UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie...
I picked up UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie...
The fact the the storytellers made the effort to reveal the origins of the characters in a more round-about manner held my interest more effectively than if they had taken a more conventional approach. The story centers around Kazuto, a young man attempting to manage a family-owned bathhouse. Kazuto's business is pretty well destroyed when Valkyrie crashes her spaceship into it. Mayhem ensues as Kazuto tries to resurrect his business and Valkyrie's presence attracts more and more unwanted attention.
Although the age rating is set fairly high at MA/17+, there's ins't any really adult content. That being said, there are some gratuitously bare breasts, Valkyrie's trademark risque transformation sequence and other forms of fan service abound throughout the series. Also, there are some themes in the series that may not be suitable for the younger viewers among us. But, all things considered, in my humble opinion, the series is quite benign. The series has a nice mix of zany alien comedy and romance that I haven't seen since the likes of Urusei Yatsura. In fact, the climactic clash near the end of the first season, is reminiscent of the first UY Movie: Only You.
The animation quality is reasonable given the subject matter. There isn't much in the way of eye-candy, but, everything has a nice clean look and feel. I found the opening theme to be a bit annoying, but, I usually skip over that anyway. The ending theme, on the other hand, is somewhat more pleasant.
The Season One box set doesn't include any extras beyond the previews and language options. Extras that can be found on the individual discs include trailers, TV spots, interviews with the cast and background information on the series. With the benefit of hindsight, given a choice between the individual discs and the box set, I would choose the individual discs. But, having made my choice and having seen the series, although I enjoyed the series, I can't honestly say that UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie would be worth buying twice. On the other hand, the remainder of the franchise (an OVA and Seasons Two and Three) is definitely worth some consideration.
As it happens, I've also seen the UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie OVA. The OVA is designed to bridge the gap between the first and second seasons and includes a "refresher" episode to bring those fans who didn't catch the first season of the series up to speed. The story is very humorous with plenty of fan service that I've come to expect from the series. Although the OVA includes enough material, that it could almost stand alone, In my humble opinion, it's better to watch season one first, and the OVA second. Overall, I gave UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie a 4 out of 5.
I recently had a chance to catch the Season One box set of UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie. At first glance, I thought that this title probably wouldn't be one of my favorites. UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie is a mix of traditional magical girl and harem genres. But, surprisingly, the first episode didn't reveal anything significant about the origins of the characters. The story starts in the middle of the series and important background information comes by way of flashbacks.Season One
Volume 1
Bedlam, Bathhouse and Beyond
Despite his parents' protests, Kazuto Tokino has taken it upon himself to run his late grandfather's bathhouse. But with no previous management experience, Kazuto must rely on his sunny disposition to keep his new business afloat. And when the alien Princess Valkyrie destroys the bathhouse, mortally wounding Kazuto in the process, dark clouds seem poised to rain on his parade of optimism.
With a magical kiss, the princess saves Kazuto's life, but at a grave cost to her own: transformed into an 8 year old, she is stranded on Earth, unable to fend for herself. Now, with an entire solar system out searching for her shrunken highness, Kazuto must defend the Tokino bathhouse, not only from hordes of alien invaders, but also from his new, hyper-adorable, sugary-sweet little houseguest!
Volume 2
Crash Course in Craziness!
At the Tokino bathhouse, life seems to get weirder by the second. The Interstellar Pirate Guild wants to kidnap Valkyrie. Yet another spaceship crash-lands on Earth, piloted by a deceptive, shape-shifting she-devil who will stop at nothing to win Valkyrie's love. And finally, when a gaggle of overworked catgirls boards a bus to head for a vacation at the beach, the hilarity goes into overdrive!
Volume 3
Pirates, Princess, Proposal
Kazuto is forced to sell his bathhouse. He builds a new bathhouse on an unassuming asteroid. There's a heated battle with the Interstellar Pirate's Guild. A hot spring gushes out of the asteroid. And then, a Valhallian leader makes a proposal that Valkyrie can't refuse: return home and get married immediately!
When Kazuto battles his way to the royal planet to rescue Val, things don't exactly turn out as planned.
Season Two
Volume 1
Washing Up and Wigging Out
You're never far from insanity when you visit the Tokino Bathhouse. A charmed sword might fall into the wrong hands. You might get squashed by a giant, drunk dog. A manga-addicted cyborg might tell you that the world is about to come to an end. But hey, if things get too crazy you can take a trip back in time to see what our heroines were like in the old days.
Volume 2
Songs from the Dark Side
Heat up the bathwater, find your rubber ducky, and lose the clothes because, around here, when the going gets rough the tough get in the buff! Not only that, but having a diabolical version of Valkyrie running around is actually the tamest thing that happens as season two gets cooking!
Kazuto may get his heart sucked dry by a vampire from space! Everyone has turned into kindergarteners and Val has to learn the joys of single motherhood! A karaoke contest is coming to town and Spot was last seen tuning his guitar! How could things get any more insane? Well, Ms. Sanada and the Catgirls just chartered a bus for a wild weekend getaway and spooky Auntie Mehm has bought a miniskirt!
Volume 3
Toast That Ghost
That Valkyrie Ghost always looked like trouble, and now she proves just how much trouble she can be! This cat-eyed beauty with a fashion sense that leans toward the dominatrix line is back and no man is safe from her charms! Particularly not Kazuto, who becomes the spiky-haired pawn in a super-powered grrl-fight that threatens to destroy everything!
In this corner, we have our heroine Valkyrie and her loyal pals, struggling to win the day for goodness and light. In that corner we have the personification of sex and evil. Only one will be left standing!
Season Three
Volume 1
Sacred Stones and Perky Pervert
Princess Pharm has come to Earth and she seems bent on making out with every girl wearing glasses. (And if they're not wearing glasses, she has an extra pair!) The Princess Inarba shows up and tries to punish everyone for their wicked ways. To top it all off, Sanada's stripping down to her undies in the nearest phone booth because... Oh, it's too much to explain here!
Volume 2
Time Trippin' Terror and Wedding Woes
The blessed day is drawing near for Valkyrie and Kazuto, but that doesn't mean things are all pretty flowers and over-priced cake. Oh, no! First you have Laine discovering the magical time-traveling powers of a nice warm bath. Unfortunately, it results in three versions of the little pest running around causing havoc. Plus, ruthless pirates are creeping closer to the Royal Family's treasure as we speak. To top things off, Little Valkyrie just decided to run away from home. What could possibly make things worse?
OVA
Bridal Training
The big wedding is just around the corner, so it's time to get prepared. Nope, it's not the rehearsal dinner; it's the rehearsal for married life! Princess Mehm is worried about the obvious complications surrounding the relationship between Kazuto and his age-challenged fiancee Valkyrie. So, the blue-lipped beauty has ordered the two to participate in a role-playing sim to see how they handle the day-to-day drudgery of 'til death do us part. Plus, just for kicks, the rest of the gang will be paired up and tested as well. Why? Who knows!
The fact the the storytellers made the effort to reveal the origins of the characters in a more round-about manner held my interest more effectively than if they had taken a more conventional approach. The story centers around Kazuto, a young man attempting to manage a family-owned bathhouse. Kazuto's business is pretty well destroyed when Valkyrie crashes her spaceship into it. Mayhem ensues as Kazuto tries to resurrect his business and Valkyrie's presence attracts more and more unwanted attention.
Although the age rating is set fairly high at MA/17+, there's ins't any really adult content. That being said, there are some gratuitously bare breasts, Valkyrie's trademark risque transformation sequence and other forms of fan service abound throughout the series. Also, there are some themes in the series that may not be suitable for the younger viewers among us. But, all things considered, in my humble opinion, the series is quite benign. The series has a nice mix of zany alien comedy and romance that I haven't seen since the likes of Urusei Yatsura. In fact, the climactic clash near the end of the first season, is reminiscent of the first UY Movie: Only You.
The animation quality is reasonable given the subject matter. There isn't much in the way of eye-candy, but, everything has a nice clean look and feel. I found the opening theme to be a bit annoying, but, I usually skip over that anyway. The ending theme, on the other hand, is somewhat more pleasant.
The Season One box set doesn't include any extras beyond the previews and language options. Extras that can be found on the individual discs include trailers, TV spots, interviews with the cast and background information on the series. With the benefit of hindsight, given a choice between the individual discs and the box set, I would choose the individual discs. But, having made my choice and having seen the series, although I enjoyed the series, I can't honestly say that UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie would be worth buying twice. On the other hand, the remainder of the franchise (an OVA and Seasons Two and Three) is definitely worth some consideration.
As it happens, I've also seen the UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie OVA. The OVA is designed to bridge the gap between the first and second seasons and includes a "refresher" episode to bring those fans who didn't catch the first season of the series up to speed. The story is very humorous with plenty of fan service that I've come to expect from the series. Although the OVA includes enough material, that it could almost stand alone, In my humble opinion, it's better to watch season one first, and the OVA second. Overall, I gave UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie a 4 out of 5.
