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Banner of the Stars I

» written by hinatasou [Discuss]

Synopsis
At the end of Crest of the Stars was a sneak peak into Banner of the Stars. Sporh is promoted to Admiral of the First Fleet of the Abh Star Forces. Jinto finishes his schooling and achieves the rank of supply officer, while Lafiel is now the commander of the assault ship Barsroil. The war that was started in year 952 with a surprise attack by the United Mankind is full underway as both sides mobilize their strength.

Review
Based on the novels by Hiroyuki Morioka, Seikai no Senki (Banner the Stars I, Banner of the Stars I, even Battle Flag of the Stars I) takes place three years after the events of Crest of the Stars. The Barsroil, consisting of crew without any battle experience, is famous for a strange reason: the presence of two nobles on a ship at the same time. One is Captain Abrial Nei Dobrusk Baron Paryunu Lafiel (how’s that for a title), the princess of Abh. The other is Lin Syonu Rock Prince of Hyde, Jinto. Banner of the Stars is a suitable title for the sequel. A banner is a flag, some piece of cloth, used by a monarch or commander in wartime. Lafiel possesses both qualities, is captain and in line to be empress one day. Her banner is a hornet, which she hangs proudly on the bridge representing her ferocity and her relentlessness to sting the enemy. Her second banner is Jinto that she also carries wherever she goes, who symbolizes her compassionate and dignified side. Jinto is the only one who can refer to Lafiel by her first name, the only candidate who can cheer and restore confidence in her, the only person who can put her at ease.

The Breakdown
For completions sake, Banner of the Stars I is worth the investment. Some sequels like Slayers Next and Slayers Try do a remarkable job. Banner doesn’t quite do that.

» The Pros

The warmth felt between Jinto and Lafiel is still there although it has been greatly downgraded from the first series. Jinto seems despairingly pessimistic as he looms over the thought that no one will lament over his death. Banner of the Stars instead rests heavily on the military fashion tactical space conflict between the Abh and the United Mankind, more or less a single battle defending Miofrande. The orders of the Admirals trickle down all the way to Lafiel. The Crown Prince is more jovial this time around persistently pestering his Chief of Staff officer about which of the Bibos brothers, Neiles or Neffei, she has a problem with.

» The Cons

The enemy is camouflaged by their automated torpedo tracking systems. It is impersonal, more so than Crest of the Stars. There is no longer the face of a diplomat or minister that one can identify with the United Mankind. Their lack of a verbal interaction in com hailings shroud them behind a dark cloud. I was expecting to see Teal and a resolution of some sort, a clear-cut victory made on either side but that is not the case. Anxiety is then left to be relieved hopefully in the 10 episodes of Banner of the Stars II.

» Animation

8.0	Characters are the same. Nearly all the events take place in space. The tones of blue, purple, and black shine nicely never to the point of getting bored of it.

» Sound

8.0	Background music is identical to Crest of the Stars. Likewise, the orchestral scores capture the feel of the epic. The opening is better, but it is still lyricless. The ending theme is mediocre, a female singer instead of a male one.

» Story

8.0

Definitely watching Crest of the Stars is a prerequisite before undergoing this series. The battle at Aputikku is endless spanning half of the series sacrificing character development that Crest of the Stars strikingly built up for combat scene after combat scene. That is not to say that there is no character development. You do learn about the lives of those who operate the bridge of Barsroil, Commander Atosurga who is the sister of Baron Klowal, and Admiral Bibos. It's just that there is some quality that was lacking that season 1 possessed.

» Recommend

8.0	It does have its moments, but overall not as interesting as Crest of the Stars. Slow paced like its predecessor.

» Other Information

Language: English dub, Japanese with English subtitles

Extras: Reversible cover, Newsletter of the stars

Package: A bit cluttered with characters: cat Diavo, Jinto, Lafiel, another human Samson, Pilot Ekriel, Head Front Flyer of the Barsroil, Commander Atosurga, Admiral Sporh, and Emperor Abrial. Anime title centered by an Abh royalty crest just like in Crest of the Stars.