Like a tireless vigilante, Emeraldas wanders endlessly into space... fighting
against those who would oppress the innocent. She is a lone woman haunted by
her past, destined to journey in solitude. But when Emeraldas encounters a
feisty boy named Hiroshi, something inside impels her to go out of her way to
help him... even if it means challenging the merciless Afressian fleet alone.
Review: Queen Emeraldas
Queen Emeraldas is from the legendary Leiji Matsumoto, who is probably best
known as the man behind the classic anime series "Star Blazers".
Now I'm not very familiar with Matsumoto's other works, and Queen Emeraldas anime is
my first exposure to the much celebrated Galaxy Express universe
(which includes titles like "Galaxy Express 999", "Maetel Legend", and
"Harlock Saga").
Queen Emeraldas is actually the name of our heroine Emeraldas' spaceship,
which looks like a gigantic blimp that was somehow merged with a pirate ship.
The series is made up of only two episodes, which are just about enough to
give you an idea of what Emeraldas' life is like but not much else. She saves
a boy named Hiroshi and fights some antagonists, but we are ultimately left
with about a hundred why's.
Why is Emeraldas destined to wander in space alone? Why is her name known
throughout the galaxy? Why is it that only she and Capt. Harlock can display
the skull and crossbones insignia on their ships? Why was she even in love
with a short, fat weirdo like Tochiro?
(I mean I'd understand if it were Capt. Harlock but hey...) Why did she
give Hiroshi the gun? Well, we're definitely not getting the answers from this
series.
The character designs are very distinct. You'd know with just one look that
they are Leiji Matsumoto's creations.
Emeraldas is a tall, lithe figure with a majestic air. She fills up the screen
with her commanding presence. She's impossibly cool, collected, and
invulnerable. She never gets hit by the enemy even when she just stands there
and waits for the barrage, and the same goes for her ship.
More incredible still is the fact that she can wipe out hundreds of enemy
ships all by herself. While I liked her a lot, I thought she was just too...
um, super to be true.
The art and animation are excellent, more so whenever Emeraldas is on the
scene. The English dubbing is done pretty well, except for the fact that
Emeraldas' voice actress sounds too old for the part.
What Queen Emeraldas does is give you a glimpse of something vast and
intriguing, and you would undoubtedly have to watch Matsumoto's other related
works to get the big picture.
Queen Emeraldas | |
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi |
|---|---|
| Episodes | 4 |
| Status | Finished Airing |
| Aired | Jun 5, 1998 to Dec 18, 1999 |
| Producers | Four Some, Dynamic Planning |
| Studio | OLM |
| Rating | PG-13 - Teens 13 or older |
| Themes | Space |
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