MARTIAN SUCCESSOR NADESICO, Vol. 5

— by Darius Washington

I've only recently gotten into NADESICO, but I've found it pretty cool. The story has been developing well, as have the anime in-jokes and the obsession with the Nagai Go-parodying GEKIGANGER 3. Up until this review, however, I'd only seen the subbed version, so this was an interesting assignment for me.
I started on the episode "Finding Yourself in a Routine Plot" in which the Nadesico heads to Russia. There the Jovians have a weapon called "The Walking Stick," a massive cannon that creates miniature black holes. After an unsuccessful long-range attack, the crew decides to launch a team of Aestivalises (the mecha for the show) in a ground assault. This is good for pilot Akito since he can put to use the teamwork lesson he just learned on a recent GEKIGANGER 3 tape.
In the subsequent episode "Those Unforgettable Days," the crew and the UEAF forces tangle with the Jovians once again. However, when the Nadesico and its mecha fire their weapons, both the Jovians and the UEAF are targeted. It turns out Nadesico's computer Omaikane has recognized the UEAF as a threat ever since they came down to Earth and had to get past its defense systems. To Omaikane, no one should be trusted, especially since they hurt its feelings.
To solve the problem, the military decides to totally wipe Omaikane's memory with one of their programs. However, Ruri notes this would also wipe out all accumulated knowledge of the Jovians so far. Since the UEAF ignores her, Yuriko decides to ask a small favor of Akito, involving virtual reality.
This leads to one of the more interesting sequences I've seen since watching REBOOT on Cartoon Network. MARTIAN SUCCESSOR NADESICO has never failed to entertain me or surprise me with its story direction. And although Akito and Yuriko are the main focus of the show, I find myself liking Ruri more with each episode.
This might be due to the voice acting of AD Vision's cast. In the past few years, I've steered clear of English dubs because, well, they were bad. Really bad. I just lost faith in U.S. companies' ability to correctly direct their people's talents. However in this show, ADV has done a pretty good job. No one is so obnoxious or monotone that I couldn't stand to listen.
I'm not sure how much insight I could add to what has been previously written about this show by EX, especially in the wake of enormous fan response. Suffice to say, it remains very much on track in this fifth volume, and I can't wait to see what happens next, especially on the next episode of GEKIGANGER 3.

Released in North America by A.D. Vision Inc.
VHS, 60 minutes
Dubbed, VHSND/005D, $19.98
Subtitled, VHSND/005S, $29.95
Available now in the USA
Where to buy