Queen Emeraldas

S.O.T.A. Revolution | home

Queen Emeraldas

genre: science fiction

Emeraldas, a privateer who travels the endless sea of space, A woman who lost her one and only true love, and whose lover's spirit lives on in one of two ships -- Captain Harlock's Arcadia, and her own Queen Emeraldas, she is destined to travel the stars, bring justice for people who are otherwise unable to defend themselves.

Created by Matsumoto Leiji, creator of the Harlock series and Galaxy Express. Distributed in North America by ADV Films.

Parental Guidance Advised - Violence, and adult situations. This series is based on attitudes of a different time, when honour was a deeply personal item. People get hurt and/or killed by either huge explosions or small arms.

Episode 1: Departure

Length: 30 minutes

Rating: NR, Café rated Parental Guidance Advised

Format: DVD / VHS, Original Japanese Dialog / Subtitled / English Dub

Young Umino Hiroshi has nothing for him in his past... so he sets out to make something of his future. Determined to follow the footsteps of the legendary Tochiro, master builder of the Arcadia, Hiroshi stows away on board a frieghter bound for Daibaran, the planet whose energy crystals made ships like the Arcadia possible.

But during the voyage, the ship and her crew are set up by Alfressian pirates. Engines failing, the ship is about to be destroyed, when a stealth ship's shields intercept the incoming fire. After dispatching the Afressian assault, the mysterious ship disappears just as quickly as it came...

Bararuda, supreme commander of the Afressian forces, is not impressed by these latest developments, and orders Eldomain, commander of the Afressian fleet to hunt down this new interloper. Determined to discover who owns such a powerful ship, Eldomain and his men arrive at a small saloon on Daibaran -- a saloon where Hiroshi has managed to find employment. Not impressed by the bullying tactics of the Afressian commander, Hiroshi finds himself staring at the business end of a gun. Just as it seems that his short life is about to end, a woman intercedes... a woman who turns out to be none other than Emeraldas!

Matsumoto Leije is a man with a lot of baggage. His works tend to follow very familiar themes, use similar characters, and follow common plot lines. Queen Emeraldas, despite its up-to-date animation, is no exception. This is merely yet another recycled plot, which even has the audacity to steal scenes from other well-known films.

matsumoto's universe is vast in one sense that there are many players, but it's also very small -- the major players are clones of each other. Emeraldas is the tall, stark, lone privateer, forever voyaging the Sea of Stars, haunted by the memory of her lost love, Tochiro. Umino Hiroshi (even the character names are getting all to familiar), played by Hayashibara Megumi is the young boy, destined to become great man and builder; a mirror of Emeraldas' lost lover. And you have the leader of the Afressian forces, a person of opposing political views, but of the same spirit as our lead heroine.

This series does bring one new item to the table -- the anime character designs faithfully capture the gnarled look of the minor players, most notably of Le Law, the grizzled old stowaway, and the crew members of the ill-fated freighter.

Even more impressive is the score -- a fully orchestrated piece, which exudes a grandness of scale perhaps better suited for a full-length motion picture. The opening theme's haunting vocals is a more modern version of what we've heard before in the Harlock series, and like its predecessors, it will stick in your memory.

But perhaps even more disturbing than the recycling of old ideas is the outright borrowing of scenes from other films, most notably the showdown between Emeraldas and Eldomain, a scene unabashedly lifted from Batman: The Movie, where Batman, on board his Batwing, faces off against the Joker. This is one series that needs more than a cosmetic upgrade to make it of any worth.

- AN, 2000.03.22


	S.O.T.A. Revolution \| home Anime Reviews \| Ah! Megamisama! \| Aono Rokugo \| Arcadia of my youth \| Arislan Senki \| Armitage III \| Ayashi no Ceres \| BAOH \| Battle Angel \| Birdy the Mighty \| Black Jack \| Bubblegum Crisis \| Card Captor Sakura \| Cowboy Bebop \| Crystania no Densetsu \| DBZ Review \| Earthian \| Fake \| Fatal Fury III: The Motion Picture \| Hono Tripper \| Fushigi Yuugi \| Galaxy Express 999 \| Koukaku Kidoutai \| Hotaru No Haka \| Umi Ga Kikoeru \| Juiichinin Iru \| Kaze no Namae wa Amnesia \| Laputa, Castle in the Sky \| Mei Tantei Conan \| Mermaid's Scar \| Ninja Scroll \| Only Yesterday \| Princess Mononoke \| Queen Emeraldas \| Rail of the Star \| Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie \| Tekken Review \| Ultimate Fighter: Grappler Baki \| The Vision of Escaflowne \| Warriors of the Wind \| X: The Movie Queen Emeraldas genre: science fiction Emeraldas, a privateer who travels the endless sea of space, A woman who lost her one and only true love, and whose lover's spirit lives on in one of two ships -- Captain Harlock's Arcadia, and her own Queen Emeraldas, she is destined to travel the stars, bring justice for people who are otherwise unable to defend themselves. Created by Matsumoto Leiji, creator of the Harlock series and Galaxy Express. Distributed in North America by ADV Films. Parental Guidance Advised - Violence, and adult situations. This series is based on attitudes of a different time, when honour was a deeply personal item. People get hurt and/or killed by either huge explosions or small arms. Episode 1: Departure Copyright: © 1998 Matsumoto Leiji / Maxam, ©1999 ADV Films Length: 30 minutes Rating: NR, Café rated Parental Guidance Advised Format: DVD / VHS, Original Japanese Dialog / Subtitled / English Dub Young Umino Hiroshi has nothing for him in his past... so he sets out to make something of his future. Determined to follow the footsteps of the legendary Tochiro, master builder of the Arcadia, Hiroshi stows away on board a frieghter bound for Daibaran, the planet whose energy crystals made ships like the Arcadia possible. But during the voyage, the ship and her crew are set up by Alfressian pirates. Engines failing, the ship is about to be destroyed, when a stealth ship's shields intercept the incoming fire. After dispatching the Afressian assault, the mysterious ship disappears just as quickly as it came... Bararuda, supreme commander of the Afressian forces, is not impressed by these latest developments, and orders Eldomain, commander of the Afressian fleet to hunt down this new interloper. Determined to discover who owns such a powerful ship, Eldomain and his men arrive at a small saloon on Daibaran -- a saloon where Hiroshi has managed to find employment. Not impressed by the bullying tactics of the Afressian commander, Hiroshi finds himself staring at the business end of a gun. Just as it seems that his short life is about to end, a woman intercedes... a woman who turns out to be none other than Emeraldas! Matsumoto Leije is a man with a lot of baggage. His works tend to follow very familiar themes, use similar characters, and follow common plot lines. Queen Emeraldas, despite its up-to-date animation, is no exception. This is merely yet another recycled plot, which even has the audacity to steal scenes from other well-known films. matsumoto's universe is vast in one sense that there are many players, but it's also very small -- the major players are clones of each other. Emeraldas is the tall, stark, lone privateer, forever voyaging the Sea of Stars, haunted by the memory of her lost love, Tochiro. Umino Hiroshi (even the character names are getting all to familiar), played by Hayashibara Megumi is the young boy, destined to become great man and builder; a mirror of Emeraldas' lost lover. And you have the leader of the Afressian forces, a person of opposing political views, but of the same spirit as our lead heroine. This series does bring one new item to the table -- the anime character designs faithfully capture the gnarled look of the minor players, most notably of Le Law, the grizzled old stowaway, and the crew members of the ill-fated freighter. Even more impressive is the score -- a fully orchestrated piece, which exudes a grandness of scale perhaps better suited for a full-length motion picture. The opening theme's haunting vocals is a more modern version of what we've heard before in the Harlock series, and like its predecessors, it will stick in your memory. But perhaps even more disturbing than the recycling of old ideas is the outright borrowing of scenes from other films, most notably the showdown between Emeraldas and Eldomain, a scene unabashedly lifted from Batman: The Movie, where Batman, on board his Batwing, faces off against the Joker. This is one series that needs more than a cosmetic upgrade to make it of any worth. - AN, 2000.03.22