Martian Successor Nadesico

Martian Successor Nadesico is a 26-episode science-fiction comedy mecha anime produced by Xebec and directed by Tatsuo Satō, broadcast on TV Tokyo from 1996 to 1997. It was followed in 1998 by the sequel film Martian Successor Nadesico: The Motion Picture – Prince of Darkness.

In 2196, Earth is at war with mysterious invaders known as the Jovian Lizards, who have overrun Mars and the far side of the Moon. The private company Nergal Heavy Industries launches its own battleship, the ND-001 Nadesico, crewed by first-rate specialists with eccentric personalities and commanded by the cheerful young captain Yurika Misumaru. Akito Tenkawa, a Mars survivor who only wants to be a cook, boards the ship and is repeatedly pressed into piloting the humanoid Aestivalis robots, while dealing with the affections of several crew members and his love of the anime Gekiganger III. The crew's journey uncovers the truth behind the war and the ancient Martian technology that enables 'boson jumps'. In the film Prince of Darkness, set years later, Ruri Hoshino captains the Nadesico B and C against the 'Martian Successors', while a changed Akito seeks to rescue the kidnapped Yurika.