Rating: **
Review Date: 3/8/12
Divided into four installments.
With the disovery of ancient technology, power-mad king Nabosu decides to invade the island of Eija and kidnap the heir to their royal bloodline. But a prophecy reveals that god's anger will rise against the oppressors and utterly destroy them, as it did in ancient times. Intrigued by this legend, princess Crystel decides to destroy Eija in an attempt to invoke god's wrath and uncover the ancient legendary battleship, Ellcia. What Crystel didn't count on was a group of teenage pirates getting in her way. The goofy and immature pirates are led by a strong-willed young girl named Eira, who turns out to be "the chosen one" of the ancient prophecy. She alone can control Ellcia, and she alone holds the fate of the world in her hands.
Pretty average and mediocre on all accounts. The animation and character design are good, the music is appropriately epic, and the action scenes are surprisingly violent and bloody. While Eira is a fun and interesting character, her group of misfit pirates gives the story an overly light-hearted and juvenile tone. Despite the graphic violence, one definitely gets the impression that the show was geared for a pre-teen audience. After much hardship and turmoil, good finally overpowers evil and Ellcia fulfills its destiny. However, what sticks out most is the two minute epilogue which seemingly takes place 10-15 years after the events in the story. For whatever reasons, the animation style totally changes and dives into cheesecake fan service territory with gratuitous panty shots and an overly sexy rendering of Eira. It's so baffling and completely inconsistent with the rest of the show that it makes me wonder if it was all just a dream, or a fairy tale that Eira was reading. Very odd.