Martian Successor Nadesico  Highly recommended
Publisher
ADV
Director
Tatsuo Sato
Production
TV Tokyo, XEBEC, Yomiuri Advertising
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
26 episodes
Year
1996
Martian Successor Nadesico Volume 5: Secrets & Lies
By John Huxley
20th May 04  Episode Summary WARNING: may contain spoilers Episode 17: A Reunion That Came Too Late The ship technician, Uribatake, takes a liking to one of the young female pilots. The two share an interest in all things mecha and begin to build a scale model of an Aestivalis battle together, complete with battle damage. But Uribatake is mislead by her enthusiasm for the project and comes on a bit too strong. The Admiral, facing demotion and possible dismissal is desperate to impress the suits. When he spies the top secret Aestivalis X, he demands that the project be released ahead of schedule despite Uribatake's insistence that the prototype is overpowered and will explode if anyone tries to fire it's weapons. Episode 18: Echoes of Self, Echoes of Water Just why is Ruri so young compared to the rest of the crew and more intelligent than any of them? The answer probably isn't what you were expecting. The daughter of a King, she's the princess of Peaceland, a country that made it's fortune from legalised gambling and amusement parks. How will she ever tolerate these idiots? Episode 19: You're the Next Captain of the Nadesico A talent competition is cause for commotion aboard the Nadesico. All the young girls want to show off their singing talents from the cooks right up to the captain herself. Unfortunately for Yurika she doesn't realise that the winner of the competition gets to be the new captain of the Nadesico! Episode 20: Run Silent, Run Deep A new Jovian weapon forces the Nadesico to retreat and rethink it's strategy. A tactical genius, Yurika is having difficulty formulating a plan when Akito inadvertently offers a helping hand. Could Akito's comment about fishing really save the day? Episode 21: The Meadows We Once Ran Across The clock is ticking as Akito, Izumi and Akatsuki rush to fix one of the Nadesico's weapon systems before the Jovians attack. A simple task if it were not for the ghosts of the past that incessantly halt their progress. The bizarre happenings continue as the rest of the crew appear to be playing a game of cards, only each card holds a memory that everyone can share...is this all a dream? Volume Review The crew of the Nadesico are back for five more as the series nears the finish line. And for a show so close to its finale it's surprising to discover that these episodes do little to further the central plot. The first episode on this volume sees the death of yet another character, although I doubt many of you will be mourning the loss. The character's spectacular fall from grace is both poignant yet totally warranted, a fact which is reflected in Akito's reaction. The remainder of this episode features a bittersweet tale of misguided affections as the ageing Uribatake attempts to woo a young female pilot. It's not exactly and upbeat episode to say the least. Episode two to the rescue, which is quite possibly my favourite of the series so far. It's dedicated to the effervescent Ruri and reveals her unusual upbringing as the estranged princess of Peaceland, a rather odd country that resembles a giant theme park. Ruri (as seen on the cover of this DVD) is a brilliantly dour little girl who's abnormal intelligence lends her a kind of maturity sadly lacking in the rest of the crew. Despite her often sullen attitude this episode is surprisingly comedic affair, providing some welcome light relief with a gentle, heartwarming tale. A trend which continues in to the next episode, which sees the feminine half of the crew exert their singing talents (and vital measurements) in a competition to find the next captain of Nadesico. Of course Yurika enters, unknowing of the gravity of the situation (she thinks the winner is only captain for the day, the poor girl). A highly enjoyable couple of episodes that represent the best Nadesico has to offer. The next episode injects a little more action in to the formula and lets Yurika prove her worth as captain yet again (sorry if I spoiled the result of the talent competition). The final episode on this DVD is a highly confusing piece which involves the crew sharing memories from their past in the form of a card game. Everything will become clear in the end (even if the explanation given is slightly sketchy), so stick with it. We may be no nearer to a conclusion than we were five episodes ago, but if they're all of this quality, who cares? The only disappointment will come when the series finally ends.
R2 DVD Notes
Features: English and Japanese audio, English Subtitles
Notes: NO extras? Well, who can blame them? They'd run out of characters to profile and everyone and his dog must have seen the textless open/close by now. A wasted opportunity, yes, but that shouldn't put you off buying the DVD for the quality of the show alone.
-- John Huxley 20th May 04
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