Queen Millennia (Anime)

Queen Millennia (新竹取物語 1000年女王 Shin Taketori Monogatari: Sennen Joō lit. The New Tale of the Bamboo Cutter: Millennium Queen) The manga series by Leiji Matsumoto was adapted into a 42-episode anime TV series by Toei Dōga and broadcast on the Fuji TV network from 16 April 1981 through 25 March 1982. An anime film was released on 13 March 1982 shortly before the TV series ended.

The anime series was combined by Harmony Gold and Carl Macek with episodes from the 1978 Matsumoto series, Space Pirate Captain Harlock, and shown from 1985 to 1986 in the United States as the 65-episode Captain Harlock and the Queen of a Thousand Years. The series was broadcast in Germany on Tele 5 during 1992 and on Mangas in France in 2004.

Plot
The series takes place in the (then) futuristic year 1999. Professor Amamori discovers a 10th planet in the Earth's solar system, which he names La Metal, while at his observatory in Tokyo. Its diameter is 9 times that of Earth. Amamori notes the planet has a highly eccentric orbit and, as it emerges behind the distant Pluto, Amamori realizes that La Metal is on a collision course with Earth. He calculates that the planet will impact Earth on 9 September 1999, at 9 o'clock, 9 minutes and 9 seconds.

It turns out that La Metal orbits the Solar System every 1,000 years, but only this time it is fated to come dangerously close to Earth. While damage to the giant ice-covered La Metal would be minimal, Earth would be destroyed by the planet's massive gravitational pull. La Metal is inhabited by a subterranean humanoid species ruled by a mysterious Holy Queen, Larela. She plans to abduct a large number of humans before the destruction of Earth, and enslave them with the help of her operatives already on Earth. These operatives are led by Promethium II, a woman known as a Millennial Queen who goes by the Earth name, Yayoi Yukino. She has been living on Earth for almost 1,000 years, like many such Millennial Queens before her, with the intention of establishing a colony for her home planet.

Promethium, who comes to care for her Earthling foster parents and friends, begins to question the La Metalians' plans. As Yayoi, she begins working for Professor Amamori and decides to offer her help when Amamori discovers that La Metal heading for Earth. The professor's young nephew Hajime, whose parents are killed while designing a spaceship to help a small group of humans escape from Earth, also joins their fight to save the planet.

They are soon confronted by a sabotage campaign initiated by a group of La Metal generals against Earth. As the two planets come closer to colliding, Yukino finds out that a black hole is to blame for La Metal's orbital deviation. A desperate plan is undertaken to destroy the black hole and save both their worlds.

Difference to the Manga
In the anime Yayoi lives in the upper floor above a ramen shop with an elderly couple and owns a cat called Leiji. Hajime attempts to form a compromise with La Metal and later tries to help people escape by piloting a helicopter. Professor Amamori also keeps his hair in the TV series.

Production
The Queen Millennia anime TV series aired on the Fuji TV network from 16 April 1981 through 25 March 1982 in the 7:00pm to 7:30pm time slot. It replaced Galaxy Express 999 in that time slot, and was replaced by Patalliro! at the end of its run. The series was animated by Toei Dōga. The series was originally scheduled to have 52 episodes, but due to having lower ratings than the previous Galaxy Express 999, the series was completed with only 42 episodes.

Staff

 * Planning: Tokio Tsuchiya, Kenji Yokoyama, Yoichi Kominato
 * Production Supervisor: Masahisa Saeki
 * Teleplay Writers: Keisuke Fujikawa, Shigemitsu Taguchi, Hiroyasu Yamaura, Toyohiro Andō
 * Chief Director: Nobutaka Nishizawa
 * General Animation Director / Character Designer: Yoshinori Kanemori
 * Mechanical Designer: Katsumi Itabashi
 * Chief Designer (Art Direction): Isamu Tsuchida
 * Music: Ryudō Uzaki, Tomoyuki Asakawa
 * Production: Fuji TV, Toei Animation

Music
Queen Millennia had music composed and arranged by Ryōdō Uzaki and Tomoyuki Asakawa. The opening theme song, Cosmos Dream (コスモス・ドリーム Kosumosu Dorīmu), was sung by Masaki Takanashi. The ending theme song, Excellent Legend (まほろば伝説 Mahoroba Densetsu), was sung by Manami Ishikawa. Both songs had lyrics by Yōko Aki, were composed by Ryudō Uzaki, and were arranged by Motoki Funayama.

Ishikawa was selected from 1898 applicants to work with Takanashi on the image song Love Is Flying on Wings (愛は翼に乗って Ai wa Tsubasa ni Notte). The song was performed by the Queen Millennia Grand Orchestra and arranged by Nozomi Aoki. A second image song, Message from Space (星空のメッセージ Hoshizora no Messēji), was sung by Keiko Han and Slapstick, and was arranged by Motoki Funayama. The lyrics for both image songs were written by Yōko Aki and composed by Ryudō Uzaki.