Noriko Takaya

Gainax created Gunbuster as an ironic response to the financial losses of Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise, their previous film.{{lang|ja|「閉塞感は『トップ』の段階からあったんです。うち（GAINAX）で最初にやった『オネアミスの翼―王立宇宙軍』。。。が失敗した時、僕は打ちのめされました。。。じゃあ"要するにロボットが出て半裸の姉ちゃんが宇宙に行けばいいんだね"とアイロニーで作ったのが『トップ』でした。」}}{{Cite magazine |date=October 1996 |editor-last=Matsuyama |editor-first=Shinya |title=Anno Hideaki Intabyuu: 'Shinseiki Evangelion' [Hideaki Anno Interview: Neon Genesis Evangelion] |magazine=Studio Voice |publisher=Infras Publications |location=Tokyo |volume=250}}{{rp|p=94}} The firm's staff designed the characters with Haruhiko Mikimoto, a character designer for Super Dimension Fortress Macross,{{Cite book |last=Yamaguchi |first=Hiroshi |title=トップをねらえ! FILM COMIC 1 |publisher=Bandai |year=1988 |isbn=978-4-89189-362-0 |publication-date=October 30, 1988 |language=Japanese |trans-title=Aim for the Top! Film Comic 1}}{{rp|p=94}}{{Cite book |title=General Products Presents Complete Gunbuster |publisher=General Products |year=1990 |publication-date=April 10, 1990}}{{rp|p=32}}{{Cite web |last=Donohoo |first=Timothy Blake |date=October 29, 2023 |title=Beloved Retro Mecha Anime Reveals New Merchandise Celebrating 35th Anniversary |url=https://www.cbr.com/gunbuster-retro-mecha-anime-new-merchandise-release/ |access-date=January 16, 2025 |website=CBR}} and were influenced by Aim for the Ace!{{Cite book |last1=Saitō |first1=Tamaki |title=Beautiful Fighting Girl |last2=Azuma |first2=Hiroki |date=2011 |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |isbn=978-0-8166-5451-2 |edition=eBook |location=Minneapolis [Minn.] |translator-last=Vincent |translator-first=J. Keith |translator-last2=Lawson |translator-first2=Dawn}}{{rp|143–144}}{{Cite web |last=Chowdhury |first=Swapna |date=October 18, 2023 |title=The 40 Best Mecha Anime to Watch Right Now |url=https://gizmostory.com/best-mecha-anime/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240622064306/https://gizmostory.com/best-mecha-anime/ |archive-date=June 22, 2024 |access-date=January 16, 2025 |website=Gizmo Story}} and Top Gun.{{Cite web |last=Motamayor |first=Rafael |date=December 8, 2020 |title='Gunbuster' Is A Short But Impactful Mecha Anime That Mixes 'Interstellar' With 'Top Gun' |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/578187/gunbuster/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240914110311/https://www.slashfilm.com/578187/gunbuster/ |archive-date=September 14, 2024 |access-date=January 17, 2025 |website=SlashFilm}} Noriko Hidaka, who voiced Noriko, said that the concept of Gunbuster was taking the average of Aim for the Ace! and Top Gun.{{Cite web |last=Kobayashi |first=Hakusai |date=February 10, 2021 |title=歌手活動40周年・日高のり子さんロングインタビュー。『サクラ大戦3』のエリカは"勘違いした日高のり子像"!? 『ワンダープロジェクトJ』『雪割りの花』の話題も！ - ゲーム・エンタメ最新情報のファミ通.com |trans-title=Singer Life's 40th Anniversary - Long Interview with Noriko Hidaka - Sakura Wars 3's Erika is a "misunderstood Noriko Hidaka statue"!? "Wonder Project J", "Yukiwari no Hana" Topics, Too! |url=https://www.famitsu.com/news/202102/10214201.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241003103952/https://www.famitsu.com/news/202102/10214201.html |archive-date=October 3, 2024 |access-date=January 7, 2025 |website=ファミ通.com |language=ja}} Gunbuster was the first anime to combine sports drama, typically aimed at female audiences, with super robot action, typically aimed at male audiences.{{Cite book |last=Patten |first=Fred |title=Watching anime, reading manga: 25 years of essays and reviews |date=2004 |publisher=Stone Bridge Press |isbn=978-1-880656-92-1 |edition=Nachdr. |location=Berkeley, Calif}}{{rp|p=48}}

File:日のり子.jpg, the actress for Noriko Takaya, enjoyed playing her role.]]

Noriko's name comes from an animator named {{ill|Noriko Takaya (animator)|lt=Noriko Takaya|ja|高屋法子}},{{rp|p=73}} the wife of Gainax co-founder Shinji Higuchi.{{Cite web |title=エヴァのスタッフ解説 |trans-title=Eva Staff Explanation |url=http://www.mars.dti.ne.jp/yato/eva/staff.htm |access-date=January 17, 2025 |website=www.mars.dti.ne.jp}} She worked at Studio Ghibli,{{Cite news |date=December 14, 2004 |title=【ジブリの挑戦】細密画＋動き＝驚異の迫力 |trans-title=Ghibli's Challenge: Miniatures + Movement = Wonderful Pressure |url=http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/entertainment/ghibli/cnt_challenge_20041214.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623223239/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp:80/entertainment/ghibli/cnt_challenge_20041214.htm |archive-date=June 23, 2012 |access-date=January 4, 2025 |work=Yomiuri Shimbun}} where some of Gainax's staff previously worked with her,{{Cite web |title=庵野秀明 個人履歴 |trans-title=Hideaki Anno - Personal Life History |url=https://www.khara.co.jp/hideakianno/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241124023246/https://www.khara.co.jp/hideakianno/ |archive-date=November 24, 2024 |access-date=January 4, 2025 |website=株式会社カラー |language=ja}}{{Cite web |date=July 20, 2013 |title=高屋法子の映画作品｜MOVIE WALKER PRESS |trans-title=Noriko Takaya's Films ｜ MOVIE WALKER PRESS |url=https://moviewalker.jp/person/290419/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241126155231/https://moviewalker.jp/person/290419/ |archive-date=November 26, 2024 |access-date=January 18, 2025 |website=MOVIE WALKER PRESS |language=ja}} and worked on animations for Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Akira. She also worked on Gunbuster.{{rp|p=73}} Noriko Hidaka voiced Noriko in the original Japanese version of the anime, the film Gunbuster vs. Diebuster, and in the video games.{{Cite web |title=Noriko Takaya Voices (Gunbuster) |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/characters/Gunbuster/Noriko-Takaya/ |access-date=January 4, 2025 |website=Behind The Voice Actors}} In contrast, Kiane Chula King voiced her in the English dub.{{Cite web |date=July 30, 2022 |title=Discotek Reveals Gunbuster English Dub Cast |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2022-07-30/discotek-reveals-gunbuster-english-dub-cast/.188138 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228200250/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2022-07-30/discotek-reveals-gunbuster-english-dub-cast/.188138 |archive-date=December 28, 2022 |access-date=January 4, 2025 |publisher=Anime News Network}}

The character of Noriko Takaya first appears in the anime Gunbuster. Noriko was born on September 12, 2006, to Yuzo Takaya, a space pilot and captain of the Luxion.{{rp|p=73}}{{Cite book |last=Yamaguchi |first=Hiroshi |title=トップをねらえ! FILM COMIC 2 |date=February 10, 1989 |publisher=Bandai |isbn=978-4-89189-005-6 |language=Japanese |trans-title=Aim for the Top! Film Comic 2}}{{rp|p=66}}{{Cite book |title=トップをねらえ！ GUNBUSTER & DIEBUSTER Next GENERATION Easter |publisher=MDN Corporation |year=2007 |isbn=978-4-8443-5918-0 |location=Tokyo |publication-date=July 20, 2007 |language=Japanese |trans-title=Aim for the Top! GUNBUSTER & DIEBUSTER Next GENERATION Easter}}{{rp|p=56}}{{Cite web |date=April 26, 2023 |title=Does Gunbuster Hold Up Today? |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2023-04-26/does-gunbuster-hold-up-today/.189282 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217155031/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2023-04-26/does-gunbuster-hold-up-today/.189282 |archive-date=December 17, 2024 |access-date=January 8, 2025 |website=Anime News Network}} In 2015, space monsters attack the Luxion, and Yuzo dies.{{Cite episode |title=Daring! The Genius Girl's Challenge!! |series=Gunbuster |series-link=Gunbuster |date=October 7, 1988 |number=2}} Noriko joins the Okinawa Girls' Space Pilot High School to become a mecha pilot, so she follows in her father's footsteps.{{rp|p=57}}{{Cite web |last=Mullin |first=Jeremy |date=January 16, 2007 |title=Gunbuster |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/01/16/gunbuster |access-date=January 7, 2025 |website=IGN}}{{rp|p=6}} At school, she is close friends with Kimiko Higuchi. Noriko starts training to be a mecha pilot by jumping rope. She meets Kazumi Amano, becomes infatuated with her, and treats her like an older sister. Then, Coach Koichiro Ohta tells the students piloting mecha to start their training. Noriko tries to pilot her mecha but is very clumsy.{{rp|p=74}} Reiko Kashiwara and her allies bully Noriko because she is selected to go to space. Noriko cries and approaches Ohta. Ohta tells her to train more, so she does. One night, Reiko and Noriko have a mecha duel. Initially, the students thought Reiko would win, but Noriko performs an Inazuma Kick on Reiko's mecha and wins. Ohta, Kazumi, and Noriko board a jet to the Silver Star orbital base.{{rp|p=3–27}}{{Cite web |title=Aim for the Top! Character Guide |url=https://www.gunbuster.net/gunbuster_char.html |access-date=February 26, 2025 |website=www.gunbuster.net}}{{Cite episode |title=Whoa! Big Sis and I Are Going to Be Pilots Together?! |series=Gunbuster |series-link=Gunbuster |date=October 7, 1988 |number=1}}

From the jet, they see a Soviet mecha and work being done on the {{ill|Exelion|ja|ヱクセリヲン}}. They later meet the pilot of the Soviet mecha, Jung Freud, on the Silver Star. During training, Kazumi and Jung challenge each other while Noriko is looking for them. Kazumi, Noriko, and Ohta fly to the unidentified object approaching Neptune's orbit. Noriko finds out it is the Luxion. Knowing that her father is on the Luxion, Noriko goes to the Luxion and tries to look for him but finds that he is gone, which emotionally affects Noriko. Ohta finds her and returns with Kazumi to the Exelion, where they discover it is finished. At the Exelion opening ceremony, Noriko cries and runs out of the room where the ceremony is being held.{{rp|p=28–45}}

Noriko overhears Kazumi claiming that Noriko is a liability. Noriko meets an American named Smith Toren. They initially do not get along but later fall for each other. Noriko pairs up with him to fight, but Toren is killed in battle, which weighs on her.{{rp|p=10–29}}{{Cite episode |title=First Love☆First Sortie |series=Gunbuster |series-link=Gunbuster |date=December 30, 1988 |number=3}} During warp, the crew of the Exelion finds space monsters, and Captain Tatsumi Tashiro orders a kamikaze run, but Noriko cries in a room as the battle goes on. She decides against crying and resolves to fight with her strength instead. She then pilots an unfinished Gunbuster and single-handedly fights the space monsters, stopping the space monsters from further attacking the Exelion{{rp|32–55}}{{Cite episode |title=Launch!! The Unfinished Ultimate Weapon! |series=Gunbuster |series-link=Gunbuster |date=December 30, 1988 |number=4}} and demonstrating that she grew to become a master pilot.{{rp|p=166}}

Noriko, Kazumi, and Ohta return to Earth. Noriko and Kazumi graduate from the Okinawa Girls' Space Pilot High School and see Kimiko, an adult with a child. Later, Noriko sees Kazumi and Ohta, now married, fighting each other. Noriko goes to a beach to sunbathe and talks with Jung. She contemplates her recent experiences with Kimiko, Kazumi, and Ohta. Noriko and Kazumi later pilot Buster Machine 1 and Buster Machine 2, respectively. They fly the Buster Machines into space with the Exelion. As they pass Jupiter, they find space monsters. Kazumi cries at the thought of losing Ohta because he was diagnosed with space radiation syndrome and has less than six months to live, and due to time dilation for Noriko and Kazumi, they will not get back before then. Noriko snaps Kazumi out of crying and backing out, and they combine their Buster Machines into Gunbuster. After working together to defeat the space monsters by the Exelion's explosion, they return to Earth, and Kazumi cries when she finds Ohta alive. Noriko tries not to cry, so she runs out.{{Cite episode |title=Please!! There's Time Enough For Love! |series=Gunbuster |series-link=Gunbuster |date=July 7, 1989 |number=5}}

Noriko, Kazumi, and Jung are on the {{ill|Eltreum|ja|ヱルトリウム}} in the last episode. They are in a fleet to deliver Buster Machine 3, a black hole bomb with Jupiter condensed. The fleet protects the bomb from space monsters before detonation. Noriko and Kazumi go into Buster Machine 3 to use Gunbuster's main degeneracy reactor to start the detonation. They fly out quickly and find themselves above Earth on July 6, 14,292, where they see a "WELCOME HOMƎ!"{{Efn|name=okaerinasai|The final katakana "イ" in the original message, {{nihongo krt||オカエリナサイ|Okaerinasai}}, is reversed.}} message on the Earth. Noriko and Kazumi leave the Gunbuster and fall back to Earth.{{Cite episode |title=At the End of Eternity... |series=Gunbuster |series-link=Gunbuster |date=July 7, 1989 |number=6}}

File:GunbusterSD.png

In the Science Lessons, Noriko, Kazumi, and Ohta appear as chibi versions of themselves discussing the science behind concepts in Gunbuster, such as the speed of light.{{Cite web |last=Green |first=Scott |date=January 18, 2007 |title=AICN Anime – Gunbuster, Japanamerica, Anime on US TV and More |url=https://legacy.aintitcool.com/node/31120 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230430030025/http://legacy.aintitcool.com/node/31120 |archive-date=April 30, 2023 |access-date=January 14, 2025 |website=Aint It Cool News}} In later episodes, the chibi versions become more expressive but slimmer. Noriko's expressions in the Science Lessons are more exaggerated than in the main Gunbuster series, including the appearance of a V-shaped mouth when scared.{{Cite podcast |url=https://www.audacy.com/podcast/giant-robot-fm-f3543/episodes/giant-robot-fm-78-gunbuster-science-lessons-shorts-feat-maddy-and-space-queen-emily-e75c2 |title=Gunbuster Science Lessons & Shorts (feat. Maddy and Space Queen Emily) |website=Giant Robot FM 78 |last=Hero |first=Stephen |last2=pmcTRILOGY |date=May 3, 2024 |access-date=January 14, 2025 |archive-date=January 14, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114053931/https://www.audacy.com/podcast/giant-robot-fm-f3543/episodes/giant-robot-fm-78-gunbuster-science-lessons-shorts-feat-maddy-and-space-queen-emily-e75c2 |url-status=live}} In the sequel OVA, Diebuster, the protagonist, Nono, admires Noriko's legacy and wishes to be like her. Nono refers to Noriko as Nono-Riri{{Cite web |last=Laliberte |first=Peter |date=April 1, 2011 |title=Diebuster Ep. 6: The Story of Your Life – MAHQ |url=https://www.mahq.net/diebusterep6/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613235717/https://www.mahq.net/diebusterep6/ |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |access-date=January 12, 2025 |website=MAHQ}} because her memory of Noriko is disorganized, so she mutters the syllables of her name.{{Cite web |last=momomo |date=August 2, 2024 |title=熱狂再び！トップをねらえ2！と旧作のつながりで蘇る感動！ – ヨムコミ！メディア |trans-title=Getting Crazy About Again! Restoring Excitement with Aim for the Top 2! and Previous Work's Connections - Yomukomi! Media |url=https://yomcomi.com/top-wo-nerae-2-tsunagari/ |access-date=January 14, 2025 |website=yomcomi.com |language=ja}} The last episode of Diebuster shows Noriko and Kazumi descending to Earth from the Earth's point of view.{{Cite episode |title=The Story of Your Life |series=Diebuster |series-link=Diebuster |date=August 25, 2006 |number=6}}

Bandai published two volumes of Comic Gunbuster in 1989 and 1991.{{Cite book |title=コミックガンバスター |publisher=Bandai |year=1989 |isbn=978-4-89189-031-5 |publication-date=August 10, 1989 |language=Japanese |trans-title=Comic Gunbuster}}{{Cite book |title=コミックガンバスター VOL 2 |publisher=Bandai |year=1991 |isbn=978-4-89189-110-7 |publication-date=May 10, 1991 |language=Japanese |trans-title=Comic Gunbuster Volume 2}} These volumes show Noriko in various situations, such as chibi and four-panel strips. Kabocha's manga adaptation of Gunbuster follows the anime with some slight differences.{{Cite book |last=Kabocha |title= トップをねらえ! |volume=1 |publisher=Kadokawa Shoten |year=2011 |isbn=978-4-04-715751-4 |publication-date=August 4, 2011 |language=Japanese |trans-title=Aim for the Top! 1}}{{rp|p=182–193}}{{Cite book |last=Kabocha |title=トップをねらえ! |publisher=Kadokawa Shoten |year=2011 |isbn=978-4-04-120088-9 |volume=2 |publication-date=February 4, 2012 |language=Japanese |trans-title=Aim for the Top! 2}}{{rp|p=16–19}}{{rp|p=39}} Noriko has also appeared in some video games, such as the video games based on Gunbuster, the games in the Super Robot Wars series,{{Cite web |title=Super Robot Wars Lineup |url=https://www.suparobo.jp/srw_lineup |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231124120441/https://www.suparobo.jp/srw_lineup |archive-date=November 24, 2023 |access-date=January 4, 2025 |publisher=Bandai Namco Entertainment}}{{Cite web |last=馬淵 |first=寛昭 |date=October 22, 2021 |title=『スーパーロボット大戦T』をより楽しむための作品紹介「スーパーロボット編」 |trans-title=Works to Enjoy from "Super Robot Wars T" (Super Robot Wars Compilation) |url=https://jp.ign.com/suparobo-t/31826/feature/t |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240810114006/https://jp.ign.com/suparobo-t/31826/feature/t |archive-date=August 10, 2024 |access-date=January 18, 2025 |website=IGN Japan |language=ja}} Neon Genesis Evangelion: Eva and Good Friends,{{Cite web |title=新世紀エヴァンゲリオン エヴァと愉快な仲間たち (セガサターン) - ファミ通.com |trans-title=Neon Genesis Evangelion - Eva and Good Friends (Sega Saturn) - Famitsu.com |url=https://www.famitsu.com/games/t/2623/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241210060757/https://www.famitsu.com/games/t/2623/ |archive-date=December 10, 2024 |access-date=November 28, 2024 |website=www.famitsu.com}} and Neon Genesis Evangelion: Battle Orchestra.{{Cite web |date=July 5, 2007 |title=【今週の1本】あの「エヴァ」を動かせる乱戦型アクション『バトルオーケストラ』 – 電撃オンライン |trans-title=This Week's Volume: Melee Action in Moving That "Eva" (Battle Orchestra) - Dengeki Online |url=https://dengekionline.com/data/news/2007/7/5/c71cc32fefc13b75e207956d0d9b43c1.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241130110121/https://dengekionline.com/data/news/2007/7/5/c71cc32fefc13b75e207956d0d9b43c1.html |archive-date=November 30, 2024 |access-date=January 4, 2025 |website=dengekionline.com}}

In Gunbuster, Noriko shows determination in her rigorous training and striving for excellence through "hard work and guts".{{Cite web |last1=Waugh |first1=J. R. |last2=Piña |first2=Vanessa |date=May 25, 2021 |title=45 Best Short Anime Series You Need To Check Out |url=https://screenrant.com/best-anime-short-series-watch-few-episodes/ |access-date=January 4, 2025 |website=Screen Rant}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yYsdcoPLbg |title=【努力と根性で地球を救った女の子】タカヤ・ノリコ【トップをねらえ！】 |date=October 27, 2023 |last=アニメメカ解説ch【ジュニオチャンネル】 |language=Japanese |trans-title=The Girl Who Saved Earth with Hard Work and Guts: Noriko Takaya (Aim for the Top!) |access-date=January 4, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240623024316/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yYsdcoPLbg |archive-date=June 23, 2024 |via=YouTube}} Dan Casey, a contributor to Nerdist, states that she starts the story as a clumsy adolescent.{{Cite web |last=Casey |first=Dan |title=10 Essential Mecha Anime That You Need to See |url=https://nerdist.com/article/best-mecha-anime-giant-robot-dan-cave-pacific-rim-uprising/ |access-date=January 12, 2025 |website=Nerdist |archive-date=January 13, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250113052000/https://nerdist.com/article/best-mecha-anime-giant-robot-dan-cave-pacific-rim-uprising/ |url-status=live}} Tamaki Saitō and Hiroki Azuma say that under the rigorous training of her coach, Noriko became a master pilot.{{rp|p=166}} Via Erhard, a writer for Game Rant, states that although Noriko is generally calm, she ruthlessly kills her enemies.{{Cite web |last=Erhard |first=Via |date=August 6, 2022 |title=25 Darkest Anime Girls, Ranked |url=https://gamerant.com/twisted-anime-girls/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240829122724/https://gamerant.com/twisted-anime-girls/ |archive-date=August 29, 2024 |access-date=January 18, 2025 |website=Game Rant}} An editor for Anime News Network notes that Noriko has moments of doubting herself throughout the story, but as she becomes a master, she understands that her position carries a lot of weight.

Noriko admires Kazumi and looks up to her as if she was her older sister and praises Kazumi's skill in operating mecha, but Kazumi says it was her hard work.{{Cite web |last=Laliberte |first=Peter |date=April 1, 2011 |title=Gunbuster Ep. 1: Shock! Big Sister and I are Going to be Pilots Together?! – MAHQ |url=https://www.mahq.net/gunbusterep1/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240528192229/https://www.mahq.net/gunbusterep1/ |archive-date=May 28, 2024 |access-date=January 12, 2025 |website=MAHQ}} Zach Godin, a contributor to Crunchyroll News, states that Kazumi supports Noriko throughout Gunbuster despite being her senior.{{Cite web |last=Godin |first=Zach |date=July 6, 2018 |title=Two Heads Are Better Than One: Anime's Best Mecha Co-Pilots |url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/features/2018/7/6/two-heads-are-better-than-one-animes-best-mecha-co-pilots?srsltid=AfmBOoqCr0Ou28EYryl2TJCpLSQ6_RFfd40Ol9necDu5Yn7iBq9xXi8a |access-date=January 12, 2025 |website=Crunchyroll News |publisher=Crunchyroll |archive-date=January 13, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250113052000/https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/features/2018/7/6/two-heads-are-better-than-one-animes-best-mecha-co-pilots%3Fsrsltid%3DAfmBOoqCr0Ou28EYryl2TJCpLSQ6_RFfd40Ol9necDu5Yn7iBq9xXi8a |url-status=live}} Peter Laliberte of MAHQ wrote that Kazumi was initially portrayed as elegant but wanted to back out because of the possibility of losing Ohta, causing Noriko to tell her to snap out of this behavior and work together to stop the space monsters.{{Cite web |last=Laliberte |first=Peter |date=April 1, 2011 |title=Gunbuster Ep. 5: Please!! Time Enough for Love! – MAHQ |url=https://www.mahq.net/gunbusterep5/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529074556/https://www.mahq.net/gunbusterep5/ |archive-date=May 29, 2024 |access-date=January 13, 2025 |website=MAHQ}} Tamaki Saitō and Hiroki Azuma note that Noriko and Kazumi could be seen as phallic mothers, women who have a sense of authority and perfection.{{rp|p=166, 220}}

Loss and trauma are defining themes in Gunbuster. They are prominent in Noriko through traveling at lightspeed and consequently losing touch with the world she knew and dealing with unresolved trauma. Loss because of traveling at lightspeed causes someone to think of time differently and can become emotionally difficult for the person, as Noriko's growth showed. According to Anime News Network, because of time dilation, fighting to protect Earth and then coming back to see it significantly changed can make one feel as though they are not part of the lives of those they care about. Dev Tugnait, a writer for DualShockers, notes that losing a friend, Kimiko Higuchi, also caused Noriko to focus on mastering piloting Gunbuster and be willing to sacrifice everything for Earth's sake.{{Cite web |last=Tugnait |first=Dev |date=November 16, 2023 |title=10 Best Mecha Anime Protagonists, Ranked |url=https://www.dualshockers.com/best-mecha-anime-protagonists/ |access-date=January 12, 2025 |website=DualShockers |archive-date=January 14, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114144944/https://www.dualshockers.com/best-mecha-anime-protagonists/ |url-status=live}}

Noriko also shows behaviors of an otaku, as animators who enjoyed anime and became professionals founded Gainax. An otaku scholar, Lawrence Eng,{{Cite web |title=Lawrence Eng: CV |url=https://www.cjas.org/~leng/cv.htm |access-date=March 2, 2025 |website=www.cjas.org |archive-date=September 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240927082113/https://www.cjas.org/~leng/cv.htm |url-status=live}} said that Gunbuster could have been the earliest anime with a character demonstrating otaku behavior, as Kazumi teases Noriko "about her knowledge of anime and science fiction." This anime was also one of the first released in the United States to keep its Japanese-language track,{{Cite book |last=Eng |first=Lawrence |chapter=Strategies of Engagement: Discovering, Defining, and Describing Otaku Culture in the United States |title=Fandom unbound: otaku culture in a connected world |date=2012 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-15864-9 |editor-last=Ito |editor-first=Mizuko |location=New Haven [Conn.] |publication-date=February 28, 2012 |pages=85–107 |editor-last2=Okabe |editor-first2=Daisuke |editor-last3=Tsuji |editor-first3=Izumi}}{{rp|p=88}}{{Cite magazine |last=Gardiner |first=Debbi |date=January 2003 |title=Anime in America |url=https://www.japaninc.com/article.php?articleID=972 |access-date=February 27, 2025 |magazine=J@pan Inc Magazine |pages=14–18 |volume=39 |archive-date=August 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802072815/http://www.japaninc.com/article.php?articleID=972 |url-status=live}} with an English dub not released until 2022.{{Cite web |last=Baron |first=Reuben |date=August 11, 2021 |title=Gunbuster Gets First English Dub, More Classic Anime Get Re-Released |url=https://www.cbr.com/gunbuster-english-dub-classic-anime/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606172331/https://www.cbr.com/gunbuster-english-dub-classic-anime/ |archive-date=June 6, 2023 |access-date=January 4, 2025 |website=CBR}} Western viewers learned about the word otaku through this anime.{{Cite thesis |last=Sheehan |first=Kendra |title=The otaku phenomenon: pop culture, fandom, and religiosity in contemporary Japan. |date=2017 |access-date=January 19, 2025 |degree=Doctor of Philosophy in Humanities |publisher=University of Louisville |url=https://ir.library.louisville.edu/etd/2850/ |doi=10.18297/etd/2850 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320132107/https://ir.library.louisville.edu/etd/2850/ |archive-date=March 20, 2023}} In the main Gunbuster series, Noriko's otaku behavior is hinted at, but the Science Lessons episodes show her otaku behavior more clearly. In a later Science Lessons episode, Noriko is shown to be a fan of Sailor Moon.{{Cite podcast |url=https://www.awopodcast.com/2023/07/anime-world-order-show-221-it-wasnt-c-beams-glittering-near-the-tannhauser-gate-it-was-otaku-tears.html |title=# 221 – It Wasn't C-Beams Glittering Near the Tannhauser Gate, It Was Otaku Tears |website=Anime World Order Show |publisher=Anime World Order |date=July 9, 2023 |access-date=January 7, 2025 |archive-date=November 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241106185819/https://www.awopodcast.com/2023/07/anime-world-order-show-221-it-wasnt-c-beams-glittering-near-the-tannhauser-gate-it-was-otaku-tears.html |url-status=live}} The Film Comic books published by Bandai in 1988 and 1989 describe Noriko's hobbies as building plastic model kits{{rp|p=73}} and watching past anime and television shows with special effects.{{rp|p=66}}

Tamaki Saitō, Hiroki Azuma, and Patrick Galbraith, a professor at Senshu University,{{Cite web |title=Patrick W. Galbraith |url=https://japanpastandpresent.org/en/resources/japan-scholar-search/patrick-w-galbraith |access-date=March 2, 2025 |website=Japan Past & Present}} as well as others, have described Noriko as having a kawaii appearance.{{rp|167}}{{Cite book |last=Galbraith |first=Patrick |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9780429273575 |title=Japan in the Heisei Era (1989–2019): Multidisciplinary Perspectives |date=February 3, 2022 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-429-27357-5 |editor-last=Murai |editor-first=Noriko |edition=1 |location=London |chapter=The Evangelion boom: On the explosion of fan markets and lifestyles in Heisei Japan |doi=10.4324/9780429273575 |editor-last2=Kingston |editor-first2=Jeff |editor-last3=Burrett |editor-first3=Tina}}{{rp|p=238}}{{Cite book |last=Galbraith |first=Patrick W. |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9781478007012/html |title=Otaku and the Struggle for Imagination in Japan |publisher=Duke University Press |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-4780-0701-2 |pages=76–126 |doi=10.1515/9781478007012}}{{rp|p=115}} Ethan Supovitz and Daniel Kurland, writers for Comic Book Resources, praised her character arc for growing from an inexperienced pilot to a master one through hard work and determination.{{Cite web |last=Supovitz |first=Ethan |date=October 25, 2023 |title=10 Strongest Pilots In Anime, Ranked |url=https://www.cbr.com/strongest-anime-pilots-ranked/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119141928/https://www.cbr.com/strongest-anime-pilots-ranked/ |archive-date=January 19, 2024 |access-date=January 16, 2025 |website=CBR}}{{Cite web |last=Kurland |first=Daniel |date=April 18, 2023 |title=10 Short Anime That Should've Been Way Longer |url=https://www.cbr.com/short-anime-that-need-more-episodes/ |access-date=January 16, 2025 |website=CBR |archive-date=April 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419121835/https://www.cbr.com/short-anime-that-need-more-episodes/ |url-status=live}} Max Covill, a writer for Polygon, wrote that the struggles Noriko had to go through make her into a heroine, including the Rocky-style training and an awareness of time dilation every time she goes to space up until the end of Gunbuster, made it "hard to imagine anyone not tearing up at the end."{{Cite web |last=Covill |first=Max |date=June 6, 2023 |title=You can finally watch Gunbuster, one of the most influential anime ever made |url=https://www.polygon.com/23738654/gunbuster-anime-nge-classic |access-date=January 14, 2025 |website=Polygon |archive-date=June 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240607000530/https://www.polygon.com/23738654/gunbuster-anime-nge-classic |url-status=live}} In addition, Via Erhard notes that Noriko is one of the most merciless female characters with one of the highest kill counts because of her determination in battle. Fullmetal Alchemist author Hiromu Arakawa stated that she was affected by time slipping away from Noriko because of time dilation, especially at the concept of Kimiko Higuchi marrying and having a child on Earth in a short amount of time for Noriko in space. She believed Noriko's return after about 12,000 years in space was unthinkable.{{Cite web |date=June 11, 2021 |title=荒川弘③ ガイナックスにハマった『トップをねらえ！』 |trans-title=Hiromu Arakawa ③ "Aim for the Top!" that Fit in Gainax |url=https://febri.jp/febri_talk/arakawahiromu_3/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241102173222/https://febri.jp/febri_talk/arakawahiromu_3/ |archive-date=November 2, 2024 |access-date=January 27, 2025 |website=Febri – アニメカルチャーメディア |language=ja}}

Noriko contributed to the pairing of a giant robot with a beautiful girl. Toshio Okada, the writer of Gunbuster,{{rp|p=94}}{{rp|p=94}} stated that he thought such a pairing was necessary for success in media because he believed that people find "catharsis in the fighting of the weak."{{rp|130–131}}{{Cite book |last=Sone |first=Yūji |url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/957508357 |title=Japanese robot culture: performance, imagination, and modernity |date=2017 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-1-137-53216-9 |location=New York, NY |oclc=957508357}}{{rp|p=127, 134}}{{Cite journal |last=Sone |first=Yuji |date=October 2014 |title=Imaginary Warriors: Fighting Robots in Japanese Popular Entertainment Performance |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1637039414 |journal=Australasian Drama Studies |issue=65 |pages=255–271, 335 |id={{ProQuest|1637039414}} |via=ProQuest}}{{Cite web |last=Alt |first=Matthew |date=May 24, 2012 |title=An Interview with Patrick W. Galbraith on Otaku Culture – Part Two:: Néojaponisme » Blog Archive |url=https://neojaponisme.com/2012/05/24/an-interview-with-patrick-w-galbraith-on-otaku-culture-part-two/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240226044249/http://neojaponisme.com/2012/05/24/an-interview-with-patrick-w-galbraith-on-otaku-culture-part-two/ |archive-date=February 26, 2024 |access-date=January 19, 2025 |website=Néojaponisme}} She also contributed to the trope known as the "beautiful fighting girl" and laid the foundation for characterizing girls perceived to be lovable and moe in the 1990s. Specifically, the term moeru,{{efn|{{nihongo krt||萌える|moeru}}}} meaning "to love", would be applied to such characters. Regarding this term, Tamaki Saitō states, "To love an anime is ... to love (moeru) the beautiful girls in anime. An anime creator is born from the experience of moe as a trauma, and the next generation of anime fans finds moe in the heroines he creates."{{rp|166–167}} Noriko is also remembered for popularizing the Gainax Pose, an arm fold typically done with a scowl or authoritative look. Max Covill notes that Noriko plans to cause her enemy significant trouble when she crosses her arms. The Gainax Pose is typically made at a turning point in an anime that needs a compelling image to set the scene. Later series created by Gainax, such as Diebuster and Gurren Lagann, and produced by others, such as Kill la Kill and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, would use this pose, and it has appeared in other media.{{Cite web |last=Ramphele |first=Naledi |date=July 23, 2022 |title=What is the Gainax Pose? |url=https://gamerant.com/what-is-the-gainax-pose/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230525025917/https://gamerant.com/what-is-the-gainax-pose/ |archive-date=May 25, 2023 |access-date=January 16, 2025 |website=Game Rant}}

Noriko's character influenced Shinji Ikari of Neon Genesis Evangelion and Simon of Gurren Lagann.{{Cite web |last=Green |first=Jason |date=September 7, 2008 |title=Dig For Fire: The Roots of Gurren Lagann |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2008-09-07/2 |access-date=January 17, 2025 |website=Anime News Network |archive-date=October 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023075455/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2008-09-07/2 |url-status=live}} Noriko's early portrayal in Gunbuster influenced Shinji's portrayals in Neon Genesis Evangelion, as her character arc in the first four episodes shows that her failures and losses compound when she has to deal with more significant threats.{{Cite web |last=Lundeen |first=Matthew Magnus |date=July 21, 2022 |title=Gunbuster & Diebuster, The Mecha Masterworks From The Minds Behind Eva |url=https://gamerant.com/gunbuster-and-diebuster-retrospective/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230919232202/https://gamerant.com/gunbuster-and-diebuster-retrospective/ |archive-date=September 19, 2023 |access-date=January 4, 2025 |website=Game Rant}} Noriko's moments of self-doubt and anxiety would contribute to the development of Shinji. Just as Noriko was trained by Ohta, in Gurren Lagann, Simon grows under the training of Kamina and becomes a powerful pilot.{{Cite web |last=Minto |first=Evan |date=April 27, 2010 |title=Aim for the Top: Gunbuster, Gurren Lagann, and the Mechrescendo |url=https://anigamers.com/2010/04/aim-for-top-gunbuster-gurren-lagann-and.html/ |access-date=January 17, 2025 |website=Ani-Gamers |archive-date=October 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231006030513/https://anigamers.com/2010/04/aim-for-top-gunbuster-gurren-lagann-and.html |url-status=live}} Noriko merchandise has been released many times since Gunbuster was released. General Products, an anime goods store, was selling Noriko HG and Noriko EX figures as of April 1990.{{rp|p=32}} She also had keyrings, art prints, and a photographic bromide with her and three other characters. In 2004, {{ill|Kotobukiya Co., Ltd.|ja|壽屋 (玩具店)}} released a 1/6 scale PVC figure of Noriko.{{Cite web |title=タカヤノリコ 「トップをねらえ!」 1/6 PVC製塗装済み完成品 |trans-title=Noriko Takaya (Aim for the Top!) Painted 1/6 PVC Finished Product |url=https://www.suruga-ya.com/ja/product/602005126 |access-date=January 18, 2025 |website=www.suruga-ya.com |language=ja}}{{Cite web |last=Dennison |first=Kara |date=October 25, 2023 |title=Gunbuster Anime Unveils Out-of-This-World 35th Anniversary Merchandise |url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2023/10/25/gunbuster-anime-35th-anniversary-merch?srsltid=AfmBOopmDjVz-CHdpURxN5MLSVOIA3zi6jErjjPIbOD-L1e_v_fyhUWP |access-date=January 21, 2025 |website=Crunchyroll News |publisher=Crunchyroll}}{{Cite web |title=「トップをねらえ！」35周年記念商品、ガンバスターのアクスタや横断幕風タオル |trans-title="Aim for the Top!" 35th Anniversary Products, Gunbuster Acrylic Stand and Horizontal Banner Towel |url=https://natalie.mu/comic/news/546484 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241208140728/https://natalie.mu/comic/news/546484 |archive-date=December 8, 2024 |access-date=January 21, 2025 |website=コミックナタリー |language=ja}} In 2006, Kaiyodo released a {{height|cm=22}} tall figure of her sculpted by Bome.{{Cite web |title=Top o Nerae! – Takaya Noriko – Mon-sieur BOME – 18 (Kaiyodo) |url=https://solarisjapan.com/products/top-o-nerae-takaya-noriko-mon-sieur-bome-18-kaiyodo |access-date=January 18, 2025 |website=Solaris Japan}}{{Cite web |title=Takaya Noriko "Aim for the Top GunBuster!" MON-SIEUR BEME COLLECTION VOL. 18 |url=https://www.suruga-ya.com/en/product/602000564 |access-date=January 18, 2025 |website=www.suruga-ya.com}} In 2012, {{ill|CM's Corporation|ja|シーエムズコーポレーション}} released a {{height|cm=20}} tall Gutto-Kuru figure of her.{{Cite web |title=Toppu o Nerae! – Takaya Noriko – Gutto-Kuru Figure Collection – 46 (CM's Corporation) |url=https://solarisjapan.com/products/toppu-o-nerae-takaya-noriko-gutto-kuru-figure-collection-46-cms-corporation |access-date=January 18, 2025 |website=Solaris Japan}} In June 2024, Good Smile Company released a Nendoroid of her sculpted by Udono Kazuyoshi.{{Cite web |title=Nendoroid Noriko Takaya |url=https://www.goodsmile.info/en/product/15402/Nendoroid+Noriko+Takaya.html |access-date=January 4, 2025 |website=www.goodsmile.info |archive-date=January 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101044704/https://www.goodsmile.info/en/product/15402/Nendoroid%20Noriko%20Takaya.html |url-status=live}}

{{notelist|group="notes"}}

{{reflist}}

{{Gunbuster}}

{{Subject bar|portal1=1980s|portal2=Anime and manga|portal3=Science fiction|d=y}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Takaya, Noriko}}

Category:Anime and manga characters introduced in 1988

Category:Female characters in animated films

Category:Female characters in anime and manga

Category:Fictional aviators

Category:Fictional female child soldiers

Category:Fictional Japanese people in anime and manga

Category:Fictional mecha pilots

Category:Fictional military personnel in anime and manga

Category:Fictional space pilots

Category:Gunbuster

Category:Science fiction film characters

Category:Teenage characters in anime and manga