Anime is a slang term for Japanese animation. But since Japanese also actively animate for foreign markets (i.e. when they animate shows like Inspector Gadget and Spiderman), I need to limit its definition to cartoons that are produced and shown with a Japanese audience in mind initially. Over the years, several of these shows have been imported to be broadcast or distributed around the world. Many of these shows become popular over the years. Shows such as Gigantor, Speed Racer, Pokemon and Princess Mononoke have captured the imaginations of fans from different generations. It has also developed a subculture of devoted fans like myself from around the world who follow it incessantly. Anime is generally enjoyed mainly because of the diversity of subjects and distinct style it has developed. Within it, you can find as much variety of subjects and stories tackled upon as your local bookstore does.

Kido-Senkan Nadesico as it is known in Japan is an animated TV series released by Xebec in 1996 and enjoyed a run of 26 TV episodes before its end in 1997. It has spawned a Video-only release called the Gekiganger OAV and a follow-up movie called The Prince of Darkness. It has been released all throughout asia and is currently being released in the US in video format by ADVision.

It is a science-fiction comedy series that focuses on the adventures of a spaceship called the Nadesico and its motley crew of talented individuals. With its blend of action, comic elements, anime insider jokes and epic storyline - it has captured the hearts and minds of many fans around Japan. In the 1998 Animage Grand Prix Awards, a prestigious Anime award show voted on by fans, it won the prize of Best Series of All Time; besting other extremely popular series like Evangelion, Nausicaa and Gundam.

Mecha is short for mechanical. A Japanese term used to describe a machine of any kind. Elsewhere, it has taken to mean those robots that are driven by pilots in anime. But a differentiation has been made between mecha and Giant Robots like Gigantor or Mazinger Z. What distinguishes both is usually the subject matter - where mecha shows usually have a less superhero like tone and more concentrated on winning an older audience than the kids that usually follow Giant Robot cartoons.

First off, Nadesico is my favorite series of all time. Why? Well, I've been a longtime sci-fi fan and Nadesico takes many elements from classic science fiction as opposed to the recent trends and fads like Cyberpunk. I'm a playwright and a writer by profession and found that Nadesico is one of the best written series I've seen - anime or non-anime. Most importantly, it touched me with its sincere grasp and understanding of human nature - a rarity in a medium (cartoons) considered faddish and formulaic by its very essence.

Secondly, the Aestivalises. Well, to tell you the truth, (surprise… surprise…) I'm not what you consider a real fan of them at all. My personal faves are the classic Gundam series mecha and most of the stuff done by Yutaka Izubuchi. But I do mecha modeling as a hobby; and, since no Nadesico site has been put up to explain the technical aspects of the show (as the show is generally more known for its characters) - I decided to put up my own site focusing on the mecha and other machines of the series.