SUMMARY
In the future,
mankind has expanded to the Moon and Mars. With advance teraforming
techniques, they have colonized these barren world thanks to the guidance
of the Nergal Corporation. It seems that mankind is ensuring its place in
the universe.
That is until the Jovian Lizards attack. Using giant ships called Chulips,
they send a massive fleet to conquer Mars. In response, the United Nations
sends an attack force to counter the arrival of this perceived alien army.
Unfortunately, they are impotent to stop them, and both Mars and the Moon
fall to them. Faced with utter defeat, they erect a barrier system, but
not before hyperspace jump ports called Chulips are deposited on Earth.
Now it is one year later, and the Nergal Corporation has
created it's own battleship, the Nadesico, to find out what happened to
their investments on Mars and the Moon. However, since the UN Space Forces
won't help, the Nadesico is staffed by a civilian crew.
They are the only hope Earth has against the Jovians.
To bad the ship is full of total nutcases.
DVD VISION TEST
VIDEO: The DVD quality is excellent. Having seen this
series on television, the DVD is a vast improvement. It's colors are
sharp, and the motion is fluid. There are no noticeable pixels or
wrinkles.
AUDIO: Good on the the English 2.0 track. The sound is crisp and rich. The
Japanese 2.0 track is pretty decent, but it sounds a little muffled. The
music and the dialogue are evenly mixed, but there are not a lot of
surround sound elements.
EDITS: The opening title has been replaced with an English version. Also,
on episode one, they are using the original broadcast version, not the
redone home video version.
EXTRAS: Textless open and close, translators notes (which are quite
informative) and some character info.
WIDESCREEN REVIEW
STORY: This
series is a strange combination of drama and comedy. On the one side, you
have great robot battles, and way cool space battles. On the other side,
you have goofball pilots, a self absorbed captain, and a scared ships cook
that is also a pilot. Full of anime in-jokes, complex sci-fi, and
slapstick, the team of writers have given us a very unique series.
ACTING: The English cast does a fantastic job. Evangelion alum Spike
Spencer does a great Akito, although he screams a little too much for my
taste. Ourfavorite voice is Brett Weaver as Gai Daigoji. He had us in
stitches. We can see why he was picked to voice Nabeshin in "Excell
Saga".
The Japanese cast does a superb job as well. Some of the
jokes are verbal, and just don't work as well in the English. Each actor
adds the right blend of comedy and drama to their roles. Besides,
"Cross Crash" sounds better in Japanese.
FAN SERVICE: Not a lot of fanservice in this series. Mostly short skirts
and bouncing breasts.
CONCLUSION
When I first saw this series in Japan, I was expecting a
well animated space drama. Kia Asamiya and his Studio Tron folks were well
known for their series like "Dark Angel" and "Silent Mobius"
both dramas. So, when Akito burns his hand in the first episode, I was
shocked to realize that this was a comedy, with dramatic elements.
These episodes center mostly on Akito Tenkawa.
Apparently, the only survivor of the attack on Mars by the Jovians, he has
made it to Earth and attempts to make a living as a cook. Unfortunately
for him, he has a nano injected feedback control in his right hand. Since
pilots are the only ones on Earth with them, people think Akito is a
coward pilot.
Akito's misfortune changes, if not for the better, when
he runs into childhood friend Yurika, captain of the civilian battleship
Nadesico. Attempting to return some items she dropped, he is conscripted
as a cook and as a temp pilot by the ships company rep, Prospector.
Now, the UN military want's the most powerful battle
ship in their hands, and they will try anything to get it. Fortunately,
Akito has met Gai Daigoji, a giant robot anime obsessed fanboy, and the
two of them manage to hold of the UN forces. Then the fun really starts.
When I first saw Nadesico, I was unhappy upon my discovery that it was a
comedy. Most of it had been based on a pre conceived notion that the
advertisements for the Laser Disc release made it appear the Nadesico was
a drama. Now, it is a few years later and my anime library has increased.
Consequently, I understand most of the jokes now, and along with the
English dub, Nadesico is by far one of the best out there.
What is it about Nadesico that makes it so good. Everything about
it. From the excellent animation, to the writing, to the inventive
mechanical design, this series screams quality. Occasionally, the
animation is a little substandard, but it's really a non-issue.
The writing is
going to throw the casual anime fan off a bit, because of the number of
anime in jokes. The word play may also add to your confusion. As the
translator says in his notes, since they are based on Japanese word play,
its very difficult to translate them into something people would
understand. Don't let it detract from your enjoyment.
I would not recommend this series for the new fan, though you can still
enjoy it, despite the in-jokes. Older, more traveled anime fans should
make sure that this isa part of your anime collection.
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