Captain Justy Ueki Tylor (age 20, as he is fond of telling anyone who will listen), is the last person you'd expect to be a war hero. He's supremely lazy, quintessentially apathetic, doesn't like fighting, has an eye for the ladies, is a schmoozer and flatterer, and prefers his long battered coat (with smiley-face button on the lapel) to his military uniform. Having somehow managed to get himself into Earth's space navy (after flirting with the naval test center's central computer, causing it to crash) AND make himself a hero during a hostage crisis, Tylor is placed in command of the most run-down, useless, mutinous space destroyer in the fleet (the admirals want him as far out of the way as possible). And yet, there's something about Justy Ueki Tylor (age 20); he manages to win battle after battle against the Raalgon Empire (Earth's mortal enemies), and he inspires an odd loyalty among his crew of misfits and wierdoes. Before long, Tylor makes friends with the young Raalgon empress, impresses the Raalgon military leader, and leads the Earth forces to the most bloodless victory in war ever achieved.

This anime is brilliant in its subtle oddity. Is Tylor a supremely lucky idiot, or the most clever human being who ever lived? Are his often-bizarre actions just random reactions, or are they part of some larger picture? By the end of the show, these questions are answered (even to the satisfaction of the admirals who spend most of the series wishing he'd just vanish into a black hole somewhere), but like with any good journey, it's the trip and not the destination that matters. The antics of Tylor and his oddball crew (a tight-assed first officer, a vain navigator, a bitchy communications officer, a gynophobic fighter pilot, an android nurse, a 33-year-old doctor who says he's been drinking for 30 years, and the lone competent second officer who is also Tylor's love interest, and a LOT more) are more entertaining than most comedy anime. Virtual whack-a-mole, shipboard beauty contests, haunted sectors of space, and loser terrorists are just the beginning. The silliness and enigmas surrounding Tylor are what make this anime worth watching, and there's nothing else like it anywhere. Available from Right Stuf International.