Masamune Shirow's Gundress - DVD

In the year 2100, Japan's premier international port is Bayside City — a gleaming new metropolis built on reclaimed land still recovering from two devastating earthquakes. The city's position as a global trade hub makes it a magnet for arms dealers, terrorists, and criminal organizations. Angel Arms is an unofficial private security unit established by former policewoman Takako Houraiji: six women operating outside normal law enforcement channels, equipped with Land Mate powered armor suits — compact, maneuverable mecha that share design DNA with the suits from the Appleseed universe. When an arms dealer named Hassan arrives in Bayside with a dangerous cargo and a hit squad of corrupt government officials on his trail, Angel Arms is deployed to protect him. The case becomes personal when the hit squad is led by Jean-Luc — the ex-lover and former partner of Alissa, Angel Arms' most powerful and most uncooperative member, who is a cyborg and whose past with Jean-Luc is considerably more complicated than her teammates know.

Gundress is one of anime history's most notorious production disasters. Funded by Nikkatsu — the legendary Japanese studio attempting to expand into anime — and nominally based on concept art by Masamune Shirow (Ghost in the Shell, Dominion Tank Police, Appleseed), the film suffered from poor communication between production units, inexperienced staff, catastrophic budget overruns, and an eventual release to Japanese theaters on March 20, 1999 in a visibly unfinished state. Many staff left the anime industry following its failure, and it has been described as one of the biggest box-office bombs in anime history. A completed version five minutes longer than the theatrical cut was later produced and included on a limited Japanese DVD run of only 5,000 copies. The North American DVD released by Media Blasters (Anime Works) on June 25, 2002 presents the completed version of the film and includes the original unfinished theatrical version as a bonus. The Shirow connection, the cult infamy of its production history, and the Appleseed-adjacent Land Mate designs have sustained a niche collector following.

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Directors: Junichi Sakai, Katsuyoshi Yatabe, Kazumasa Fujiie & Kentaro Izaki
Original Concept / Character Design Basis: Masamune Shirow (Ghost in the Shell, Dominion Tank Police, Appleseed)
Studio: Studio Junio / Nikkatsu
Music: Yutaka Tominaga

Japanese Cast:
- Masako Katsuki as Takako Houraiji
- Rie Ishizuka as Alissa
- Tomoko Kawakami as additional cast (Battle Athletes, A Little Snow Fairy Sugar, Gate Keepers, Z.O.E. Dolores I, Angelic Layer)
- Akemi Okamura as additional cast (One Piece, Now and Then Here and There, Arc the Lad)

English Dub Cast (Media Blasters — Los Angeles):
- Bridget Hoffman as Takako Houraiji (Mahoromatic, Nightwalker, Fushigi Yugi, Descendants of Darkness, Ah My Goddess, Arc the Lad)
- Janine Brown as Alissa
- Mari Devon as additional cast (Nightwalker)
- Lex Lang as Shiberagi / Kelvelos (Gestalt, Rurouni Kenshin, Gundress)
- Dave Mallow as Serem / Head (Kurogane Communication)
- Michael McConnohie as Goman / Secretary (Megazone 23 Part 1 — Streamline dub)
- Jamieson Price as additional cast
- Ron Allen as Hassan / Kazama

DVD Features

- Completed Version of the Film (main feature)
- Original Unfinished 1999 Theatrical Version (bonus)
- Media Blasters / Anime Works Previews

Spoken Languages: English & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: ガンドレス (Gandoresu)
Runtime: ~84 Minutes (Completed Version)
Directors: Junichi Sakai, Katsuyoshi Yatabe, Kazumasa Fujiie & Kentaro Izaki
DVD Release Year: 2002 (U.S. Release, June 25 — Media Blasters / Anime Works)
Original Release Date (Japan): March 20, 1999 (unfinished theatrical); June 2000 (completed version, limited 5,000-copy Japanese DVD)
Publisher: Media Blasters (Anime Works)
Rating: 16+
Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)
Note: Includes both the completed version and the original unfinished 1999 theatrical cut as a bonus. Based on concept art by Masamune Shirow. One of anime history's most notorious production disasters and box-office failures.
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Mecha
Themes: Powered Armor Women, Bayside City 2100, Arms Dealer Conspiracy, Masamune Shirow Aesthetic, Appleseed Land Mates Connection

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.