In this prequel to the best-selling Harlock Saga, Maetel, the princess of a dying world, faces starvation and death. When an evil scientist transforms her loved ones into soulless machines, Maetel is faced with an agonizing decision which will affect her loved ones forever.
This OAV series brings together two of Leiji Matsumoto's most popular creations: Emeraldas, the pirate queen from Harlock Saga, and Maetel, the mysterious woman who aids Tetsuro in Galaxy Express 999. Torn from its eccentric orbit around the sun by the dark star Ra, the planet Metalle is dying. The daughters of Queen La Andromeda Prometheum defy the evil Hardgear, who has tricked their mother and many of her subjects into becoming "mechanoids" he can use in a war against humanity. Maetel and Emeraldas escape from Metalle on the Galaxy Express, knowing that destiny will eventually lead them back to destroy the cyber-hell their world has become. The rather dark Legend lacks much of the panache of Harlock Saga and the propulsive energy of Galaxy Express, but Matsumoto's many fans will want to follow his characters on their long journey. Rated 13 Up: Violence, grotesque imagery. --Charles Solomon
| 13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:  The origins of the Matsumotoverse, By Amazon Verified Purchase This review is from: Maetel Legend (DVD) I saw "Maetel Legend" on a region 2 DVD, and I am happy to see it's US release. Matsumoto Leiji is one of the greats of Japanese animation, and it is nice to see more of his work appearing in the US. (Aside from Star Blazers, of course!) Matsumoto fills his universe with deep and mysterious characters, none more mysterious than Maetel. This 2-part series tells the origin of Maetel, the pirate queen Emeraldas, and the strange machine world from which they come. The planet La Metale drifts slowly towards a permanent ice age. Queen Promescium, along with her advisor Hard Gear, pushes the planet towards a solution that will guaranty immortality. She orders all the population to submit to the process of fully mechanizing the planet. Maetel and Emeraldas resist. Hard Gear and his new mechanized army decide that it is not there choice. Drama ensues. It is hard to see "Maetel Legend" as a stand alone. It really is a prequel to "Galaxy Express 999" which is currently... Read more 9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:  Dry..... (though good for someone new to Matsumoto), By Molly Patton (Lucerne, CA) - See all my reviews This review is from: Maetel Legend (DVD) Though it is really nice to finally see Emereldas and Maetel's past as siblings and the downfall of their mother Queen Promethia, I think this anime sadly fell flat on it's face.The only thing of interest was the fact that you got to see how Galaxy Express 999 came to happen, though most of us had a pretty good idea of what happened to begin with, and even then some of this still went unanswered even with the prequel. Which sat as a bitter pill in my book. The animation was okay enough. One of my biggest gripes was the portrayl of Maetel and Em as teenagers. I don't believe they were quite so "school girlish" in their youths. This film's biggest flaw was the blatant reuse of footage, it really ruined what interest I had in this film. It recycled it's self over and over and was over used so poorly that I just felt like this could have easily been a single 60 minute OAV. By the end of the film, I could care less about the transformation of the Queen, because they had... Read more 6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:  Quality Anime, By Caren Nichter (U.S) - See all my reviews This review is from: Maetel Legend (DVD) What can I say? Maetel is a wonderful anime with a deep theme that really makes you think. I almost cried when I watched it...it's just that touching. However,I can't say if you personally will enjoy it. Fans of Matsumoto should enjoy this,but as for others unfamiliar with Matsumoto,it depends on what you like. If you're only into action,adventure or comedy anime,you'll probably be bored by this. Otherwise,I'd say if you like different and deep anime,you'll enjoy it! I know I did. This is my second Matsumoto film,my first was Harlock Saga. Both have been amazing and highly entertaining. I've done all-text reviews on other DVDs,but for these and any others later I'll be using a 1-10 scale,10 being the best possible. Oh, and just in case you're wondering, Maetel is rated 13+ for violence and grotesque imagery.STORY: 10/10 - While some complain,I had no problem with the story at all. The slow pace of the plot is perfect for the "legend". I wasn't expecting much,but after... Read more |
