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by Paul Sudlow |
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Episode 5: "The Rain Upon the Stars"
It's been a quiet escort run for the Angel Links crew, but at the last moment they're attacked by a pirate ship
captained by Jesia Garland, a tomboyish young girl who had fallen in love with Angel Links first mate Kousei during
a brief encounter while on shore leave. Once Jesia realizes that Kousei is aboard the ship she breaks off the
encounter, confused about her feelings. Angel Links captain Meifun Li all but compels Kousei to take care of the
matter, and so begins the great pirate/pirate hunter date. With a little help from one of Kousei's old lovers, the
awkward but lovely Jesia gets dolled up for the occasion, but with little experience with men, she doesn't quite know
how to behave. Trouble is brewing behind the scenes, however--if Jesia quits the pirate business, her ship goes to
one of her two lieutenants, and both are inclined to help her...retire.
Episode 6: "Crossroads"
In an extended flashback episode, we learn the origins of the Angel Links crew. Upon his death, Chenho Li charges
his granddaughter, Meifun, to use the assets of his powerful Links Group Corporation to found a free anti-piracy
escort service. Meifun gamely takes on the challenge, acquiring an advanced new ship and recruiting her first crew.
But determination is no substitution for experience--crew discipline collapses in their first battle, and in firing
the Links' cannon in a space lane occupied by innocent merchant ships, Meifun plays into the hands of enemies within
the corporation and without. Fortunately, she has an ally, a resourceful young man named Kousei, who was asked by
Chenho to help his granddaughter after his death. As they recruit and train the current crew, Meifun conquers her
self doubts and successfully puts the Angel Links on the road of success.
Episode 7: "The Angel and the Fallen Angel"
Meifun receives an unsigned invitation to hear the song of the mermaid. Though unsigned, she is sure the letter is
from her wealthy admirer Leon, and it is indeed he who shows up, accompanied by his young ward Yayoi (a girl that
Meifun saved in episode one of the series). They spend the day taking in the sights of the city. Kousei, meanwhile,
researches the insignia which sealed Meifun's invitation - he's suspicious of Leon's sudden rise to wealth, and
wonders what secrets the man may have. Meifun asks to hear the song of the mermaids, as promised in the invitation,
and Leon takes her to the seaside, where they watch Oracian jungon (sea lions) mournfully call to one another. Later,
locked in a repressed memory in which the pirate Goryu threatens her, Meifun attacks Leon like a girl possessed--only
the call of Yayoi snaps her out of it. Kousei arrives at the worst moment, and thinks the worst of Leon. And, as it
turns out, Leon didn't send Meifun's invitation. Perhaps Chenho Li is still working beyond the grave...
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"Angel Links" shifts gears considerably with this outing, moving from the light-hearted camp sci-fi of the first
DVD, "Avenging Angel," to a more melodramatic brand of space opera filled with dark secrets and betrayals. The show
was in desperate need of a shake-up - the first four episodes moved little beyond the "pirate run of the week"
formula - but the change is not all for the better.
Happily, Angel Links has shed the absurd notion that a single escort ship making free runs is a big threat to
the professional securities industry - there's no sign of Gordon, Meifun's "darn those meddling kids" rival from the
early episodes. Perhaps he finally realized there's no way a single escort ship could steal enough business from his
fleet of bonded pros to matter.
Breaking from the mission-a-week formula is likewise a good move. And shifting focus to character development
and intrigue is an even better one, at least on paper. Several intriguing glimpses into Meifun's past hint of a dark
past between her grandfather, an infamous pirate and, perhaps, Leon as well - all of which Meifun remains unaware.
Unfortunately, melodrama is not served well by the "Angel Links" setting. The show is geared for mindless
thrills and feats of do-daring as a cutely-determined girl captain recklessly blasts her way through the universe
with style and verve. A truly talented scribe might have leavened the silliness with more gravitas - Frank Miller
did it for Batman - but it's a task beyond show writers Hajime Yatate and Takehiko Ito. For example, Kousei's tragic
encounter with a female pirate flirting with the idea of forsaking her criminal past for the sake of love might have
made a powerful tale, but the opportunity fizzles away through a series of absurd encounters with Kousei's former
girlfriends. (Does every anime date include ice cream cones in the park?) Meifun's date with Leon two episodes later
is equally rife with cliché.
But the sloppy details unhinge this series. Meifun is vaunted as a skilled leader, but there she is on the
bridge of her starship countermanding an unpopular but logical order issued by her first mate Kousei in front of the
crew so she can get home in time for a date. In another scene, Kousei pulls away from the Angel Links skyscraper as
Meifun watches from an upper floor, but she somehow manages to catch up and tail him to a specific bar. Later on, an
assassin in a car roars away from pedestrians Meifun and Kousei, but the two somehow get ahead of him and lay an
ambush in the next scene. And much remains unexplained. Though the details of Angel Links' origins pops up in
episode six, questions such as why Meifun's grandfather leaves his fortunes to Meifun for the purpose of combating
piracy, and why Meifun's breast-dwelling pet Taffei transforms into a sword go unanswered. That last one could really
do with an explanation at some point.
The first volume of "Angel Links" didn't take itself too seriously, in effect developing a fun (if silly and
inane) spirit that carried it even when the stories waxed incredulous. Our cocky heroine threw herself into danger
with great gusto, apparently knowing - as we know - that she was never in real danger of being killed.
Unfortunately, the melodrama spackled onto these later episodes does nothing but expose how frivolous the entire
property is.
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