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ANN Tetsuo Sato page

My average ranking: 6.33

Director Pantheon: Tatsuo Sato Rating
Bodacious Space Pirates (TV) Good

Bodacious Space Pirates The Movie: Abyss of Hyperspace So-so

Lagrange - The Flower of Rin-ne (TV) Good

Lagrange - The Flower of Rin-ne (TV 2) Decent

Martian Successor Nadesico (TV) Decent

There is one thing Nadesico has, what with its odd mixture of comedy, pathos, warfare and metafiction, and that is a heart, unlike its near contemporary, the cynical, misanthropic Neon Genesis Evangelion, which kept coming to mind as I watched. Saving humanity with a kiss is sentimental but its simple humanism sure beats the preposterous human instrumentality project. For all of Nadesico's levity, it's suprising how attached I became to the foolish but likeable crew of the mobile space battleship Nadesico. It's heart comes from the characters who, despite their wackiness, have an unwavering optimism that all will turn out well, even if some plot holes will have to be endured along the way. The visual style may be out-dated but, in a sense, it's appropriate given that it is lampooning (among other things) earlier space operas and giant robot anime. Where Evangelion tries to cover its infantilism with empty grandstanding, Nadesico laughs at its own silliness and challenges the viewer in the opening song to, "Grow up".

Alternative version

Stellvia (TV) Good