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Martian Successor Nadesico
The cast of Martian Successor Nadesico.
機動戦艦ナデシコ
(Kidō Senkan Nadeshiko)
Genre
Adventure, Comedy, Mecha, Science Fiction, Drama, Military, Romance
TV anime
Director
Tatsuo Sato
Studio
XEBEC
Network
TV Tokyo
Sci Fi Channel
FTV Free-to-air, GTV Entertainment, Super TV
Animax
Original run
1 October 1996 – 24 March 1997
Episodes
26 TV Episodes, 1 Movie
Manga
Author
Kia Asamiya
Volumes
4
Martian Successor Nadesico or Mobile Battleship Nadesico (機動戦艦ナデシコ, Kidō Senkan Nadeshiko?) (often shortened to Nadesico) is a science fiction comedy anime TV series, and a later manga series created by Kia Asamiya. The manga, published in English by CPM Manga, is significantly different from the anime.
The series takes place in the year 2196, where the Earth is in a war with a race of alien invaders called the “Jovian Lizards”. To combat it, a company called Nergal designs a powerful space battleship, the ND-001 Nadesico. The main problem with the Nadesico is the crew. While it consists of the top civilian experts in their fields, these individuals tend to have “some slight personality disorders”.
The primary protagonist, Akito Tenkawa, is a boy with a mysterious past; once a resident of Mars’ Utopia colony, he escaped its destruction by the Jovian Lizards and arrived on Earth, with no memory of how he got there but a terrible fear of the invaders. He hates fighting and only wants to be a chef, however, he is constantly called on to act as a pilot of one of the Nadesico’s Aestivalis – humanoid combat robots. While on board the Nadesico, Akito has more problems to deal with than just the Jovians; pretty much all the female members of the crew, especially the vessel’s captain Yurika Misumaru, seem to be head over heels in love with Akito, but all he wants to do is cook and watch his favorite anime, Gekigangar III (an anime within an anime).
The series consisted of 26 episodes, with a film sequel and a one episode spin-off. The series quickly became popular in Japan with the film The Prince of Darkness, winning the Animage Grand Prix in 1998.
Contents
- 1 Review
- 2 Nadesico 2
- 3 Reception
- 4 Episode listing
- 5 Theme songs
- 6 See also
- 7 References
- 8 External links
//
Review
The series features an energetic juxtaposition of comedy and drama, as the characters engage in lighthearted antics in between facing the drama of war. Many of the characters are themselves anime fans, and there is often comparison between the campy, sanitized war of the anime within an anime Gekigangar III and the much harsher reality that the crew of the Nadesico faces. The show intentionally includes a number of science fiction anime clichés, including time travel and alien invaders, but turns these concepts on their heads by the end of the series through a number of plot twists.
There are many anime references, particularly to the series Space Battleship Yamato (The name Nadesico is a play on the phrase “Yamato Nadeshiko”, which represents the traditional Japanese ideal of femininity, and also the name of a flower). The battles between Earth and planetary colonies featured throughout the show is a reference to Gundam, while the assortment of odd-ball characters on the ship who prefer to choose their own battles, rather than take sides, is a nod to Harlock. In additon, writers from previous popular sci-fi mecha shows occasionally get announced in teasers for various episodes of Nadesico.
The TV series ran for 26 episodes. A Gekigangar III compilation OVA was also released, as well as a sequel movie called Martian Successor Nadesico: The Prince of Darkness that takes place several years after the main series.
Four games based on the series were released in Japan. As of 2007, none of them have been released in the US. The first game, released for the Sega Saturn in 1997, is entitled Mobile Battleship Nadesico. It is a dating sim game with a few mecha elements included. A second game, also for the Sega Saturn, was released in the following year under the title Martian Successor Nadesico: The Blank of Three Years. It is an interactive story of the events which occurred in between the television series and the movie. Released on the Dreamcast in 1999, Martian Successor Nadesico: The Mission, continues the story from Prince of Darkness. Finally, a mahjong variant game was released for the Game Boy Color entitled Mobile Battleship Nadesico: Ruriruri Mahjong. Nadesico also appears in games in the Super Robot Wars series, where the setting is combined with other mecha series’ such as G Gundam, Gundam SEED, Mazinger, Full Metal Panic! and Tekkaman Blade.
Nadesico 2
Anime News Network reported that plans for Nadesico 2 were scrapped saying, “Stellvia Director Tatsuo Sato has stated on his website that plans for the Stelvia (sic) sequel, as well as any possibility of a sequel to Nadesico, are now impossible. He does not explain further.”
Reception
There have been mixed reviews to the series, although most reviews have been positive. One review written when the series was released on DVD gave it average ratings, commenting that whilst the show was dubbed into English poorly, it commented positively on the use of characters saying, “Despite his heroic calling as a robot pilot, Akito is remarkably approachable—after all, what could be more down-to-earth than a cook? Yurika, the world’s most unlikely starship captain, may seem like a troublesome ditz at first, but demonstrates resolve and emotional depth as she learns the art of leadership. The characters may be billed as goofballs, but they also provide some of the most touching moments in the show. The Nadesico mindset shows that heroism and self-sacrifice are still respectable virtues, and that nobody needs to hear whining about why you can’t or won’t pilot a giant robot.”
Other reviews have been generally positive, with one saying, “Nadesico is not deep, heavy, nor philosophically profound like Neon Genesis Evangelion, but rather it’s more of straightforward fun and entertainment. No, it’s not shallow or mindless but you need not ponder endlessly to get the show’s message(s). Things develop at a very good pace, and watching the first few eps will surely get you hooked.”
The series quickly became popular. The film won the Animage Grand Prix award in 1998.
Episode listing
See also: List of Martian Successor Nadesico episodes
- To Go Like a Man
- Leave the Blue Earth to Me
- A Goodbye That Came Too Soon
- Charmed by Aqua Space
- Ruri’s Navigation Logs
- Sort of Like a Fateful Decision
- The Song That You Will Sing One Day
- The Luke Warm “Cold Equation”
- The Miracle Operation of “The Kiss”?
- The Dangers of “Femininity”
- Finding Yourself in a “Routine Plot”?
- Those Unforgettable Days
- There is No Single Truth
- Let’s Go with Hot-Blooded Anime (clip show)
- The Significant Other from a Star Far Away
- The Beginning of Nadesico’s War
- A Reunion That Came too Late
- Echoes of Self, Echoes of Water
- You’re the Next Captain Of The Nadesico!
- Run Silent, Run Deep
- The Meadows We Once Ran Across
- Protect The Visitor?
- A Place We Call Home
- Ubiquitous Righteousness
- Being Myself, Being Yourself
- For the Lady We Will Meet Someday
Theme songs
- Opening
- “You Get to Burning” by Yumi Matsuzawa
- Endings
- “Watashi Rashiku ” by Houko Kuwashima
- “Itsuka… Shinjite” by Matsumura Kazumi (Episode 26)
- Other
- “Let’s go Gekigangar 3″ Gekigangar theme 1
- “Shouri no V da! Gekigangar V ” Gekigangar theme 2
See also
- Martian Successor Nadesico: The Prince of Darkness
- List of characters in Martian Successor Nadesico
References
- ^ a b c “Martian Successor Nadesico”. Keyframe. Retrieved on 2007-11-28.
- ^ a b “To Go Like a Man”. Martian Successor Nadesico. 1996-10-01.
- ^ Goebel, Greg (2004-02-28). “Martian Successor Nadesico V1 (2*)”. Vectorsite.
- ^ “Character Profile: Megumi Raynard”. Absolute Anime (2006-07-23). Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
- ^ Dungan, Mike. “Martian Successor Nadesico Essential Anime Vol. #3″. Anime On DVD. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
- ^ McCarter, Charles. “Martian Successor Nadesico (Page 4)”. ex.org. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
- ^ O’Sullivan, Greg (2006-01-26). “Mobile Battleship Nadesico, The Games”. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
- ^ “Super Robot Wars Reversal”. Portable Review (2006-11-13). Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
- ^ “Stellvia 2 Cancelled”. Anime News Network (2005-08-10). Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
- ^ Santos, Carlo (2005-01-05). “Martian Successor Nadesico: Essential Anime DVD 1 (discs 1-2)”. Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
- ^ Lim Lei, Rowena (2001-02-14). “Martian Successor Nadesico”. Animetric. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
- ^ Huxley, John (2004-05-20). “Martian Successor Nadesico Series Overview”. Anime Boredom. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
- ^ AnimeonDVD.com review Martian Successor Nadesico Anime Essentials Vol. 2
- ^ “Anime News Service – July 1998 Anime News”. Anime News Service. Retrieved on 2007-11-28.
External links
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
Martian Successor Nadesico
- ADV Films – English release only.
- Kidô senkan Nadeshiko at the Internet Movie Database
- Martian Successor Nadesico (anime) at Anime News Network’s Encyclopedia
- Martian Successor Nadesico (manga) at Anime News Network’s Encyclopedia
- Karuikane Nadesico Encyclopedia
- Nadesico Thumbnail Theatre
Martian Successor Nadesico
Characters
Akito Tenkawa • Yurika Misumaru • Ruri Hoshino • Gai Daigoji • Megumi Reinard • Jun Aoi • Inez Fressange • Izumi Maki • Ryoko Subaru • Hikaru Amano • Nagare Akatsuki
Episodes
List of episodes • The Prince of Darkness (film)
Other
Gekigangar III • Nergal
Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martian_Successor_Nadesico”
Categories: Anime series | Manga series | ADV Films | Anime of 1996 | CPM Press | Mars in fiction | Martian Successor Nadesico | Adventure anime and manga | Science fiction anime and manga | Comedy anime and manga | Romance anime and manga | Drama anime and manga | Mecha anime and manga | Space operas | Featured in the Super Robot Wars Series | Anime with original screenplays | Madman Entertainment animeHidden categories: Cleanup from January 2008 | All pages needing cleanup