is a Japanese

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series created by

Kaishaku A ''kaishakunin'' ( ja, 介錯人) is a person appointed to behead an individual who has performed seppuku, Japanese ritual suicide, at the moment of agony. The role played by the ''kaishakunin'' is called ''kaishaku''. Aside from being spared p ...

. The series was adapted into a 32-episode

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

series and one specially released

OVA , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

episode by TNK. Seasons 1 and 2 were broadcast in Japan on

Kids Station Kids Station (Japanese language, Japanese: キッズステーション, ''Kizzu Sutēshon'') is a Japanese children's television channel showing anime and other cartoon material. Kids Station also airs some anime aimed at teens and adults during the ...

between 2002 and 2004. The anime series was released on DVD in Japan between 2002 and 2006. All episodes and the OVA special were dubbed in English and initially released on single DVD volumes in North America by

ADV Films A.D. Vision Holdings, Inc. (known simply as ADV and also referred to as ADV Films) was an American multimedia entertainment distributor headquartered in Houston, Texas, and founded in 1992 by video game fan John Ledford and anime fans Matt Gre ...

from 2006 to 2007.

Plot summary

On a world where aliens are commonplace, Kazuto Tokino decides on his own to run his grandfather's bathhouse despite the protests from his parents. Kazuto however lacks a lot of the skills needed to make such a venture successful and must get by on a sunny disposition. That alone might have made things hard enough for him, but an alien princess named Valkyrie destroys the bathhouse, and in the process mortally wounds Kazuto. However, she is able to save his life with a magical kiss, but that kiss costs her half of her soul and transforms her into an 8-year-old child, though when Valkyrie and Kazuto kiss, their souls connect allowing her to temporarily assume her adult form and wield the Key of Time, a powerful sword-shaped artifact. Princess Valkyrie is then stranded on Earth, unable to look after herself as the entire solar system is out searching for her. Over time, Kazuto and Valkyrie fall in love with each other.

Manga

The manga series was published in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Square Enix is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate, best known for its ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', ''Star Ocean'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'' role-playing video game ...

in the magazine ''

Monthly Shōnen Gangan is a manga imprint owned by Square Enix Holdings. It originated as a manga imprint for Enix before the company re-branded as Square Enix. It publishes manga in several anthologies aimed at different reader demographic groups in the Japanese mar ...

'' beginning in 2002 and continuing for eleven volumes, ending in 2007. This series was created by the manga group

, the group also known for creating ''

Steel Angel Kurumi is a Japanese manga series created by Kaishaku. An anime series adaptation directed by Naohito Takahashi, animated by Oriental Light and Magic, produced by Pony Canyon with character designs by Yuriko Chiba and Yūji Ikeda and music by T ...

''. The series was also published by

Media Factory , formerly is a Japanese publisher and brand company of Kadokawa Future Publishing. History It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of Recruit Co., Ltd. Media Factory was possi ...

as four volumes under the

light novel A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a ''wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...

label

MF Bunko J is a publishing label affiliated with the Japanese publishing company Media Factory. It was established in July 2002 and is a light novel label that is aimed at young adult males with a focus on visual novel A , often abbreviated as VN, is a ...

. No English translation of this manga series was ever officially released and this manga series was never licensed for publication outside Japan.

Anime

The anime series was directed by

Shigeru Ueda is a Japanese anime storyboard artist and director. When he graduated from university, he joined AUBEC (now defunct) to work in the animation industry. After working as a production manager and assistant director, he made his directorial debut wit ...

for

Media Factory Inc. , formerly is a Japanese publisher and brand company of Kadokawa Future Publishing. History It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of Recruit Co., Ltd. Media Factory was poss ...

and the first season ran for 12 episodes. Since then there has been a two-episode

, a 12-episode Season 2, an 8-episode Season 3. Season 2 was directed by Nobuhiro Takagi and Season 3 by Yoshihiro Takamoto.

originally licensed ''UFO Ultramaiden'' for North American release and oversaw the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

translation Translation is the communication of the Meaning (linguistic), meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The ...

and production on all TV and OVA episodes of the series. Documents posted on the Harris County

court A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance ...

website for a lawsuit filed on April 17, 2008 by ''A.D. Vision, Inc.'' indicate that all or some part of the ''UFO Ultramaiden'' series' were

license A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

d for $21,335. On July 4, 2008,

Funimation Entertainment Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...

announced that ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie'' OVA seasons 3 was included with over thirty other ADV anime titles whose North American rights were transferred to

North American DVD releases

All episodes of the anime series were dubbed and released in North America on DVD by

between 2006 and 2007. Three DVD "volumes" were released periodically for each of the first two seasons. Each "volume" is a single DVD that contained four episodes each for the first two seasons. Two DVD "volumes" were released for season 3 with each "volume" containing three episodes on each DVD. The two additional episodes of season 3 were released in a single DVD "volume". In 2009, a DVD collection containing all episodes of seasons 1 and 2, and the OVA special, was released by ADV Films. Also in 2009, a DVD collection containing all episodes from seasons 3 (eight episodes) was released by

FUNimation Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...

. UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie (TV) * DVD volume 1 ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie - Bedlam, Bathhouse & Beyond'', episodes 1-4, release date: 2006-03-07 * DVD volume 2 ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie - Crash Course in Craziness!'', episodes 5-8, release date: 2006-05-09 * DVD volume 3 ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie - Pirates, Princess, Proposal'', episodes 9-12, release date: 2006-07-04 UFO Princess Valkyrie: SPECIAL - Bridal Training (OVA) * DVD SPECIAL ''UFO Princess Valkyrie: SPECIAL - Bridal Training'', two episodes, release date: 2006-09-05 UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie: December Nocturne (TV) * DVD volume 1 ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie - Washing Up & Wigging Out'', episodes 1-4, release date: 2006-11-14 * DVD volume 2 ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie - Songs from the Dark Side'', episodes 5-8, release date: 2007-01-09 * DVD volume 3 ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie - Toast That Ghost'', episodes 9-12, release date: 2007-03-06 UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie: Bride of Celestial Souls' Day (OAV) * DVD volume 1 ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie - Sacred Stones & Perky Pervert'', episodes 1-3, release date: 2007-05-01 * DVD volume 2 ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie - Time Trippin' Terror & Wedding Woes'', episodes 4-6, release date: 2007-07-03 UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie: Banquet of Time, Dreams, and Galaxies (OAV) * DVD volume 1 ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie: Banquet of Time, Dreams, and Galaxies'', episodes 1-2, release date: 2007-09-04 UFO Ultramaiden DVD collections * Season 1 DVD Collection (Thinpak) (DVD), episodes 1-12 of season 1, release date: 2007-06-26 * Valkyrie 2 - DVD Collection (Thinpak) (DVD 1-3), episodes 1-12 of season 2 and the two Bridal Training OVA episodes, release date: 2008-03-04 * Seasons 1 & 2 Collection (DVD), episodes 1-12 of season 1 and episodes 1-12 of season 2, release date: 2009-04-28 * Valkyrie - Seasons 3 & 4 Collection (DVD), OVA episodes 1-6 of Season 3 and OVA episodes 1-2 of Season 4, release date: 2009-08-11 * Valkyrie Box Seasons 3 & 4 S.A.V.E. Collection (DVD), OVA episodes 1-6 of Season 3 and OVA episodes 1-2 of Season 4, release date: 2010-06-01 * Seasons 1-2 (DVD 1-5), episodes 1-12 of season 1, episodes 1-12 of season 2, and the two Bridal Training OVA episodes. release date: 2012-09-11

Reception

All versions of the anime releases have been extensively reviewed, beginning with an undated prerelease

fansub A fansub (short for fan-subtitled) is a version of a foreign film or foreign television program, typically anime or dorama which has been translated by fans (as opposed to an officially licensed translation done by paid professionals) and subtit ...

review. The reviews range from "D−" for the story which was mainly aimed at the subtle predator themes relating to Kazuto and Valkyrie's relationship, to "B" for the art and music. * The first DVD volume released in North America by

was titled ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie - Bedlam, Bathhouse & Beyond'' and included episodes 1 through 4 of the first season of ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie''. A preview version of this DVD volume was reviewed by Mike Dungan the popular media blog Mania.com and given a grade of "B−". The released version of this DVD volume was later reviewed by Chris Beveridge for Mania.com and given an overall grade of "C+". Theron Martin reviewed this volume for the

Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...

with grades from "D−" (story) to "B" (music). * The second DVD volume titled ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie - Crash Course in Craziness!'' included episodes 5 through 8 of the first season of ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie''. This DVD volume was also reviewed by Chris Beveridge and given an overall grade of "C". * The third DVD volume titled ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie - Pirates, Princess, Proposal'' included episodes 9 through 12 of the first season of ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie''. This DVD volume was also reviewed by Chris Beveridge and given an overall grade of "C". * The OVA DVD volume titled ''DVD SPECIAL UFO Princess Valkyrie: SPECIAL - Bridal Training'' included a recap episode and the OVA episode associated with the first season of ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie''. This DVD volume was also reviewed by Chris Beveridge and given an overall grade of "C+". * The first DVD volume titled ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie 2 - Washing Up & Wigging Out'' included episodes 1 through 4 of the second season ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie 2 : December Nocturne''. This DVD volume was also reviewed by Chris Beveridge and given an overall grade of "C". * The second DVD volume titled ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie 2 - Songs from the Dark Side'' included episodes 5 through 8 of the second season ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie 2 : December Nocturne''. This DVD volume was also reviewed by Chris Beveridge and given an overall grade of "C". * The third DVD volume titled ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie 2 - Toast That Ghost'' included episodes 8 through 12 of the second season ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie 2 : December Nocturne''. This DVD volume was also reviewed by Chris Beveridge and given an overall grade of "C". Carl Kimlinger reviewed this volume for the

with grades from "D" (story) to "C+" (art & music). * The first DVD volume titled ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie 3 - Sacred Stones & Perky Pervert'' included episodes 1 through 3 of the third season ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie 3: Bride of Celestial Souls' Day''. This DVD volume was also reviewed by Chris Beveridge and given an overall grade of "B". Carl Kimlinger also reviewed this volume with grades from "D" (story) to "B" (art). * The second DVD volume titled ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie 3 - Time Trippin' Terror & Wedding Woes'' included episodes 4 through 6 of the third season ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie 3: Bride of Celestial Souls' Day''. This DVD volume was also reviewed by Chris Beveridge and given an overall grade of "C+". Carl Kimlinger also reviewed this volume with grades from "C−" (story) to "B" (art). * The DVD volume titled ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie 4: Banquet of Time, Dreams, and Galaxies'' included episodes 1 and 2 of the fourth season ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie 4: Banquet of Time, Dreams, and Galaxies''. This DVD volume was also reviewed by Chris Beveridge and given an overall grade of "C". An article on the series, as well as reviews by Kevin Gifford on several of the volumes, appeared in the North American version of

Newtype is a monthly magazine publication originating from Japan, covering anime (and to a lesser extent, tokusatsu, manga, Japanese science fiction, seiyuu, and video games). It was launched by publishing company Kadokawa Shoten on March 8, 1985, with i ...

magazine. The volumes were later gathered and released in collections for the entire season and subsequently further gathered into collections of multiple seasons. Although the combined collections were released at prices considerably reduced from the original individual volume releases this did not result in more favorable reviews, ranging from "C" to "C+" overall. * The first season DVD collection includes episodes 1 through 12 of ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie''. This DVD collection was reviewed by Paul Gaudette for Mania.com and given an overall grade of "C". * The second season DVD collection includes episodes 1 through 12 of ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie 2''. This DVD collection was also reviewed by Paul Gaudette and given an overall grade of "C+". * The first and second seasons plus the OVA were released as ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie Complete Collection''. This DVD collection was reviewed by Erica Friedman for Mania.com and given an overall grade of "C". * The third and fourth OVA season (8 episodes) were released by

as ''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie Season 3/4 Collection''. This DVD collection was reviewed by Chris Beveridge and given an overall grade of "C".

Streaming

In 2009 ADV Films announced that this series would be posted online for streaming. The

Anime Network Anime Network is an American video on demand (VOD) network dedicated to anime owned by AMC Networks. History The network was launched in North America in late 2002 and is marketed to multi system operators (MSOs) as both a free and subscript ...

online video streaming web page lists the first and second TV seasons and the OVA special. As of 2013, the pages have icons, titles and summary for all of the episodes but no media is available to play. Video download of all episodes is available from

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

and

Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economi ...

. In 2010

posted online video streaming access to all eight episodes from OVA seasons 3 and 4.

References

External links

Official ''Tokinoyu: UFO Princess Valkyrie''
* {{TNK 2002 anime television series debuts 2003 anime television series debuts 2006 anime OVAs ADV Films Action anime and manga Comedy anime and manga Funimation Gangan Comics manga MF Bunko J Magical girl anime and manga Square Enix franchises TNK (company) Shōnen manga