Cosmo Warrior Zero, Vol. 2: Sea of Stars (2001)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Original story by Leiji Matsumoto
Directed by Kazuyoshi Yokota
Music by Miyuki Nakajima and Emiko Shiratori
Translation by Julia Rose

Features:

• textless ending
  
• outtakes
  
• character biographies
  
• English and Japanese audio
  
• English subtitles
  

Dindrane's Anime Warnings:

• animated violence
• bitchy bounty hunter wench
• cheesecake

Rating: 13+

Anamorphic: N/A

My Advice: Buy it.

Warrius is still chasing the bandit Harlock and brings his ship to the Gun Frontier, assuming that Harlock’s ship will eventually pass through this sector. A kind of lawless, Old West sort of place, the idea here is to mind your own business, but it’s difficult for Warrius to do that when he’s chasing one of the Universe’s most infamous people. Warrius sends an away party to handle the situation, but given that the stress between humans and Mechanized Men is still hovering about, strife is guaranteed. Meanwhile, Marina is left to deal with an assault on a colony.

The plot hangs together beautifully, managing to be a space opera, while also being a coming-of-age tale and some other things in places. This show demonstrates how to be different things at once and make it work. Action is the name of the game here, and is a successful unifying element.

The characters of the Warrius saga continue to be interesting and worth watching. This disc introduces a new character--Sylviana, a beautiful, but duplicitous local bounty hunter who also wants to get her hands on Harlock. Finally, viewers also get to see Harlock and even Emeraldas, as well.

The audio and video of this title are both good. The colors are crisp and clear with minimal cross-coloration or blurring. While this older style of animation is not to my personal taste, it does have a following, and it shows up beautifully here. The voice actors understand the epic nature of the story and are playing it for all they are worth, without degenerating into hammy, goofy caricatures.

The extras are also nice enough, with some amusing outtakes, a few character profiles/biographies, and a nice textless ending. The outtakes are for the most part mistakes as opposed to unscripted moments or humorous take-offs, which is a little disappointing. The character bios are great for anyone new to Harlock’s Universe.

Overall, fans of Matsumoto’s work will love this saga, as will anyone who enjoys action films and Westerns. Students of Jungian theory will also appreciate the clash of the archetypes and the way the characters are, while themselves, also representatives of something more. Fans of science fiction and action will love this title as a way to do the genre right and make it more than just a jaunt through the stars that could have happened anywhere. In a genre usually dominated by powerful males, even the women in Cosmo Warrior Zero are on the whole interesting, lively, and unique. No shrinking violets or whiners here. Worth checking out.