Ground Defense Force! Mao-chan
An incredibly kawaii anime series created by Ken Akamatsu.
Japan's Self Defense Force has often been rolled out in anime and science fiction, instructed to save the world from all kinds of dangers, from Godzilla to the attacking angels of Evangelion. But not all alien menaces require the SDF's full level of firepower. Mao Onigawara, aka Mao-chan, is a cute preteen girl whose grandfather happens to be the Chief of Staff for the Land Defense Unit. Dressed inexplicably like drum majorettes, she and her fellow girls deal with the cuter forms of alien invasion. As insanely over-privileged military brats, they get to do so by flying 1:1-scale model kits into battle, although their foes often turn out to be incredibly cute, fluffy aliens, which can often be dealt with by the simple expedient of tapping them on the head with a baton.
Each comes down from space in a toy capsule, which breaks open once safely in the atmosphere; then the being inside floats down to Earth on a candy-colored parachute. So far, the invaders haven't actually done anything more evil than crowd out tourist spots, and there is minimal public support for the use of force against these endearing aliens; the authorities have to fight cute with cute. As in certain other shows that take themselves a little more seriously, the answer lies in using the aliens' own weaponry against them, mainly through badges made of retrieved alien material. Shaped like clovers with smiley faces, these "chibi SMA" items react to the power of the universe and the fighting spirit of the wearer, enabling her to transform.
A cheerful parody of anime's alien invasion excesses, this show also includes several walk-on cameos for cast members from creator Ken Akamatsu's earlier Love Hina, although their identity is often masked for copyright reasons. Where once anime sought to allegorize the trauma of Japan's defeat in a terrible war, it now sanitizes and homogenizes it all to look like a glorified treasure hunt out of Pokémon. The aliens, however, are smarter than they look and have infiltrated major positions of power and influence, like the student council presidency of Mao-chan's high school. However, since the aliens' reaction when found out and told how naughty it is to invade is to apologize and go away, a bloodbath is never in the cards. Even their supposedly evil emperor, Galaxy King, is a Pillsbury doughboy who just says "Oh!" and steams gently when defeated. Silly and sweet.
Each comes down from space in a toy capsule, which breaks open once safely in the atmosphere; then the being inside floats down to Earth on a candy-colored parachute. So far, the invaders haven't actually done anything more evil than crowd out tourist spots, and there is minimal public support for the use of force against these endearing aliens; the authorities have to fight cute with cute. As in certain other shows that take themselves a little more seriously, the answer lies in using the aliens' own weaponry against them, mainly through badges made of retrieved alien material. Shaped like clovers with smiley faces, these "chibi SMA" items react to the power of the universe and the fighting spirit of the wearer, enabling her to transform.
A cheerful parody of anime's alien invasion excesses, this show also includes several walk-on cameos for cast members from creator Ken Akamatsu's earlier Love Hina, although their identity is often masked for copyright reasons. Where once anime sought to allegorize the trauma of Japan's defeat in a terrible war, it now sanitizes and homogenizes it all to look like a glorified treasure hunt out of Pokémon. The aliens, however, are smarter than they look and have infiltrated major positions of power and influence, like the student council presidency of Mao-chan's high school. However, since the aliens' reaction when found out and told how naughty it is to invade is to apologize and go away, a bloodbath is never in the cards. Even their supposedly evil emperor, Galaxy King, is a Pillsbury doughboy who just says "Oh!" and steams gently when defeated. Silly and sweet.
Episodes
| Season/Ep# | Name | Airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 - 26
|
Today I'll Defend Loosely as Usual! |
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|
1 - 25
|
Protect the Memories |
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|
1 - 24
|
The Woman of the Purple Lilies |
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|
1 - 23
|
I'm Sorry, Mii-kun |
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|
1 - 22
|
Let's Defend Happiness! |
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|
1 - 21
|
American Defense Girl |
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|
1 - 20
|
To the Hot Springs to Pass the Exams for Tokyo U! |
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|
1 - 19
|
Apples - Tangerines - Melons |
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|
1 - 18
|
The Cheerful Snow Festival! |
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|
1 - 17
|
An Actor's Road is Harsh... |
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|
1 - 16
|
Mii-kun Ran Away |
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|
1 - 15
|
Kikuchimonji the III Enters! |
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|
1 - 14
|
Defense Headquarters Crisis |
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|
1 - 13
|
My Mother Came! |
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|
1 - 12
|
Asleep or Awake, We Must Defend! |
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|
1 - 11
|
Put Everything Aside, It's a Field Day! |
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|
1 - 10
|
Japan Collection Mission |
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|
1 - 9
|
Formation, Total Defense Party |
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|
1 - 8
|
Project "Defense Barrier" |
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|
1 - 7
|
I'll Defend Even the Water Striders! |
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Series Credits
| Person Name | Episode Count | |
|---|---|---|
 |
Ken Akamatsu | 1 |
To edit the cast, go to an episode page.
Original US Poster Art
General Information
Edit
 Name |
Ground Defense Force! Mao-chan |
 Name: |
陸上防衛隊まおちゃん |
| Romaji: |
Rikujō Bōetai Mao-chan |
| Publisher | XEBEC |
| Start Year | 2002 |
| Genres | |
| Themes |
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|
| Aliases | Land Defense Force Mao-chan Earth Defense Force Mao-chan Ground Defense Force! Mao-chan Earth Defender! Mao-chan |
Franchise
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Recurring Appearances
Top Editors
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BobCat
15 points
- FoxxFireArt 2 points
- MisterX 1 point
