Martian Successor Nadesico
A space battleship crewed by eccentric experts fights alien invaders.
Martian Successor Nadesico is a 1996 science fiction comedy anime television series produced by Xebec and directed by Tatsuo Sato. It is notable for its self-referential humor and juxtaposition of lighthearted antics with the drama of war, as well as its numerous references to other mecha anime.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Comedy
- Mecha
- Space opera
Facts from the source article.
Plot
The series is set in the year 2196, during a war between Earth and alien invaders called the Jovian Lizards. Nergal Heavy Industries builds the space battleship ND-001 Nadesico, crewed by top civilian experts who have slight personality disorders. The protagonist, Akito Tenkawa, is a boy from Mars' Utopia colony who escaped its destruction with no memory of how he arrived on Earth. He hates fighting and wants to be a chef, but is constantly called to pilot an Aestivalis combat robot. Onboard, nearly all female crew members, especially captain Yurika Misumaru, are in love with him, while he prefers cooking and watching his favorite anime, Gekiganger III.
Production
The series juxtaposes comedy and drama, with characters engaging in lighthearted antics between facing the realities of war. Many characters are anime fans, and the show compares the sanitized war of the in-universe anime Gekigangar III with the harsher reality the crew faces. It intentionally includes science fiction clichés like time travel and alien invaders, but subverts them through plot twists, all within a space opera framework. Self-referential references include Space Battleship Yamato (the name Nadesico plays on "Yamato nadeshiko"), a character who is a parody of voice actress Megumi Hayashibara, a fangirl who draws shōnen-ai doujinshi, and an otaku who bases his life on Gekigangar III. One episode features an anime convention with a marathon, cosplay, and merchandising. Another parodies Macross with a Miss Nadesico contest including a swimsuit competition and singing. Gekigangar III itself parodies 1970s and 1980s super robot anime, especially Getter Robo. Writers from previous mecha shows occasionally appear in episode teasers.
Media
The series aired on TV Tokyo from October 1, 1996, to March 24, 1997. ADV Films licensed it in May 1998 at Project A-Kon 9, releasing it on 12 VHS tapes and later six DVDs. A box set titled Martian Successor Nadesico: Complete Chronicles was released on September 24, 2002, and a collection called Martian Successor Nadesico: Perfect Collection on January 1, 2008. After ADV's closure in 2009, Nozomi Entertainment re-licensed the series at Anime Expo 2011 and re-released it with the movie and Gekiganger III OVA in 2012. Anime Limited acquired the series on Blu-ray in 2017. The opening song is "You Get to Burning" by Yumi Matsuzawa; the main ending is "Watashi Rashiku" by Houko Kuwashima, with episode 26 using "Itsuka...Shinjite" by Kazumi Matsumura. A manga loosely based on the anime with a new storyline for a mature audience was published. A sequel movie, The Prince of Darkness, was released in 1998, written and directed by Tatsuo Sato, continuing from the video game The Blank of Three Years. Four games were released in Japan: Mobile Battleship Nadesico (1997, Sega Saturn, dating sim), The Blank of Three Years (1998, Sega Saturn, interactive story), The Mission (1999, Dreamcast), and Ruriruri Mahjong (Game Boy Color). Nadesico also appears in Super Robot Wars and Another Century's series.
Reception
Reviews have been mixed but mostly positive. One review gave average ratings, criticizing the English dub but praising the characters, noting Akito's approachability as a cook and Yurika's growth as a leader, and stating the show presents heroism and self-sacrifice as virtues. Los Angeles Times writer Charles Solomon praised the series, comparing its action and hi-jinks to Rocky and Bullwinkle. Another review called it a rare series with something for everyone—comedy, action, romance, drama—kept in a coherent package. A different review praised the English dub, highlighting Jennifer Earhart's Yurika and Jason Douglas's Jovian pilot performance. The series quickly became popular. The film won the Animage Grand Prix award in 1998. In Animage polls that year, Akito was voted ninth most favorite male character, Ruri Hoshino second and Yurika eighth most favorite female characters, and the TV series third most favorite anime.
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