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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The origins of the Matsumotoverse, March 4, 2002
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 unavailable. It does introduce some of the characters who appear in "Harlock Saga" and "Queen Emeraldas" and works well on that level. An unfortunate draw back is the unnecessary combination of computer animation with cel animation. This is clearly a director that wants to embrace the new technology but doesn't really know how. All of Matsumoto's recent releases have this failing. All in all, I enjoyed "Maetel Legend" enough to buy it. It is not the greatest of Matsumoto's work (That would be "Galaxy Express 999" or "Arcadia of my Youth") but it is good enough.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Dry..... (though good for someone new to Matsumoto), September 14, 2003
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 reshowed her transformation over several times, using the SAME footage. While I really didn't care for it, if you have the patience to sit through the repitition I think this would make a lovely starting point for someone that has never seen Galaxy Express 999 before, my best suggestion is to rent it if possible!
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Quality Anime, February 18, 2004
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 watching Maetel,I was amazed and instantly a Matsumoto fan! DVD: 9/10 - Not many special features,but the DVD itself was fine. DUB: 7/10 - The dub was bearable,but the Japanese is far better. OVERALL: 10/10 - If you can get it at a reasonable price,MAETEL LEGEND is an excellent addition to your anime!
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