Anime: Bannou Bunka Nekomusume (1998)

(Much like many veteran review writers ask, this newb reviewer also requests comments, feedback, etc.)

Nuku Nuku comes back for more, this time in zany school love action sci-fi comedy adventure form!

Animation: While hailing from 1998, Nuku Nuku TV features colorful, distinctive character designs backgrounds that aren't inadequate, and plenty of motion for action scenes. The character designs betray the series' age a bit, but Nuku Nuku is attractive enough for the "Fantasy Catgirl Android" type that she's supposed to be. There's plenty of variety for Mishima's evil devices, even though some are a bit hokey. In general, the animation is good for the era and does not degrade the viewing experience.

Sound: The OP and ED are pretty much forgettable, and there's nothing noteworthy about the background music either. The main musical bright spot is the singing done by the guitar-playing classmate of Nuku Nuku; even though it's the same tune, the lyrics add to the humor or drama of the scene, and are funny enough that they don't get irritating.

Megumi Hayashibara performs well as Nuku Nuku, and the rest of the Japanese cast does fairly well with the material given to them. The English dub is one of ADV's older and lesser efforts, with a fair amount of name mispronunciations and lackluster acting all around. Gotta give them credit for dubbing the character-sung songs into English, though.

Story: While the plot of Nuku Nuku TV isn't bad, it's not particularly good either. Most episodes consist of Nuku Nuku being in some ordinary situation, then being surprised/threatened by whatever plan Mishima Industries has put in motion to capture her. Most of these ministories have a predictable conclusion, leading to a "monster-of-the-week" feeling. The only reason I elevated the score to a 7 was because they manage to make things a bit more serious in the end, thereby appealing to my drama-loving side. Note: I understand that NN TV is a retelling of the OVA, which I have not seen as of this writing. Thus I don't know how well it compares to the original.

Character: Not the strongest side of the series. Sure, there's a variety of characters, but most are stock stereotypes, like the occult girl, the guy who proclaims everything to be "unscientific," and the stuck-up rich girl. Ryuunousuke stands out for all his sarcastic, self-aware comments on the show's proceedings, and the family dynamic of Ryuunousuke's parents being on opposite sides of the Mishima vs. Nuku Nuku battles is amusing. Nuku Nuku herself is a comic-relief main character, with her own set of mannerisms and repeated lines, such as "I'm so sorry~!" to the rich girl every time she gets her name wrong.

Value: Some rewatch value, but not anything that compels you to start it up again after the last episode is over. Maybe after I get around to watching the original OVA, I'll feel more interest in seeing how the retelling stacks up. I saw the first few episodes at Anime Club and elected to get the DVD collection, so you may also want to try before you buy. I'd watch it all again, but some fans may find some episodes irritating. Luckily, NN TV's episodic nature makes it easy to leave a few episodes out on a rewatch without missing anything.

Enjoyment: Despite its technical shortcomings, I found NN TV to be a lot of fun. It works well as a "shut brain off and enjoy" comedy with a bit of an old-school feeling, and there's something to be said for these 1990s anime that ignore the laws of physics to pave the way for wacky hijinks.

Recommendations: Recommended for fans of wacky comedy with a bit of a sci-fi or fantasy twist, such as Maze or Steel Angel Kurumi. Fans of "Special Girlfriend" series like DearS or Chobits may also find something of interest, though Nuku Nuku TV is light on the fanservice.