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Based on manga drawn by Leiji Matsumoto in 1978, this OAV series continues the Space Pirate Captain Harlock cycle. Emeraldas, who once loved Harlock, plies the sea of space in the Queen Emeraldas, a starship that resembles a blimp attached to a 17th-century sailing vessel. Sepulchrally thin, with a mane of blond hair and a prominent facial scar, Emeraldas fights injustice--and anyone who dares to fly Harlock's skull-and-cross-bones emblem. In "Departure," the first installment, spunky street urchin Tochiro stows away to the planet Daibaran, hoping to start a new life--and build a starship of his own. Daibaran is a mined-out wasteland with an Old West-style town, complete with a saloon. Tochiro comes into conflict with Eldomain, the captain of the Afressian space pirates, who makes the mistake of defying Emeraldas--with predictable results. The conflict escalates in "Eternal Emblem," as Eldomain kidnaps Tochiro and the other inhabitants of Daibaran in an attempt to trap Emeraldas. She defeats Eldomain, the entire Afressian fleet, and their queen before sailing off. Queen Emeraldas will delight Captain Harlock fans; critical viewers will find the poor integration of the three-dimensional, computer-animated spaceship with the two-dimensional cel animation visually jarring. --Charles Solomon
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