Gravion. Only without the maids.
"Super Divine Beast Combination!"
Dancouga Nova is a Super Robot 12-Episode Anime that started airing on February 15, 2007. Masami Obari designed and directed the series. This is the supposed sequel to Super Beast Machine God Dancougar, though it is more a Spiritual Successor to Gravion.
The story takes place in 2107, when wars spring up all over the world and Japan has been devastated by a massive earthquake. Where ever the fighting turns to favor one of the sides, a mysterious force appears to even the odds, but never finishes off the side that once was winning. It leaves once the balance of power is restored. This is Dancouga Nova.
Tropes associated with this series include:
- 20 Minutes into the Future: The series released in 2007 and the story takes 100 years in the future of 2107.
- Ace Pilot: Aoi skills as a Formula 01 ace translated very well into her piloting skills as Dancouga Nova's main pilot.
- Action Girl:
- Kurara is an ace police officer and is an expert marksmanship, with Improbable Aiming Skills
- Aoi is an ace at driving know for pulling dangerous stunts with easy, is very athletic and knows how to handle guns.
- The Alliance: The International Alliance is this combined with The Omniscient Council of Vagueness. They're the sponsors behind the Dancouga Nova project led by Fog Sweeper, and are composed of military personnel from all around the world, with the object to use Dancouga Nova to stop any battle from escalating to a world war.
- Ambiguously Evil: Head of the Dancougar team, Commander Tanaka acts friendly enough most of the time, but has a few moments where he gets Scary Shiny Glasses and it looks like he knows more than he lets on, having a few vaguely sinister conversations with his employer, Fog Sweeper. It later turns out to have been a Red Herring.
- Automated Automobiles: Most vehicles in the world are now automated, which in turn made Formula 1 races into a much more popular sport, as well as driving being something of a rare skill.
- Badass Back: There is a Running Gag with Kurara destroying enemies behind her mech, then saying "Don't stand behind me" or some variant. Aoi eventually gets on the act as well.
- Badass Biker: Aoi is famous for being a Formula 1 racer, she mainly rides bikes in the series.
- Bad Ass Bookworm: Johnny enjoys reading, and most of the episodes has him sharing a bit of trivia on the current situation because he just happened to read about it. He's also pilots of the deadliest weapons in the world.
- Badass Driver: Aoi is an undefeated Formula 1 racing champion, known for her dangerous and risky stunts.
- Berserk Button: Riruri is usually very calm and serene, but becomes pissed when people mispronounce her name.
- Big Bad: Moon Will, an alien AI that wants to purge humanity since he believes Humans Are Bastards.
- Big Fancy House: Aoi's house is very big and luxurious, with her room having Mood Lighting and a large window Monumental View. She even has a big garage for her Cool Car.
- Big Good: Fog Sweeper and Earth's Will, despite both being Manipulative Bastards, are trying to stop Moon's Will from destroying earth.
- Calling Your Attacks: Some of the Finishing Moves actually require Aoi to scream them out loud, which she finds somewhat embarrassing at times.
- The Cameo: By Klein Sandman of Gravion's fame. The President was also there with him. Beside Sandman.
- Catapult Nightmare: Aoi is shown having one of these in episode 2, having had a nightmare about her first battle in episode 1.
- Catchphrase: Sakuya borrows Shinobu's Catchphrase "Yatte yaru ze!"
- Celebrity Masquerade:
- Aoi is rather famous as both a Formula 01 racer and as a successful model, while secretly being the pilot of the world's most infamous Humongous Mecha. The stress of trying to fit all three in her life become so much she eventually quits being a Formula 1 racer.
- The Sixth Ranger turns out to be the famous Idol Singer Ada, who took up anonymous Humongous Mecha piloting in her spare time.
- Child Soldiers: Aoi meets a couple during a battlefield, which greatly distresses her as she knows Dancouga is not there to assist them, just to even the odds of the battle.
- Combining Mecha: The titular Dancougar Nova is a combination of four machines. The Nova Eagle note piloted by Aoi forms the head. The Nova Rhino note piloted by Sakuya forms the left foot. The Nova Liger note piloted by Kurara forms the right foot. The Nova Elephant note piloted by Johnny forms the body. Its MAXGOD version uses five machines with Ada's R-Daigun combining with the rest.
- Cool Ship: F.S.' Dragon's Hive which can fire a beam of energy from its head.
- Cool Sword: Dancougar Nova has the D-Blade, a giant longsword that can cut mechs in half.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Sakuya acts like a goofy and dumb homeless guy most of the time, but there are several moments he's show to be much smarter than he looks, such as when he hacks into the Dragon's Hive computer to find out more about their recruitment.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Dancougar Nova was infamous for dealing out these, but things start to change once the team meets R-Daigun.
- Curtains Match the Window: Aoi has red eyes to match her red hair.
- Designer Babies: It is quite heavily implied that Aoi was born this way, which is a source of Angst for her as it makes her feel unwanted.
- Determinator:
- Runs in all four of Dancouga Nova's pilots.
- Isabelle is driven to uncover the truth behind Dancouga Nova, even after receiving repeated warnings to stop her investigation, and having her life put at risk several times.
- Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Original Dancougar and Moon Will. Bonus points in that Aoi actually punches the latter.
- Does Not Like Men: The Dragon's Hive assistant Riruri doesn't interact much with Johnny or Sakuya at first due to being nervous around men.
- Eagleland: The The Neidermeyer captain of Episode 4 is a nearly rabid, transparently American commander who declares that because his nation is strong, it gets to decide what justice is.
- Everybody Lives: Though Aoi had a very close brush with death Well mostly everybody. We never do find out what happened to Fog Sweeper and Earth Will and we did get a brief shot of Dragon's Hive getting shot down.
- Expy : Sammy, imagine Excellen Browning as a mechanic and the result isn't far from her.
- Fastball Special: How everyone manages to transfer Aoi's Nova Eagle to Moon Will by F.S. firing the Wave-Motion Gun at Dancouga MAXGOD which the rest of the cast divides the machine to give Aoi the boost to get to Moon Will.
- Fiery Redhead: While Aoi is usually rather cool, when she becomes pissed off she's by far the most Hot-Blooded character in the show.
- Forever War: Intrepid Reporter Isabelle theorizes Dancouga Nova actions in always assisting the losing side is to create stalemates that perpetuate war and conflict, with no clear winner. She turns out to be right, as the International Alliance uses Dancouga Nova to stop any battles from escalating to a full world war, and see the state of perpetuating the skirmishes as Necessarily Evil.
- For Great Justice: Kurara had a rough childhood growing up in crime heavy area, and her desire for justice is what drove her to become a cop.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: The pilots: model & racer Aoi, young cop Kurara, Bad Ass Bookworm salaryman Johnny, and Hot-Blooded homeless bum Sakuya.
- Good Costume Switch: Ada goes from being pale and sickly looking with dark lipstick to a regular complexion when she turns good. Her helmet also goes from being a Scary Shiny Visor to showing her eyes, and she goes from being monotone and robotic to her usual personality. Oddly its never explained why she suddenly looked like that as a villain as she looked normal in her civilian persona.
- Got Volunteered: The Dragon's Hive is very forceful and intrusive in their recruitment methods. The basically kidnap the four main characters via Teleportation and send them into their first mission before they even agreed to become pilots.
- Head-Turning Beauty: Aoi is extremely attractive and this is noticed by many In-Universe, especially her racing crew. She even works as model as a side gig.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Fog Sweeper and Earth Will in Dragon's Hive in the final episode. Maybe. Unlike everyone else, these two don't show up again so it's highly suggested that they had been Killed Off for Real.
- Homeless Hero: Sakuya is homeless and unemployed before being recruited to pilot Dancouga, and stays that way for a few episodes. Pointing out that he is, or was homeless is also something of a catchphrase for him.
- Home Nudist: Aoi walks around her house in the buff while talking to Riruri on the phone. When she has to share her room with Kurara in the Dragon's Hive, she's annoyed as she values her privacy.
- Hot-Blooded: Played straight with Sakuya but downplayed with Aoi, who is usually cool and collected, but becomes the most Hot Blooded member when she gets passionate.
- Hot Springs Episode: Episode 3 has most of the characters bathe in the Dragon's Hive hot spring, although since it's unisex they're all wearing swimwear. Doesn't stop fanservice from happening as the camera lingers on Seime as she gets a Sexy Surfacing Shot in her black bikini.
- Hour of Power: The Dancougar Nova is a Combining Mecha, but it can't stay on that form for too long or it may overheat, forcing the pilots to use their individual mechas and only fusing when necessary.
- Idiosyncratic Wipes: uses sometimes an element of the incoming scene as a wipe. Notably, one of the early episodes used Aoi's butt.
- Idol Singer: Johnny has a crush on one - Ada and even gets to meet her in person. It's Love at First Sight.
- I Fight for the Strongest Side!: Inverted, The Dancouga Nova shows up in battlefields all around the world and will always target the strongest side. And if the previous losing side starts winning in the next battlefield, the Dancouga Nova will target it next.
- Ignore the Fanservice: Both Sakuya and Johnny aren't interested in any of the fanservice that happens around them.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: One of Moon Will's attacks has him sending out a ton of spikes at Dancouga Nova. It just barely misses the pilots.
- Improbable Age: 15-year-olds are considered adults in the setting, due to an Earthquake ravishing Japan, the age of adulthood was lowered to 15.
- Kurara, Although, by the time the story takes place, she's already an young adult, she became a renowned narcotics officers at the age of 15.
- Riruri is also 15 years old, while being an important assistant and psychiatrist for a secret N.G.O. Superpower.
- Incompatible Orientation: While drunk, Sammy plants a Forceful Kiss on Aoi, who doesn't appreciate it as she's not into girls.
- In Name Only: Dancougar Nova doesn't have a whole lot in common with the original Dancougar, instead resembling Gravion, another Masami Obari mecha anime.
- The final boss is a giant mech literally named "Original Dancougar"... Except its appearance and attacks looked absolutely nothing like the Dancougar. Super Robot Wars Z2 handwaved it by saying that it was Moon Will's own version of the Dancougar, and thus his "original" creation.
- Innocent Innuendo: Sammy finishes the Boost Nova Knuckle, and invites Sakuya to test it in the simulator room. Aoi and Kurara follow them, and listen in on their conversation, which sounds very sexual. They barge in to find Sammy standing outside the simulator, and Sakuya thrilled about his new weapon.
- Intrepid Reporter: Isabelle Cronkite is a reporter that is focused on the mystery involving The Dancouga Nova, to the point she even visits active war zones in order to investigate it.
- Island Base: The Dragon's Hive base is located in a Deserted Island in the Pacific ocean called "Ryuga Island", and its existence is a secret from the public since it was created in the huge Earthquake that occurred before the show started.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: When Team D is first assembled, Riruri says their memories will need to be erased if they happen to Refuse the Call. Later when Isabelle manages to find the Dragon's Hive location, she is captured and has her memory erased.
- Legacy Character:
- The pilot's of the Dancouga are changed periodically, with The Dragon's Hive crew being in charge of the recruitment.
- Dancouga Nova himself is one to the first Dancouga, Fog Sweeper intentionally copied its design In-Universe.
- The Load: Sakuya start's to feel like one, since his Nova Rhino doesn't have any weapon once he combines into Dancouga. At least until Sammy gets him a Rocket Punch.
- A Mech by Any Other Name: The unmanned Mook most armies deploy are called Warroids while the big Humongous Mecha are called Genocidrons.
- Motion-Capture Mecha: The combined form of the Cancougar Nova can only be piloted by Aoi through a direct motion tracing system.
- Mysterious Backer: Fog Sweeper for the Dancouga Team, he says he's using Dancouga to preserve world peace, but his real objective is to actually build up Dancouga Nova so it can fend off Moon Will.
- Ms. Fanservice:
- Sammy is an attractive dark-skinned blonde with giant boobs that are constantly bouncing.
- Aoi is really easy on the eyes, is fairly buxom and often wears outfits that show a Navel-Deep Neckline or exposing midriffs. Not to mention how she, in her own words, sleeps in her "original".
- Naked People Trapped Outside: Isabelle manages to find Ryuga Island just as Aoi and Kurara where Skinny Dipping in the beach, prompting them to hide behind a rock as their clothes were too far away for them to run to. They decide it's best to use their teleportation device, and end up back at base in the same room as Johnny and Sakuya. Cue Naked Freak-Out followed by Pervert Revenge Mode. But the scene wasn't just for fanservice, as Isabelle ends up finding the girl's clothes which leads her to find the Dragon's Hive.
- Navel-Deep Neckline:
- Many of Aoi's outfits show this, especially in the artwork.
- Isabelle's dress at the party also shows off her cleavage in a deep V cut.
- Neuro-Vault: Instruction of how to pilot the Dancouga were downloaded into the four pilot's brains upon their arrival in The Dragon's Hive.
- N.G.O. Superpower: The Dragon's Hive is an absurdly powerful secret organization that funds the development of Dancougar Nova (The world's greatest weapon), has enough money to pay it's staff more than Aoi makes as both a model and a racer and has enough resources to completely recreate the pilot's rooms in their island down to the most benign detail.
- Non-Action Guy: Johnny is deadly piloting his mech, but physically he has no fighting skills whatsoever.
- No Time to Explain: Frequently happens to the Team D, they're usually dispatched on a mission before Tanaka can fully answer all their questions.
- Omniscient Morality License: The four pilots often feel like they are being manipulated in this way.
- Out-of-Clothes Experience: Aoi gets a couple near the end of the story while piloting Dancouga, usually with Barbie Doll Anatomy.
- Personality Blood Types: The Da team are selected based on the Japanese blood type personality theory - each team consists of an A (Aoi), a B (Kurara), an O (Johnny), and an AB (Sakuya).
- The Protagonist: Aoi Hidaka is main focus of the story, with her character arc having the most spotlight and she's also the main pilot of Dancouga Nova.
- Really Gets Around: Seimi has had a lot of lovers, both men and women, but has been focused on her job ever since she was hired. When she gets stressed, Riruri's psychological analysis for her is basically You Need to Get Laid.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Commander Tanaka tries to pass off as one, he acts friendly and answers team D's questions to the best of his ability, but has a few Ambiguously Evil moments at the start of the story.
- Recoil Boost: A particularly crazy example in episode 5, in which Kurara throws a Grenade on the floor and jumps into the air, with the grenades Explosion Propulsion sending her high into the air.
- Recruit Teenagers with Attitude: The members are picked to be the Dancouga Nova pilots are all fairly young adults, with their fair share of emotional issues.
- Rescue Romance: Isabelle falls for Sakuya after he rescues her.
- The Rival: R-Daigun is a super-robot that rivals Dancouga Nova in power, a red Beast Machine designed by a company that rivals Fog Sweeper.
- Rocket Punch: Sakuya has one called "Boost Nova Knuckle".
- Salaryman: Johnny starts of as one who later quits his job while Sakuya used to be one, or so it seems.
- She Cleans Up Nicely: Aoi usually wears sporty clothes around the base, so the boys forget she's a model until they see her in a fancy dress for Fog Sweeper's party.
- Sleeps in the Nude: Aoi is shown to sleep in "her original" in episode 2 when she wakes up in a Catapult Nightmare, with a Modesty Bedsheet covering all important bits. Riruri calls in her Video Phone moments later, and finds it odd Aoi disabled the video feed.Aoi: I sleep in a way I don't like others to see. Especially men.
Riruri: Like wearing Chanel No. 5 or 6?
Aoi: Non. It's an original. - Shout-Out:
- Riruri's Lulli Luli? Baka bakka? Sounds like Ruri Hoshino.
- Riruri asking if Aoi wears Chanel No. 5 after she reveals she Sleeps in the Nude is one to Marilyn Monroe who famously revealed she wore only Chanel No. 5 to bed on "The Radio".
- D for Dangerous is a notable line from Tekkaman Blade.
- Johnny at one point gets referred as Clark Kent, and he says he can't fly.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!:
- Episode 4 has Kurara rejecting the Eagleland representative's belief that Might Makes Right.
- Aoi won't listen to bullshit about how Humans Are Bastards. [[spoiler: During the Final Battle, the Big Bad Moon Will seemingly has Aoi at his mercy, and is explaining that, having acknowledged humans as a dangerous species, he has decided to wipe them out for the good of all and for maintaining the balance of the universe. Despite having taken grievous injuries earlier in the episode, Aoi stands up again and boldly challenges the evil computer. "So what? You think we're gonna keel over and die just because you said so?". And then she literally punches out the godlike computer, killing him on the spot.
-
Spiritual Successor: To Gravion. - Stock Footage: The Dancouga Nova combination sequence happens at least Once per Episode.
- Episode 5 features a Flashback to Aoi's racing stunt in Episode 1.
- Shrouded in Myth: The Dancougar Nova is this In-Universe for most of the population, with no one knowing why it appears, only that it intervenes in war zones around the world in order to aid the losing side.
- Super Cop: Kurara. When she was 15 years old, she cleaned up the corrupt narcotics division of the police department single-handedly. Her Improbable Aiming Skills probably helped a lot.
- Sword Pointing: A given, since this is a Masami Obari work, this is a frequent pose the Dancouga Nova assumes. It's even the Eye Catch for commercial breaks.
- Take That!: America had invaded the Middle East using a war on terrorism as a cover and caused terrorism to spread throughout the world.
- Technical Pacifist: The Dancouga Nova is known for not harming the humans inside the mechs it destroys.
- Teleportation: The pilots are all given a teleportation device that will take transport then to Ryuga Island.
- Theme Music Power-Up: Lampshaded. Dancouga Nova plays it's own theme song over external speakers.
- Trash of the Titans: Kurara's room is extremely messy and she's very embarrassed when the Dragon's Give replicates it, including its messiness. Aoi snarks it reminds her more of a cellar than a room.
- Thrill Seeker: Aoi is one, and it's the part of the reason she's a Formula 1 racer and later takes on the job of piloting the Dancouga Nova.
- Too Hot for TV: The TV broadcast for the Naked People Trapped Outside scene had both girls wearing Modesty Towels. The DVD version had them both nude, but still employing Godiva Hair or Hand-or-Object Underwear.
- True Companions: Aoi, Sakuya, Kurara and Johnny start out as complete strangers and end up like this.
- Undressing the Unconscious: Downplayed, when the four main characters are abducted to the Dragon's Hive they have many of their personal items taken away, but are still dressed in the same clothes they had before they were snatched.
- Wake Up Fighting: Kurara unconsciously reach for her gun (that was taken from her) when Aoi wakes her after they're both teleported away to the Dragon's Hive.
- Wild Card: The Dancouga Nova is seen as this as it will attack a military force one day and assist it the next, depending on that force’s relative strength in any given battle.
- Wrench Wench: Sammy is the buxom head mechanic of Dancouga Nova.
