Vandread: The Second Stage - Vol. 1: Survival (DVD, 2002, Limited Edition Collector's Box)

Vandread (ヴァンドレッド) is a Japanese anime series directed by Takeshi Mori and created by Gonzo and Media Factory animation studios. Vandread, as a science fiction space opera, combines elements of action, romance, ecchi, comedy, and mecha. Vandread presents a mix of comedy ranging from slapstick humor to subtle humor. It also utilizes well-animated characters and cleanly rendered CG action sequences.

The series is composed of two seasons (Vandread, released in 2000 and Vandread: The Second Stage, released in 2001), each composed of thirteen episodes of twenty-five minutes. The first series is summarized in the Vandread Taidouhen OVA in 2001, and the second in the Vandread Gekitouhen ("Turbulence") OVA, released in 2002. There is a Vandread Extra Stage Novel, that explains the events after Vandread: The Second Stage.

As I implied in the title, I highly recommend that you have the Vangard of this series combine with the Dread of your collection. Hope this doesn't spoil too much or sound too weird but I thought I could use this anolgy in this situation. This series is a magnificent example of the wonderful talents it GONZO. This is the company the made this series. Others from GONZO worth mentioning are Last Exile, Blue Submarine #6, Hellsing, Gantz, Gankutsuou, and Samurai 7.
The rough story of this series is not too different to the popular series Saber Merrionette J. It is set in the distant but unspecified future. The planet that our story starts on is, like in Saber Marionette J, populated by men. However, they are actually at war with a near-by planet that is only populated by women. Our story progresses when our Main character Hibiki stows away on a ship only to end up in the wrong place at the wrong time---or so he thinks at the time as the ship is raided by women pirates. However, an acident sets Hibiki and two others along with all the women pirates to distant place in space, so now, like in Maccross/Robotech, they begin their long journy home---together. They must learn to not only get past but accept their differences as they encounter a new common advisary in their travels across the stars and ecounters with other people with very different backgrounds and different beliefs.

This is a fan favorite and has been for over eight years and thankfully it is still in print even if one cannot easyly find the limited edition collectors box. I hope my decription from a fans point of view has helped you.