Crest of the Stars (Seikai no Monshou)

Crest of the Stars (Seikai no Monshou) is the first part of a 3-part sci-fi epic. The setting is very interesting and well thought out – a post-human species controlling space travel in order to prevent interstellar war, and the resentment they receive because of that.

The actual story is about the relationship between Jinto, a “lander”, and Lafiel, a post-human “Abh”. Unfortunately this is a basic problem with the show – Jinto is helpless and adoring through the whole series, while Lafiel is cold and never really shows much affection for Jinto until the end of the final series. And this flawed character/relationship takes centre-stage when a lot more could have been made of the cultural clashes of the Abh empire, and the political strategies of the Abh themselves. (The other characters are flat and underdeveloped.)

There are some good moments of interstellar combat and political machinations, but most of the show is a basic “on the run” story, including three episodes devoted to them running from a crazy space Baron who wants to marry Lafiel. Basically I found the story much too small for its setting.

Animation is good for a 1999 TV show, although the cool colour scheme gets a bit boring. Some of the character designs are okay, but some are really awful, including Jinto, who looks a bit like a cartoon mushroom. The space battles are very tactical, and are interesting in trying to show the unusual nature of “plane space”, and the limited vantage point of any one combatant in a battle (the “fog of war”). This sometimes makes following the battles a little difficult, however.

I’m surprised how many reviewers here have expressed dislike of the opening theme – for me it’s the highlight of the show! I should confess that I’m a huge classical music fan, and I love the big dramatic “Late Romantic” style of the OP – it sends a shiver down my spine. I think the accompanying space “photos” are appropriate and expressive of the vastness of the story’s background.

Background music is similar but more derivative and less good, but appropriate. The ending themes are forgettable. Japanese voice acting is okay (they don’t have much to work with, after all), but the English dub is notoriously poor. (Don’t be alarmed when you don’t understand the opening dialog of the show – they are speaking a made-up language.)

Overall, this can be recommended to science-fiction fans, with a warning about the problems mentioned above. If you decide to watch it, you might as well also view the sequels Banner of the Stars (Seikai no Senki) I and II.