Reviews for Kidou Senkan Nadesico: The Prince of Darkness (6.16)
kassiopeia
Gotou Keiji
Satou Tatsuo
Tamada Hiroshi
Prince of Darkness could be easily called the twenty-seventh episode of Martian Successor Nadesico. It is the awaited conclusion to the original story, wrapping up things and tying together ...
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- Approval: 68.0% (8 votes)
24.12.2003 14:37 - direct link
(rs953)
Prince of Darkness could be easily called the twenty-seventh episode of Martian Successor Nadesico. It is the awaited conclusion to the original story, wrapping up things and tying together plot threads that were left open in the ending of the television series.
The animation, being two years younger, is more up to date, and it gets difficult to distinguish whether characters look different because they're a few years older or because the style has been improved. Some differences are noticeable, and altogether the slight aging of the characters was done well. The frames are clearer and the special effects in space are more intricate, obviously thanks to CGI technology.
Don't be fooled though: while the animation is better, it's still the same old Nadesico below the fancy surface. Real character development in Prince of Darkness is quite reserved, with the people of the original story. The few new faces do not leave a permanent impression, not with the little screen time they can get in an eighty minute film. The writing does have a problem with plausibility. While the peculiarity of certain character development exhibited is explained away, it feels more like an excuse than anything else. There is also a glaring error in continuity that bugged me, but it didn't hurt immersion too much.
The story does have the feeling that it was fleshed out only to get a proper frame in which to explain what has happened to Nadesico and her crew. It's not too shoddy, but the main plotline does take backseat to showing us the familiar people and their lives. The writers do keep to their style of throwing some surprising things in your way, so the going never gets boring.
The soundtrack uses some of the old Nadesico music, but employs also some new songs and background music. The new additions are satisfactory and of the same quality you had in the television series. The production values of the soundscape and of the visuals are obviously higher than in the television series, making the film a good experience.
Prince of Darkness cannot in any way work as a standalone film. While there is a succinct explanation of the events before the film, they are more a reminder to those who saw the series than anything else. It is vital to Nadesico as a wholesome viewing experience and a story, though, and as such is mandatory to all who watched all of Nadesico and enjoyed it - or, barring that, want to at least know what happened afterwards. Retaining the familiar characters and the same quality of humour and writing, it's a worthy sequel to Martian Successor Nadesico.
The animation, being two years younger, is more up to date, and it gets difficult to distinguish whether characters look different because they're a few years older or because the style has been improved. Some differences are noticeable, and altogether the slight aging of the characters was done well. The frames are clearer and the special effects in space are more intricate, obviously thanks to CGI technology.
Don't be fooled though: while the animation is better, it's still the same old Nadesico below the fancy surface. Real character development in Prince of Darkness is quite reserved, with the people of the original story. The few new faces do not leave a permanent impression, not with the little screen time they can get in an eighty minute film. The writing does have a problem with plausibility. While the peculiarity of certain character development exhibited is explained away, it feels more like an excuse than anything else. There is also a glaring error in continuity that bugged me, but it didn't hurt immersion too much.
The story does have the feeling that it was fleshed out only to get a proper frame in which to explain what has happened to Nadesico and her crew. It's not too shoddy, but the main plotline does take backseat to showing us the familiar people and their lives. The writers do keep to their style of throwing some surprising things in your way, so the going never gets boring.
The soundtrack uses some of the old Nadesico music, but employs also some new songs and background music. The new additions are satisfactory and of the same quality you had in the television series. The production values of the soundscape and of the visuals are obviously higher than in the television series, making the film a good experience.
Prince of Darkness cannot in any way work as a standalone film. While there is a succinct explanation of the events before the film, they are more a reminder to those who saw the series than anything else. It is vital to Nadesico as a wholesome viewing experience and a story, though, and as such is mandatory to all who watched all of Nadesico and enjoyed it - or, barring that, want to at least know what happened afterwards. Retaining the familiar characters and the same quality of humour and writing, it's a worthy sequel to Martian Successor Nadesico.