believe the hype: crest of the stars
Categories: anime
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I’ve gotten myself hooked on Crest of the Stars (Seikai no Monshou) over the last week as Tech TV has been running it on their Anime Unleashed. I’ve heard the previous hype for the show, but I never got around to watching it because I used to never watch plot-oriented anime. I also tend to dislike shows with a lot of hype– Onegai Teacher and hack//sign come readily to mind.
CotS is actually based on a series of novels about a boy, Jinto, born on the planet Martin, as he inherits his family’s title and enters the Abh military as a cadet. The Abh are a space-faring race, and they are genetically enhanced for space travel. They also have a custom where their noblemen must serve in the military. He soon meets an Abh princess, Lafiel, who is also a cadet, and the two stumble across an armada of ships from the Abh’s enemies. They try to race back to warn the empire of impending attack– and this is where CotS begins.
The continuation to CotS is Battleflag of the Stars (Seikai no Senki), and this show has a deeper militaristic feel. It takes place three years after the events of the first series, and Jinto and Lafiel are re-united on Lafiel’s first command. War between the human alliance and the Abh empire have taken a toll on both sides, and this story tells of what happens after an uneasy period of peace.
The main focus on both series is the story and the character development. The animation quality is fairly poor, and they recycle footage quite a bit– especially in Battleflag. But don’t let this distract you. The story is stellar and deep. It’s Tolkien in space, and the Abh do look elvish. There’s not a lot of action, since battles tend to happen quickly, and most of the time it’s dialogue. For people looking for some romantic aspect, Jinto and Lafiel get cozy in CotS, and a love triangle forms in Battleflag.
It’s not for everyone (especially not the Onegai Teacher/DBZ crowd), but I think, if given a chance, this show will grow on you too.
For more information, I recommend: Crest of the Stars and Bandai’s official site.
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Mierda SPAM
Just to let you know there a website called Abhnation.com that about the world of Seikai and next month all Seikai fans jump for joy, because Tokopop has bought the Seikai Novels to U.S.A and will be going out next month. I think it is Sept.6,2006; if the novels do well, more will be puslished.