Search - Queen Emeraldas on DVD

Fun series with a lot of flaws

Zack Davisson | Seattle, WA, USA | 03/12/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Queen Emereldas" is fun. The OVA is peppered with flaws, preventing it from being more than fun, but it is still a good DVD and a nice addition to the Matsumoto stable.As with most Matsumoto, "Queen Emereldas" is heavy on melodrama. "I am.....Emereldas (accompanied by a fierce wind that blows cape in a dramatic fashion.)" His work is pretty firmly Science Fantasy rather than Science Fiction. Spaceships are re-conditioned pirate ships with flags blowing in a non-existant wind as they sail the silent seas. Weapons are based on archaic swords and heavy dragoons. "Queen Emereldas" has all of these Matsumoto touches in spades. Honor and strength matter more than plot, and every scrappy kid has the right to be a man. The orchestral music is sweeping drama.On the flaw side, as with "Harlock Saga," "Queen Emereldas" has a hard time with computer animation and cel animation. The two styles mix together jaringly. For some bizarre reason, the DVD switches to French about 2/3 of the way through. With a remote control it is easy enough to switch it back, but it is strange that this error got through on a professional DVD.Storywise, "Queen Emereldas" assumes you are up on your Matsumoto. There are no introductions made for characters like Tochiro or the mechanoids. Backstory is never filled in. Someone not familiar with Matsumoto's previous work would be very confused and disappointed by "Queen Emereldas."Still, with so little of Matsumoto's work available on DVD, each crumb dropped from the table feels like a feast. It's a fun series and I enjoy it in spite of it's flaws."

Very good, but...

S. Collier | Millersville, MD USA | 05/24/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Queen Emeraldas is an excellent OVA for those who already are familiar with Matsumoto's works. However, if you aren't familiar with the 'Lejiverse' then you probably won't like it very much. There are 2 things that are keeping me from rating this thing 5 stars. The first is the fact that the DVD encoding is horribly messed up! In episode 2, if you have the Japanese audio track on, it switches to French! The only way to correct this is to switch the audio over to French where it becomes Japanese. Then, halfway through episode 2, the French channel becomes French and you then have to switch the audio back over to Japanese. As you can see, it's sort of confusing, and annoying. I just pray that you all have DVD remote controls with Audio buttons on them, so you won't have to go to the menu every time.The second is the actual OVA itself. I believe in giving an unbiased review, and to me, unbiased in this case means a review of someone who is not a Matsumoto fan. If I had no knowledge of the Matsumoto universe, I would wish I hadn't bought the DVD. I guess the OVA is sort of like a gift to the long-time Matsumoto fans. Also...with the exception of the very first CG shot, I can't stand the computer graphics."

Life is good

usagibrian | San Francisco, CA USA | 01/19/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"DVD & anime is a match made in heaven and QE OVA is a perfect example why. Scene access, dub or sub, all at your fingertips. I've loved Emeraldus for years and this video shows her off as she was meant to be (woe to the unwary [and unworthy] who fly the crimson skull and crossbones). If you don't know the Leijiverse, I don't know if you'll be as enthusiastic as I am, but if you know the characters at all, you'll fall in love all over again (how can you not love a woman who wields one of the 4 existing Cosmo Dragoons?). I can't wait for the next four eps."

Queen Emeraldas DVD

W. Bittle | Florida | 12/19/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm somewhat new to anime, but I can tell you this, Queen Emeraldas is fantastic. My only complaint is that I was left wanting more, a LOT more, as in several more episodes of this story. Anyone who enjoys the works of Leiji Matsumoto will like this one. This is a must see for any fan of Galaxy Express 999 or Captain Harlock. The DVD version is great because you can play it either English dubbed or Japanese with English subs. This movie tells you a bit about Emeraldas' past in a way similar to what "Vengeance of the Space Pirate" does Captain Harlock's past. You will see appearances of several characters from other Leiji Matsumoto anime movies as well."