Martian Successor Nadesico

Martian Successor Nadesico(Japanese:Cơ động chiến hạm ナデシコ,Hepburn:Kidō Senkan Nadeshiko,lit. "Mobile Battleship Nadesico" ),sometimes referred to as simplyNadesico(ナデシコ,Nadeshiko),is a Japaneseanimetelevision series produced byTV Tokyo,Yomiko Advertising andXebecand directed byTatsuo Satō,with manga artistKia Asamiyaproviding original character designs,Keiji Gotohserving as chief animation director, Mika Akitaka being the main mechanical designer andTakayuki Hattoricomposing the music. Amangaadaptation by Asamiya was published byKadokawa Shotenfrom 1996 to 1999. The manga, licensed in North America byCPM Manga,has many significant changes from the anime.

Martian Successor Nadesico
The cast ofMartian Successor Nadesico.
Cơ động chiến hạm ナデシコ (Kidō Senkan Nadeshiko)
Genre	Comedy Mecha Space opera
Manga
Written by	Kia Asamiya
Published by	Kadokawa Shoten
English publisher	AUS:Madman Entertainment NA:CPM Manga
Magazine	Shōnen Ace
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	September 1996–February 1999
Volumes	4
Anime television series
Directed by	Tatsuo Satō
Produced by	Noriko Kobayashi Naoya Nakazawa Shinichi Ikeda Tōru Satō
Written by	Shō Aikawa
Music by	Takayuki Hattori
Studio	Xebec
Licensed by	Crunchyroll UK:Anime Limited
Original network	TXN(TV Tokyo)
English network	UK:Sci Fi Channel US:Anime Network,Cartoon Network(Toonami;Episodes 1, 6, and 25 only)
Original run	October 1, 1996–March 24, 1997
Episodes	26
Related
Prince of Darkness Gekiganger III

The series aired from October 1, 1996, to March 24, 1997, with a total of 26 episodes, and was replaced by thePokémonanime in its timeslot.

In 2005,Anime News Networkreported that plans forNadesico 2were scrapped, citing an entry onStellviadirector Tatsuo Sato's blog.

Plot

Main article:List of Martian Successor Nadesico characters

The series takes place in the year 2196.Earthis at war with a race of alien invaders called the "Jovian Lizards". A company called Nergal Heavy Industries designs a space battleship, theND-001 Nadesico.While the ship is powerful and its crew consists of the top civilian experts in their fields, these individuals tend to have "some slightpersonality disorders".

The primary protagonist,Akito Tenkawa,is a boy with a mysterious past; once a resident ofMars' 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 achef.However, he is constantly called on to act as a pilot of one of theNadesico'sAestivalis- humanoid combatrobots.While on board theNadesico,Akito has more problems to deal with than just the Jovians; nearly all the female members of the crew, especially the vessel's captainYurika Misumaru,seem to be head over heels in love with him, though all he wants to do is cook and watch his favorite anime,Gekiganger III.

Production

The series features an energetic juxtaposition ofcomedyanddrama,as the characters engage in lighthearted antics in between facing the drama ofwar.Many of the characters are themselves anime fans, and there is often comparison between the campy, sanitized war of theanime within an animeGekigangar IIIand the much harsher reality that the crew of theNadesicofaces. The show intentionally includes a number of science fiction anime clichés, includingtime travelandalieninvaders, but turns these concepts on their heads by the end of the series through a number of plot twists.

The show has been also described as aspace opera.

There are many anime references, particularly to the seriesSpace Battleship Yamato(the nameNadesicois a play on the phrase "Yamato nadeshiko",which represents the traditional Japanese ideal of femininity, and also the name ofa flower).One of the characters was a voice actress before joining the crew (and in fact is a parody of a specific voice actress,Megumi Hayashibara),another is afangirlwho likes to draw her ownshōnen-aidoujinshi,and a third is anotakuwho bases his entire life onGekigangar III.

In an episode late in the series, the ship holds an anime convention complete with a viewing marathon ofGekigangar,people engaged incosplay,and tie-in merchandising. Another episode makes a parody of theMacrossanime, as the crew celebrates a Miss Nadesico contest to decide a on new captain and public figurehead, in which all the female crew members participate. The contest includes aswimsuitcompetition and singing.

TheGekigangaranime show is in fact an homage (andparody) of manysuper robotmechaanime of the 70s and 80s, most particularly theGo Nagai/Ken IshikawacollaborationGetter Robo.The battles between Earth and planetary colonies featured throughout the show is a reference toGundam,while the assortment of odd-ball characters on the ship who prefer to choose their own battles, rather than take sides, is a nod toHarlock.In addition, writers from previous popular science fiction mecha shows occasionally get announced in teasers for various episodes ofNadesico.

Media

Anime

Main article:List of Martian Successor Nadesico episodes

TheMartian Successor Nadesicoanime was directed byTatsuo Satoand produced byTV Tokyo,Xebec,and Yomiko Advertising, Inc. The series aired on the Bandai Channel and TV Tokyo from November 1, 1996, to March 24, 1997.ADV Filmsannounced they had licensedMartian Successor Nadesicoin May 1998 atProject A-Kon 9.;the company released the series originally on 12VHStapes. Later, the series was released on a total of six DVDs. On September 24, 2002, ADV Films released abox setcontaining all of the DVDs entitledMartian Successor Nadesico: Complete Chroniclesand, on January 1, 2008, a collection of all the episodes entitledMartian Successor Nadesico: Perfect Collection.AtAnime Expo2011,Nozomi Entertainmentannounced that they had re-licensed the series, following ADV's closure in 2009. They re-released the series, along with the movie and theGekiganger IIIOVA, in 2012.Anime Limited later acquired the series in 2017 on Blu-ray.

Martian Successor Nadesico's opening song is "You Get to Burning" byYumi Matsuzawa.The main ending song is "Watashi Rashiku"(Tư らしく,"Being Myself" )byHouko Kuwashima,with episode 26 featuring "Itsuka...Shinjite"(いつか… Tín じて,"I Believe... Someday" )by Kazumi Matsumura as its ending.

Manga

A manga series loosely based on the anime with a whole new story line and written for a mature audience.

OVA

AGekigangar IIIcompilationOVAwas also released.

Movie

Main article:Martian Successor Nadesico: The Motion Picture – Prince of Darkness

A sequel movie calledThe Prince of Darknessis a 1998 anime film written and directed by Tatsuo Sato. The story is a direct sequel toNadesico: The Blank of Three Years,a video game for the Sega Saturn that takes place immediately after the TV series ends, and before the movie begins.

Video games

Four games based on the series were released in Japan. The first game, released for theSega Saturnin 1997, is entitledMobile Battleship Nadesico.It is adating simgame with a few mecha elements included. A second game, also for theSega Saturn,was released in the following year under the titleMartian 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 theDreamcastin 1999,Martian Successor Nadesico: The Mission,continues the story fromPrince of Darkness.Finally, amahjongvariant game was released for theGame Boy ColorentitledMobile Battleship Nadesico: Ruriruri Mahjong.Nadesicoalso appears in games in theSuper Robot WarsandAnother Century'sseries, where the setting is combined with other mecha series' such asGundam,Mazinger,Full Metal Panic!,andTekkaman Blade.

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 while 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. TheNadesicomindset 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. "Los Angeles Timeswriter Charles Solomon praised the series, calling its action and hi-jinks on par withRocky and Bullwinkle.

Other reviews have been generally positive, with one saying, "Nadesicois one of those rare series that has something for everyone. Comedy, action, romance, drama...you name it, this series has it (well, almost). What's even more astonishing is thatNadesicokeeps everything tied together in a neat little coherent package, so much so that you'll hardly even notice the blend of genres. It's a pretty cool little package, too. "Another review praised the English dub, saying "I first watched this show multiple times in Japanese, but eventually gave the English dub a try and found I loved it. The cast is excellent, with Jennifer Earhart's Yurika being especially noteworthy. Even minor characters, such as a Jovian pilot played by Jason Douglas, give great performances. His reading of 'If only the humans appreciated life as we do, I would not have to kill so many of them' is brilliant."

The series quickly became popular. The film won theAnimageGrand Prix award in 1998.In other polls conducted byAnimagein the same year, Akito was voted the ninth most "Favorite Male Character of the Year",Ruri Hoshinowas voted second andYurikaeighth most "Favorite Female Characters of the Year" and the TV series was vote the third "Favorite Anime of the Year".

External links

• Kidô senkan NadeshikoatIMDb
• Martian Successor Nadesico(anime) atAnime News Network's encyclopedia