Bodacious Space Pirates: A Stellar Anime That Defies Expectations

Bodacious Space Pirates

Have you ever inherited something from a family member, close friend, or even someone you barely knew? Receiving something like this would leave you wondering what to do with it unless they or someone else has specified what you need to do. Even if it’s the latter, you, as the inheritor, get a choice to go along with it or continue life as if nothing changed. The circumstances and magnitude vary vastly, but such decisions are rarely easy, especially when the conditions are life-changing for the better or worse. So, let us embark on a journey born of such a critical decision...

“Bodacious Space Pirates,” also known as “Mouretsu Pirates,” “Mouretsu Uchuu Kaizoku,” or “Miniskirt Pirates,” is a 26-episode TV anime series that aired from the 8th of January to the 1st of July in Winter 2012. It was produced by Starchild Records and Magic Capsule, licensed by Sentai Filmworks, and brought to life by Studio Satelight.

The primary staff behind it included Shimasue Rie as producer, Satou Tatsuo as director, Aketagawa Jin as sound director, and Itou Tatsufumi as episode director on the storyboard and key animation. It features the genre of sci-fi alongside the theme of space, earning a rating of PG-13 for teenagers 13 years or older for its stretch of 24-minute episodes. The series won the 44th Seiun Award for Best Media in 2013, getting released on Blu-ray and DVD via Sentai Filmworks from the 8th of January till the 5th of March, 2013. Afterwards, the company republished it as a complete collection in the same formats on the 7th of October, 2014.

The anime is based on the light novel Miniskirt Pirates, which ran for 12 volumes from October 21st, 2008, to August 20th, 2014. It is the work of author Sasamoto Yuuichi and artist Matsumoto Noriyuki. An alternative version is a manga titled “Space Pirates of Minisuka” or “Miniskirt Uchuu Kaizoku," which spanned one volume from June 2nd to December 3rd, 2012.

It featured the additional action genre and got serialized in Niconico Seiga thanks to the same author's work but a different artist, Touge Hiro. A sequel to the anime was released in the form of a movie titled “Mouretsu Pirates: Abyss of Hyperspace” or “Bodacious Space Pirates the Movie: Abyss of Hyperspace," which aired on the 22nd of February 2014. It has a runtime of 1 hour and 32 minutes and is based on the manga of the same title, which ran for two volumes from the 27th of December 2013 till the 27th of September 2014. This manga featured the adventure genre and targeted the Seinen demographic, the work of author Satou Tatsuo and artist Chibimaru.

The story is set in the far future when interstellar travel is standard and nothing impressive. The camera focuses on a peculiar high school girl named Marika Katou, who lives her life balancing her duties in a space yacht club and her part-time hustle as a restaurant waitress.

After a fateful encounter with an exceptional pair of customers, Marika meets them again to discover that her long-absent father has passed away. He was well-known as the legendary pirate "Gonzaemon" during his time. He had left behind his infamous ship named “Bentenmaru” alongside its crew for Marika, and only Marika could inherit it. Now left with but one of the remaining Letters of Marque that permit legal piracy, our MC must decide to either remain a regular girl or take up an eventful second life as a high-octane space pirate.

While she ponders this problematic choice, her highly delicate situation attracts the eyes of numerous government agencies, as does a mysterious transfer student named Chiaki Kurihara. All these forces are eager to see if the budding new captain will live up to her father's groundbreaking reputation. But that’s not enough for the crew of the Bentenmaru to maintain their high status, as they must also set sail into the vast expanses of space to become a feared name amidst the cosmos once more.

After reading the synopsis, I thought this would be another show filled with tedious Moe, fan service, over-the-top drama, cutesy Maids, and laughably bad pirates. There’s hardly anything new or inspiring about shows like this, but goodness gracious, Bodacious Space Pirates proved me utterly wrong! The reason? Perhaps because the creators put in a genuine effort to create a fun and engaging space adventure built around a solid MC. I loved Marika to the ends of the cosmos and back, and you likely will, too!

The story is simple yet charming, bringing out the best in its excellent cast. Marika’s old life is what we see in most Slice of Life shows, but everything changes after she decides to become the Space Pirate Captain. As the series progresses, we see and learn about the ins and outs of space piracy in this world alongside Marika.

The show goes even further to explain terminology regarding ships and how they function, including but not limited to cyber warfare to take over the systems of an enemy ship and beyond. These aspects are executed so well that it genuinely interested me, and I was hyped for more; even the Faster Than Light (FTL) travel at the most crucial of times was so exciting!

The MC drives the plot forward, whose decisions as the captain steer the tale on its course and leave you intrigued for the next episode. I found myself clinging to the story in no time because the theme and world-building are on point, leaving nothing to be desired.

The characters, especially the protagonist, are undoubtedly the best thing about this show. Marika is a highly lovable MC who you start to support from the onset thanks to her straightforwardness and cheerfulness, whose character writing is so good that the only way she can go is up.

Make no mistake—she was not born perfect and didn’t pull off miraculous feats “just because”; she progressively learns and grows while fighting an uphill battle in the world of piracy. The show doesn’t immediately put her in the captain's seat because that position demands a well-experienced leader, not some snarky teenager. She has to learn everything from what it means to be a pirate to shooting a laser gun!

By the time she becomes Captain, we know that she developed to that point with all the effort she could muster. The remaining characters are also interesting, though none hold a candle to the lead. While the initial episodes focus on Marika, as they should, the later episodes are cleverly used to flesh out the rest of her Pirate Crew. The show acknowledges that a captain can only go so far without a good crew, even if a few are bland and feel like background characters. None of them got on my nerves or made the show terrible.

The art and animation department is a feast for the eyes. These characters have pretty simple designs but are all unique and pleasing. The artwork is consistently good, and the movements are relatively fluid, retaining the same quality until the end. However, as this is a tale about Space Pirates, the animation leaves more to be desired, especially in the action scenes.

Regardless, the use of CG and its effects is commendable in this show because I can go on forever about the fantastic designs of the spaceships and their overall quality. Space is not your typical setting, but the creators used the rendering and lighting ideally to bring the locations to life. Speaking of which, the backgrounds are stellar: every location, facility, object, and interface is intricately designed without any hitches.

While it may not be as good as the rest, the Sounds and Music department did a pretty good job. The OSTs range from relaxing to intense, each fitting their respective scenes without any issues; I found most of them to be quite catchy, but by the time you’re done watching, they’ll more or less mesh together inside your head.

The opening theme is “Mouretsu Uchuu Koukyoukyoku: Daishichi Gakushou 'Mugen no Ai'" by Momoiro Clover Z, which isn’t bad. Still, they could’ve found something better for this show. I found the heavy guitar riffs alongside the overly cheerful voices to be off-putting and out-of-place for this show.

The ending themes are "LOST CHILD" by Momoiro Clover Z, "Black Holy" by Mikako Komatsu, "Toumei na Yozora ~Matataku Hoshi ni Tsutsumarete~" by Mikako Komatsu, and "Mirai Kouro" by Mikako Komatsu. I found these great pieces to be super catchy, and the jump from the episode to the ending sequence always gave me goosebumps! The voice acting lives up to the lovable cast of characters and truly brings out the best in them; no complaints there.

“Bodacious Space Pirates” delivered far more than I expected. The first episodes follow a slower pace, but it picks up as the story builds to the grand scale. While the plot is lighthearted, it will surprise you with the unorthodox directions following Marika’s decisions. The characters are the true highlight, and Marika is assured to steal your heart for being who she is: an imperfect girl with much to learn.

If you are sick and tired of Moe Anime girls doing cutesy things or “perfect” MCs who excel at everything without even trying, this show will be an absolute breath of fresh air for you, so please don’t let the weird title throw you off. I recommend this show to anyone up for a fun space adventure alongside a very human MC!