Maetel Legend - Prequel Harlock Saga DVD

On the dying planet La Metal, the cold has grown so absolute that only machines can survive. Queen Prometheum — mother of the young princess Maetel and her fierce twin sister Emeraldas — has struck a desperate bargain with the mechanization scientist Hardgear: allow La Metal's people to be converted into machine beings, or watch them perish in the freeze. One by one, those Maetel loves are transformed into something no longer quite human. Emeraldas rages and fights back with everything she has. Maetel watches, and feels the weight of a choice approaching that no young girl should face: surrender her humanity to survive on a dying world, or abandon everything she has ever known and carry the grief of it for the rest of her life. The choice Maetel makes here is the wound at the center of everything she will become: the enigmatic, long-coated woman who rides the Galaxy Express 999 through the stars, guiding young travelers toward their destinies, and never quite explaining her own.

Maetel Legend is a two-episode OVA produced by Madhouse in 2000 and directed by Takashi Matsuyama, serving as the origin story of Maetel — one of the most beloved and mysterious characters in Leiji Matsumoto's vast interconnected universe spanning Galaxy Express 999, Captain Harlock, Queen Emeraldas, and beyond. The OVA draws directly from the Queen Millennia continuity, revealing that Queen Prometheum is the same character as Yayoi Yukino from that earlier series, and places Maetel's tragedy within the broader Machine Empire mythology that defines the Leijiverse.

It functions as a direct prequel to Harlock Saga chronologically, and both works were released together as a combined DVD set in North America by Central Park Media. The English dub features voice actors from the 4Kids stable including Veronica Taylor, Rachael Lillis, and Lisa Ortiz. Released separately on DVD in North America by Central Park Media (US Manga Corps). 

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Takashi Matsuyama
Original Creator: Leiji Matsumoto (Galaxy Express 999, Captain Harlock, Queen Emeraldas)
Studio: Madhouse

Japanese Cast:
• Satsuki Yukino as young Maetel
• Atsuko Enomoto as young Emeraldas (Steel Angel Kurumi)
• Masako Ikeda as Queen Prometheum / adult Maetel (Galaxy Express 999)
• Keiko Han as additional cast (Sailor Moon, Urusei Yatsura 2)

English Dub Cast (Central Park Media):
• Veronica Taylor as young Maetel (Pokémon)
• Rachael Lillis as young Emeraldas (Pokémon)
• Lisa Ortiz as additional cast (Harlock Saga, Haunted Junction)

DVD Features

• Central Park Media / US Manga Corps Previews

Spoken Languages: English & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: メーテルレジェンド (Mēteru Rejendo)
Runtime: ~60 Minutes (Complete OVA, 2 Episodes)
Director: Takashi Matsuyama
DVD Release Year: 2002 (U.S. Release, Central Park Media / US Manga Corps)
Original Release Date (Japan): August 25 – September 25, 2000
Publisher: Central Park Media (US Manga Corps)
Rating: 13+
Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Space Opera, Drama
Themes: Maetel's Origin, Mechanized Empire, La Metal, Queen Prometheum, Leijiverse Prequel

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.