Anime Review: Martian Successor Nadesico

A wayward starship, a mysterious and reluctant hero, gruesome aliens, and mechs galore…so what does Martian Successor Nadesico have that other space operas like Robotech or Gundam don’t have? Namely, a sense of humor about itself, an offbeat cast of characters, and whole lotta cheesecake (i.e. pretty girls).

Former mech pilot (and current fry cook) Akito Tenkawa joins the crew of the Nadesico, a privately owned starship created to defeat the “Jovian Lizards”, a cruel race of aliens from Jupiter that are determined to invade Earth. Young Akito is equally as determined to remain a fry cook, watch his favorite anime Gekiganger III, and avoid the danger of piloting a mech…but when another pilot injures himself, Akito himself pressed into service. And to make matters worse, the ditzy captain of the Nadesico is none other than his childhood girlfriend Yurika Misamune….who’s still madly in love with Akito and can’t stop throwing herself at him!

Like Full Metal Panic! FUMOFFU, Martian Successor Nadesico is a blend of killer action and hilarious romantic comedy; the interaction between Akito and Yurika is very funny (and embarrassing), and the members of the supporting cast all have unique personalities that make them memorable as well. The “anime with an anime” Gekiganger III is a great backhanded tribute to Mazinger Z, Voltron, and all those other 1970s “giant robot” series that I (and all the other children of the 70’s, hahaha) grew up watching.

This series is over 11 years old, so the animation can seem a little dated at times; aside from that, this is a great series that can appeal to both younger viewers (who’ll love the action and comedy) and older viewers (who’ll dig all the in-jokes) too.

REVIEW: Mobile Suit Gundam Seed – Vols 2 and 3

With a wayward starship, a reluctant young hero, and hardcore Mech-on-Mech action up the wazoo, MSGS seems built on the sturdy Robotech-style (or Macross for you purists) Space Opera foundation. Actually, MSGS has more political intrigue, as it continues the “classic” Gundam story of the earth-dwelling humans (Earth Alliance) against vaguely fascist space station dwelling humans (The Zaft), with neutral nations being drawn into the escalating conflict, and less romance (or at least, overt romance), so that’s refreshing at least.

What’s not refreshing is the character design – the Protagonist (Kira Yamoto, the afore-mentioned Reluctant Young Hero fighting for the Earth Alliance) and the Antagonist (Athrun, his childhood best friend now conveniently the top ace for the Zaft) look bloody identical – I had to rely on looking for the part in Athrun’s hair for me to tell who’s who! And to make it worse, their Mechs are nearly identical as well, making battle scene increasing hard to follow. Still, the artwork is excellent, and the sharp, crisp lines, excellent depiction of action, and detailed Mechs make up for the goofy character design.

Anyhoo….in these 2 volumes, the Earth Alliance’s Archangel starship picks up a valuable political hostage while scavenging for supplies. On orders to return to Earth, they find themselves struggling with the Zaft in the N. African desert, and only a rag-tag group of desert-dwelling rebels can help them win. Surviving with heavy damage, they find themselves at the mercy of the neutral nation of Aube – who demand the technical data for the Archangel and all it’s Mechs!