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Martian Successor Nadesico: The Motion Picture –
Prince of Darkness (機動戦艦ナデシコ -The prince of
darkness-, Kidō Senkan Nadeshiko -Za purinsu
obu dākunesu-
?) is a 1998 anime film written and directed by Tatsuo
Sato, and it is a sequel to the series Martian Successor
Nadesico. 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. The movie won the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize in 1998.
Plot
Three years have passed since the end of the original series.
The Earth and the Jovian Federation have come to an uneasy peace.
However, Akito and Yurika have both vanished, presumed dead, and a
new threat to peace is rising. A grown-up Ruri Hoshino, as the new
captain of the highly-mobile battleship Nadesico B, sets
out to solve the mysteries.
Much of the original cast returns in order to put a stop to the
threat. In fact, one part of the movie has Ruri and her two
subordinates traveling around specifically to rally the old
Nadesico crew. Some of the crew have undergone slight
changes; the Aestivalis pilot Ryoko now has purple hair as opposed
to the original green, but others (such as the pun-loving Izumi) have not changed at all. The only
new cast member of note is a young boy named Ensign Hari Makibi,
who like Ruri is a genetically engineered prodigy and has
exceptional control over machines, actually being able to
single-handedly control the Nadesico. Hari also serves as
comic relief thanks to his tendency to let his emotions get the
better of him (in one incident, he flees a restaurant in tears
after Ruri ignores his concerns about their mission).
Criticism
This film, in the style of many anime films based on series, is
a "get together" of the original cast of characters at a later date
doing what they did best. As such some believe that this film is
lacking in plot, and that it also lacks much of the comedy elements
of the original series, instead being for the most part quite
serious. Additionally, it is seen as lacking almost any reference
to Gekigangar III and making the
characters do things that would have never happened before.
It should be noted that the movie was meant to be viewed along
with 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, filling in on details that leads
up to the plot of the movie. However, the game was never translated
and released outside Japan.
Another criticism linked to the first is that the creators
seemingly ignored all other factors in favour of promoting Ruri,
with constant screen time, fanservice and the lead role. The character
was extremely popular in Japan at the time and many fans feel that
pandering to this hype has dated the movie in this respect.
Characters
Crew of
the Nadesico-B
- Lieutenant Commander Ruri Hoshino - now sixteen, Ruri is the
captain of the Nadesico-B and idolised by much of the
military as the Electronic Fairy. She has matured greatly since the
series and seems to have given up referring to others as idiots
('bakabakka'). She is glad to see Akito is still alive, but hurt to
see how much he's changed. She views new crewmate Hari (a product,
like her, of genetic engineering) as a younger brother.
- Ensign Hari Makibi (Noriko Hidaka) - a bridge officer aboard
the Nadesico-B (and the only major new cast member), Hari
is a genetically engineered genius with abilities similar to
Ruri's; but unlike her, he's very emotional. Perhaps because of
this, Hari idolises Ruri (and quite possibly has a crush on her);
he's also jealous of her relationship to the first
Nadesico crew.
- Saburota Takasugi (Miki Shinichiro)-
previously seen as an officer in the Jovian Federation, Saburota is
now a First Lieutenant in the UESF, and serves as Ruri's Tactical
Officer. He has dyed his hair blond, and has become quite a bit of
a playboy (much to Hari's distraction), not unlike Nagare Akatsuki
whom he bears a slight resemblance towards. Regardless, his skills
in combat tactics and at the controls of giant robots have not
dimminished.
Other members of the
Unified Forces
- Commander Jun Aoi (Aoi
Jun Chusa) - now captain of his own ship (the UESF 3rd Fleet
battleship Amaryllis), Jun has grown but is still
completely overwhelmed by the personalities around him. In
particular, he is bullied by Yukina into letting her join the
Nadesico-C's mission.
Former crew of the
Nadesico
- Ryoko Subaru -
ace Aestivalis pilot, Ryoko now sports her natural black hair
instead of green. She is one of the first to learn of Yurika's fate
and is enraged that she is unable to rescue her right away. Still
fond of Akito, she is teased by her fellows Izumi and Hikaru about
her interactions with Saburota.
- Izumi
Maki - as deadpan as ever, Izumi is the hostess of a bar when
Mr. Prospector arrives to recruit her. Her skills seem not to have
diminished, as she, Ryoko, Hikaru and Saburota quickly and
unceremoniously dispose of Hokushin's assassins.
- Hikaru Amano -
Aestivalis pilot and rabid Gekigangar III fangirl, Hikaru
has become a somewhat overstressed manga artist. Before agreeing to
join the Nadesico-C, she convinces Ruri & Co. to help
her finish an issue before her deadline. Like her fellows, her
piloting skills have barely rusted, although she polishes them with
in video game combat against Ryoko.
Those
with secret fates
- Akito Tenkawa - thought to be dead, Akito
proves to be the Prince of Darkness of the title. One of many Class
A Jumpers abducted by the Martian Successors, he was subjected to
experiments that have damaged his body, destroyed his sense of
taste (a terrible fate for a cook), and hardened his personality;
he has no compunction about killing those who block his mission to
rescue Yurika.
- Lapis Lazuli (Yukie Nakama) - A young girl with long,
ice-blue hair. Lapis is another product of Nergal's labs, created
with the hopes of re-creating the success of Ruri Hoshino, and is
part of the One-Man, One-Ship Project. When the Martian Successors
betrayed Nergal, Lapis was among those abducted and was
experimented on. The experiments ended up destroying her ability to
feel emotions. Lapis was later rescued during a rescue operation
conducted by Nergal, and given the Nergal-designed Corvette
Eucharis, which she controls entirely on her own. Lapis later
becomes partnered with Akito, and together, supplements their
destroyed senses. (Her name refers to the blue gem, lapis lazuli.)
- Yurika Misumaru - also thought killed
during jumping trials, Yurika was another abductee. The Martian
Successors have fused her with the Ruin that controls all Boson Jumps, giving them an
unprecedented level of control. Her rescue is the key objective of
both Akito and the Nadesico-C's mission.
- Inez
Fressange - generally believed to be dead, Inez was actually
hidden as a Nergal subterfuge when the abduction of Class A Jumpers
became apparent. She rejoins when the Nadesico-C is
launched, and is key to jumping it to the final confrontation on
Mars.
The
Martian Successors
- Jovian Vice-Admiral Haruki Kusakabe - de-facto leader of the
Jovians during the war, Kusakabe vanished afterward and infiltrated
himself and his so-called "Martian Successors" into the Hisago
Plan. He and his scientists retrieved the Ruin, intercepted Class A
Jumpers during transit, and planned to solidify their position with
a monopoly on precision boson jumping.
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