Forum - View topicMartian Successor Nadesico (TV).
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Crisha
Moderator
 Posts: 4290 |
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Martian Successor Nadesico (TV) Genres: adventure, comedy, drama, science fiction Themes: harem, mecha, military, parody, real robot, space Plot Summary: Akito Tenkawa doesn't want to fight. Despite a childhood spent as a fan of the anime Gekiganger 3, a mecha show, he'd rather cook than pilot a mecha. Fate intervenes when his home on Mars is destroyed, and he is mysteriously transported in an instant to the Earth. He has questions no one can fully answer, but follows a girl from a chance meeting in the hope of discovering what has happened to him. The girl, Yurika Misumaru, is captain of the private battleship Nadesico, and in order to follow her, he enlists as the ship's cook. Possessing the nanite implants that allow him to control mecha, he's a handy backup pilot for the tactical mecha of the Nadesico, the Aestivalises. He joins a crew bent on avenging Mars and composed of misfits, otaku, and ditzes, but who are in reality handpicked experts. They take their own private war back to Mars to face the harsh reality that life may not always be like a giant mecha series. ---------------------------------- Anime Marathon Discussion (Nov. 6th, 2015 - Nov. 15th, 2015) starts here ---------------------------------- Last edited by Crisha on Thu Nov 05, 2015 8:24 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Crisha
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Posts: 4290 |
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Anime Marathon Discussion (Nov. 6th, 2015 - Nov. 15th, 2015)
Spoilers Reminder for Marathon Discussion: Tag all spoilers within your post(s) and record the episode number(s) you're discussing at the top of your post. |
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OldCharlieStoletheHandle
 Posts: 1288 Location: Mastic Beach, NY |
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Episodes 1-26
I had been wanting to revisit this show for a long time, especially since I replaced my old ADV brick with the new remastered edition from Nozomi. This was one of the first sets I ever bought (along with the old set of Boogiepop Phantom and I had previously watched the show 3-4 times in its entirety, but the last time has to have been more than 6-7 years ago (probably more). In addition, all prior viewings were of the English dub so I wanted to check it out in the original Japanese. I have to say, this show really holds up for me. There are a few silly moments which keep it from being a total masterpiece, but back when I originally rated it I rated it as "excellent" and this viewing gave me no reason to change that rating. Many anime try to mix comedy with drama/action but not that many succeed, and this one really does that. In fact, I got something extra this time as I caught a number of references that I missed on my previous viewings (possibly because of changes for the English dub). What I find interesting is that I have seen people arguing over what show this is a parody of; I think the intent was to spoof a number of popular shows including Space Battleship Yamato and Neon Genesis Evangelion, among others. The show-within-a-show, Gekiganger, is clearly a takeoff on Go Nagai-style robot shows, and the idea of spoiler[an entire civilization being based on an anime is both creative and amusing, yet the show also brings out what's wrong with the idea very well. It feels to me like a bit of a take-off on the Macross idea of culture (specifically music) defeating an enemy as well as a jab at weeaboos (which surely existed back when this was made, although the term did not) who take anime way too seriously]. The show also does not fool around when it gets serious with spoiler[character deaths and some pretty nasty political shenanigans. I actually wonder if the death of Jiro Yamada/Gai Daigoji was any kind of inspiration for the events of episode 3 of Puella Magi Madoka Magica; just when it looks like he's going to be the male lead's best pal he gets killed (which does not stop him coming back for the review episode). Speaking of which, outside of Excel Saga I can't think offhand of another anime which was so creative with a review episode]. I guess I'll rewatch the movie after the marathon is over, along with the Gekiganger 3 OVA which I have never seen. I remember the movie being a huge disappointment, but we'll see if it looks any better now. |
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar  Posts: 16935 |
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I always loved the Gekiganger bits. Gai was just amazing in a hilarious comic relief, yet surprisingly complex sort of way. The Kamina of his day really. Sort of met his fate in the same fashion as well.
 Though I have to say sometimes a loved major character dying can really help the story along. Sometimes you gotta have some tragedy to make the heroes grow and become better people. Again, hello Gurren Lagann. On a side note you could practically write a thesis on how those 2 shows are the same. Also explains why I like both so much heh.
I have to say the show held up for me really well also. It didn't feel sorely out dated in terms of animation, plot, or characters. I still feel the show had a nice mix of action, comedy, and then more seriousness as the second half got under way. Vandread did much the same, though that show did retain or achieve the same balance Nadesico did between humor and drama. The movie btw Charlie was good, but not at the same level as the series IMO. It just felt like it was lacking some much needed depth and substance. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as the series I thought. Though it was nice seeing Ruri more grown up and actually conversing more lol. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18200 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Never really thought about it before, but you're absolutely right that there are a pretty impressive number of parallels between MSN and GL.
I didn't know about Gai's fate when I first watched the series many years ago (though well after it first came out), and I was stunned that what was ostensibly a comedy series was going to go there. And I also agree that there's no single series that it is spoofing, but rather some entire genres, and that the content side of it holds up quite well. (The artistry? Not so much.) Not hard to see why, at one point in the late '90s/early 2000s, this was proclaimed to be one of the best anime series ever made; its appeal was very broad and deep. |
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OldCharlieStoletheHandle
Posts: 1288 Location: Mastic Beach, NY |
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I think the reason I was disappointed in the movie is that I felt it started out well and had a lot of potential but kind of fell apart toward the end. I didn't hate it, I just felt it could have been so much better than it was.
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar Posts: 16935 |
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Pretty much exactly how I felt. "Wasted potential" is the best way to sum up the movie. It's like winning a gold medal one year and then being happy with simply getting a bronze the next instead of trying for another gold medal.
To be honest I never made the connection before this re-watching. It had been so long since I had seen Nadesico that when I watched GL I never made the connection. I also watched GL a good 2 years after it came out because I tend to avoid super popular shows when they first come out to let the buzz die down some so I can watch the show unencumbered. When I went back and re-watched Nadesico this time I was like "holy shit how did I miss this when watching GL". Just goes to show every decade or so re-watching titles is a good thing heh. I agree about Gai as well. I thought it was just so uncharacteristic of a show that had such comedy in it to take such a serious and dark turn like that. Especially with such an important character. And even for some series that have done similar to do it so early in the series was part of the shock factor. Very similar to the shock factor in FF7. If Aeris had died on disc 3 after you knew more about Sephiroth. I think it would have not had the same impact. Impact yes, but not quite the same. Same with Gai. If that had been episode 12 or 16 I think the impact would have been lessened some. Perfect example of that is Vandread. I do think however that his death, like Aeris, while shocking and sad was definitely NEEDED. Not that they were bad characters, far from it. Their deaths however directly tied into character and plot development that without those deaths the show/game would have suffered and simply not been the same. Hello GOT spoiler[and Ned Stark.] |
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Vaisaga
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I'm the complete opposite. I thought the TV series was a massive disappointment and the movie was the thing that saved the franchise for me. If not for it I would have tossed the series into the bleh pile. The movie looked great, made the best character the lead, had cool battles, and turned Akito from an insufferable whino into a total badass. It did drag a bit in the middle but it was nice to reunite with the characters again regardless, especially after the TV series's abrupt and inconclusive ending. Considering it was intended to be the first installment of a trilogy that never happened it still stands fine on its own. So far as the TV series goes, I don't hate it and there's plenty I like in it, but that mostly gets overshadowed by some huge issues. The plot moves way too fast in the opening episodes. It gives us hardly any time to really connect with the characters before all the bad stuff happens. There should have been more episodic adventures like we got in the 2nd part of the show in order to have the crew bond as a team and strengthen various relationships. Then they should have met hardship to test those bonds. Instead we get stuff like Akito and Megumi having one conversation and later they make out. What happened to Jiro Yamada is another example. He was only around for 3 episodes and during that time he didn't do anything other than be an annoying twat. He only knew how to run his mouth off and force his tastes on everyone. We all know anime fans like that: people who spam 4chan threads demanding everyone accept Gekiganger as the best anime ever and flaming anyone who disagrees. Maybe he could have become likable after some growth, but as it stands nothing of value was lost. It really comes off as a twist for the sake of a twist. One of those cheap tricks writers pull to try and come off as all edgy and shit. People constantly praise the show for its blend of seriousness and humor, but for me it jumps between the two like it's bipolar. There's little cohesion between the two tones and we end up with unfortunate things like a wacky funeral montage, three words that should never be in the same sentence. Akito takes the whiny protagonist way too far. It's okay for some one like Shinji Ikari to be whiny because his life legitimately sucks. Akito has some past trauma, but currently? He gets to pilot robots, be the cook he wants to be, and he's got lots of hot women lusting after him. Life can't get much better than that but he insists on acting miserable. Why? Because a guy he barely knew died. Of course the show can't keep this consistant either. One episode he'll be locked up in his room grieving, then the next episode will have him working as a cook and being sociable, and then next episode he'll be back moping in his room again. Akito was more bearable the second time I watched the show, but that might be because I discovered I find Yurika to be revolting. Now, I'm not the sort of feminist that gets upset at every unflattering portrayal of women (I love me some fanservice shows) but holy crap Yurika is awful. She's introduced as this capable captain and in the first episode she shows hints of it (ordering a decoy sent out with utmost seriousness), but the moment she knows Akito is around she drops all of that to become an obsessed stalker who only has one thing on the brain. She disregards most of her duties to pester him, when she's forced to do her job (like paying respect to the dead) she constantly whines about it keeping her away from Akito and on several occasions she puts her entire crew and ship on the line just for Akito's sake. People have tried to replace her as captain and they really should have. A character having to choose between her personal feelings and her duty is common, but Yurika doesn't care about her duty. But who cares about responsibilities, your man is the only thing that matters, amirite?! Sorry, bit of a rant there. I do like the side characters, Ruri and Akatsuki in particular, some of the jokes are genuinely funny, and the mech designs are cool (even if I didn't find many of the action scenes that engaging). It had the potential for greatness but sadly was lesser than the sum of its parts. |
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Kruszer
 Posts: 7985 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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It's a great series that successfully combines some amusing satire comedy with mecha action and a bit of romance. I really enjoyed the show. The movie was a massive confusing and depressing disappointment though.
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 18200 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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I fall on the "the movie was a disappointment compared to the series" side, to the point that I only ever watched it on rental (whereas I bought the series). While I don't remember a whole lot about it (it's been a decade or more since I've seen it), I remembered really not liking how it handled Akito and Yuriko and felt it messed too much with the tone of the original.
As to rebutting Vaisaga's points, I'll come back to that later when I have more time. |
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