Rhythm Emotion

Image from Anime Galleries.

I’ve been wanting to watch this series for years! I first heard about this series years ago when I saw it featured in an issue of Animerica. My interest was piqued when I saw that there was an anime within the series itself called Gekiganger III.

Definitely a homage to earlier robot series of its age, specifically Getter Robo. In the series, this was a show that was aired a hundred odd years earlier and was considered a classic, especially to two characters: Jiro Yamada (who referred to himself mostly as Daigoji Gai) and Akito Tenkawa. As the series progressed, even though Akito was often made fun of for swearing by the show, the whole crew eventually came to love and embrace the show. Hell, even the alien race, the Jovian Lizards, sweared by the show! Lain suggested that I watch the Gekiganger OVA sometime soon. I’ll get around to it.

Anyway, getting back to the actual plot of the series, it is 2196 and Earth is waging war with the Jovian Lizards. The privately-owned company Nergal builds a ship called the ND-001 Nadesico. The crew of the Nadesico has the best people in their respective fields. The only catch: they’re quirky.

Spoilers run abundant in this post, so be wary! Also, slight tangent: I have a little ShoutMix Chat Widget on the sidebar. :P

Meet Akito. He was originally from Mars in the Utopia Colony, but was mysteriously transported to Earth after an attack by the Jovian Lizards. His parents were also killed in a mysterious explosion shortly after his childhood friend, Yurika Misumaru, left Mars. Years later after landing on Earth and ending his short-lived gig as a cook, he bumped into Yurika once more (although not recognizing her at first) and followed her on-board the Nadesico in hopes of returning a framed picture of them back on Mars. Little did he know that he would be recruited on board as both a cook and a backup pilot for their combat robot: the Aestivalis. Even better, Yurika is head-over-heels with Akito alongside a number of other women in the crew. Aah, good ol’ harems.

What really got me about this series was how they tied in Gekigangar III with the main storyline. Sure, it was mostly an anime that the main character enjoyed, but a lot of times, whatever episode was being watched or referenced to in that particular episode often foreshadowed or mimicked what was presently going on. It really brought the show together in many ways, whether it was for comedic relief, or a lesson learned. In the end, it is Gekigangar that brings the humans (or moreso the crew of the Nadesico) and the Jovians together. In one of the episodes, when a Jovian pilot named Tsukomo comes on board the Nadesico, they actually hold a Gekigangar marathon which brings everyone together as Gekigangar fans.

The crew is quite eccentric, as well. Yurika, the captain, is beautiful, ditzy, oblivious, and insanely in love with Akito. Then there’s Megumi Reinard, a voice actress who joins the Nadesico as their communications officer. She’s a play on the ever-popular seiyuu Megumi Hayashibara. Ruri Hoshino, the socially-distant but intelligent computer caretaker of the ship’s computer, “Omoikane,” constantly calls the crew “idiots.” Oh, and don’t forget Seiya Uribatake, the main mechanic of the Nadesico and resident modeler (he loves creating dioramas of his gunpla kits and casting figures). There are way more characters to cover, all with their biographies on Wikipedia.

As for favorite characters, I do have plenty, but for the top 4, they’d have to be Yurika, Ruri, Ryoko, and Inez Fressange. Although Yurika was a total ditz and often annoying, she believed in her crew no matter the circumstances. A lot of times, she would be too hopeful or carefree, but she cared for her crew enough to lead them through the war. For Ruri, her character grew more as she learned to interact with other people and saw that not all adults were idiots. Her relationship with Omoikane was irreplaceable; they were seriously best friends for life. You mess with Omoikane, you mess with Ruri as well. The tomboyish Ryoko is one ace pilot, always kicking some major ass in one way or another. Plus, her soft spot for Akito marks a huge contrast on her normally brash behavior, often being teased about it by her fellow pilots Hikaru and Izumi. Lastly, for Inez, she’s silly all together. She has a habit of explaining things thoroughly, often way too much than she’s supposed to.

I could go on and on about Nadesico, but I’ll end it with this: if you enjoy giant robots, a quirky cast of characters, mad hijinks, tons of plot twists, crossovers, parodies, harems, more giant robots, and a healthy mix of both comedy and drama, you’ll enjoy Nadesico.

Tags: martian successor nadesico