VANDREAD
In the deepest, darkest reaches of space, cooties are alive and well
Review by: Craig "Spaaaaace Ghooooost" Norris
Length: 26 episodes
Genre: Action, mecha
Watched: 1-26, subbed
I had to laugh when I first heard what this series was about: adult men and women fighting each other in space. To have a whole series based on a concept rooted deep in primary school playgrounds was about as laughable as my prospect of ever getting a date. So I figured, what the hell, I'll take a look at it; it should be good for a laugh. While it did make me laugh at times, there is so much more to it than I had first suspected.
Plot synopsis: For the past few hundred years, the all-male space colony of Tarak and the all-female colony of Mejale have been at war with one another. In an effort to defeat the evil, liver-eating (supposedly) Mejalians once and for all, the Tarakians have unveiled their newest flagship, along with their most advanced battle suits, the Vanguards. Enter Hibiki Tokai, a third-class citizen who hopes to prove his worth by accepting a dare to steal one of the Vanguards. He sneaks aboard the ship, but it disembarks before he can make off with a Vanguard. To make matters worse, the ship is attacked and seized by Mejalian pirates, and Hibiki and two other Tarakians are taken prisoner. During the battle, the ship of the pirates and the Tarakian flagship collide and fuse into one, and are transported to a remote region of the galaxy. Because of the fusion of the technologies, the pirates realize that they must work with their captives if they have any chance of getting home, or defeating the alien menace that emerges to threaten all life.
Artwork: The animation is really the story of two mediums. All of the animation within the ships or on planet surfaces is predominantly cel-based, while the action that takes place in spaces is computer generated. Both are very impressive, but the transition between the two can be a bit abrupt and disorienting at times. It doesn't feel quite right to see a cel close-up of a pilot in a cockpit, and then cut away to the CG external version of the ship. So while the cel animation and CG are very nice to look at on their own, they have some difficulty coexisting. Somewhat like the men and women of these future space colonies.
Music: For the most part, not too bad. The opening is decent, capturing the often intense mood of the series. The in-episode tracks are okay, but none of them make me want to run out and buy the soundtrack. Except for an interesting occurrence in episode 6, where we are treated to the original version of Louis Armstrong's classic "What a Wonderful World." I was shocked, to say the least, to hear not only an English song by a recognizable American artist, but a song that is over fifty years old, to boot. After being exposed to the wealth of Japan-obsessed fanboys that crawl the net, it's nice to see the Japanese paying a bit of a tribute to the U.S. for a change.
Characters: A lot of this series is devoted to character development, with some episodes devoted almost entirely to a single person. As a result, we get to learn almost everything there is to know about each and every one of them. The three captive men themselves are almost as diverse as the entire shipful of women. Hibiki is the main protagonist and becomes one of the chief pilots aboard the fused ship, named the Nirvana. He pilots a Vanguard that can be fused with three of the females' battleships, called Dreads. Hibiki is often hindered by his pride, a condition that developed due to his life within a rigid caste system. In seeking to prove his worth, he sometimes disobeys orders and takes unnecessary risks. Bart Garsus is the navigator of the Nirvana, piloting from within a tube of viscous goo ala Melfina of Outlaw Star (I still prefer a naked chick in a tube over a naked guy in a tube, but what can you do?). He's around for comic relief and to be the self-important dork that no one seems to respect a whole lot. Duero McFile is the long-haired bishounen doctor that was supposed to appeal to the fangirl demographic. He is calm and scholarly, and has no trouble slipping into his role as the chief doctor on the Nirvana. Pyoro is neither male nor female, but since he is voiced by a male and seems to have a fairly masculine mindset, we'll call it a "he" for the sake of argument. He is a NAVI robot that was damaged during the merger of the two ships. As a result, he has taken on a consciousness of his own, and helps Bart with some of the comic relief, as well as being a diagnostic tool for the Nirvana.
Now onto the women, of which there are a lot. Dita Liebly is one of the pilots of the Dreads that can fuse with Hibiki's Vanguard. She seems to be the least experienced of the pilots, and as such the others all try to look out for her. She becomes instantly fascinated with Hibiki, referring to him as Mr. Alien, and follows him around to learn more about him. Jura Basil Elden is another pilot who can fuse with Hibiki's Vanguard. Despite being an accomplished pilot she can still be very self-conscious, as is demonstrated when her Dread first merges with the Vanguard. Meia Gisborn is the lead pilot, and can also combine her Dread with the Vanguard. She is the most battle-hardened of the pilots, and is prone to moping. However, events in her childhood justify her morose behavior. Magno Vivan is the elderly leader of the pirates, and acts as both commanding officer and confidant to her crew. She is much more accepting of her new male crewmembers than some of the other 
girls at first. Buzam A. Calessa, known simply as B.C., is second in command aboard the Nirvana. She is much more stern and critical than Magno, and is useful in keeping discipline among the crew. Barnette Orangello is another pilot, and has a very intense and confrontational attitude. However, she is deeply devoted to her fellow pilots, especially Jura, with whom she may even have a "special" friendship, wink wink, nudge nudge. Gascogne Rheingau is the chief weapons supplier aboard the Nirvana. She takes great pride in her job, insisting that it is just as important as being a pilot. Parfet Balblair is the chief engineer and is responsible for repairs. She is very technologically astute, and sometimes helps Duero in the infirmary with some of the equipment. Paiway Underberg is a young nurse who is constantly interested in the activities of others. So much so that she often captures it on film. Misty Cornwell is taken aboard the ship from a free-floating stasis tube at the beginning of the second season. She did not grow up behind a gender barrier, so her affection towards Hibiki is shocking and ill-understood by the crew. She becomes the main rival of Dita for Hibiki's attention. There are lots of other secondary female characters, but listing them all would pretty much be a waste of time, both for me, the reviewer, and for you, our highly-esteemed reader.
Plot: The premise itself is absurd when you think about it long enough. Basically it starts out as a battle of the sexes that has increased to interstellar proportions. However, it gradually evolves into males and females rediscovering their kinship with one another, and banding together in the face of a common enemy. Because of this rediscovering, and all that that implies, the appropriate jokes and innuendos are interspersed with the action and drama. The series was actually split and released separately and Vandread 1st Stage and Vandread 2nd Stage. The two 13-episode seasons run together and follow the same plot, and what is started in episode 1 of Stage 1 is not finished until episode 13 of Stage 2. The last few episodes do contain a few twists, some more unexpected than others (namely one involving B.C.). Aside from being diluted by a bit too much filler, the plot was very well done.
CHICKS!: A whole ship full of nothing but women? Pinch me, I'm dreaming! Aside from Magno, they're all young and nubile, with tight outfits being all the rage in future interstellar fashion. Dita is the chick that gets the most attention, being the main companion of Hibiki. She seems very simple-minded, but really she just wants to do everything she can to make everyone happy. She is full of energy and naïve charm, and is blissfully unaware of any innuendo on her part, much to the delight of knowing viewers. Jura is a blond bombshell who seems to subconsciously use her immense sex appeal on Hibiki. She is tough but sensitive, with a figure to die for. Meia can seem like a bit of a downer at times, but her tight outfit and killer figure tends to make up for that. Plus, she's been through a lot in her life, so I'm sure she needs a big hug. Or a big grope, if possible. Barnette is an angry girl, so she probably wouldn't hold a lot of appeal for most. I'm more interested in seeing what she does when she's alone with Jura. Hey, don't ask, don't tell, right? Gascogne is a bit butch for my tastes, and she seems to limit herself to distributing weapons and kicking Hibiki's butt in gin rummy. Parfet is a petit cutie with thick glasses, and has a nerdy-but-sweet appeal to her. She's pretty good with machines, as well, so any boyfriend of hers wouldn't have to deal with his VCR flashing 12:00 all the damn time anymore. Misty provides much relief from the sexually unaware crew of the Nirvana, often showing the girls how things were done back in the old days. She's a bit young, but it's clear that she'll mature into a real head-turner. B.C.... Well, remember that twist about her that I alluded to before? Let's just say that when you see it, her appeal will become MUCH more limited. Just a word of warning, in case she's your favorite, or something.
Overall: This series has everything that a good anime should have: well-developed characters, good artwork, interesting plot, and a few twists. It mixes action, drama, and comedy very well, with neither of the three putting a stranglehold on the series. The more I look at Vandread, the less I can find wrong with it. For those who enjoy mecha and space-war anime, this title should be tops on your must-see list. For those who are new to the genre, this series presents a valid template to judge against all others. I would have to say that this is one of the most complete anime series I have ever seen, and highly recommend it to all audiences.
IN A NUTSHELL:
+ Excellent character development
+ Fundamentally impressive artwork
+ Good mix of action, drama, and comedy
+ Tribute to Satchmo
- Artwork doesn't jive in spots
- Filler episodes abound
Rating: 8.5/10
Return to Index