35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The boy who became a pilot, the pilot who became a hero..., January 30, 2003
This review is from: Martian Successor Nadesico - The Complete Chronicles (DVD)
The hero who became...an anime fan?
Yes indeed, Nadesico is definitely the most enjoyable anime series I've ever seen. So what exactly is Nadesico? Basically, it's a Mecha comedy. But in actuality, it's much more than that. Most comedies go for one kind of laugh. Some shoot for all kinds, but some of the jokes fall flat. I can honestly say that Nadesico is a brilliant show. It makes fun of EVERYTHING. It makes fun of Mecha anime, it makes fun of sci-fi, it makes fun of video games, it makes fun pop culture, it even makes fun of the fact that some of it's puns are totally silly. And seemingly EVERY joke is hilarious. Seriously. It would seem almost impossible that you would not find SOMETHING funny in this show (especially if you find the stereotype of a kid turned hero or a guy being chased by tons of girls funny). But wait, there's more.
Not only is this show hilarious, it also features great characters that (once again) know they are the stereotyped kind and have fun with it. The voices (even in the English dub) are absolutely perfect. They convey everything from serious drama to wacked out comedy perfectly without skipping a beat. And then there is the plot.
The plot may seem on the surface to be just a parody of all the Mecha shows that have come and gone in recent history. But look closer, and you'll find that the plot twists and turns as well as any. Seriously, when the story and drama kicks into high gear, I'd rank this show with Macross any day.
But, you may ask, is every episode the same thing? Mecha action and comedy? No, indeed. The variety in the episodes is truly staggering. You have TWO World War II themed episodes (one about tank battles, another about submarine battles), an episode out of chronological order, a standing in space episode, a talent show episode, and of course a showdown epsisode (to mention just a few). And every single episode is flawlessly executed. Even the review episode is a brilliant take on the episode reviews in all Mecha sagas.
And for what it's worth, the animation and music in this show are both EXCELLENT. Don't belive me? Just watch the into and ending. Sure, lots of shows have great intros, and lots of shows have great endings. But both?
All in all, this is one of the most brilliant shows I've ever seen. The only show I could maybe compare to it is the excellent CGI cartoon show "Reboot". In it's third season, it also features epsidoes with parody famous movies and pop culture, and it also has a great story, cool characters, and an awesome plot. If you love Mecha anime, you must have this show. If you hate anime, you still need to try it. It is very balanced show, and you're sure to find something to love. Yes, you've probably seen battles, animation, characters, and plot like this before. But in this world, there's no such thing as originality (or as Picaso said "Good artists copy, great artists steal". Nadesico makes no bones about it, they're stealing. And they're artists.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Welcome Aboard the Ship of Fools!, June 28, 2003
This review is from: Martian Successor Nadesico - The Complete Chronicles (DVD)
If you loved the Macross series (or any mecha related anime) then I think you should do yourself a huge favor and watch Nadesico. Nadesico takes all the elements that made animes like that great... and makes a complete mockery of them. Join Akito, Yurika, Ruri and all the others aboard Nergal's ship the ND-001: Nedesico!
Naturally, it's a story about a war between the Earth and invadors from beyond Mars but beneath all that it's a story about the meaning of friendship, being human, and why people who hate anime are always up to no good. Oh yeah, there's a very Tenchi-esque love polygon too...
Yes, for all you hopeless romantics there is a love story (even though it starts out as a very ridiculous one-sided love story) between Akito and Yurika that eventually involves most of the main female crew of the ship -_-*. It's pretty funny to watch even though some of the male members (not to mention Akito himself) don't find it quite as amusing as we do.
If that isn't enough, there is anime within anime as a lot of the plotline centers around Gekiganger, an anime that doesn't really exist but somehow has its own soundtrack. In fact, there is an episode where the cast of Gekiganger is watching Nadesico instead of the other way around!
You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll find out what becomes of anime fans when you banish them to a planet for a hundred years and leave them to their own devices... I urge you to buy this series!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not the best ever, but one of the most enjoyable, February 15, 2005
This review is from: Martian Successor Nadesico - The Complete Chronicles (DVD)
As far as mecha anime goes, Nadesico is one of the most overlooked series out on the domestic market. Probably because it's one of the more difficult anime on the market to classify. The initial impression is one of a typical mecha show. Reluctant pilot with mysterious powers? Check. Alien invaders? Check. Pretty, but ditzy, main love interest? Check. Several other love interests? Check. Special super powerful new ship? Check. Wacky and strange ship crew? Check. But Nadesico takes all these elements and does more interesting things with them in parody than many shows do with them in deadly seriousness.
The characters mostly seem to be fairly flat and two-dimensional, but as you watch the series you really see that there's more to most of them than is readily apparent. There's generally not much growth, per se, but it's more of a realisation of things that had been there the whole time. The plot also seems straight forward, but there's a unique aspect to it that gets revealed as the series goes on.
Overall, it's hard to beat Nadesico for entertainment value. It's got action, it's really funny, it's got interesting characters, it's got a solid plot, and it's just a fun show to watch.
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