernet
I have to say that I checked out Gundress completely without having the knowledge of its troubled production. I think it was for the best. At first glance, Gundress seems to be a small-budget OVA from the late 1980s, similar in production value to Shirow’s other anime project, Black Magic M-66 (1987). However, it appears that Gundress had large financial resources and the backing of a major Japanese studio (Nikkatsu). What is more, it was intended to be a theatrical(!) release. As a result, when comparing Gundress to other sci-fi classics released in cinemas (Akira (1988), Ghost in the Shell (1995)), one can clearly see that something went horribly wrong in the making process.

It cannot confirm this rumour, but (allegedly) moviegoers were given leaflets on the premiere day saying that the film is unfinished and the studio will send them a home video copy later on… I could not find out more about behind-the-scenes drama of Gundress, but undeniably the animation studio could not handle this project properly.

Putting these revelations aside, I have to say that Gundress works well as an OVA played at home on your DVD player. It tries to be as wacky as Dominion Tank Police (1988) and as serious as Ghost in the Shell (1995). In addition, I enjoyed the concept of Charlie’s Angels fighting the bad guys in mechas. Masamune Shirow’s designs are always a pleasure to look at.

What is more, Gundress features an ensemble cast of legendary voice actresses: Masako Katsuki, Kumiko Watanabe, Akemi Okamura, Reiko Takagi, Rie Ishizuka, and the late Tomoko Kawakami. It is worth watching this anime feature, just to listen to their performances.

Recommendations
All things considered, Gundress is harmless fun, but not anything exceptional. If you happen to find it on a cheap DVD, then go ahead and grab it. Certainly, it is not worth the price of a cinema ticket. In my opinion, the storyline would have worked better in the form of a short series rather than a 90-minute picture. Overall score: 6/10

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