Martian Successor Nadesico

Lore & Background

The series takes place in 2196, with Earth at war with alien invaders called the Jovian Lizards. The Nergal Heavy Industries battleship ND-001 Nadesico is crewed by top civilian experts with personality disorders. The protagonist, Akito Tenkawa, is a boy from Mars' destroyed Utopia colony who wants only to be a chef but is forced to pilot a humanoid combat robot called an Aestivalis. He is pursued romantically by several female crew members, especially captain Yurika Misumaru, while he prefers cooking and watching his favorite anime, Gekiganger III.

Production features numerous self-referential anime references, including to Space Battleship Yamato (the name Nadesico is a play on "Yamato nadeshiko"). Characters include a former voice actress parodying Megumi Hayashibara, a fangirl who draws shōnen-ai doujinshi, and an otaku who bases his life on Gekiganger III. One episode holds an anime convention with cosplay and merchandising; another parodies Macross with a Miss Nadesico contest. The in-universe Gekiganger III is an homage to 1970s and 1980s super robot anime, particularly Getter Robo.

Reader's Guide

Martian Successor Nadesico is significant for its meta-commentary on anime fandom and mecha genre conventions. The series intentionally includes science fiction clichés like time travel and alien invaders but subverts them through plot twists. It aired from October 1, 1996, to March 24, 1997, on TV Tokyo, and was replaced by Pokémon in its timeslot. The series was licensed in North America by ADV Films in 1998, later re-licensed by Nozomi Entertainment in 2011. A manga adaptation by Kia Asamiya ran from July 26, 1996, to December 26, 1998, with significant changes from the anime. A sequel movie, The Prince of Darkness, was released in 1998, and four video games were released in Japan. The series has received generally positive reviews, with praise for its blend of comedy, action, and character depth, though some noted poor English dubbing. Plans for a Nadesico 2 were scrapped in 2005.

Did You Know?

• The series title is a play on the phrase 'Yamato nadeshiko', representing the traditional Japanese ideal of femininity.
• One character is a parody of voice actress Megumi Hayashibara.
• The in-universe anime Gekiganger III is an homage to the 1970s/1980s super robot series Getter Robo.
• The series was replaced in its timeslot by the Pokémon anime.