| Average |
6.8 |
| Animation |
6 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| Queen Millennia's movie is one of those series that I think does well for both its respective age and plotlines, but you really have to take it with a grain of salt to appreciate how noteworthy this film truly is. I consider it in the same way I think of Tezuka's Bagi: the story might be predictable/similar in some notations to other stories, but the way it unfolds still keeps you engaged throughout.
I didn't really come into it expecting the world and if anything, I thought it would probably be something like Space Runaway Ideon - had good ideas, but didn't execute them all that much, and the age hampering the overall potency of its ideologies. To my surprise, it really wasn't like that. It tells a nice story in its own spectrum. More or less, if you like stories about humans fighting against fate and apocalyptic notations, this is a decent title to watch. You don't even need to watch the TV adaptation to understand what's going on (though the two deviate in some very major plot points). As far as impact goes, the TV series allows for far more character development, while this movie (approximately 2 hours) primarily drives itself in terms of events.
The story revolves around Yayoi/Promethius II, a young woman who works under a dual identity. Her other identity is Queen Millennia, protecting and ruling over the earth as its represented Princess in intergalaxy contexts. One thing to consider - she's not human, but rather of a dying race called the Lar Metallians. She's ruled on the Earth for 1000 years, and as she approaches the end of her term, she finds herself in conflict with members of her race. Yayoi's successor not only wants to ascend the throne, but she also sends the Lar Metallian base to collide with the Earth, killing all who would inhabit it, the human race included! In that measure, it's a race against the clock for Yayoi and her companions, all while keeping her identity under lock and key for a good part of the movie. I won't say what happens beyond that, because there are quite a few nicely done twists/ironies to be had, though once they pass, it all clicks into place and may not have as much impact for someone who may be familiar with the type of story it is.
I will say the movie has a number of events that are rather jarring, not so much in simply violent notations, but in the events that occur with the characters, some of which you do begin to know well. Of course, this would have had so much more impact if we were able to know the characters a little more, but for the context of the movie, I can't complain too much. The conflicts, character relations, and overall transition is smooth from beginning to end. There are a few cheese moments (notably the beginning, which drags a little more than it should), but the remainder of the movie holds its own, even improving as the conflict starts to swell.
Animation is much, much better quality than the TV series. Those who are familiar with the latter shouldn't hesitate to follow it. However, modern anime fans might be turned off by the antiquated style of the character design. The settings are done well enough, though don't possess as much clarity as modern animation would lend. Still, it holds its own, and one could say it's just as suited for its respective time.
Voice acting is actually quite nice, if not simply suited for the characters and the time it was created, then certainly for the amount of passion that's provided given the premise. Music works very well, I liked the orchestrated themes because it does give an otherworldly, nostalgic feel to the atmosphere, though some of the musical pieces fall victim to being a bit overcompensatory during certain scenes. Luckily, these are far and few between.
Now I'm trying to reason out in my mind what the main problem with Queen Millennia was, and it was not necessarily a critique in comparison to stories of its type. (Then again, much to my chagrin, there are some people who say that X-TV is pretty common in terms of the apocalyptic premise. Honestly, if the only similarity between stories is an apocalyptic premise, then it shouldn't necessarily be considered "common". You can't say Apocalypse Now is the same story as End of Days, right?) The premise isn't the problem, nor is the overall progression. It does leave you wanting more from some of the side events that occur throughout the story. For example - the romantic notations this story introduced really didn't have that much focus, and it was potentially a good idea to explore in the mix of the conflict.
Overall, I think Queen Millennia was worth my time - and certainly those who want an elder style anime series with a decent story in a mix of fantasy and human survival should find it enjoyable, with some nice twists and turns in its progression.
I would like to see the whole of the Queen Millennia series, but as of now, it's not completed or licensed in my country. :(
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