Editing Martian Successor Nadesico

{{Short description|Japanese anime franchise}}
{{Infobox animanga/Header
| name = Martian Successor Nadesico
| image = nadesico.jpg
| caption = The cast of ''Martian Successor Nadesico''
| ja_kanji = 機動戦艦ナデシコ
| ja_romaji = Kidō Senkan Nadeshiko
| genre = {{ubl|[[Comedy]]<ref name="animelimited">{{cite web |last1=Osmond |author-link=Andrew Osmond (journalist) |first1=Andrew |title=Nadesico and Food Wars Released Monday |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-08-27/nadesico-and-food-wars-released-monday/.120590 |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=May 2, 2019 |date=August 26, 2017 |archive-date=April 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190421180114/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-08-27/nadesico-and-food-wars-released-monday/.120590 |url-status=live }}</ref>|[[Mecha anime and manga|Mecha]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bertschy |first1=Zac |title=Martian Successor Nadesico Blu-Ray - Review |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/martian-successor-nadesico/blu-ray-complete-collection/.114355 |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=May 2, 2019 |date=April 5, 2017 |archive-date=May 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508200017/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/martian-successor-nadesico/blu-ray-complete-collection/.114355 |url-status=live }}</ref>|[[Space opera]]<ref name="animelimited"/>}}<!-- Note: Use and cite reliable sources to identify genre/s, not personal interpretation. Please don't include more than three genres (per [[MOS:A&M]]). -->
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Print
| type            = manga
| author          = [[Kia Asamiya]]
| publisher       = [[Kadokawa Shoten]]
| publisher_en    = {{English manga publisher
  | AUS = [[Crunchyroll Store Australia|Madman Entertainment]]
  | NA  = [[CPM Manga]]
}}
| demographic     = ''[[Shōnen manga|Shōnen]]''
| magazine        = [[Shōnen Ace]]
| first           = September 1996
| last            = February 1999
| volumes         = 4
| volume_list     =
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Video
| type            = tv series
| director        = [[Tatsuo Satō (director)|Tatsuo Satō]]
| producer        = Noriko Kobayashi<br />Naoya Nakazawa<br />Shinichi Ikeda<br />Tōru Satō
| writer          = [[Shō Aikawa (screenwriter)|Shō Aikawa]]
| music           = [[Takayuki Hattori]]
| studio          = [[Xebec (studio)|Xebec]]
| licensee        = [[Crunchyroll]]{{efn|In North America through Nozomi Entertainment and in Australia through [[Crunchyroll Store Australia]].}} {{English anime licensee
  | UK  = [[Anime Limited]]
}}
| network         = [[TX Network|TXN]] ([[TV Tokyo]])
| network_en      = {{English anime network 
  | US  = [[Anime Network]], [[Cartoon Network]] ([[Toonami]]; Episodes 1, 6, and 25 only)
  | UK  = [[Syfy (UK and Ireland)|Sci Fi Channel]]
}}
| first           = October 1, 1996
| last            = March 24, 1997
| episodes        = 26
| episode_list    = List of Martian Successor Nadesico episodes
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Other
| title           = Related
| content         = * ''[[Martian Successor Nadesico: The Motion Picture – Prince of Darkness|Prince of Darkness]]''
* ''[[Gekiganger III]]''
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Footer|portal=yes}}

{{Nihongo|'''''Martian Successor Nadesico'''''|機動戦艦ナデシコ|Kidō Senkan Nadeshiko|lit. "Mobile Battleship Nadesico"|lead=yes}}, sometimes referred to as simply {{nihongo|'''''Nadesico'''''|ナデシコ|Nadeshiko}},<ref name="Key Frame">{{cite web |url=http://www.keyframeonline.com/Animation/Martian_Successor_Nadesico/551/ |title=Martian Successor Nadesico|publisher=Keyframe|access-date=2007-11-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618052428/http://www.keyframeonline.com/Animation/Martian_Successor_Nadesico/551/|archive-date=2018-06-18|url-status=dead}}</ref> is a Japanese [[anime]] television series produced by [[TV Tokyo]], Yomiko Advertising and [[Xebec (studio)|Xebec]] and directed by [[Tatsuo Satō (director)|Tatsuo Satō]], with manga artist [[Kia Asamiya]] providing original character designs, [[Keiji Gotoh]] serving as chief animation director, Mika Akitaka being the main mechanical designer and [[Takayuki Hattori]] composing the music. A [[manga]] adaptation by Asamiya was published by [[Kadokawa Shoten]] from 1996 to 1999. The manga, licensed in North America by [[Central Park Media#CPM Press|CPM Manga]], has many significant changes from the anime.

The series aired from October 1, 1996, to March 24, 1997, with a total of 26 episodes, and was replaced by the [[Pokémon (TV series)|''Pokémon'']] anime in its timeslot.

In 2005, [[Anime News Network]] reported that plans for ''Nadesico 2'' were scrapped, citing an entry on ''[[Stellvia]]'' director Tatsuo Sato's blog.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-08-10/stellvia-2-cancelled|title=Stellvia 2 Cancelled|publisher=[[Anime News Network]]|date=2005-08-10|access-date=2007-11-26|archive-date=2007-12-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071209124501/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-08-10/stellvia-2-cancelled|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Plot==
{{main|List of Martian Successor Nadesico characters}}
The series takes place in the year 2196. [[Earth]] is at war with a race of alien invaders called the "Jovian Lizards". A company called Nergal Heavy Industries designs a space battleship, the ''ND-001 Nadesico''. While the ship is powerful and its crew consists of the top civilian experts in their fields, these individuals tend to have "some slight [[personality disorder]]s".<ref name="Episode 1">{{cite episode|title=To Go Like a Man|series=Martian Successor Nadesico|airdate=1996-10-01|season=1|number=1}}</ref>

The primary protagonist, [[Akito Tenkawa]], is a boy with a mysterious past; once a resident of [[Mars]]' Utopia colony, he escaped its destruction by the Jovian Lizards and arrived on Earth, with no memory of how he got there but a terrible fear of the invaders. He hates fighting and only wants to be a [[chef]]. However, he is constantly called on to act as a pilot of one of the ''Nadesico'''s ''Aestivalis'' - humanoid combat [[robot]]s. While on board the ''Nadesico'', Akito has more problems to deal with than just the Jovians; nearly all the female members of the crew, especially the vessel's captain [[Yurika Misumaru]], seem to be head over heels in love with him, though all he wants to do is cook and watch his favorite anime, ''[[Gekiganger III]]''.<ref name="Episode 1"/>

==Production==
The series features an energetic juxtaposition of [[comedy]] and [[drama]], as the characters engage in lighthearted antics in between facing the drama of [[war]]. Many of the characters are themselves anime fans, and there is often comparison between the campy, sanitized war of the [[Story within a story|anime within an anime]] ''Gekigangar III'' and the much harsher reality that the crew of the ''Nadesico'' faces. The show intentionally includes a number of science fiction anime clichés, including [[time travel]] and [[Extraterrestrial life|alien]] invaders, but turns these concepts on their heads by the end of the series through a number of plot twists.

The show has been also described as a [[space opera]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.japan-expo-paris.com/fr/info/le-space-opera-a-lhonneur_11187.htm|title=Le Space Opera à l'honneur |publisher=Japan Expo Paris |access-date=2019-02-04|archive-date=2019-02-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190205044022/https://www.japan-expo-paris.com/fr/info/le-space-opera-a-lhonneur_11187.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

There are many anime references, particularly to the series ''[[Space Battleship Yamato]]'' (the name ''Nadesico'' is a play on the phrase "[[Yamato nadeshiko]]", which represents the traditional Japanese ideal of femininity, and also the name of [[Dianthus superbus|a flower]]).<ref>{{cite web|last=Goebel|first=Greg|url=http://www.vectorsite.net/xrmarsn1.html|title=Martian Successor Nadesico V1 (2*)|publisher=Vectorsite|date=2004-02-28|access-date=2007-11-27|archive-date=2007-11-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071120040127/http://www.vectorsite.net/xrmarsn1.html|url-status=usurped}}</ref> One of the characters was a voice actress before joining the crew (and in fact is a parody of a specific voice actress, [[Megumi Hayashibara]]),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.absoluteanime.com/nadesico/megumi.htm|title=Character Profile: Megumi Raynard|publisher=Absolute Anime|date=2006-07-23|access-date=2007-11-27|archive-date=2008-12-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211081046/http://www.absoluteanime.com/nadesico/megumi.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> another is a [[Fan (aficionado)#Fangirl|fangirl]] who likes to draw her own [[shōnen-ai]] [[doujinshi]], and a third is an [[otaku]] who bases his entire life on ''Gekigangar III''.

In an episode late in the series, the ship holds an anime convention complete with a viewing marathon of ''Gekigangar'', people engaged in [[cosplay]], and tie-in merchandising. Another episode makes a parody of the ''[[The Super Dimension Fortress Macross|Macross]]'' anime, as the crew celebrates a Miss Nadesico contest to decide a on new captain and public figurehead, in which all the female crew members participate. The contest includes a [[swimsuit]] competition and singing.<ref>{{cite web|last=Dungan|first=Mike|url=http://www.animeondvd.com/reviews/viewreview.php?review=3635|title=Martian Successor Nadesico Essential Anime Vol. #3|publisher=Anime On DVD|access-date=2007-11-27|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050308114635/http://www.animeondvd.com/reviews/viewreview.php?review=3635|archive-date=2005-03-08}}</ref>

The ''Gekigangar'' anime show is in fact an homage (and [[parody]]) of many [[super robot]] [[mecha]] anime of the 1970s and 1980s, most particularly the [[Go Nagai]]/[[Ken Ishikawa (manga artist)|Ken Ishikawa]] collaboration ''[[Getter Robo]]''.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=McCarter|first=Charles|url=http://www.ex.org/3.1/07-exclusive_nadesico4.html|title=Martian Successor Nadesico (Page 4)|magazine=EX |volume=3 |issue=1 |access-date=2007-11-27|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120730050922/http://www.ex.org/3.1/07-exclusive_nadesico4.html|archive-date=2012-07-30}}</ref> The battles between Earth and planetary colonies featured throughout the show is a reference to ''[[Gundam]]'', while the assortment of odd-ball characters on the ship who prefer to choose their own battles, rather than take sides, is a nod to [[Harlock]]. In addition, writers from previous popular science fiction mecha shows occasionally get announced in teasers for various episodes of ''Nadesico''.

==Media==

===Anime===
{{main|List of Martian Successor Nadesico episodes}}
The ''Martian Successor Nadesico'' anime was directed by [[Tatsuo Satō (director)|Tatsuo Sato]] and produced by [[TV Tokyo]], [[Xebec (studio)|Xebec]], and Yomiko Advertising, Inc. The series aired on TV Tokyo from October 1, 1996, to March 24, 1997. [[A.D. Vision|ADV Films]] announced they had licensed ''Martian Successor Nadesico'' in May 1998 at [[A-Kon|Project A-Kon 9]];<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.advfilms.com/advhome/catalog/news.html |title=Elevator Action Anyone? |publisher=ADV Films |date=1998-06-02 |accessdate=2022-07-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981207042953/http://www.advfilms.com/advhome/catalog/news.html |archive-date=7 December 1998 |url-status=dead}}</ref> the company released the series originally on 12 [[VHS]] tapes. Later, the series was released on a total of six DVDs. On September 24, 2002, ADV Films released a [[box set]] containing all of the DVDs entitled ''Martian Successor Nadesico: Complete Chronicles'' and, on January 1, 2008, a collection of all the episodes entitled ''Martian Successor Nadesico: Perfect Collection''. At [[Anime Expo]] 2011, [[The Right Stuf International|Nozomi Entertainment]] announced that they had re-licensed the series, following ADV's closure in 2009. They re-released the series, along with the movie and the ''Gekiganger III'' OVA, in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|title=Right Stuf/Nozomi Adds More Dirty Pair, Gasaraki, Nadesico|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-07-01/right-stuf-nozomi-adds-more-dirty-pair-gasaraki-nadesico|publisher=Anime News Network|access-date=1 July 2011|archive-date=2011-07-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110704171444/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-07-01/right-stuf-nozomi-adds-more-dirty-pair-gasaraki-nadesico|url-status=live}}</ref> Anime Limited later acquired the series in 2017 on Blu-ray.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-02-01/anime-limited-acquires-martian-successor-nadesico-on-blu-ray/.111733|title=Anime Limited Acquires Martian Successor Nadesico on Blu-ray|publisher=Anime News Network|date=1 February 2017|access-date=5 February 2021|archive-date=15 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215231707/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-02-01/anime-limited-acquires-martian-successor-nadesico-on-blu-ray/.111733|url-status=live}}</ref>

''Martian Successor Nadesico''{{'}}s opening song is "You Get to Burning" by [[Yumi Matsuzawa]]. The main ending song is {{nihongo|"Watashi Rashiku"|私らしく||"Being Myself"}} by [[Houko Kuwashima]], with episode 26 featuring {{nihongo|"Itsuka...Shinjite"|いつか…信じて||"I Believe... Someday"}} by Kazumi Matsumura as its ending.

===Manga===
A manga series loosely based on the anime with a whole new story line and written for a mature audience.

===OVA===
A ''Gekigangar III'' compilation [[Original Video Animation|OVA]] was also released.

===Movie===
{{main|Martian Successor Nadesico: The Motion Picture – Prince of Darkness}}
A sequel movie called ''[[Martian Successor Nadesico: The Motion Picture – Prince of Darkness|The Prince of Darkness]]'' is a 1998 anime film written and directed by Tatsuo Sato. The story is a direct sequel to ''Nadesico: The Blank of Three Years'', a video game for the Sega Saturn that takes place immediately after the TV series ends, and before the movie begins.

===Video games===
Four games based on the series were released in Japan. The first game, released for the [[Sega Saturn]] in 1997, is entitled ''Mobile Battleship Nadesico''. It is a [[dating sim]] game with a few mecha elements included. A second game, also for the [[Sega Saturn]], was released in the following year under the title ''Martian Successor Nadesico: The Blank of Three Years''. It is an interactive story of the events which occurred in between the television series and the movie. Released on the [[Dreamcast]] in 1999, ''Martian Successor Nadesico: The Mission'', continues the story from ''Prince of Darkness''. Finally, a [[mahjong]] variant game was released for the [[Game Boy Color]] entitled ''Mobile Battleship Nadesico: Ruriruri Mahjong''. ''Nadesico'' also appears in games in the [[Super Robot Wars]] and [[Another Century's Episode|Another Century's]] series, where the setting is combined with other mecha series' such as ''[[Gundam]]'', ''[[Mazinger]]'', ''[[Full Metal Panic!]]'', and ''[[Tekkaman Blade]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=O'Sullivan|first=Greg|url=http://ariel.its.unimelb.edu.au/~gjo/nadesico/|title=Mobile Battleship Nadesico, The Games|date=2006-01-26|access-date=2007-11-26|archive-date=2007-05-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070520090227/http://ariel.its.unimelb.edu.au/~gjo/nadesico/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://import.portablereview.com/review511.html|title=Super Robot Wars Reversal|publisher=Portable Review|date=2006-11-13|access-date=2007-11-26|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20070204113208/http://import.portablereview.com/review511.html|archive-date=2007-02-04}}</ref>

==Reception==
There have been mixed reviews to the series, although most reviews have been positive. One review written when the series was released on DVD gave it average ratings, commenting that while the show was dubbed into English poorly, it commented positively on the use of characters saying, "Despite his heroic calling as a robot pilot, Akito is remarkably approachable—after all, what could be more down-to-earth than a cook? Yurika, the world's most unlikely starship captain, may seem like a troublesome ditz at first, but demonstrates resolve and emotional depth as she learns the art of leadership. The characters may be billed as goofballs, but they also provide some of the most touching moments in the show. The ''Nadesico'' mindset shows that heroism and self-sacrifice are still respectable virtues, and that nobody needs to hear whining about why you can't or won't pilot a giant robot."<ref>{{cite web|last=Santos|first=Carlo|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/martian-successor-nadesico/dvd-1|title=Martian Successor Nadesico: Essential Anime DVD 1 (discs 1-2)|publisher=Anime News Network|date=2005-01-05|access-date=2007-11-26|archive-date=2007-11-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071118130024/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/martian-successor-nadesico/dvd-1|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' writer Charles Solomon praised the series, calling its action and hi-jinks on par with ''[[Rocky and Bullwinkle]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Solomon|first=Charles|date=September 24, 2002|title='Nadiesco' brings Home its Nutty Anime warfare|work=[[The Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93927144/nadesico-anime/|access-date=February 1, 2022|archive-date=August 18, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818211322/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93927144/nadesico-anime/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Other reviews have been generally positive, with one saying, "''Nadesico'' is one of those rare series that has something for everyone. Comedy, action, romance, drama...you name it, this series has it (well, almost). What's even more astonishing is that ''Nadesico'' keeps everything tied together in a neat little coherent package, so much so that you'll hardly even notice the blend of genres. It's a pretty cool little package, too."<ref>{{cite web|last=Huxley|first=John|url=http://www.animeboredom.co.uk/anime-reviews/martian-successor-nadesico/173/|title=Martian Successor Nadesico Series Overview|publisher=Anime Boredom|date=2004-05-20|access-date=2007-11-26|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081118202047/http://www.animeboredom.co.uk/anime-reviews/martian-successor-nadesico/173/|archive-date=2008-11-18}}</ref> Another review praised the English dub, saying "I first watched this show multiple times in Japanese, but eventually gave the English dub a try and found I loved it. The cast is excellent, with Jennifer Earhart's Yurika being especially noteworthy. Even minor characters, such as a Jovian pilot played by Jason Douglas, give great performances. His reading of 'If only the humans appreciated life as we do, I would not have to kill so many of them' is brilliant."<ref>[http://www.animeondvd.com/reviews2/disc_reviews/3512.php AnimeonDVD.com review Martian Successor Nadesico Anime Essentials Vol. 2] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061101151412/http://www.animeondvd.com/reviews2/disc_reviews/3512.php |date=2006-11-01 }}</ref>

The series quickly became popular. The film won the ''Animage'' Grand Prix award in 1998.<ref name="Key Frame"/> In other polls conducted by ''Animage'' in the same year, Akito was voted the ninth most "Favorite Male Character of the Year", [[Ruri Hoshino]] was voted second and [[Yurika Misumaru|Yurika]] eighth most "Favorite Female Characters of the Year" and the TV series was vote the third "Favorite Anime of the Year".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsservice.com/archives/july.htm|title=Anime News Service - July 1998 Anime News|publisher=Anime News Service|access-date=2007-11-28|archive-date=2007-10-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012115602/http://animenewsservice.com/archives/july.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal bar|1990s}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
*{{IMDb title|0115263|Kidô senkan Nadeshiko}}
*{{anime News Network|anime|42}}

{{Martian Successor Nadesico}}
{{Tatsuo Satō (director)}}
{{Xebec}}

[[Category:Martian Successor Nadesico| ]]
[[Category:1996 anime television series debuts]]
[[Category:1997 manga]]
[[Category:IG Port franchises]]
[[Category:Comics set in the 22nd century]]
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[[Category:Anime with original screenplays]]
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[[Category:Madman Entertainment manga]]
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[[Category:Parody anime and manga]]
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[[Category:Films with screenplays by Shō Aikawa]]
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