For my money, this might be the crown jewel of the entire shmup genre, at least out of what I've played thus far. I first played this at the request of a friend about three months ago and loved it to death, and it's honestly only grown since then. Bleeding with personality from start to finish, including the credits somehow. Compared to other shmups especially of the time, it's a breeze to get through. There's an actual plot too, a pretty goofy one at that. It's been said already, but it feels like playing through an old anime episode or something along the lines. I really do love the main characters, they make me wish there really was a show featuring the two of them.

The soundtrack is also worth mentioning as one of my favorites on all time. Definitely at least top 2 on the Genesis, alongside Dynamite Headdy. If you can't be bothered to play the game, you should at least check out some of the music. Here are some personal favorites:
Shrine (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ySeh4ZNkR4)
Dancing Hunter (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWx8smU6aXM)
Brawing Up (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdV46IuVQ5o)

It's pretty easy to find an English translation of this one. You definitely shouldn't gloss over it if you have a Genesis emulator already running.