This title here is a TV special somewhat loosely based on a less known manga by Osamu Tezuka. It's probably for the best that the manga is less known and the changes made for television were probably for the best, but there is only so much an adapting team can do. The story is a rather simple one and briefly told. Read the synopsis, it already contains half of it. Let it be told though that the story is not really about that time traveller. Indeed, it changes quickly to a story about the girl who we meet early on, the titular Prime Rose. But thatdoesn't change the fact that the story is somewhat predictable and entertains at all the wrong places.

The art is a bigger source of entertainment. Yes, it is old, yes, it is typical Tezuka art, but that does not save it from being laughable sometimes. Prime Rose, for example, changes her build at will - or so it seems. In her amazon battle suit she looks like she had her left breast completely removed, when bathing in the lake she is suddenly well-endowed on both sides... actually, everywhere. Guroman soldiers look like straight from Asterix comics (you Americans probably don't know this series. Sadly, I don't know if there's any equivalent in the US for it), making them a bit too laughable to be taken seriously as an oppressive, invading force. And that fire dragon... well, I assume that one was SUPPOSED to look comical.

The characters... I may have hinted at it, but for the most part, they cannot be taken seriously. Probably the biggest offender is Prime Rose again, inexplicably falling in love with the male hero despite just seeing her previous boyfriend, whom she risked her life for just before, killed. I don't feel like using derogatory terms, but really, you can't help but think "slut". Which she maybe isn't, but somehow comes across as. Also, most of the characters have virtually no role to play, they are just there as tools or as stepping stones. Not everything is due to a short runtime though, the writing is to blame as well.

Speaking of the writing, it's... okay. It doesn't particuarly stand out, but it's not really bad either. It does have one major flaw, though: while nearly everything is believable or can be accepted, bodies turning into stone just doesn't come across as believable or acceptable. There is just no basis for it except "magic" and magic clearly does not fit in the world of Prime Rose. Thankfully, it doesn't serve much purpose.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this anime to anyone but die-hard Tezuka maniacs. There is just no enjoyment to be gained from it and it doesn't have much value either. Children may like it, but only if they have nothing else to choose from.