Nadesico & The Curse of Metatextuality

[@LynnHermione]

Nadesico is brilliant and sadly underrated, I watched it on tv with no context years ago and loved it so much.

[@barrybend7189]

I think what makes Nadesico special is just how deep it's references and in jokes go. For instance if you look carefully the Nadesico system display has shuttles from the Enterprise A, the chief engineer has revel model kits from a variety of series, and in the movie they even do a joke about the Nadesico B and C skipping the A. I think it really depends on how it's done.

[@jackroyaltea5034]

This will always be my favorite anime. No matter what anyone says. It is my go to when I’m sick. Nadesico came after evangelion to show that you shouldn’t take yourself so seriously but at the same time you can still be amazing. It’s the Shawn of the Dead and Hot Fuzz of the genres.

[@backpain100]

Same. I grew up with Nadesico and many other 90's anime. Anime from that era have a certain charm to them, a kind of freedom of expression that modern anime don't seem to have.

[@DaveBAWZ]

Liked the video to make sure the algorithm brings this channel to KZbin stardom. Whoever the creator of this channel is, I think has a better understanding of the culture and subcultures of film and anime than 99% of the other video essayists around (a community that is mostly reactionary). If this channel doesn’t make it, the bell tolls for us, not him.

[@rosameltrozo5889]

"99% of the other video essayists around (a community that is mostly reactionary)" I wish that was the case, maybe it's the algorithm pushing the opposite on me.

[@bzenga5981]

@@rosameltrozo5889 can't tell you the times i've seen a gurren lagann vid in my recs only to skip 5 minutes in to hear the narrator go "kamina's the greatest guy around and i live my life exactly like him", but i guess finding gurren lagann anything in my recs was the first mistake

[@l1mbo69]

@@bzenga5981 a few good ones: For films & TV- 1)Like Stories of Old (the GOAT imo, and probably closest in style to this channel) 2)Thomas Flight 3)Mauler For Anime- 1) Hiding in Public (esp. some of his older vids where he mixes in his personal struggles in his analysis) 2) Gigguk (99% sure you already know of him but you may not have watched the older vids; however it's the same thing with him, he mixes in his personal struggles in the older vids) 3) Aleczandxr (a little padded sometimes but good overall) 4) Digibro (he deleted his channel or something a while ago but some if not all have been reuploaded. The pure content was amazing imo but his personality was a little too much for me. That and how explicitly weeb-y everything about him was.)

[@AilisKnil]

Good stuff here. This video serendipitously popped up on my recs literally just as I was thinking about how Nadesico is possibly the most metatextual anime ever (I'll admit I was listening to the OP for the thousandth time). It was a rare western viewer who could really parse what it was trying to say back when it aired, and that's certainly even more so the case now. An unprepared viewer will find in Nadesico an almost schizophrenic unintentional comedy when indeed it carries with it decades of cultural context. Can one truly understand Nadesico without having watched Yamato? Without Getter Robo? Without Gundam? And yeah, even Evangelion? Even then, without having participated in some level of fandom? Sure, but one would need to have been primed by something like this video to see what would be naturally be observable by those who, like Nadesico's creators, were already submerged in these anime subgenres. Below the surface, Nadesico really is something of an anime Golden Record that feels exponentially further away with each passing year. Tragically its SEGA Saturn sequel, despite being an incredible endeavor for a licensed game, will probably be lost to time before anything. This series really did more than it got credit for, especially internationally.

[@HeyItsOnly]

This video is so amazing and it’s commentary like this that I can only dream of being able to do. Props for covering a series not many people will click on and thanks for the amazing content as always.

[@DeviousOni]

I always get excited when Nadesico gets shown some love. GO GEKIGANGER!

[@SomeDayDreamer]

Ok I know i havent' watched this since the 90's when i initially saw it but outside of Gekiganger death scene I dont' remember ANY Of this, so this video essay went over my head. Iam gonna rewatch and then come back to this hahaa.

[@ginzomelo]

Nadesico is my favourite anime. Thanks for the video ❤

[@RanRii]

A lucid analysis of Nadesico. Your narration is smooth and fits well with the material presented on screen. Well done. I've never really considered Nadesico from the angle of "textual worship" as you've said.

[@alxandra74]

This was my favorite show as a teen. Thanks for reminding me why!

[@HalcyonxTeatree]

In the case of Nadesico, I believe the metatextuality made it very interesting and impactful. One of my favorite series. 💙

[@matthewdelacruz7509]

I wonder if Gundam AGE directly got the idea of "we thought they were aliens but they're actually a lost group of human colonists" trope/story from Nadesico

[@tikyo201]

good stuff bruh very appreciated do more

[@TwoTailedCaperer]

Nadesico was actually the first anime series I ever watched from start to finish. I remember I watched Spirited Away from the library and liked it a lot, so I went onto their database, typed in "anime" and picked out the first show that I thought looked visually interesting. Back in the day I never understood that so many of the things I saw with fresh eyes and loved about it were actually very popular (and some very overused) tropes. Like the random beach and swimsuit episodes, the recap in the middle of the series, the large harem of girls all vying for the main character's affection, etc. And because the show ends up being so metatextual and parodical to itself and anime as a whole, I get the rare opportunity to look back on it from new perspectives, and see that there is so much more to love about the show. More than I ever could have imagined back when I first watched it and accepted it at purely face value. It really sucks that the series suffered the fate it did, as we'll probably never get a conclusion to the story. But we're finally getting some new character figures this year, so it hasn't been completely forgotten to time 🥲

[@tearlach47]

Great video. Nadesico is a series that needs some extra analysis to help us understand this wild story

[@pain8123]

All of your video analysis are great, never stop making videos

[@windgemini66]

convinced me to watch it, so didnt finish the video. good job

[@Hello-bg8hv]

Anime in the 90s be hitting with themes that are still relevant in wars and propaganda today. Fk props

[@yeboidon3796]

You deserve more views

[@StudioErsatz]

ikr

[@alwayshome2610]

Fantastic video as always

[@ThomsonBR42]

Bravo for finding and doing the work of decerning this otherwise banal-looking anime. I definitely will look into it myself.

[@Blayze]

"Enjoy it for what it is!" said the best character in Nadesico.

[@barneymcnickles9801]

A thousand and a couple hundred views is a lot of people. keep going!

[@yurekwonka4482]

A comment for the Algorithm. But on a side note you should make more people aware of your second channel, the video on the End of History was great.

[@willleney7978]

what's it called?

[@ian7287]

@@willleney7978 exit level

[@Palzahar]

I love how the movie isn't mentioned at all. As it should be.

[@AnimeSummit]

What a great video!

[@bluelan9393]

I always thought Nadesico was a simple comedy, never even thought it have really good themes and moments. You really gave me a reason to watch it. What did you think about the spin off?

[@ralphyoung6032]

Good take. I think its thesis might be furthered by a deep dive into Otaku no Video. I wouldn't mind your thoughts on Project A-ko, too, as a continuation of 90s anime self-referentialism.

[@ciscornBIG]

Ako is from 85.

[@SabrewulfJoelPerez]

Joel love yurika misumaru

[@rawkeyy]

Nice

[@lucaslostie553]

Am I trippin or there was a sex education video that disappeared??

[@StudioErsatz]

You're trippin

[@Yerbruha]

Les gooooo

[@mervish0]

Gekigangar is based of Getter Robo, which came out in 74. If all anime since then, up until Evengelion and Nadesico, had followed the same structure, the subversive nature of the latter would have been truly revolutionary. But we had a decade of real mecha development in 80's and even a super mecha renaissance in the 90's. So Nadesico was late with it's message and also kinda weak with it's delivery. I would say it was undermined by Eva to a much greater degree that it was capable of undermining anything else.

[@antmanandthewasp-d5b]

Can you please do more videos on Neon Genesis Evangelion? I loved that you meantion Evangelion.

[@AlphaJoelPerez]

Joel love yurika misumaru