Copyright © 1999 Morning Star / Sunrise

Those who have been reading EX for a little while may already have come across our reviews of OUTLAW STAR in previous issues (the original TV show, the first two English volumes and Volume 3). ANGEL LINKS occurs in the same universe as Gene Starwind and friends, although in a different part of space. You see some of the same races, some of the same political environment, but there appears to be no real relationship between the series (except for a one second cameo in the first episode by one of Gene Starwind's main benefactors, kudos if you can catch where he appears.)
The story centers around the very young captain of the ship Angel Links, Ri Mei-Fon. The Angel Links crew seems to make a career out of fighting space-pirates and the like. It is probably more appropriate to say that the Links Group is a mercenary/gun-for-hire agency that provides guard service for convoys, search and rescue, and perhaps the odd hunt-them-down job. Pretty much every episode so far involves the use of their super Links Cannon that destroys all objects in its path with a chain reaction. The blast usually terminates in what looks like an angel's halo.
The first episode starts out with the Angel Links rescuing a cargo ship from a bunch of petty pirates using small grappler ships. After causing the pirates to flee, Mei-Fon uses the Links Cannon to turn them into space dust. Back on their base planet, Orashion IV, the officers of the Angel Links are welcomed at a party. As many wealthy people court the favor of Mei-Fon and her crew, we get to meet the first obvious villain of the series, Gordon Hoi. While Mei-Fon tries to bury her anger at Gordon Hoi's annoying words, the viewpoint changes to that of a ship that is being hijacked.
Back at the party, the crew receives a ransom message from the hijackers stating their demands. They are holding Leon Lahn and a young girl. (Leon was supposed to be at the party.) The rest of the episode mostly involves a fairly typical hijacking-prisoner-rescue. Except at the end of the rescue attempt, when we start to learn some surprising things about Mei-Fon (and her little pet Tahee.) There is an even stronger omen at the very end of the episode near her grandfather's grave. For anyone familiar with OUTLAW STAR, see if you recognize the treasure paid to these pirates.
So, ANGEL LINKS is a different story than OUTLAW STAR. Trying to compare the two would only be a disservice to them both. I'll leave my comparisons at finding little things here and there that point back to the OUTLAW STAR universe.
How is ANGEL LINKS? That is hard to say. The basic plot devices used in the first couple of episodes are extraordinarily cliched: the settings, the behaviors, the quick resolution of each episode's main crisis at hand. It leads to a stereotypical science fiction story that seems to be going nowhere fast. However, I have not yet seen much of the series and am left in the dark about Mei-Fon's past, how her family died, how the Links Group was formed and all the hidden agendas. Indeed, each member of the Angel Links crew has their own story and a number of the early episodes are used to give little bits of information about each one. What are all the hints strewn in the opening credits about? When will we find out?
Like OUTLAW STAR, the immediate action in ANGEL LINKS appears to be just a cover for a much greater and sinister story. I hope that it pans out and that the trite plots fall by the wayside as the actual story gets underway.
The animation itself is fairly good for a TV series. The mechanical designs are very imaginative and well executed. The launch sequence for the Angel Links itself is quite showy and indicative of how this society uses technology when it can. The character designs are fairly varied, giving each character a very unique appearance and attitude. Unfortunately, Mei-Fon's large balloon endowment is rather ridiculous for a 16 year-old and that detracts from the character in a major way for this viewer. In this universe, there is also a rather significant amount of Chinese imagery strewn about the story's landscape, which gives it a nice flavor different from the typical culturally neutral science fiction shows out there.
Would I recommend this series? A qualified yes. The early episodes were a bit tedious but the unanswered questions beg to have their stories told. I expect the key plot elements to be drawn out and eventually take over the storytelling of each episode, hopefully leading to an intense climax.

Publisher: Sunrise / Bandai Visual
Price: ¥3,800 (Vol. 1), ¥5,000 (Vol. 2+)
Format: TV series (being released in 7 volumes)
Availability: DVD, LD,VHS (Starting August 25th)
Release Information: 1999.08.25 LD:BEAL-1438, DVD: BCBA-0231, VHS:BES-2383
1999.10.25 LD:BELL-1499, DVD: BCBA-0292, VHS:BES-2984
1999.11.25 LD:BELL-1500, DVD: BCBA-0293, VHS:BES-2985
Where to buy