Nadesico Vol. 2 |
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Volume two of Martian Successor
Nadesico brings us a lot of different things from the
crew. Getting to Mars is their main mission, but you can
bet a whole lot of bad news will get in their way. Some
new characters are introduced, and some love triangles
get a whole lot more complicated. How is the show
progressing thus far? We will see. I really think that the second volume of Nadesico was a refreshing follow up to the first volume. Personally, I think it's more diverse than the first disc for a few reasons. We see a darker side to the series, as half of the disc isn't purely comedy based like the first. We still do get to see some humor, but I felt the show needed to prove it could do some high drama as well. High drama aside though, I think that we all needed to see someone in a bunny suit. It just has to happen in an anime series. The full on wackiest episode is probably the first one, "Ruri's Navigation Logs." You see, many people were killed in the attack on the Mars colony, yet none of them had proper funerals. Many, many people. Unfortunately for Yurika, the captain of the Nadesico, it's her job to preside over all of these funerals. Mainly because the cost of hiring monks, priests, and the like would be astronomical, and the Nadesico pretty much has a shoestring budget to begin with. The best part of this episode has Yurika running around in various ceremonial gear, doing the cultural traditions of the different religions. Though I'm still confused about the one with the teddy bear... Besides the funerals, Yurika also has to deal with her feelings for Akito, with his kiss with Megumi from the last episode still leaving her reeling. If this isn't enough conflict, we also have reluctant pilot Akito finally get to do what he does best : cook. All the meanwhile trying keep under control(he has a tendency to freak out). The next two episodes actually bring us to Mars... Quite a surprise, so early in the series. Also surprising was the fact that survivors still inhabit the planet, even after the Jovian attack that was believed to have killed them all. Soon after landing on Mars, and learning just why Akito wanted to become a cook in the first place, the Jovians attack and the crew is forced to make a vital decision... Put up their shield and crush the survivors of the colony underneath them, or take the brunt of the enemy attacks and explode along with the colony. A no-win situation, especially for Yurika. A new captain with no experience, forced to make a decision as vital as this. I've mentioned this before, but this is one of my favorite things about Nadesico. It allows you to put yourself in the case of the characters, with many "what would I do" scenarios. As we move on to the third episode, we see the aforementioned bunny suit, but that's not really important. Well, probably not to any of you. We find the Nadesico still on Mars, under the attack of Jovian forces. Akito finds out the admiral of the ship was the one who caused a Chulip to fall on the Mars colony a year ago, and attacks him. This gets him assigned to investigate a ship that was transported to Mars. The admiral devises a plan, and forces the crew to actually travel through a Chulip, where they learn that a Chulip is actually a gate that transports ships to an area. The admiral sacrifices himself for the crew, and after his death Akito learns to forgive him. This situation put Yurika in charge, with basically no outside help. Having to rely on her little experience should make the future episodes a little more... interesting. To say the least. The last episode moves us away from the Mars conflict to the Moon, where the United Forces are in a heated battle with the Jovians. The Nadesico appears, transported through a Chulip, and unfortunately blows up much of the United Forces' ships. The crew decides to help out, and Akito ends up getting... Lost in space! Sorry, that was cheesy. Yurika and Megumi try to save him, but end up getting lost in space with him. Inside the same Aestievalis, no less. Being in a love triangle really isn't too fun when all three sides are inches apart. Nonetheless, Akito and the girls end up getting saved, with a little inspiration by the late Guy Daigoji(see Volume One). Members of the United Forces end up joining the Nadesico, as Nergal, the company that built the ship agrees to cooperate with them. However, do the United Forces have ulterior motives for the battleship? Sources towards the end of this episode seem to point to "yes." I really enjoyed this disc and its Mars story arc. Like I mentioned before, we get lots of drama and tough decisions, always nice for an anime series that seems to take a humorous path more often than not. The introduction of some new characters was also welcome. From the United Forces, we have Akatsuki, a smooth-talking Zap Brannigan-esque flyboy with little tolerance for Akito. It's nice to see a sort of rival for Akito... Not that he has enough problems as is. The other two United Forces make for some nice internal conflict on the ship, as we have the opinions of the people versus the opinions of a government agency all unfolding on the Nadesico. This should make for some interesting voyages in the future. We also have the mysterious teleportation of Akito to the recreation room during the Nadesico's travel through the Jovian Chulip. How did he teleport, why did he teleport, and did it have anything to do with his teleportation to Earth a year ago? Whatever it is, the United Forces sure want to find out. Nadesico reveals these things bit-by-bit for us, and in a clever way that will definitely make you want to see the following episodes. Akito's love life is getting a lot more complex, as well. Ryoko, one of the pilots, has seemed to develop a thing for him. Not to mention the strange emotions the Mars colony survivor, Inez, seems to feel for him. Call him lucky or unlucky, but Akito seems to have his hands full. Before I get on with the technical aspect of the review, I want to commend ADV on their release of Nadesico. With most anime series, their release on DVD or VHS is usually eight volumes for a 26 episode series. Nadesico, on the other hand, will have six volumes. This increases the episode count on each volume and lets those who aren't hardcore fans of the show collect the entire series. Hopefully, more anime companies will follow this great trend. I don't have too much different to say about the video and audio of this volume over the first volume. Overlays are still prevalent, but really didn't bother me too much. Like I've said before, your opinions may vary on this matter. Both soundtracks were solid, with a little directionality across the front. Nothing fantastic, but fitting for a television show. The packaging was a little better this time around. We get a, um, "perky" picture of Yurika on the front cover. Although I did like the artwork on the first cover, it really didn't fit the tone of the series at that point. The extras are nice, but not as nice when compared to the first DVD. The reason being that they're exactly the same, except they're missing my favorite thing : liner notes! ADV, if you reading this, would it be possible to include these on future DVDs once again? They are almost essential for enjoying any foreign show. With the main story taking off with a slight twist, and little mysteries being revealed little by little, Nadesico is getting more and more interesting with every viewing. I'm hoping the next volumes will be as interesting. - Bob Mackey |
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