Vandread
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is an anime series directed by Takeshi Mori and created by GONZO and Media Factory animation studios. Vandread, as a science-fiction space opera anime, aims to combine elements of action, romance, ecchi, comedy, and mecha space combat. This anime presents a mix of comedy ranging from slapstick to subtle humor. Vandread also utilizes well-animated characters and cleanly rendered CG action sequences.The Vandread series is composed of two seasons (Vandread, released in 2000 and Vandread: The Second Stage, released in 2001), each composed of thirteen episodes of twenty-five minutes. The first series is summarised in the Vandread Taidouhen OVA of 2001, and the second in the Vandread Gekitouhen ("Turbulence") OVA, released in 2002.
Plot
Set in a universe where men and women are completely segregated (on completely different planets: Mejale by the women, Tarak by the men), the gender wars are more than just a metaphor.Hibiki Tokai, a third-class laborer, takes up a bet to steal a high-tech humanoid robot, known as a Vanguard, from the male attack force about to fight the "evil females". Caught onboard when it takes off, the battleship is suddenly attacked and all males evacuate, with the exception of Hibiki, Duelo McFile, and Bart Garsus. Stuck onboard and held as prisoners with female pirates all around, things seem to have hit an all-time low, until the retreating males retaliate by firing torpedoes at the ship, to prevent it from falling into women's hands. The Perxis Plagma, the core of the battleship, a mysterious crystalline entity, protects itself by eradicating the missile, while forming a wormhole that sends the pirates and warship to a distant part of the galaxy, and fusing the battleshipship with the females' pirate vessel. This results in a quirky ship with very smooth lines, a host of technical problems, which some episodes are often aimed at solving, and various hidden capabilities that become apparent in later events. The "Vanguard/Bangaata" Hibiki attempted to steal has also been altered along with three of the women's fighters, known as Dreads, allowing the separate ships to combine. The fusion of Hibiki's mech with one of the fighters is called a Vandread, the title mecha of the series.
In this alternate, futuristic universe, men and women consider each other to be completely separate species (Hibiki gains the nickname "Mr. Alien" from Dita Liebely, one of the many female leads), and the three put up with much abuse at the hands of their female captors, but gradually make their presence accepted: Hibiki as a mecha fighter and technician, Duelo as a skilled doctor and engineer, and Bart as the ship's helmsman and navigator.
The story of the first season revolves around the crew's trip back to the system where Mejare and Tarak. Along the way, they encounter strange, robotic machines, both enigmatic and rather Borg-like, though they do not communicate at all. After a few sorties with the unknown enemy, the crew manages to take some data sample from a desert planet. The data is read out: "Blood platelets, white blood cells, red blood cells..." The crew is stunned; their enemy kills human beings and harvests their body parts from them. Not only this, but a later encounter with the flagship of the "Harvesters", the name given to the enemy, reveals that the robots were sent out by the people of Earth, the same planet which humans originated from, and where its colonists would eventually colonize Mejare, Tarok, and countless other planets. At the start of the second season, they rescue an escape pod from the Harvesters. The pod contains a girl called Misty Cornwell from Pluto, the last planet in the Earth's solar system to be harvested, and a virus which enters the ship's systems. When the correct passcode, the sound of an infant's cries, is entered, the virus shuts down and the crew is given access to the hidden data that the pod brings, revealing why Earthlings are harvesting their own species.
Following the initial drive to colonize, pollution has devastated Earth, making any life on the planet near impossible. Huge metal gears now cover the Earth's stratosphere in an attempt to create a living environment for people in massive structures surrounding the planet. Earthlings, alone and dying on the toxic planet, began to question the humanity of the colonists. Eventually, they convinced themselves that only the inhabitants of Earth are human, and all other humans exists solely to ensure their continued existence. Their solution, therefore, was to send out the Harvesters, fleets of machines created from the same basic material as the Nirvana's core, the Perxis Plagma. The Harvesters raid and dominate colonies to obtain body parts, allowing the Earthlings to replace their own dying body parts, thus becoming immortal through the lives of others. Mejare and Tarak are targeted to be harvested for human sexual organs. Along the way the crew meet people targeted for their skin, spinal cords, and other parts from some planets.
For the crew, fighting is not just about defeating their enemy and surviving; they need to rush back to their respective homeworlds in time to warn their people. But will the leaders of the planets listen to their almost impossible tale?
Characters
The Women
Dita Liebely is one of the female co-leads that is romantically involved with Hibiki. From the start, she refers to him as "Mr. Alien" ("Uchuujin-san"), while Hibiki refers to her as "UFO Girl". Dita has a bubbly, lively personality that usually shows in almost every aspect of life, even when she is fighting (at first, refers to the enemy as "bad aliens"). She admits to having feelings for Hibiki since she met him (whether or not this was 'love at first sight' is debateable). She has reddish brown hair that grows almost all the way to the floor (approximately below the knee). When her Dread unites with Hibiki's Vanguard, they become the Vandread Dita-type, a blue giant mecha that has access to a powerful, dual energy cannon, that acts as a long-range or short-range weapon. Although Hibiki never admits to having feelings for her, at the end of the second season, when he finally calls her by her name, it is apparent that he feels something for her. She loves cooking for Hibiki and feels satisfied whenever he wolfs down her delicacies. Hibiki quickly becomes a fan of her cooking, perhaps because all the food on the men's planet comes in the form of pills. Strangely enough, while her character is too childish, she received a co-leading rank, just under Jura and Barnett.Misty Cornwell is a new female character rescued by the crew at the beginning of the second season of Vandread. She was a young blue-haired woman found inside a human-sized pod who was rescued after a short scuffle between the Nirvana and several Harvester units. Unlike the girls of Mejare, Misty is from the planet Pluto, in the same solar system the Earth is located. As such, she is well-knowledged in the old-fashioned ideals about men and women, such as the typical boyfriend/girlfriend relationship, which confuses the others and makes Dita feel jealous. Like Dita, Misty is an excellent cook and uses her knowledge of men along with that to her advantage. Though she later gives up on trying to develop a relationship with Hibiki, she does allow Dita to realize her present, romantic feelings for Hibiki.
Meia Gisborn, at first, has the behavior of an Amazon; she detests men and is disgusted whenever Hibiki saves her. She rarely smiles (only doing so twice; during the second season, when she had to babysit Ezra's baby, Karu, and during the final fight with the enemy), suffers from claustrophobia, and has a traumatic past. As a young girl, the life support systems on her home quadrant failed, and there was a mass evacuation with not enough lifeboats. She lost her parents when they pushed her aboard the last ship off the quadrant among the crowd. Alone, she resorted to a life of crime and street fights to make a living, due to the insecurity she felt from people blaming her parents for the catastrophe. She joined the pirates when Magno Vivian appeared and tossed a laser ring to her asking her to join them. With a new will to live, she gained ranks quickly. As squadron commander, she leads the other Dreads in battle, and is usually called "leader" or "chief" by others. Everyone appreciates her and normally tries to throw a surprise birthday party for her. However, she despises such occasions and once she flew off in her Dread to scout ahead of the Nirvana, just so that she would not be irritated by the crew. When her Dread unites with Hibiki's Vanguard, they become the Vandread Meia-type, which resembles a silver eagle. Its main, and only known form of attack is a high-velocity ram, that pierces nearly all enemy units in its path.
Jura Basil Elden is the secondary leader of the Dread fighting force, although she is somewhat inexperienced in a leadership role and not as skilled as Meia is, in terms of it. The reasons behind is due to her spoiled personality and her dependency to Barnette. She has long, blonde hair that she takes great care of and extremely vain. In the first few episodes of the first season, she keeps trying to unite with Hibiki's Vanguard, after seeing how Dita and Meia were able to accomplish this. She carries a sword (rapier, to be exact), but seldom gets the chance to show her abiltiy with it. It's assumed that she is the lover of Barnette, another Dread pilot and antique firearms collector. She is shocked at the appearance of her Vandread Jura-type, when she first unites with Hibiki's Vanguard. It resembles a crab with green discs that orbit the machine. This particular Vandread utilizes an enhanced shielding system, which allows it to cover any object, up to the size of a planet, making it more of a defensive weapon than an offensive one.
Barnette Orangello is one of the many Dread pilot co-leaders under Meia's command on the Nirvana, and is ranked higher than Dita. It is assumed that Barnette is Jura's significant other and the series makes it quite evident in certain events (ie during Christmas). Unlike the three other Dread pilots featured in the series (Dita, Meia, and Jura), her Dread cannot combine with Hibiki's Vanguard, due to her position when the Perxis altered the Dreads. She displays one of the most aggressive bevahiors, in terms of both her fighting style and her attitude towards the men, who have been integrated into the Nirvana's crew (probably moreso than Meia). She has a very impressive firearms collection (including a Calico pistol, an Uzi, and a Franchi SPAS-12 shotgun) and is also quite the cook. During the second season, she voluntarily replaced Gascogne to lead the Registry system, after a sortie against a Harvester mothership.
Gascogne Rheingau runs the Nirvana's Registry system, and is responsible for supplying the Dread fighters with all of their weapons for their battles against the Harvesters, either inside the ship or outside, while piloting a delivery vessel. While her Registry crew might lose their heads amongst the excitement and intensity of the battles, she is always able to help them maintain their cool by reminding them to "Smile, smile!" On top of her duties as the head of Registry, she is Magno's third-in-command, after BC. She is very much like a big sister to the rest of the crew and is there to give sarcastic advice whenever it is needed (although sometimes not appreciated). During her spare time, or when there are no Harvester encounters, she enjoys playing a round of poker with Hibiki. She seemingly despises being called "Gasco".
In the series' Second Stage, the Nirvana has become caught in a seemingly impossible battle against a Harvester mothership. In an attempt to save Barnette's Dread from being crushed by a Copy-Nirvana, Gascogne, in the delivery ship, flies in and shoots missles at the unit. Although Barnette was jarred loose from the impact, the copy turns its rage onto Gascogne and impaled the ship. As it fell into the mothership and burst into flames, the delivery ship is swallowed up and Gascogne is unable to escape. It is assumed that she did not survive the crash, but she does, and shows up during the final battle against Earth, piloting the same mothership, after supposedly commandeering its systems.
Buzam A. Calessa "BC" is the sub-commander of the Nirvana. She is stern and all-business and looks after the general welfare of the crew. A skilled tactician, BC gives orders firmly and decisively. She seems like a workaholic, constantly staying near the bridge to access data and review the crew's performance. During the intial episodes, she is seen secretly taking a small, data disc from the bridge's database, until Magno interrupts. However, her suspicious actions do not seem relevant until the second season , where it is revealed that she is actually the Commander of the Tarak Intelligence, whose real name is Tenmei Uragasumi, a male spy for Tarak. This would explain why he is so adept in handling a whip and firearms in a space station ravaged by Harvesters. However, in the end, Magno Vivian forgives him and retains his position as sub-commander, on the provision that he stays as BC.
Parfait Ballblair is the ship's chief engineer. She's a cheerful, nerdy-looking girl with huge glasses and brown hair which she keeps in two large pigtails. Parfait spends most of her time monitoring the Perxis and the ship's engines, but also has time to devise other inventions for the crew on special occasions. She quickly befreinds Duelo, a friendship that eventually develops into a physical attraction.
Pai Wei Underberg is the ship nurse under Duelo, though her uniform looks more like a frenchmaid's outfit than a nurse's. Prior to the appearance of the men she was the ship's only doctor. During the first season, she spent her free time trying to exploit the bad habits of the male crew members and would secretly keep tabs on the men and either jot down notes in her journal or take pictures with her camera. This would soon pay off and sparked a raid that got all the men, including the drifter Rabat, locked up for a while. However, she stops this after a combination of seeing Dita's reaction to Hibiki's imprisonment and the discovery that men and women were of the same species, but she resumes her activities anyway. She carries a frog hand puppet with her all the time and is often seen talking to people with it in a gruff low pitched voice. Later on before the ending of the second season, she revealed that she has a special crush on Duelo, when Jura cuddled to him.
Magno Vivian is the commander of the pirates and everyone addresses her 'Boss'. She is one of the first-generation colonists from Earth that was onboard the Ikazuchi colony ship, hoping to populate other planets around the galaxy. She is over a hundred years old and is filled to the brim with knowledge and wisdom, most of which reflects the same kind of wisdom that can be applied to both genders, before their seperation into Mejale and Tarak. She often hands out pieces of advices and directs the crew in their duties.
Also, though not directly stated, she may be Hibiki Tokai's sister. This can be derived from the picture she has of herself when on the colonization ship holding the infant Hibiki. However, it can be argued that this may not be true, as stated by Hibiki's "grandfather" (in reality, he is Hibiki's uncle) during a conversion near the end of the second season, that he remembers Magno always coming to play with the infant Hibiki on the colony ship. As such, she may merely be an age-old friend of his, during her days as a youth.
The Men
Hibiki Tokai is a third-class citizen of Tarak that gets thrown into the mess with Duelo and Bart. He was unwilling to do anything but hide when the Nirvana was attacked by Harvesters when they appeared halfway across the galaxy. However, after a talk from the sub-commander, BC, Hibiki gets into a Vanguard (Bangaato), in an attempt to help the female pilots fight the enemy. He is very rash, but gets the job done, and often ends any enemy threat quickly. By the end of the series, it is revealed he is the son of the empress of Mejare and emperor of Tarak, Lady Grandma and Lord Grandpa respectively, who was frozen in hibernation, but awakened mysteriously around 14 years before the series began. His uncle, Grandpa's younger brother, whom he refers to as "grandfather," took care of him when he emerged from cryostasis. It is also his rally to the two planets that convinces all of them that they should fight for their right to live, when the Harvester fleet from Earth arrives. During the course of the series, Hibiki and Dita have an odd couple relationship. In the initial episodes, Hibiki would run away from Dita every time she came after him, finding her very annoying. He even screamed at her, getting her to leave him alone, in which he indirectly apologizes to her later. Hibiki gets used to being around Dita, often helping her out on board the Nirvana. He also falls in love with Dita's cooking and eventually with Dita herself.The crew on board the Nirvana sees the romanting feelings developing between Hibiki and Dita, often wondering when the two will admit their feelings for each other. The crew wants to see a romance story unfold, and to know if it's at all possible for a man and woman to be that close.
Duelo McFile is the ship doctor for the Nirvana. Duelo quickly takes over medical emergencies often at the objection of the female pirates, but ignores them, assuring the crewmembers that he is not a threat. Since he is the only licensed medical practioner on board the Nirvana, and being that the medical facilities on board the female pirate ship were no longer operational, the female pirates were left with no choice but to have him as their official doctor. A very calm and collected character, it was said that Duelo got whatever job he wanted simply by submitting a blank resume with his name on it as he was one of Tarak's elite. However, he can be confused and awkward when faced with something outside of his experience and education, as when he had to coach Hibiki and Dita through delivery of Ezra's baby. While very analytical, he also makes an important discovery during the series regarding Hibiki's heritage. He eventually becomes close friends with Parfait, the first woman he worked closely with. He fits the anime classification of a Bishōnen, randomly acts yaoi-like and never shows the right side of his face.
Bart Garsus is a first-class citizen from Tarak, coming from rich parents who owned a food production company. He is initially an easily excitable, weak, and cowardly character, and ends up becoming the helmsman of the Nirvana when the ship chose him for the job. Early in Vandread: The Second Stage, Bart showed compassion for a sick little girl on a polluted planet. She listened to his embellished stories and laughed at his jokes. When a Harvest ship came to the planet he showed courage for the first time by fighting them off almost single handedly with the weapons of the Nirvana. But while he was gone she died from her illness. She left a doll of Bart she was making, without finishing the hair, so Bart shaved his head in memory of her. Towards the end of the series, he develops feelings for BC not knowing her secret, but even after he finds out, he is not swayed, and continues to pursue BC for a relationship. While more settled late in the series, Bart remains a comic relief character.
The Perxis
Perxis Plagma is the green energy entity acting as the Nirvana's core. It originates from a different universe, but encountered earthlings and became separated in two when it was used for the Ikazuchi; its twin stay on Earth. Due to its unique properties, it has been used to generate energy in various ships, without the builders realizing the nature of the Perxis. Meanwhile, the Perxis on Earth takes on a red color, after infusing with Earth's hatred and refusal to open their hearts. As the Nirvana crew learns that the Perxis is a sentient being, they also start to bond with Pyoro, a navibot that was flushed with the Perxis. The result was Pyoro becoming sentient, and developing a personality of its own. Occasionally, the Perxis will override Pyoro's systems to communicate with the crew members. Machines flushed with the Perxis may also 'evolve' to some extent, thus resulting in the upgrades to Dita's, Meia's and Jura's Dreads and Hibiki's Vanguard. These upgrades would provide the basis for the three Vandread types, and eventually, the Super Vandread, which is the fusion of all three Dreads and the Vanguard. The Harvesters, from the influence of the red Prexis, can also evolve and become stronger through combining smaller Harvester units, creating almost-exact copies of the Vandreads, as well as the Nirvana. Also, the Perxis has a self-preservation instinct, which it revealed when it fused the Ikazuchi and Magno's pirate ship, creating a wormhole and transporting the crew light years away from Tarak and Mejale.Vehicles & Mechas
Nirvana is the battleship the characters use throughout the series. It houses the Perxis Plagma as the ship's core, powering almost anything within the vessel. After the Ikazuchi battleship and Magno's pirate ship were thrown into the wormhole, created by the Perxis, both ships began to fuse with one another. At first, the crew was unsure what to call their new ship, but after a lottery was held in giving a name, Magno christened the vessel from a list of entries 'Nirvana'. Bart Garsus fills in as the ship's pilot. The only armament the Nirvana carries are a series of turrets that encompasses the ship's hull, all which fire a laser that automatically locks-on to enemy units, while bypassing all friendly units.Dreads are the space fighters used by Magno's pirate crew. Most Dreads are armed with vulcans, missiles, and laser cannons, depending on how the Dread is customized to the pilot's taste. Before battle, each Dread goes through the Registry system and fitted with the weapons. Along with Gascogne's supply vessel, a Dread can be refilled with ammunition during battle. When the Perxis created the wormhole, Dita's, Meia's and Jura's Dreads undergo changes. All three Dreads become structurally different than the other, while possessing firepower greater than an average Dread. When either Dread fuses with Hibiki's Vanguard, it becomes the all-powerful Vandread. In Vandread: Second Stage, after becoming the Super Vandread, the three fighters receive an additional boost of power from the fusion, noted from Parfait's analysis.
Vanguards/Bangaata are the newly introduced mobile weapons of Tarak. These machines carry an assortment of melee weapons, ranging from swords, axes, spears to chainsaws. As well, they can easily withstand artillery fire. Initially, along with the Ikazuchi battleship, the Vanguards were used to eliminate any hostiles (mainly, space pirates and the women of Mejale) that threatened Tarak airspace, until Magno's pirate ship hijacked the battleship. Hibiki's Vanguard (though it really wasn't his), like the Dreads, was also affected by the Perxis, transforming it into an even bulkier version of its original self. Later, when fused with either Dita's, Meia's or Jura's Dreads, it becomes the all-powerful Vandread. In Vandread: Second Stage, after becoming the Super Vandread, the Vanguard receies a small physical transformation, and possibly an additional boost of power from the fusion.
Ikazuchi is the name of the flagship of the Tarak Imperial Fleet. Formerly a colony vessel, it was reformatted to become a battleship. Its purpose was to eliminate any hostiles (mainly, space pirates and the women of Mejale) that threatened Tarak airspace, until Magno's Pirate ship hijacked it. The wormhole created by the Perxis Plagma fused the Ikazuchi and Magno's pirate ship into a completely different vessel, later to be called the Nirvana.
Vandread Dita-Type is the first Vandread to appear. It is the fusion of Dita's Dread and Hibiki's Vanguard. This Vandread resembles a giant mobile fighter, with its main armament to be a pair of long-range energy cannons. They can also be used as a pair of cutting weapons, whenever in melee combat. Finally, the cannons themselves can be removed from the frame of the machine and interlock to become a throwable spear. Other armaments include its massive, physical strength and bulky armor. More or less, this Vandread incorporates offensive strategy.
Vandread Meia-Type is the second Vandread to appear. It is the fusion of Meia's Dread and Hibiki's Vanguard. This Vandread resembles a silver eagle, with its main and only known form of attack to be a high-velocity ram, which pierces all enemy units in its path of flight, making it a hit-and-run machine.
Vandread Jura-Type is the third Vandread to appear. It is the fusion of Jura's Dread and Hibiki's Vanguard. This Vandread resembles a crab with around 8 green discs orbiting the machine and one large disc as part of the machine's frame. More of a defensive weapon than an offensive one, its main armament is an enhanced shielding system, which allows it to cover any object, up to the size of a planet. Other armaments include a laser from each disc that fires in all 8 directions, its moveable arms, and even redirecting matter with the large disc (in one episode, the Vandread draws water from a planet to destroy a Harvester machine).
Super Vandread is the final Vandread to appear. It is the fusion of Dita's, Meia's and Jura's Dreads and Hibiki's Vanguard (although Pyoro may also have to be a component in the fusion). The overall power of this machine is unknown. However, it can be said that the Super Vandread incorporates all three Vandread types into its design: with a wave of its hand, the Super Vandread can erect a shield strong enough to absorb any enemy fire (Jura-type); the discs scattered around its frame can form to fire an extremely powerful laser (Jura-type, Dita-type); a large energy sword, created from the hands, easily slices any Harvester unit (Dita-type); it still maintains signficant speed for a combined machine (Meia-type).
Songs
- Good Day Friends by Yumi Kakazu (Dita)
- Himegoto ("Vandread" ending theme) by SiLC
- Justice ("Second Stage" opening) by Kudou Aki
- Moon Light Lullaby by Fumiko Orikasa (Meia)
- Spacy Spicy Love
- Trust ("Vandread" opening theme; also used as the ending theme in the final "Second Stage" episode) by Salia
- What a Wonderful World by Donna Burke
- Yes, Together ("Second Stage" ending theme) by Yasunori Iwasaki, sung by Aki Kudou
- Somedays by Donna Burke
External links
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