You could argue that she's a supporting character in her own OVA. You could ding the animation for looking dated. That aside, I liked what I saw. She's a mysterious character. We were never going to see 2 hours' worth of an over the shoulder look at her life. It was always going to be her playing off of another character. That said, I liked where this story went. I like that the story wasn't her welcoming a stranger into her ship and into her heart within 2 minutes, or ever. She is heartbroken and it's almost like she's dead already. Her fearlessness in theface of death and quiet acceptance of what will likely be her death at a pivotal point shows how dark some of the chapters of her life have been, and yet I wouldn't call it dystopian. She helps when she can, she has strong morals and is willing to die for them, and she is gregarious when it is called for. I'd call this a character study from a distance.

I think she got the name Pirate Queen Emeraldas because she's presents as evil but she is clearly decent. Her morality is her guiding light, and she persistently walks towards that light. She's a good egg.