Those accustomed to Studio NUT’s more insane anime outings might still enjoy their new project. The studio’s talents, gained from their time working at studio Madhouse, certainly shine through. Bullbuster takes a more realistic approach to pilots in giant robots fighting monsters. That might sound hard to believe, but this studio can crack that sort of story. We’ll see how it works out when this series premieres on October 4th, 2023. Until then, let’s meet the team, and its pink-haired anime girl, in the trailer.
Bullbuster is just one part of a multimedia franchise established by Kadokawa. There is also a collaboration with the city of Kitakyushu in the Kyushu prefecture, as indicated in a special visual. Bullbuster first appeared in a concept book released in November 2017. This was later expanded into a novel series written by Hiroyuki Nakao and illustrated by Eisaku Kubonouchi.
Shoya Chiba will be voicing Tetsuro Okino, the apparent lead pilot of this ragtag group of monster hunters. He seems up for the task, given Chiba’s prior roles as Kabetaijin in Ya Boy Kongming!, Hajime Aono in Ao no Orchestra, and Richard Andrews in Reign of the Seven Spellblades.
Continuing her trend of voicing Best Girl candidates, Asami Seto is giving voice to Arumi Nikaido. She has previously voiced Mina Ashiro in Kaiju No. 8, Frill Shiranui in Oshi no Ko, and Akane Hooji in The Café Terrace and Its Goddesses.
Yuki Takada will be doing her best to sound exasperated as Miyuki Shirogane. She has previously played other possible Best Girls, such as Shione Kо̄zuki in Shinobi no Ittoki, Tama Youko in Sengoku Youko, and Elma in Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid.
Studio NUT has set up a home page to promote Bullbuster, in addition to an official X/Twitter page. Behind-the-scenes information, and the key visuals, can be found there.
Studio NUT’s Madhouse Style
Studio NUT was founded by Takuya Tsunoki in 2017. He is an ex-Madhouse producer who previously worked on Casshern Sins, Death Parade, and Magical Warfare. NUT’s co-founder, Masayuki Narai, has his own stellar résumé which includes The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Tokyo Godfathers, and Saber Marionette J Again.
NUT may have a shorter list of works, but they’ve made their mark on the anime industry. Their first work is Yojo Senki: Saga of Tanya the Evil, an isekai where an adult man becomes a little girl, who then becomes a war hero.
Another series, titled Deca-Dence, took place in a post-apocalyptic world where most humans have been wiped out and later replaced with androids. For a smoother series, look no further than the jazz series Blue Giant.
Count Those Bullets
As previously stated, Bullbuster takes a realistic approach to the fantastical. Tetsurou Okino is a young engineer who has been transferred to Hato Industries. It’s ostensibly a vermin extermination company, but their targets are larger than simple insects. Their tool of extermination is a large machine of Tetsurou’s own design, known as the Bullbuster.
Kouji Tajima, the president of Hato Industries, leads the effort to fight against large, mysterious creatures. Though their work protects humanity, the company is on a tight budget. Giant robots need fuel too you know, even if it does look like the Shaft from Geneshaft. Those bullets cost a pretty yen as well. Let’s not forget that the pilots and engineers have bills to pay. Tetsurou and his team will have to make do saving the day on a tight budget. Let’s see if they can pull it off.
If you have a need for a weapon-toting girl, but you’d prefer her to be on the cuter side, J-List has you covered. Rin Shirane 1/7 Figure -Beach Shootout- from Little Armory is now available for pre-order.
What’s your initial impression of Bullbuster? Do you think it’s interesting to have a giant robot company fight monsters on a budget? Is Arumi a contender for Best Girl because of her pink hair power? Let us know in the comments below.
