Vandread and Vandread the Second Stage: Complete Collection
from GENEON [PIONEER]
For generations, the men of the planet Taraak have waged a valiant war of survival against their fierce enemies of the planet Mejale - women! Hibiki finds himself completely out of his depth first as a stowaway on a space battleship, then a prisoner of the women who hijack it! A strange missile sends the hijackers into a remote corner of the galaxy, where the women and their prisoners encounter a mysterious new enemy that may force them to join forces! Can men and women actually work together without killing each other?!
Vandread - Second Stage - Survival (Vol. 1) - With Series Box
by Takeshi Mori
from Geneon [Pioneer]
The sequel to Vandread picks up where the 2001 TV series left off. In the future, men and women live separately; Hibiki, Duero, and Bart are three lone males among the all-female crew of the Nirvana. Dita's pursuit of Hibiki is complicated by Jura's desire to have him father a child and the arrival of Misty, who thinks he's cute. Vandread remains an agglomeration of discordant elements that never quite gel. Flat drawn animation of the characters is intercut with three-dimensional CG space battles. The generally silly tone plays against such tear-jerker story lines as "Blossoming Path"; the grim plot about humans being harvested for their organs is juxtaposed with a Tenchi-like rivalry for Hibiki's affections. Characters clad in scanty "fan service" costumes deliver statements about the power of women. Second Stage is sometimes amusing, but it's rarely coherent. Rated 13 Up: Profanity, brief nudity, violence, sexual humor. --Charles Solomon
Vandread - Second Stage - Sacrifice (Vol. 2)
by Takeshi Mori
from Geneon [Pioneer]
The adventure continues as the crew of the Nirvana encounter an enemy mother ship. Their initial attack against the alien "harvesters" proves futile, and tempers flare among the mecha pilots, exacerbated by the struggle between Misty and Dita for Hibiki's affections. When Jura sacrifices herself in a second attack, she inspires the quarrelsome group to work together: for the first time, all the "Dreads" fuse to form a giant CG super-mecha. Hibiki uses the robot Pyoro (who recalls 7-Zark-7 in Battle of the Planets) to deliver a virus that reduces the mother ship to so much scrap metal. Back aboard the Nirvana, the other crew members lock Hibiki and Dita in a room and watch them try to resolve their growing attraction. Neither is a exactly prize: Hibiki is hot tempered and immature; Dita makes Mihoshi in Tenchi Muyo! sound intellectual. (Rated 13 and older: profanity, brief nudity, violence, sexual humor) --Charles Solomon
Vandread The Second Stage - Final Assault (Vol. 4)
by Takeshi Mori
from Geneon [Pioneer]
These final episodes bring the entire Vandread saga to a slam-bang conclusion. Although Hibiki began the first series as a loud-mouthed grunt mechanic, he turns out to be a member of the first generation of space colonists who recently awoke from cold sleep. He's closely related to Zen, the Grand Pa of the all-male planet of Talek, and to Anri, the Grand Ma of the all-female world of Mejale. He gets the two groups talking for the first time in decades--and not a moment too soon: the flagship of the Harvester fleet attacks. Hibiki, who has learned to care about others, leads the assault that destroys the enemy; the battle is also a reunion of characters from both seasons, including the underhanded Rabat. All ends happily with renewed relations between the genders. (Rated 13 and older: profanity, brief nudity, violence, sexual humor) --Charles Solomon
Vandread - Second Stage - Revelations (Vol. 3)
by Takeshi Mori
from Geneon [Pioneer]
This mecha adventure takes an unexpected mystical turn in episode 9. During a battle Hibiki is mysteriously transported to a nearby desert planet, where he meets the Anasazi-like telepathic inhabitants. While Duero reveals to the captain of the Nirvana that Hibiki has a strange and significant origin, the telepaths are putting Hibiki through a physical and mental journey that puts him in communication with the "Spirits." At its conclusion Chief Kokoperi proclaims "the birth of another true warrior." This new arc is juxtaposed with some very sloppy story telling--Jura, who sacrificed herself on the last disc, is inexplicably back among the living; the captain collapses in pain in one scene but is perfectly fine in the next; the vice-captain of the Nirvana suddenly reveals that "she" is actually a male agent from Tarak in disguise. (Rated 13 and older: profanity, brief nudity, violence, sexual humor) --Charles Solomon
Vandread - Great Expectations (Vol. 3)
by Takeshi Mori
from Geneon [Pioneer]
As the pirate ship Nirvana visits different worlds, this sci-fi comedy-adventure begins to resemble a mixture of Crest of the Stars and Star Trek, with the robot 7-Zark-7 from Battle of the Planets thrown in. The crew meets Rabat and his ape sidekick on a deserted space station: he introduces the women of the Nirvana to cosmetics, beats up Hibiki, and then departs in "Impossible." The people of the water world of Anpathos worship a mysterious "harvester ship" apparently intent on devouring them--until Hibiki and Jura create a crablike mecha to destroy it. A Christmas party--a holiday unknown to Hibiki, Bart, and Duero--coincides with a visit to an ice comet in "White Love." Vandread offers some so-so computer-animated space battles, plenty of cleavage shots, and some broad comic moments, but these elements never gel into a coherent story. Rated 13 Up: Violence, risqué humor. --Charles Solomon
Vandread - Second Stage - Survival (Vol. 1)
by Takeshi Mori
from Geneon [Pioneer]
The sequel to Vandread picks up where the 2001 TV series left off. In the future, men and women live separately; Hibiki, Duero, and Bart are three lone males among the all-female crew of the Nirvana. Dita's pursuit of Hibiki is complicated by Jura's desire to have him father a child and the arrival of Misty, who thinks he's cute. Vandread remains an agglomeration of discordant elements that never quite gel. Flat drawn animation of the characters is intercut with three-dimensional CG space battles. The generally silly tone plays against such tear-jerker story lines as "Blossoming Path"; the grim plot about humans being harvested for their organs is juxtaposed with a Tenchi-like rivalry for Hibiki's affections. Characters clad in scanty "fan service" costumes deliver statements about the power of women. Second Stage is sometimes amusing, but it's rarely coherent. Rated 13 Up: Profanity, brief nudity, violence, sexual humor. --Charles Solomon
Vandread - Pressure
by Takeshi Mori
from Geneon [Pioneer]
In these final episodes, misunderstandings lead the female crew of the pirate ship Nirvana to jail the three male refugees. Hibiki flees in his mecha suit and encounters a fleet where men and women work comfortably together. He joins them in a fight against the aliens--really Earthlings--who "harvest" people from other planets for their body parts. After seeing his new friends killed in battle, Hibiki returns to the Nirvana--whose location has been sold to the Harvesters by the venal Rabat. Naturally, the ensuing conflict requires everyone to work together to defeat the common enemy, but the series ends on a semi-cliffhanger that suggests a sequel was planned. The simultaneous attraction and misunderstanding between the sexes that forms the theme of this series offers rich material, but the filmmakers fritter it away on silly subplots. Rated 13 Up: Violence, risqué humor. --Charles Solomon
The Last Stand! Halfway home, the women finally get fed up and decide to thr ow the men in the brig. Hibiki flees with his Vanguard and discovers a fleet of spaceship s with both men women working together in harmony! Hibiki's initial surprise is replaced by admiration, however, when the Alien fleet overwhelms and annihilates them. Adrift in s pace, Hibiki is rescued by Rabat, who takes Hibiki to the Nirvana, where the women promptl y throw both of them in jail. Can the women defeat the Aliens without the men, or will be forced to depend on each other for survival?
Vandread - Nirvana (Vol. 2)
by Takeshi Mori
from Geneon [Pioneer]
As this comic sci-fi adventure continues, the filmmakers toy with the mutual attraction and repulsion of the characters. Hibiki's presence causes problems among the all-female crew of the Majel pirate ship. Dita is attracted to him but doesn't know how to express her curiosity or affection without annoying the hot-tempered pilot. But the mismatched pair must work together in the CG mecha battles, especially after squad leader Miea is injured. While Duero fights to save her life, Miea experiences series of flashbacks that reveal her tragic past, including her troubled relationship with her mother. This spoof of adolescent sexuality would play better if the filmmakers indulged in fewer jiggle shots and gratuitous female nude scenes. Rated 13 Up: Nudity, violence, risqué humor. --Charles Solomon
Vandread - Enemy Engaged (Vol. 1)
by Takeshi Mori
from Geneon [Pioneer]
In this sophomoric sci-fi series, men and women live on separate planets (Talac and Majel) in a state of mutual hostility and ignorance. Mechanic/third-class citizen Hibiki stows away aboard the new Talac flagship and gets caught by the attacking Majel pirates. He's thrown into contact with Dirda, a girl it would be charitable to describe as ditsy--during a battle, she cries, "These guys are really bad aliens!" The women are forced to enlist the aid of Hibiki and two other male prisoners when they're attacked by unknown aliens who look like something made with a high-tech Lego set. The visuals are a jarring mixture of 3-D computer graphics, flat monochromatic artwork, and 2-D drawn animation. With its many explosions, mecha, scantily clad women, and underdog hero, Vandread is clearly aimed at adolescent boys with raging hormones, despite the male-bashing humor. Contains the first 4 of 13 episodes. Rated 13 Up: Nudity, violence, risqué humor. --Charles Solomon
+++
