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| 4. Iodine
The second series in the Stars trilogy picks up where
the first left off. Lafiel has become the captain of her own ship, the Barsroil,
and Jinto has taken his place on her crew as promised. The war between the alien
Abh and the United Mankind has also finally begun in earnest, and the duo now
face their first taste of combat while adjusting to the new dimensions of their
relationship. With several new regulars to work with, including expanded roles
for the characters who made only cameos in the first series, the story emphasizes
the warfare to give its diverse cast better focus. The wide coverage of the war
neccesitates a very large scope, pushing the leads to play much smaller roles
this time out. While there are still plenty of personal moments between the vigorous
battles, the passing of the years has taken an obvious toll on Jinto and Lafiel's
relationship, and they spend much less time really interacting. On the other hand,
we do get a much better picture of the show's universe, and more information on
the endlessly fascinating Abh. There is little difference
in the production values for all three series, though in this installment there
is much more for the mechanical designers to do in the creation of the various
combat vessels. The complexities of the battles require a lot of attention to
keep up with, and can get messy very quickly. Though the writing is still sharp
and exciting, it lacks a little in its relatively sterile portrayal of the space
war. On a dramatic level, this is the least effective chapter of the trilogy,
though it pulls off the most ambitious plot. The series can be viewed separately
from the others, but new viewers would lose out from lack of background information,
and the characters certainly don't resonate as well without the context. |
| 3. Cross
Scars 
Seikai no Senki follows on three years from the events
of Crest of the Stars (Seikai no Moshou), the original series in
this epic space war anime. Following the invasion of their territory by the so
called 'Alliance of Three' and having now finally rebuilt their forces the Imperial
Empire of Abh has launched a counter attack, named operation Renibu, in order
to move onto the offensive. With this new initiative under way the series focuses
once again around the adventures of Lafiel and Jinto who are destined to play
a new part in the continuing war now that both consigned to their first assault
ship, the Basroil, together. In almost every way
this series is like its predecessor and for that reason anyone watching this series
without having already seen Crest of the Stars will be a serious disadvantage
when it comes to all the back events Seikai no Senki is based upon. But
the fact this series is so similar to its predecessor is one of the major plus
points about Seikai no Senki. The same attention to detail that permeated
Crest of the Stars is once again in evidence here and such detail is what
makes this series so great to watch. It brilliantly balances out the time needed
to focus upon the relationships between the characters and the time needed to
be devoted to the ongoing war. If anything though Seikai no Senki actually
surpasses Crest of the Stars. The series, especially later on, is much
more action intensive than the original series was, giving it a more exciting
edge, and yet still the personal feelings in the conflict are never lost. If anything,
the fragile existence of the crews on their small assault ships raises the feelings
in the series. The fact that Lafiel and Jinto are drawn right into the war also
further enhances the epic feel of the series; their role in the mammoth battle
to defend the Aputikku gate is evidence of this. Despite all this action the animation
in the series holds up very well. The characters designs look slightly simple
but the ships and battle scenes look excellent and there's little reuse of animation,
something that so horribly dogged the likes of Gundam Wing. Yet
at the same time some might be turned off by what I personally consider Seikai
no Senki's merits. The detailed approach it takes to things in turn does mean
that events move at a rather methodical pace which may not interest everyone.
Similarly some may not find interesting the somewhat detailed tactics and politics
of events that has also been carried over from Crest of the Stars. But
for me at least that kind of detail is what makes Seikai no Senki stand
out from so many other series around. It's one of the best sci-fi anime around
and I've yet to see a better portrayal of an epic space conflict so far. |
| 1. Tempy
Oh boy. Battleflag of the Stars is the sequel series
to Crest of the Stars; taking place 3 years after the events in CotS,
BotS has Lafiel commanding an assault ship with Jinto as part of her crew.
The dialogue and character interaction is what makes this show so excellent. The
interaction is quite playful, sometimes even hilariously so. The Abh are truly
an amusing folk. Rear Admiral Penejue Spoor returns, not having lost one bit of
her arrogance and spunk. Besides the amusing exchanges between Jinto and Lafiel,
we also have the Bibos twins with their subtle insults, the Crown Prince Abriel
and his Tactical Officer, and many other worthy characters. Then there are the
action bits which are very well done. The show has a very nice epic feel to it,
nicely supported by the music. Imagine thousands of ships going at it, with thousands
of missiles whizzing by, explosions everywhere, and the cacophony of radio communication.
Marvelous. And for those who want more, there's a third series out as well - Battleflag
of the Stars II. Recommended. |
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