I was saddened to learn about the recent death of Sato Tatsuo, director and writer of Martian Successor Nadesico. It was an anime I first watched in my high school days, and it was very formative to me as a young otaku. I remember just rewinding VHS tapes to watch my favorite scenes over and over, and finally getting the whole series on DVD was a dream come true.

The series is a riff on the mecha genre and a genuinely good science-fiction drama, as well as an insightful commentary on the way human beings view and interpret media, warts and all. The pale, blue-haired Hoshino Ruri was also one of the most popular characters of the period, playing off the Ayanami Rei trope and giving her a bit more of a biting edge. If I were to describe her using more recent characters, she was like Ram and Rem from Re:ZERO fused together, a mix of gentle and sardonic. 

Though I’ve never looked into this, I get the sense that Nadesico might have even been an introduction to 1970s giant robot aesthetics for many newer anime fans through the show within a show, Gekiganger 3. I remember finding it really hilariously hokey back then, but I could feel myself become more fond of it as I shed my immature perception of super robots. 

Many years later, there were murmurs of a potential sequel to Nadesico after The Prince of Darkness and the games, and I recall Sato mentioned that something happened that prevented it from getting off the ground. I can’t seem to find the old news articles about it, though, so my memory might be off.

It’s also unfortunate that Sato died this year, when multiple figures of Ruri have been coming out and 90s nostalgia is riding high. Goodsmile even made a retro website for their release! It could have been the opportunity to revel in and celebrate his most famous work. In the meantime, I’m going to sign off with one of my favorite anime songs of all time, from The Prince of Darkness.