Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 11, 2026

Vandread

Vandread is a Japanese anime television series directed by Takeshi Mori and produced by Gonzo and Digimation. The series is composed of two seasons consisting of 13 episodes each; Vandread, broadcast from October to December 2000, and Vandread: The Second Stage, broadcast from October 2001 to January 2002. The series was also adapted into a manga and light novel series.

Last revised
Jun 11, 2026
Read time
≈ 6 min
Length
1,344 w
Citations
32
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Vandread
Key visual of the series, featuring Hibiki Tokai (center), Dita Liebely (top), Meia Gisborn (right) and Jura Basil Elden (left)
ヴァンドレッド
(Vandoreddo)
Genre
Light novel
Written byTakeshi Mori
Published byKadokawa Shoten
ImprintKadokawa Sneaker Bunko
Original runJuly 1, 2000 – April 27, 2002
Volumes7
Manga
Written byTakeshi Mori
Illustrated byKotetsu Akane
Published byKadokawa Shoten
MagazineMonthly Dragon Jr.
Original runJuly 2000 – February 2002
Volumes2 + 1 extra
Anime television series
Directed byTakeshi Mori
Produced by
  • Maki Horiuchi
  • Ayumu Tanaka
  • Masashi Tsukino
Written byAtsuhiro Tomioka
Music byYasunori Iwasaki
Studio
Licensed by
Original networkWowow
English network
Original run October 3, 2000 – December 19, 2000
Episodes13
Further information
Anime television series
Vandread: The Second Stage
Directed byTakeshi Mori
Produced by
  • Maki Horiuchi
  • Ayumu Tanaka
  • Masashi Tsukino
Written byAtsuhiro Tomioka
Music byYasunori Iwasaki
Studio
  • Gonzo
  • Digimation
Licensed by
  • AUS: Siren Visual
  • NA: Crunchyroll
Original networkWowow
English network
  • CA: G4techTV Canada
  • SEA: AXN
  • US: Encore Action, WAM
  • ZA: Animax
Original run October 5, 2001 – January 18, 2002
Episodes13
Original video animation
Vandread Integral
Directed byTakeshi Mori
Studio
  • Gonzo
  • Digimation
Licensed by
  • NA: Crunchyroll
ReleasedDecember 21, 2001
Runtime75 minutes
Original video animation
Vandread Turbulence
Directed byTakeshi Mori
Studio
  • Gonzo
  • Digimation
Licensed by
  • NA: Crunchyroll
ReleasedOctober 25, 2002
Runtime97 minutes

Vandread (Japanese: ヴァンドレッド, Hepburn: Vandoreddo) is a Japanese anime television series directed by Takeshi Mori and produced by Gonzo and Digimation. The series is composed of two seasons consisting of 13 episodes each; Vandread, broadcast from October to December 2000, and Vandread: The Second Stage, broadcast from October 2001 to January 2002. The series was also adapted into a manga and light novel series.

Plot

The male-only planet Taraak and the female-only planet Mejeer have been at war with each other for decades. During a military presentation of the Taraak space forces, their new combat ship, the Ikazuchi, is attacked and annexed by female pirates from Mejeer. Not wanting to lose, the commander of the Taraakian forces prefers to remotely destroy his ship with the intruders on board. However, a surprising event occurs. The Taraakian vessel and that of the pirates merge under the impulse of the Praksis crystal, a source of mysterious energy, to create a new vessel, which is later baptized NirVana. The Praksis energy ends up sending the newly formed vessel to the depths of space.

This merge also affects Mejeerian combat shuttles, known as Dreads, and a Taraakian mobile "armor", the Vanguard, transforming their appearance and giving the Dreads the ability to combine with the Vanguard, forming the Vandread units. Three men, a third-class worker and two officers who remained on board and were taken prisoner by the pirates, will have to collaborate and learn to coexist with the women pirates of Mejeer, because their survival depends on it.

Broadcast and release

Produced by Gonzo and Digimation, and directed by Takeshi Mori,4 Vandread was broadcast for 13 episodes on Wowow from October 3 to December 19, 2000.5 An additional episode, Vandread Integral (ヴァンドレッド 胎動篇, Vandoreddo Taidō-hen), was released on home video on December 21, 2001.6

A second season, Vandread: The Second Stage, was broadcast from October 5, 2001, to January 18, 2002.7 An additional episode, Vandread Turbulence (ヴァンドレッド 激闘篇, Vandoreddo Gekitō-hen), was released on home video on October 25, 2002.6

Songs

Opening and ending songs

  • "Trust" ("Vandread" opening; also used as the ending in the last Second Stage episode) by Salia8
  • "Himegoto" ("Vandread" ending) by SiLC8
  • "Justice" ("Second Stage" opening) by Aki Kudo8
  • "Yes, Together" ("Second Stage" ending) by Yasunori Iwasaki, sung by Aki Kudo8
  • "Spacy Spicy Love" ("Turbulence" opening) by Mejare Pirates8
  • "Proof" ("Turbulance" ending) by Mejare Pirates8

Insert songs

A total of seven light novel volumes, consisting of three Vandread volumes, three Vandread: The Second Stage volumes, and a Vandread: The Extra Stage volume, were released under Kadokawa Shoten's Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko imprint from July 1, 2000, to April 27, 2002.910

A manga adaptation, illustrated by Kotetsu Akane, was serialized in Fujimi Shobo's Monthly Dragon Jr. from the July 2000 to the February 2002 issues.1112 Fujimi Shobo collected its chapters in three tankōbon volumes (including a Special Stage volume), from January 10, 2001, to March 1, 2002.131415

Reception

Enoch Lau of THEM Anime Reviews awarded the series 4 out of 5 stars, concluding that it is a great space opera anime that he would recommend to fans of Gundam or Macross.116 Allen Divers of Anime News Network (ANN) reviewed the first and fourth volumes of the first season on DVD, giving each an A and writing that the show continued to impress with its strong animation, artwork, cast performances, and compelling storyline.1718 Carl Kimlinger of ANN awarded the show a B−, describing it as a veritable blast when focused on romantic complications and fan service, but an irritating drag when recycling shōnen philosophies in an attempt to appear substantive; he called it the definition of a mixed bag.19

The entry for the show in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction notes that contemporary reviews praised the series for its CGI sequences (well-executed for their time, though dated by later standards), its worldbuilding, and its use of a light romantic comedy framework to convey a message of cooperation over conflict. Detractors pointed to uneven pacing and stock characterization. Vandread remains a brisk, good-humored space opera whose appeal lies less in hard SF rigor than in its optimistic case for coexistence and competence under pressure. It is not a canon classic, but a representative early-2000s work: lively, accessible, quietly anti-conformist, and idealistic.20

References

References

  1. Enoch, Lau. "Vandread". THEM Anime Reviews. Archived from the original on September 22, 2003. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  2. Gnam, Julian (September 30, 2009). "Vandread, The Complete Series". Otaku USA. Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  3. Jones, Davey C. (May 6, 2009). "Vandread The Complete Series". Active Anime. Archived from the original on December 23, 2011. Retrieved February 26, 2023. Vandread is hilarious and high octane action. The harem style done space opera action is brilliant.
  4. ヴァンドレッド (in Japanese). Gonzo. Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  5. "Vandread". Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  6. "Video&DVD". Media Factory. Archived from the original on August 25, 2004. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  7. "Vandread the Second Stage". Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  8. "Shop & Goods". vandread.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 13, 2002. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  9. "Goods" (in Japanese). Media Factory. Archived from the original on August 25, 2004. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  10. ヴァンドレッド ｔｈｅ ｅｘｔｒａ ｓｔａｇｅ (in Japanese). Kadokawa Corporation. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  11. 月刊ドラゴンジュニア 2000年(平成12年)07 (in Japanese). Mandarake Inc. Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  12. 月刊ドラゴンジュニア 2002年(平成14年)02 (in Japanese). Mandarake Inc. Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  13. ヴァンドレッド. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  14. ヴァンドレッド 2. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  15. ヴァンドレッドすぺしゃるすてーじ. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  16. Lau, Enoch. "Vandread Second Stage". THEM Anime Reviews. Archived from the original on December 24, 2003. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  17. Divers, Allen (February 13, 2002). "Vandread DVD 1 – Review". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  18. Divers, Allen (August 3, 2002). "Vandread DVD 4 – Review". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 28, 2023.
  19. Kimlinger, Carl (June 23, 2010). "Vandread DVD Ultimate Collection – Review". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  20. Konieczny, Piotr (2025). "SFE: Vandread". The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
External links