ADV Films presents

Galaxy Fraulein Yuna (1995)

"I can't believe this girl is trying to conquer the galaxy."- Misato (Satomi Koorogi)

Stars: Chisa Yokayama, Yuriko Yamamato, Yumi Touma, Mika Takahashi, Cynthi Martinez, Tamara Lo, Laura Chapman, Marcy Rae, Toni Navarre
Other Stars: Yuko Mizutani, Aya Hara, Marika Kouda, Ai Orikawa, Satomi Koorogi, Konami Yoshida, Yuri Amano, Kae Araki, Chinami Nishimura, Kyoko Hitami, Naoko Matsui, Kikuko Inoue, Junko Hagimori, Saori Suzuki, Akio Hajima, Kaoru Fujino, Carol Matthews, Alisa Alban, Junie Hoang, Rebecca Connelly, Meredith Dahl, Susan Magnuson, Tiffany Grant, Christine Auten, Kelly Manison, Heather Bryson, Catherine Pine, Meredith Mae, Charlotte Chun, Jennifer Earheart
Director: Yorifusa Yamaguchi, Akiyuki Shinbo

MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (12+ for some mature content, themes)
Run Time: 02h:28m:55s
Release Date: 2002-08-06
Genre: anime

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
A-	B-	B+	A-	D

 

DVD Review

ADV compiles all five episodes of Galaxy Fraulein Yuna into this single DVD release. Based on a 1992 video game by Hudson Soft, the first spinoff, two-episode OVA, Galaxy Fraulein Yuna, was released in 1995, with a further three-episode OVA, Galaxy Fraulein Yuna Returns coming in 1996/1997. Like many video game-based anime series, the creators assume a familiarity with the characters, which can make diving into this collection a little daunting. However there really isn't any great need to know who everyone is, and the principle cast are introduced well enough to enjoy this light and extremely cute comedy.

Shiraodokadai Girl's High School student, Yuna Kagurazaka, is the most powerful girl in the universe, the Savior of Light and defender of the galaxy, who along with her legion of female companions has saved the universe from the powers of evil, not once, but twice. She loves shopping and cooking, and is also the biggest fan of idol star, Polylina, a super hero on screen and off. Despite her intimidating reputation, all Yuna wants is to be friends, her best ones being the android Yuri, who has an insatiable (and I do mean insatiable) appetite, Liavelt, Polylina's alter ego, and Elner, an AI that doubles as Yuna's 50 foot battle mecha.

Far off in the galaxy, there are those who don't like Yuna's presence, and one Fraulein D. has hatched a plan to rid the universe of its savior. She intends to frame Yuna, and as a result take over the universe. When the Galactic Alliance Council sends Misaki to investigate Yuna's supposed wrongdoings, she becomes Fraulein D.'s unwitting accomplice, but despite whatever nefarious deeds those opposing her are up to, Yuna is incapable of finding anything evil about anyone. With the help of her legions of friends, the Savior of Light must overcome the bounty of badness out to destroy her.

This show is simply hilarious! While there isn't much dimension to the characters, each was extremely likeable and very enjoyable to watch. Yuna's ceaseless optimism and bubbly personality are entertaining, and Yuri's incredible appetite is a riot. The cast does build quite quickly, but isn't that hard to manage, since each has very defined traits which can be latched onto quickly, and those that don't aren't really that important to the stories anyway, which have plenty of action and an abundance of humor. The second OVA is a little darker than the first, but the characters keep it upbeat. The Japanese voice acting is perfect, the English dub not nearly as charming, but the 12+ rating is warranted for the mildly suggestive undertones present, and a small amount of fanservice.

However, the overriding factor here is cuteness—Galaxy Fraulein Yuna is the definition of kawaii—so if you have an aversion to sweetness, you'll want to stay far away—there is even a puppy-saving sequence—does it get any more sugary than that? This isn't very substantial in terms of depth, but is certainly lots of fun.

Rating for Style: A-
Rating for Substance: B-

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	1.33:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	no

Image Transfer Review: Image quality is very good throughout. Colors are punchy with a minimum of bleed, aliasing isn't excessive and there is little in the way of cross-coloration. The image is a little soft and there is a moderate amount of grain, but it is rendered well without and serious artifacting.

Image Transfer Grade: B+
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
DS 2.0	Japanese, English	yes

Audio Transfer Review: Stereo audio is available in both original Japanese and English dub. Both are solid tracks, with good use of the soundfield, and a reasonable frequency coverage. Dialogue is easy to discern, and there was no distortion or other anomalies noted. The addictive theme song comes across cleanly.

Audio Transfer Grade: A- 

Disc Extras

Full Motion menu
Scene Access with 25 cues and remote access
Subtitles/Captions in English with remote access
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: single

Extras Review: This is about as bare bones as I've seen an ADV release, without so much as even their standard trailer collection. Each episode has its chapters accessable from the menu (also listed on the insert), but other than that, this is pretty barren.

Extras Grade: D
 

Final Comments

Galaxy Fraulein Yuna is an extremely entertaining little series for those looking for some mindless fun. Don't bother looking for a deep plot or complex characters, but if you want the ultimate in cuteness, you need look no further. I loved it!

Jeff Ulmer 2003-01-09