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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Legacy of the Stars, July 15, 2004
This review is from: Crest of the Stars - Complete Series Set (DVD)
Crest of the Stars is not for the impatient. I remember buying the first volume years ago, and thinking at the time that I might continue watching it, but it was the slowest moving anime I had ever seen. This still holds true. The storyline on this one is much deeper than your typical anime, or even your typical sci-fi. The story revolves around young Jinto, who through no fault of his own became royalty, a traitor to his people, and a person without a real family while still a child. The whole chain of events gets started when the Empire of Abh invades the Martine Star system and Jinto's father (leader of the planet) surrenders without firing a shot. Really, one might say that the real focus of this series is how different ways of thinking cause misunderstandings. When the Martine Star System is invaded, the Abh tell the planet's inhabitants that they are not interested in the planet, just the space surrounding it, and that the people can be ruled by one of their own. The people of the planet take it as an insult, rather than as an act of mercy, and view the surrender of their leader as betrayal, rather than as a brave course of action that probably saved their lives. What really makes for an interesting twist (like some of the best anime) is the fact that there really aren't any good or bad guys in this one. Some of the things that the Abh Empire does could be seen as evil, and some of the things that the Abh do could be seen as extremely noble. One part of the series which really had a strong impact on me (once I understood it) was an old woman who was helped by Lafiel when her luggage was being stolen, and swore at her. Only at the end of the episode do we see what she was carrying (anti-Abh propaganda). All of the galactic politics of war in this show is great stuff to be sure, but Jinto and Lafiel are the true stars of the show. On the suface Jinto appears to be a weak and mild-mannered person, and Lafiel appears to be a strong and resourceful Imperial soldier. As the show goes on though, we come to see that there is more to them than meets the eye. Jinto can be brave and ingenius (and even heroic) when he needs to be, and underneath that cool exterior, Lafiel is really just a kind young girl in need of love and understanding. I highly recommend watching this one in the original Japanese, as it is vastly superior to the English dub. If you love hard-core sci-fi and serious drama, you'll love this show and need to buy it immediately. Espeically if you have the patience for a good story that takes its time.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent start to an unforgettable epic, August 21, 2003
This review is from: Crest of the Stars - Complete Series Set (DVD)
Firstly I would like to start off by saying what an incredible value this collector set is. At only [money amount]you get 4 DVDs that would initially cost about [money maount]a piece where you to buy it separately. But who cares what the price is if what you buy is just junk? Crest of the Stars is a beautiful anime worth more much more than what you will be paying for. People looking for mindless action like that of anime like Gundam and Dragon Ball Z will be very disapointed with Crest of the Stars. Crest of the Stars is not an action anime; it is an adventure, love story and political drama all in one. The story of Crest of the Stars is it's strongest point along with it's characters. Many of the episodes in this series are spent on character development instead of focusing on the actual plot, this might turn off some viewers who have a short attention span. The animation quality is great but since the anime is a few years old it isn't as good as most of the recent BANDAI/Sunrise projects such as Cowboy Bebop. The music is excellent but it is not typical of most Japanese anime as it has a more sci-fi feel. At only 13 episodes, Crest of the Stars is hardly complete, which is why viewers of this anime who like it should check out the sequels Banner of the Stars and Banner of the Stars II. Most people who are past the age of 12 and who don't consider Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z the best of anime will most likely like this series.
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13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting, & Intelligent Sci-Fi series with Great Visuals!, March 25, 2004
This review is from: Crest of the Stars - Complete Series Set (DVD)
Jinto and Lafiel are two young royals, who are thrown together during an interplanetary war. The Empire Abh, and the United Mankind Empires are fighting. It raises questions as for who to root for in the conflict. I believe the Abh were once humans, who have progressed through genetic manipulation, and have now rebelled. There seem to be many conflicting reasons for the conflicts, and unusual treatment for the conquered. Jinto was the offspring of a political faction and somehow made a prince. Beyond the political intrigue, we have some of the differences in the cultures displayed through Jinto and Lafiel. Jinto spent his life on the surface; Lafiel was basically, born in space. Most of the time, it's the Vulcan like logic, and intelligence of the Abh, Lafiel making Jinto seem very impotent. Things change later in the series, when they crash, and have to survive on the land.
It does appear that Abhs were modeled after Vulcan's. The pointy ears, long life spans, and stoic intelligence gives that away. Still, something is quite different in their war vs the human culture. The series has other intelligent treatments of concepts like hyperspace. I did have a bit of trouble believing that mines were an effective space weapon, but I suppose its possible. The space battles are nice and very believable action. The main thing the series has going for it, is still the characters. The main characters and supporting players, are well developed at each point in the story. The story often plays more like a medieval era adventure, so it can seem a little choppy in places. Still, it looks like the storyteller stuck to their vision, and played out the plots of the main characters within it. When it all comes to an end you do want more, and they made two sequel series, both under the Banner of the Stars heading in the US. Its too bad such a richly created universe does not have the support to create 200 episodes like some other anime series. I guess it would cheapen the quality.
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