Martian Successor Nadesico Volume 5: Secrets and Lies - Revolution SF
- Revolution SF
- Kevin Pezzano
- 05/29/01
- click here
Martian Successor Nadesico - Volume 5
Reviewed by Kevin Pezzano
Rating: 8/10
Everyone out there has seen Steven Segal's magnum opus Under Siege, right? Where the most badass combatant on the entire ship kept insisting he was nothing but a simple cook? Well, apparently the producers of Martian Successor Nadesico thought that was a really funny idea; the main character of this anime, despite being on the front lines of a brutal interplanetary war for humanity's survival, dreams of being a simple chef, and spends more time in the ship's kitchen than the ship's mecha hangers.
Unlike Under Siege, however, Nadesico is SUPPOSED to be a comedy (what, you didn't find Stev-o's 'acting' as amusing as I did?). It takes all the cliched trappings of space-mecha-action anime like Gundam and Macross, and twists it into a bizarre parody of everything from classic 70s giant robot anime to anime fandom itself. But it's not all fun and games: there's an often-serious storyline tying all the wacky antics together, and separating Martian Successor Nadesico from its pure-fluff comedy anime sisters.
In the year 2195, Earth is under attack by the mysterious 'Jovian Lizards', mainly seen as robot war machines teleported to the inner solar system from Jupiter. Mankind's last hope is the space battleship Nadesico ('nadesico' being the name of a certain type of Japanese flower). Humanity would seem to be pretty much screwed, though, since the crew of the Nadesico is ragtag bunch of civilian misfits, consisting of the aforementioned cooking-obsessed pilot, a ditzy teenage captain who is preoccupied with getting the cook-pilot to love her, a bottom-line-focused accountant from the corporation that built the ship (because they naturally want a return on their investment!), a chief engineer who will do ANYTHING to get away from his wife and kid, and a hyperintelligent little girl with an acerbic personality who just so happens to be the Nadesico's main computer technician.
It's a good thing for humanity that ragtag, misfit crews ALWAYS manage to overcome all obstacles and defeat their enemies in shows like these. The gang on the Nadesico manages to not only uncover the awful truth behind the 'Jovian Lizards', but they deftly get through such crises as Earth military betrayals, tragic deaths, and the travails of a stock two-girls-and-one-nebbishy-guy love triangle. Martian Successor Nadesico is definitely aware of the cliches of its genre, and gleefully embraces them even as it subverts them.
ADV Films has some good news and some bad news for fans with this disc, the fifth in the series. In the plus column is the fact that there are five complete episodes on a single DVD, something that ALL budget-conscious anime fans should be damn grateful for! On the other hand, there are no extras to be found here. Come on, guys! Where are the humorous translator notes and character bios from previous discs? Can't we strike a happy medium in giving fans what they want?
At least the episodes contained on this disc are well-done. The animation is sharp and clear, the English-language overlays (Nadesico is heavy on visual computer readouts, and in the original they were liberally dosed with Japanese text) are well done, and even the dubbing, should you choose to listen to the dub, is pretty darn good. Although the dub Ruri still isn't as good as the original, the rest of the dub cast is heavy with ADV vets, including many from their blockbuster Neon Genesis Evangelion dub.
As for the CONTENT of the episodes themselves, it's a bit of a mixed bag. The more serious tone that characterized the previous disc is retained for the first two episodes of this volume. The first episode here deals with the repercussions of a character's death from way back in the third episode of the series, and while the drama is nicely handled, it's still not Nadesico's biggest draw or most adept feature. The next episode, dealing with the mysterious past of the equally mysterious computer tech Ruri Hoshino, is much better. Not only is the drama leavened with Nadesico's trademark zaniness, Ruri herself is a well-drawn and extremely popular character, so an episode focusing on her is bound to be a crowd-pleaser.
Then things take a REALLY sharp left turn back into slapstick. Dizzy Captain Yurika gets fed up with the crew's grumbling about her, uh, 'unique' command style. She decides to let them pick a NEW captain... by holding a beauty contest. That's right: the girl who does best in the swimsuit and singing talent portions of the competition gets to command the space warship. God, I love this anime, and it's episodes like this that are the reason why! Sadly, the last two episodes, especially the very last one on this disc, go back towards the drama a bit too much.
Still, everthing about Martain Successor Nadesico, from the characterization to the animation to the space battles to the design of the Jovian society is extremely well done and vastly appealing. I wouldn't recommend this disc to people who are unfamiliar with this anime, but I DO wholeheartedly recommend Martian Successor Nadesico as a whole. It may not be a perfect blend of humor and drama, but it's good enough to be one of the most compelling and FUN anime series to come down the pike in a good long while.
Posted on Tuesday, May 29, 2001 (Archive on Friday, June 29, 2001)