Galaxy Fraulein Yuna Review By Rashad Moore
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	Audience:	G
	Genre:	Sci-fi/Fantasy/Adventure
	Contains:	brief reference to homosexuality, comic violence
	Rating:	C+

"Galaxy Fraulein Yuna" manages to mix, follow, and effectively satirize the two most common genres of anime today, the "magical girl" and "giant robot" anime. But while this short 2-part OVA definitely manages to entertain(that is, if you can stand the sugar-coated cuteness of it all.) it's never really satisfying, nor perfect, but it's great for a good laugh. (And some creepy and subtle nostalgia to anime's past.)

Now where should I start with the story? For starters there, is the main heroine Yuna, who is the superheroine, Galaxy Fraulein Yuna responsible for saving the universe twice.(and who also participates in a giant mecha cooking contest; and I'm not kidding.) Her best friend Yuri(who eats more food than Garfield could ever eat in a month.) Saline, a mysterious agent who is sent to investigate Yuna, (and thinks she is secretly plotting to dominate the universe, under the intentions of the even more mysterious Fraulein D, who is really out to frame Yuna.) A masked female TV super hero.(Tuxedo Mask, anyone?) And an incident involving the rescue of a drowning dog. What does all this have to do anything? Who is Fraulein D? And will Yuna ever be able to clear her name and save the universe in time?

What was easily the most hands down highlight had to be the main characters, Yuri and Yuna. Yuna's innocious antics and likable personality made a splendid main character. Wait, I take that back. The real highlight had to be her best friend, Yuri and her black hole of a stomach(who in my opinion goes down as one of the funniest anime characters in history.) I mean who else can you think of that eats a rice bowl the size of a bed? But it's not just Yuna who keeps her carefree innocence, it was the anime itself. The plot never really kicks in until the second episode, but the first episode doesn't help but leave you begging for more(or leave you asking yourself, "what the hell just happened?) when it's all over, and that is where Galaxy Frualein Yuna

falters....

The only major problem is that Galaxy Fraulein Yuna is just too fast-paced for it's own good. By the OVA's end, you never really get to know all the characters other than Yuna and Yuri themselves and the climax just seems to throw them all at the viewer without any proper introduction.(With only about 5-seconds of screen time.) So character development seems needlessly wasted. But humor is where Galaxy Fraulein Yuna shines. The heroes are really thick,(but on the other hand so were some of the DBZ characters.) the gags come at you full-speed ahead, but still manages to give you a breather between laughs. The best thing an about it is that it effectively manages to add a feeling of nostalgia, this is especially evident in the climax which (cheesily, but intentionally) manages to parodize Sailor Moon and Macross(and other giant robot anime) into one quick free-for-all. But to get the most enjoyment out of this anime is to expect it as a satire.(Samurai Pizza Cats fans will get the most kicks out of Galaxy Fraulein Yuna. Hey, Samurai Pizza Cats was actually a satire of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and mecha anime after all.) Plus, it is especially admirable that at the same time it never falls under any anime stereotypes.(For example,you will notice there is no nudity during the transforming sequences.) Galaxy Frualein Yuna manages to parodize rather effectively in it's own style of Japanese cuteness.

The animation is clean, eye-catching, and extremely colorful which matches the overall setting and mood perfectly. Everything is well-animated and executed. The music is also very well done. The opening theme is bouncy and effective (especially for fans of J-pop.) and the classical score is dramtic(even for an anime that isn't really serious to start with.) My only gripe is that the some of the background music seems recycled from the (Japanese) Sailor Moon series. But go fig.

While Galaxy Fraulein Yuna isn't perfect, fans of wacky comedy(or for that matter really cutesy anime.) Galaxy Fraulein Yuna would be a good find for the evening. Even though it's practically over for less of a second, it's a keeper for it's MST3K value, but not in anyway you would expect. This is just for that good old(and I mean old) anime feeling we felt long ago.

Available from ADV Films. Image shown is not created by atek studios.   Review by Rashad Moore. Mar 00.