TheGunbuster the Movieconsists of recut footage from the original six-part OVA (Gunbuster, 1988) with a new 5.1 audio remix and a new dub by the original Japanese cast. When she was a child, Noriko's father was killed in humanity's first battle with aliens from the galactic core. At the Okinawa Girls' Space Pilot High School, Noriko meets her future partner Amano, and Coach Ohta, who served with her father. Noriko displays little aptitude for steeringmecha, but Ohta sees hidden potential. Soon Noriko is in space, piloting the experimental robot-suit Gunbuster and fighting alien ships that resemble giant sea slugs. The original OVA suffered from too much story; cutting the running time down to 95 minutes only exacerbates the problem. Characters appear and disappear before they register.Gunbustermarked the first commercial success for the Gainax studio and the directorial debut ofNeon Genesis Evangelioncreator Hideaki Anno. There's little foreshadowing of Anno's later brilliance except for the dramatic use of black and white in what was originally the last episode, set 12,000 years in the future.Diebuster the Moviemixes big chunks of the second OVA    (Diebuster, a.k.a.Gunbuster 2, 2004) with some bits of new animation. Except for the universe in which the stories are set, the links between the films are minimal. The second feature overflows with elaborate CG effects, brilliant colors and fan service panty shots. But the flamboyant visuals can't disguise the utter incomprehensibility of the plot. Ditsy waitress Nono wants to become amechapilot but can't because she's really a sexy android.   Somehow she transforms into a being with godlike powers who saves humanity from "fluctuating gravity wells," alien monsters that recall the Jovian chulips inMartian Successor Nadesico. The third disc of bonus material includes a stage appearance by the cast and staff, a discussion of the re-recording session forGunbuster, the Japanese trailer forDiebuster, and promotional audio materials that are available only in Japanese. Both films are in Japanese only with subtitles. (Rated 13 and older:  violence, tobacco use, nudity)--Charles Solomon