Crest of the Stars

Seikai no Monshou

Also Known As: CotS, Crest

Genre: Action/Drama

Format: 13 Episodes

Allegiance: Sunrise/WOWOW/Bandai Visual

Director: Nagaoka Yasuchika

Vintage: 1999

Intelligence Agency Report by: Kuzu Ryu Sen

At the age of 10, Jinto Lin was forced to watch as his father Rock sold out their home world of Martine to the Humankind Reich of the Abh, becoming a traitor and pariah to the populace as a result. In return, Rock became the new magistrate of the star system, and as his son, Jinto became Abh nobility. After seven years of learning the “Way of the Abh,” Jinto is ready to journey to the Abh capital Lacmhacarh to serve his mandatory term in the Abh Star Forces. Assigned to escort him to the capital is a young Pilot Trainee named Lafiel, serving aboard the patrol ship Gauthloth. When the Gauthloth encounters unidentified craft during the journey, Jinto and Lafiel are evacuated as non-combatants for precautionary reasons, and are forced to find their own way to Lacmhacarh.

Field Agent Report by: Kuzu Ryu Sen

Plot
Characters
Impact
Visual
Audio

9.50
9.00
9.50
8.50
8.50

Overall

9.25

(not an average)

Crest of the Stars is the first part of the Stars Series, which as of this date also contains Banner of the Stars and Banner of the Stars II, based on the books of the same name by Morioka Hiroyuki. So popular were the novels in Japan that Morioka-san’s book had to be reprinted three times within the first two months. Seeing the success of the novels, the staff working on the anime decided very wisely not to mess with a winning formula, and chose instead to build the anime upon what Morioka-san had already established in his novels: outstanding characters, a solid plot, and above all, an enthralling universe that entraps the viewer.

Crest of the Stars has two main strengths. The first is the fictional universe that serves as the setting, in particular, the attention to detail used during the construction of the Abh is simply amazing. Many details regarding their culture and military are given, and some even become key plot devices as well. The second is that, unlike many science-fiction anime, this show focuses much more on dialogue rather than action. Even during combat, there is a much greater emphasis placed on the interactions of the crew, rather than the ships shooting at each other. As a result of this emphasis on dialogue, and the skill of the writers, the characters of Crest of the Stars are either well fleshed out, initially have great personalities to compensate, or both. In particular, Jinto and Lafiel, the two leads, create a great chemistry together, and with all the characters they encounter as well.

The only real problem is that the whole show felt like it was a chapter of some greater whole. While the plot was very solid, the actual amount of the story covered seemed rather insignificant compared to what was happening in the universe aside from it. There were some greater issues that the plot hadn’t even begun to dent. Although this problem can be partially excused because a sequel was planned from the start, the lack of screen time damages an otherwise fantastic show. Aside from that, the only issues were some moments of low quality animation, and the classic single colour sci-fi explosions were problematic on and off throughout the show.

Overall, the animated adaptation of Morioka Hiroyuki’s hit novel is an overwhelming success. The amazingly intricate and detailed universe in Crest of the Stars, along with the powerful characters, creates an enjoyable watching experience even for non-science-fiction fans. Things are looking good for the Stars Series if Banner of the Stars and Banner of the Stars II are anything like Crest of the Stars.

Field Agent Report by: Drake

Plot
Characters
Impact
Visual
Audio

9.50
9.25
9.75
8.50
9.50

Overall

9.50

(not an average)

Without doubt, the Stars Series easily took the spot of my favorite anime from the moment Crest of the Stars began playing. This was mainly due to the amazing effort of Morioka Hiroyuki - author of the series - as he created everything from a unique language to extremely detailed cultures and etiquettes. As a result, the series is simply brilliant and well worth both the watch and the time taken to acquire the individual DVD box sets for the whole trilogy.

What really drew me into Crest of the Stars were not intense battles, but rather the main characters, Jinto and Lafiel, and their interaction with one another as well as their surroundings over the course of the series. This usage of dialogue over flashy action adds a unique element that is rarely found in any anime. It allows for character development, resulting in more depth and a broader understanding for the viewer. Even the minor characters, from Baron Feubdash’s vassals to the freedom fighters of Sfagnaumh, add more to the story – provoking a deeper understanding of the mysterious universe of the Abh. My personal favorite by far is most definitely Commodore Admiral Sporh. Her presence in the latter part of the series added some comic relief to a very serious series – as we, as well as her Chief of Staff, pondered her sanity.

However, what little we had in way of battle scenes were detailed beyond my expectations in terms of tactics in battle. In most battles in the sci-fi genre, we are used to seeing flashy ships blow up other ships with a super gun of some sort. In Crest of the Stars, the respective commanders are forced to utilize strategy in order to win, including a heavy use of flanking. On top of this, the battles are presented from the perspective of the bridge. The scenes on the bridge are so convincing that they drag you onto the bridge as one of the members of the ship. This is amplified further by the outstanding OST by Katsuhisa Hattori. Each track is a classical composition - save for the ending song “Ushinawareta Aozora” performed by TimeSlip-Rendezvous – that adds a much deeper flavor of emotion and feeling to the scene the song is played during.

Many people argue that the series was incomplete, and I must disagree with them on this point. The series is not incomplete, as Crest of the Stars does its job of giving the introduction to the greater saga while still offering sufficient closure on a chapter level. The questions left at the end will not detract from the CotS experience, but will urge viewers to go see the sequels out of sheer interest and curiosity. Though I will raise one complaint I had with the series, and that was the slightly low key animation quality, that gave off the feel of the series being older then it actually is.

All in all, I strongly recommend…no, I demand that you go out and watch this series, even if sci-fi is not your thing. This series is just truly that impressive with its intricate and complex level of detail. This is a great start to an amazing series of anime. You will instantly be urged to watch the three sequels and prequel, and maybe even seek the novels.