Galaxy Fraulein Yuna

Galaxy Fraulein Yuna (銀河お嬢様伝説ユナ) is a series of video games, anime, and other media from Japan. The Japanese title literally translates to "Galaxy Lady Legend Yuna".

The main character of the series is Kagurazaka Yuna, a somewhat ditzy 16-year old girl. After winning a "Galactic Bishōjo Contest", she becomes "The Savior of Light", a magical girl charged with defending the universe from evil. After becoming the "The Savior of Light", Yuna gains an impressively powerful armored suit, however, her greatest strength lies in her ability to befriend anyone, even her enemies. Her group of comrades (which is extensive) is comprised almost exclusively of former opponents.

Origins
Galaxy Fraulien Yuna originated in 1992 when Red Company, in association with Hudson Soft asked Akitaka Mika to create a video game for the PC Engine Super-CD console. Akitaka Mika was an established artist and mechanical designer, having worked on several Mobile Suit Gundam anime titles, including Zeta Gundam, War in the Pocket, and Stardust Memory. Hudson Soft released Galaxy Fraulien Yuna in Japan in 1992, with Akitaka Mika as character designer and writer.

The specific origins of Yuna lie in Akitaka Mika's MS Girls artwork, which were featured in many anime-related magazines during the late 1980's and early 1990's. With "MS" standing for "Mobile Suit", MS Girls was a collection of drawings of pretty girls dressed in Gundam-style powered armor. It is generally acknowledged that his work on Yuna was an evolution of the MS girls artwork. In fact, some of the original drawings in Akitaka Mika's book The World Wide Merchandise Division 2001 of Les MS Girls bear a striking resemblance to characters in the Yuna universe. At the 1998 Anime Expo in Anaheim, California, Akitaka Mika explained that Yuna began when his producer at Red Company asked him to design a shoot-em-up game featuring a character based on his Gundam F91 girl. The shooter ended up evolving instead into a visual novel, although Akitaka Mika would much later develop a title similar to the original Yuna design proposal called Galaxy Maiden Sapphire.

The Yuna series became popular quite quickly. This led to the production of several sequels for various platforms, as well as art books, music, CD Dramas, and two anime Original Video Animation series.

Video Game Releases
There are a total of six Yuna video games, and a few related software releases:
 * Galaxy Fraulein Yuna for PC Engine Super-CD in 1992. This was the first Yuna work to be released to the public.
 * Galaxy Fraulein Yuna II: Eternal Princess for PC Engine Super-CD in 1995
 * Galaxy Fraulein Yuna FX for PC FX in 1996
 * Galaxy Fraulein Yuna Remix for Sega Saturn in 1996. This was a re-release of the original 1992 Yuna game, though it had improved graphics and new animation cutscenes added.  This game was released in both a normal version and a collector's edition which included special oversized packaging and many omake items.
 * Galaxy Fraulein Yuna 3: Lightning Angel for Sega Saturn in 1997
 * Galaxy Fraulein Yuna 3: Final Edition for PlayStation in 1998 . This was a Playstation a port of Lightning Angel with slightly enhanced graphics and some bonus content.

In addition, two Sega Saturn discs entitled ''Mika Akitaka Illust. Works'' volumes 1 and 2 were released in 1996 and 1997 respectively. While these were software for a video game console, they are not true games, but rather collections of artwork, music, and digital omake material. Also released in 1997 were two computer software packages: Galaxy Fraulein Yuna Hybrid Collection and Galaxy Fraulein Yuna Visual Soundtrack. The former was a collection of PC-related omake such as desktop wallpaper, custom cursors, and screensavers. The latter contained a few music clips with slide-show style "videos".

All Yuna video games are mainly of the visual novel type. Combat scenes are played out in turn-based RPG style. Yuna 3 incorporates a 3D Isometric view "tactical simulation combat system", transforming the combat into a that of a Tactical RPG).

Anime Releases
There are two Yuna anime series.

The first, Galaxy Fraulein Yuna: Siren's Sadness was a 2 episode OVA. It was later translated and released in the west as simply Galaxy Fraulein Yuna. The plot of this anime overlaps with that of the Yuna FX video game. This series is quite lighthearted and is primarily a comedy.

The second, Galaxy Fraulein Yuna: The Abyssal Fairy was a 3 episode OVA. It was released in the west as Galaxy Fraulein Yuna Returns or Galaxy Fraulein Yuna: Dawn of the Dark Sisters. This series does not duplicate any of the video game content directly, though chronologically it does takes place sometime after the first OVA but before Yuna 3. This series has a much darker tone than the earlier Yuna works, and while it does contain some comedy it is primarily an action/drama film.

CD & Music Releases
Music for the series was written by Takanori Arisawa. There have been many Yuna-related Audio CDs released, including anime and game soundtracks, image albums, and several Drama CDs. As well, in 1997 the Japanese radio station Bunka Housou broadcast a live radio show entitled Galaxy Fraulein Radio. The radio show content was later released on three separate CDs.

Character Information

 * Kagurazaka Yuna (神楽坂 優奈)

Age: 16

Birthdate: April 16, 2283

Sign: Aries

Nicknames: Yuna, Yuna-rin, etc.

Height: 158cm

Weight: 45kg

B/W/H: 78/56/82

Blood type: AB

Charm Points: Warm smile

Favorite food: Rare Cheesecake and Puffy Ice Cream

Seiyuu: (Japanese) Chisa Yokoyama, (English) Cynthia Martinez

Yuna is the main character of the series. At first, she was just another normal schoolgirl: a first-year student at Yokohama's Shirokyodai All-Girls' High School, enrolled in class 1-B, commuting from home to school each day via the local train route. Sometime prior to the first game, Yuna and several other girls entered the "Miss Ojousama Contest", an intergalactic beauty pageant, with Yuna herself being chosen as the winner. In doing so, she became an instant celebrity, and began a career as a popular idol singer.

One night, the Matrix of Light Elner appeared to Yuna. She introduced herself as part of Yuna's personality, and asked her to become the Savior of Light. Yuna then learned a great evil was about to invade the universe, and that Yuna herself had been charged with its protection. Thus began the first of Yuna's intergalactic adventures.

Yuna is sometimes a bit clumsy and prone to making silly mistakes, and at first glance, one would think she's a natural airhead. However, she has a very energetic and positive personality that more than makes up for her shortcomings. She isn't very skilled as an idol singer, not quite diligent in her studies and exercise routine, and both her enemies and friends often wonder whether she has any potential talent that has yet to be unlocked.

During battle or times of great personal danger, Yuna undergoes a henshin sequence and appears wearing her armored battle suit, the Light Suit. Her Light Suit has a very large array of weaponry to use in her battle against the forces of evil, ranging from a sword and rifle to an incredibly powerful beam cannon called the Matrix Divider (In "Galaxy Fraulein Yuna 2: Eternal Princess", it is upgraded to a more powerful version known as the Matrix Divider Plus).

Yuna is also a HUGE fan of the TV superheroine Ojousama Kamen Polylina (or Polylina the Masked Maiden), proudly boasting her status as "the #1 fan of the "Polylina-sama Fanclub". This fandom borders on complete obsession, with Yuna even going as far as referring to Polylina as her "one and only". Her heroine is in fact a TV character played by her best friend Lia, but for some reason, Yuna NEVER manages to figure it out. In fact, Yuna's affection for Polylina is a major running joke in the series, with Lia often reacting in some fashion to Yuna's fangirlish (and somewhat misguided) proclamations of shoujo-ai for her idol.

Her friends call her by a variety of nicknames, including "Yuna", "Yuna-rin", and "Yuna-san". Yuna Kagurazaka currently lives with her parents, Naoko & Yuuichiro Kagurazaka, on Earth, in Japan's Yokohama Prefecture.


 * Yuri Cube (ユーリィ・キューブ)

Age: Unknown

Birthdate: Unknown, discovered on September 15, 2299

Sign: Virgo?

Height: 167cm

Weight: 46kg

B/W/H: 82/58/85

Blood type: None

Seiyuu: (Japanese) Miki Takahashi, (English) Tamara Lo

Yuri is an android created by a highly advanced race. She was discovered in some ancient ruins on the moon during the storyline of Yuna II. Yuri came home with Yuna and lives at her house, and then becomes Yuna's best friend the Kagurazaka family's adopted daughter which her fullname now is Yuri Cube Kagurazaka. Yuri is best known for her insatiable appetite, which has led some fans to speculate that she may have a black hole for a stomach. Yuri is immensely strong though performing feats of strength depletes her energy reserves, at which point she must eat to regain her strength.

In combat, Yuri not only she uses her super strength but she uses a weapon called Twin Dragon Fangs that can interchange to Sword mode or Gun mode. Also she can create reinforced parts for upgrading El-Line to the more powerful El-Line Noi.


 * Liavelt von Neuestein (リーアベルト・フォン・ノイエシュタイン)

Age: 16

Birthdate: March 16, 2283

Sign: Pisces

Nicknames: Lia

Height: 163cm

Weight: 48kg

B/W/H: 80/58/85

Blood type: A

Seiyuu: (Japanese) Yumi Touma, (English) Toni Navarre

Lia was the leader of The 13 Frauleins of Darkness and was defeated by Yuna in the first video game. She since became one of Yuna's friends and a powerful ally. Her alter-ego is Lia the Phoenix. Lia is also Polylina the Masked Maiden, a mask wearing, crime-fighting super heroine with her own TV show. For some reason Yuna never figures out that her friend Lia is also her beloved Polylina. Lia (and Polylina) has a robotic pet cat named Milky, who can transform into various weapons.


 * Misaki Ichijouin (一条院ミサキ)

Age: 17

Birthdate: February 28, 2283

Height: 160cm

Weight: 48kg

B/W/H: 80/57/80

Blood type: A

Seiyuu: (Japanese) Satomi Koorogi, (English) Laura Chapman

Misaki's debut appearance is at the PC-FX game Galaxy Fraulein Yuna FX and Galaxy Fraulein Yuna OVA. As an intelligence officer of the Galaxy Alliance under the codename: Selene (or Saline in ADV Films' translation) she disguises as a mysterious transfer student in Shirokyodai HS All-Girls' High School to investigate claimed charges that Yuna is trying to take over the galaxy. Later, thanks to Fraulein D's plot she wrongfully accused Yuna for terrorizing the city and arrested her. Before Yuna's execution she listened to positive testimonials of Yuna's friends that she then realized that Yuna is truly innocent. In the nick of time she prevented the execution, foiled Fraulein D's plan and entered into Yuna's circle of friends.

Unlike others who receive their armored suits from outside sources Misaki's armored suit is standard issue to the Galaxy Alliance. She specializes in long-range combat with her Linear Railgun, has access to secret files of the Galaxy Alliance for intelligence gathering and has the ability to teleport, one of the only characters other than Lia that can perform such.