This is a hard one. It can be funny, boring, manic, meandering, simplistic, complex... think of a contradiction and it manages it.

It took me months to start watching it again after the first few episodes, but when I did I got through the rest in a few weeks, though I found myself growing comfortable with it more than outright enjoying it.

Basically Nadesico is a combination space-mecha/comedy/romance, which at times takes itself quite seriously, and then undercuts itself with its cast of absurd characters behaving like 10 year-olds. The plot is far too complex to go into here in any useful detail, but read the profile page. It's as good a brief account as any.

It gets a pass on the animation, which is decent for 1997, but nothing great. To be honest, I didn't really notice the music, which probably means it was quite ok, and blended well into the show. I'm somewhat more inclined to remember soundtracks that annoy me than ones which are breathtaking (quite probably because there more of them).

On the negative side, most of the characters are quite ridiculous, and whereas this works ok in the silly bits, it's hard to forget about it when the dramatic bits come up. For instance, the captain, Yurika (virtually all the crew are, naturally, young teenage girls, ala 'Robotech') is such a completely clueless ditz that the idea of her captaining a huge starship for even ten minutes is laughable. Which is fine when it's actually meant to be laughable. The main male characte r (who naturally is adored by nearly every female on the ship) gets incredibly annoying with his endless procastinating about things, especially sex. The only way that any guy could be so traumatised by having women endlessly flinging themselves at him is if he were gay, which evidentally he isn't. Of course this is a send-up of an anime trope as well.

That's probably what saves Nadesico from being a real bore. It has some genuinely funny, ironic and parodic moments. Two that stand out are where the recap episode starts with a group of fans watching the show and complainig that it's a recap episode. I also liked where one of the characters makes an aside to the audience, her friends asks, "Who are you talking to?", and she says, "The fourth wall".

But although it certainly wasn't a bad anime, these moments weren't enough to make it a really good one either. I was ready to give it 2.5 stars, but I was disappointed by the ending, which doesn't really wrap things up. The narrator tells us this will probably happen in 'the inevitable sequel', except there never was one (well, there was a movie, apparently, but no second series.)

Also there was altogether too much shouting and shrieking and general mania for my tastes. I agree with the fact that the thing moves too fast (though it can also move quite slowly), but compared with things like FLCL or Excel Saga, it's positively sedate.

If you like Macross/Robotech/mecha type parodies, and harem romance/comedies, this will be up your alley, as it combines the whole lot. For me it was watchable, but not much more.

Hmm...I have mixed feelings about this show. It's developed an enormous fanbase in the anime crowd, but I'm not sure it deserves its cult popularity. Still, I'll start with the positives, of which it does have quite a few.

The animation is beautiful. It isn't particularly modern, or even especially smooth...on the contrary, it has a color and almost texture that seems old-fashioned, like you might expect from an anime made in the 70's or 80's. But the detail is wonderful, and the scenes are very artistic. For example, there's a shot in the first episode of the Nadesico battleship rising out of the ocean, and you can see all kinds of splashes and streaks of water rolling off it, shining in the sun. Also, the character designs are all unique, yet consistent in style, which is impressive, considering there must be fifty characters or more who play important roles in the show. The music is very professional and refined, and actually pretty catchy, and it is used very well with the visuals. For instance, when an important and climactic event is taking place, the music crescendoes and supports the mood very effectively. The mecha, called aestivalis, are fairly standard gundam-type robots in appearance, but they are used with careful selection; the real vessel of the show is the Nadesico itself. There are some obvious Star Trek influences, too, both in the appearance of the battleship and in the arrangement of the Bridge.

Now...there are a few things that irk me every time I watch this series. First and foremost: It is extremely FAST. Unless you're capable of riveting all your attention to every word that is spoken, chances are you'll have to rewatch the entire series once or twice before you can really understand everything that's happening. I feel like I'm leaning forward precariously on my toes whenever I watch an episode, and when it's over the actual world around me seems to be in slow-motion. Secondly: one of the main characters, Akito, just really annoys me sometimes. He has his heroic moments, but mostly he just runs and hides, then gets mad when someone tries to persuade him to grow a spine. Additionally, Yurika is constantly blathering in a high-pitched ditzy voice about her love for Akito, without giving him a chance to speak. The result is a bunch of characters all talking at once, with Akito yelling and getting frustrated because nobody will let him speak for himself. This happens numerous times in the series. The cacophany of loud voices generally makes me want to plug my ears and go stick my head in the freezer.

Anyway, in conclusion, this show isn't bad, and it certainly does something to contribute to the world of anime. In fact, with the classically-styled Gekiganger mini-anime that was invented for this show, they actually managed to pay some tribute to the genre. It also has a lot of decent comedy and a pretty nice overall mood. As Gai Daigoji and Akito say in one episode, you can "Enjoy it for what it is."