The Machines of Nadesico

First there is the Nadesico itself, a heavy cruiser built by Nergal Heavy Industries, Inc. It is controlled by a large central computer called Omoikane. This computer has the capability to learn from previous encounters and take what it believes to be appropriate action.
Unfortunately, sometimes it does so without any authorization, which can cause difficulties.
The ship is the most advanced ever built on Earth, mostly due to the engineering and research that Nergal had been conducting on Mars. As it turns out, the transposition engine and the gravity blast are derived from enemy technology; Inez, as one of the researchers who developed the weaponry and systems, has much more to add about this, but she is hardly ever given the chance by her shipmates.
The gravity blast is the most destructive weapon the humans have in their war against the Jovian Lizards, and it is often used as a last resort to save the day. In addition, the distortion field protects the ship from the majority of enemy attacks, especially missiles and weaker beam weapons.
The main mecha units used by the pilots are called Aestivalis units. Several variations exist for varying fighting conditions様and, aerial, and zero-gravity.Each frame can be modified to fit a wide variety of conditions, and the cockpits are interchangeable, which has come in handy on a couple of occasions.
Aestivalis units are capable of a wide variety of missions, including reconnaissance, assault, search and destroy, defense, and covert ground operations. Each pilot has been implanted with nanotechnology which allows them to synchronize with the Aestivalis more effectively.

What's So Funny About Alien Invasion?

NADESICO contains now-standard, even formula, elements of many anime shows. Humans battle against superior enemy forces. They have a prototype ship that seems to be their last hope for salvation.They use mecha to fight the enemy forces, as well as a very large cannon on the ship. And then there is the little matter of a love triangle between three of the main characters. Sound familiar?Well, it sounds like MACROSS, but it's not.
The show manages to weave a complex storyline and balance humor, drama, and science fiction without ever having any of the elements seem out of place. The romance storyline, while certainly serious as far as Yurika and her rivals are concerned, is a much less pressing concern than defeating the enemy. As a result, many of the show's lighter moments revolve around incongruities in the feelings that the various female crew members have for Akito. And of course, the crew keep tabs on all these events and comment accordingly.
NADESICO manages, however, to incorporate humor into even some of the more hard-core science fiction elements of the show. For example, when Akito has to enter the central computer to fix a problem, he appears as an SD Aestivalis with his head on top of it. And since Ruri is acting as his guide through the complex system, an SD Ruri appears on his shoulder and talks to him throughout his journey.
Another subtle example of the effective use of parody is the naming of the Earth ships. Oftentimes, ships are named after individual members of sets. For example, U.S. ships are often named after famous heroes (the U.S.S. EISENHOWEVER) or even states (remember the U.S.S. ARIZONA from your history books?). In BABYLON 5, the ships are given the grandiose names of personalities from Greek mythology. NADESICO follows this tradition; however, the ships are named after something much less lofty than Greek heroes. Instead of names like the HERACLES and the AGAMEMNON, we have names like the CROCUS and the PANSY. Not exactly awe-inspiring names. The Earth military has even named the main enemy transport pods 'Tulips' (ostensibly due to their resemblance to tulip bulbs). Using flower names is a parody of the military naming conventions. One has to admit, though, that a battleship named PANSY does not inspire very much fear.

Biting Satire and the Hand that feeds

One of the most obvious parodies in NADESICO, however, is the parody of the anime genre itself and its fans. This is most obvious with Gai and Akito. Gai freely admits to being a GEKIGANGER otaku, and it is through this somewhat warped lens of anime fandom that he views the world. Although his real name is Yamada Jiro, he will only answer to Daigouji Gai, which he says, in true melodramatic anime fashion, is "the true name of his spirit." When he arrives on board the NADESICO and sees the Aestivalis units for the first time, he completely loses control.
Gai thinks that he is a character in an anime, and he lives his life accordingly. Thus, when he fights, he is constantly calling out the names of his "special moves," such as "Gai Super Napalm."Perhaps, though, the most obvious jab at fandom occurs when an injured Gai asks Akito to retrive his "most prized possession" from the cockpit. As Akito looks into the cockpit, he sees a GEKIGANGER UFO catcher doll. Incredulous, he says, "This is his most prized possession?"Even Akito can see that Gai's fanaticism is a bit extreme.
Gai criticizes Akito for being too wishy-washy. He tells him that a real man must be courageous and noble. This is, of course, an ideal he learned from watching his favorite anime. So, in an attempt to instill these essential virtues in Akito, he prescribes an intense viewing schedule of GEKIGANGER III. Taking a step back to view the larger perspective, this is somewhat ironic that a character in an anime is accusing the protagonist of not living up to the anime standards of a hero.
Later in the series, Akatsuki comes across Ryoko and Akito having a quiet conversation before a mission. Akatsuki trashes Akito, saying that anime fans are often poor at "real love."Akito gets angry, of course, and Akatsuki apologizes for saying that Akito was unable to feel love. Akito exclaims that he's not mad about that, but that Akatsuki trashed his hobby. Here again is another subtle poke at fandom for taking itself too seriously.