Martian Successor Nadesco
A successful Sci-Fi / Comedy anime originally aired on Japanese TV ( big surprise eh? ) and import over here to the US by ADVFilms. In the spirit of making money, ADVFilms has gone through the pains of translating the series onto VHS and DVD. Other rawkus series converted by ADVFilms are Cowboy Bebop, Evangelion, and Gasaraki
the short and skinny.
Nadesco has everything you want, honest: giant robots, cute girls in a big ship, clean artwork, the awkward guy being pursued by cute girls that should be piloting a big ship, over the top humour, great mechanical design, cute girls in giant robots, and subtle social commentary. The first few episodes are very light-hearted, but as the series progressed, the war driven plotline makes serious points. The focus of the series is the interactions and antics of the Nadesico crew: The desires of a simple cook, the wants of a battle cruiser captain, the postulations of an anime freak; All of which made me laugh hard enough to threaten my bladder. For the anime geeks out there, Nadeso likes to poke fun at older anime series, such as Robotech, Tranzor Z, and Evangelion to name a few.
the yummy bits.
The Jovians, evil lizards from Jupiter, have laid waste to the Mars and Moon colonies. Back on Earth, the United Earth Forces strain to repel the army of spidery robotic war machines bent on domination. Oh heavens, who can save the earth? *trumpet sound* Yeay, its capitalism! . .whoops I mean the Nadesco! Created by Nergle ( a plot device masquerading as an international conglomerate ) and funded by the United Earth Forces, the Nadesco is the most powerful weapon ever created. To get the best of best, Nergle overlooked silly personality traits like insanity, lechery, and being neurotic for the personal of the Nadesco.
A quick look at a few who have what it takes to be on the Nadesco: Yurika Misumaru ( Captain of the Nadesco ) is undefeated in the combat ( well, the combat simulations that is ), decisive under pressure, and maybe just a little bit of a spaz with raging hormones. Jiro Yamada (an Aestivalis pilot) is a gifted pilot, brimming full of righteous wisdom, but insists on screaming 'Gekigang Punch' or 'Gekigang Flare' in combat. Last but not least, Hoshino Ruri, mystery helmswomen of the Nadesco. She is intelligent and perceptive beyond her years (which is around 15 ), and equipped to deal with all the baka around her with a deadpan demeanor.
The Nadesco sets out to free the Moon and Mars from the evil invaders. This does not make the United Earth Forces pleased, since well, they are still under attack on Earth. To go any farther would involve giving away key plot points, but do not let the seemingly black and white beginning fool you. The plot evolves with interesting twist and a worthwhile original ending.
character list.