Earth is at war with the ruthless Jovian Lizards. And not doing well. The Nadesico, a warship designed by the private contractor Nergal Heavy Industries, takes off with a mismatched crew of otaku (mecha anime fans), ditzes, and general screwups to take the war to the Lizards. The cook Akito Tenkawa is an old friend of Captain Yuriko Misumaru and can double as a mech pilot, but he fears combat.

The movie sequel, Nadesico: Princeof Darkness, is set three years later on a new Nadesico B.

The mecha anime series Gekiganger 3 beloved by several Nadesico crewmen also exists in the real world as a 30 minute OVA. The OVA centers on the Nadesico crew watching a Gekiganger movie

Adapted into a manga series by Kia Asamiya, who created the character concepts for the series. Released Stateside by CPM Manga.