Angel Links

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Angel Links
星方天使エンジェルリンクス (Angel Links)
Genre	Action, Adventure, Comedy, Science Fiction
TV anime
Directed by	Yuji Yamaguchi
Studio	Sunrise, Bandai Visual
Network	Animax, WOWOW
Original run	April 7, 1999 – June 30, 1999
No. of episodes	13
Related works
Outlaw Star

Angel Links (星方天使エンジェルリンクス, Seihō Tenshi Enjeru Rinkusu^?, lit. "Angels of the Stars: Angel Links") is an anime series. It was aired across WOWOW and the anime television network Animax.

Angel Links is about a 16 year old girl, Meifon Li, who becomes the head of a corporation dedicated to saving transportation companies in outer space from pirates for free, as per her grandfather's dying wish. As the series progresses, she learns a terrifying secret about her grandfather and the reason for his wish. The anime is produced by Sunrise and is released in the U.S. by Bandai, and is based on a novel by Hideaki Ibuki. It is considered a spinoff of the anime series Outlaw Star and takes place in the same universe. The characters Duuz and Valeria are from an episode of Outlaw Star titled "Law and Lawlessness," and now work for Meifon, although there are several differences in their character and personalities between the two shows.

[edit] Characters

Meifon Li

Central protagonist of the anime and leader of the pirate-fighting service known as Angel Links. She is an excited and romantic teenager who takes her job seriously, but shows a relaxed side when she's not on duty.

Meifon's most noteworthy trait is her bust, which happens to be quite large for a 16 year old, and is often the subject of fanservice because of it. Her partner in battle is Taffei, who hides in her bust until Meifon calls for his help (Taffei transforms into a unique blade that has the visual qualities of angelic and demonic).

Meifon excels at both martial arts and swordsmanship. She also has a hotblooded side to her, and like Duuz she enjoys a good fight. Meifon is plagued with a strange past that unveils itself as the anime moves forward.

Voiced by: Ryoka Yuzuki (Japanese), Mariette Sluyter (English)

Kosei Hida

Meifon's right-hand man and the one in charge of various departments such as the payroll for the company. On ship, he usually takes a passive role as Meifon's advisor. He also prepares tea occasionally during a relatively minor battle.

Kosei originally served Meifon's grandfather Chenho Li, which explains his willingness to always assist Meifon. Generally a well-mannered young man who is popular with women because of his attractive appearance, Kosei strives to do everything in a just and timely method. When it comes to battle, Kosei does not show much participation, but has some skill with a number of firearms. He is considered a bishounen in the anime by fans due to his face and hairstyle.

Voiced by: Hikaru Midorikawa (Japanese), Tommy Campbell (English)

Valeria Vertone

Originally appeared in Outlaw Star as a member of a pirate-fighting group called Angel Links. Valeria Vertone is the ship's tactician. Most of the time, when the enemies are nothing too serious for the crew, Valeria is calmly relaxing in her seat, painting or filing her fingernails. She used to be a tactician for the Einhorn Empire and was their top strategist despite being so young at the time, but was put on trial for disobeying orders and getting most of her fleet killed during one mission. She also had a lover named Lawrence during her time in Einhorn, but had to drop the relationship when she was exiled. When Meifon is not present on the ship, Valeria assumes role as commander.

In actual combat, Valeria wields tonfa with amazing skill as well as kickboxing (which she also trains in when she is off duty). In contrast to her Outlaw Star appearance, the major differences are her hair (which is far more wild-looking and includes a red streak) and her personality (which is more relaxed in comparison to being so "by-the-book" in Outlaw Star). She is also the only character among the crew who could be considered Duuz's friend since the two are friendly toward each other (perhaps out of respect for one another's battle talents or perhaps they are closer in age than the other crew members, who are teenagers to young adults).

Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka (Japanese), Elizabeth Stepkowski (English)

Duuz Delax Rex

Originally appeared in Outlaw Star as a stubborn, hotheaded officer of a pirate-fighting group called Angel Links. Duuz is the ship's Platoon Commander, which is an amusing term for it since he does not actually command a group of any kind when it comes to battles.

Known for being the most powerful among his people (called Dragonites in Angel Links rather than Saurians), he is unmatched in swordsmanship and barehanded combat. Highly powerful and deadly, Duuz fights battles alone (though he is assisted by Meifon, Kosei and Valeria occasionally) and never seems to suffer any kind of damage. He is so skilled that he can deflect bullets with his sword. Incidentally, like Valeria, he is often the most calm member of the entire crew, silently polishing his cherished sword. He is also wise and contemplative, and is able to read the enemies' moves with little trouble as well as give advice "like a wise old dragon". His amazing qualities might mark him as a Mary Sue, but so far this is not debated. Out of the four main characters, he has the least background story and is therefore the least developed main character (much to the dismay of his fans).

Duuz is a vegetarian, which is difficult to believe since his muscular build is quite large (though it is actually smaller when compared to his Outlaw Star incarnation) for someone who subsisted on vegetables his whole life and does not like seafood. Because of Duuz's mysterious, undeveloped background, "scalie" fans are often debating his past and origins. In regards to his appearance, he has different coloring for his scales and his eyes, and a tail more like a crocodile's.

As for his personality, he is much more relaxed, much like Valeria, than his Outlaw Star incarnation and tends to view humans as very inferior to his people.

Voiced by: Kenji Utsumi

[edit] Trivia

• Duuz's U.S. voice actor is currently a mystery as his voice for the English dub is not well-known. Most speculate the actor chose not to have his name credited.

[edit] Credits

Director: Yuji Yamaguchi

Story: Takehito Ito, Hajime Yatate