The Thrasher's Word
Crest of the Stars
Director: Yasuchika Nagaoka
Original Creator: Sunrise
Format: Series (13 episodes of 25 minutes)
Genre: Science fiction, Drama, Space Opera
It’s no secret that anime, not unlike any form of popular culture, I suppose, has a tendency towards the formulaic, and the torrents of stories centred on angsty young men and their big robots currently populating the market are testament to that. Paradoxically but predictably, audiences also have a tendency to get especially excited whenever something a bit unorthodox comes along. Enter “Crest of the Stars,” a relatively recent entry into the much maligned genre of the space opera, based on a novel – not manga, but novel – by Keisuke Watabe and which has been causing quite a stir in the circles of animedom with a taste for something a little more ambitious.
“Crest of the Stars” takes place in a remote future where humanity has expanded into space in a big way, colonising most of the galaxy, and in the process has broken off into various different sects. Foremost among these is the Humankind Empire Abh, a race of genetically modified humans who can live for over two centuries and look like blue haired elves, more than anything else. The story opens with the Abh’s annexation of the backwater planet Martine. Among the conditions of Martine’s inevitable surrender are the instatement of the planet’s current ruler, Rock Lin, as a sort of feudal lord, and for his son, Jinto, to be raised and educated as an Abh. Lo and behold, we have a protagonist. Seven years later, Jinto’s out of school and ready to take his place among the Abh military aristocracy. Unfortunately for him, in transit to the Abh capital he becomes embroiled in a brewing conflict between the Abh and a rival superpower, the United Mankind. He, and the young Abh Princess Lafiel, are charged to flee the ensuing conflict and bring news of it to the Abh. And so their adventure begins.
On paper, it sounds like every cliché in the book. But arguably the greatest strength of “Crest of the Stars” is that it endows its world and its denizens with a unique identity. Its universe is portrayed as being vibrant and enticing, totally alien to our own and yet a convincing vision of a human society. Its political intricacies are explored with the attention to detail characteristic of the titans of space opera literature, like Frank Herbert or Dan Simmons, and it's worth pointing out that no-one is portrayed in definite moral terms of black and white; the Abh, while clearly a benevolent and prosperous civilisation, also have a tendency towards arrogance and coldness in their dealings with other races.
The characters too succeed in falling outside the realms of anime stereotypes, like the iron-willed captain Lexshue or the proud yet foolhardy Baron Febdash. Jinto and Lafiel’s relationship is more complex than one may suspect as well, she treating him with a combination of haughtiness and compassion, he she with a mixture of incredulity and ironic reverence. The obvious romantic attraction is foregone, but there is a degree of reliance and trust on both sides. All in all, “Crest of the Stars” presents a very interesting take on the space opera genre, and one I can’t blame anime audiences for scarfing right down.
It’s unfortunate then, that the narrative itself is as shaky as it is. It may well be that Sunrise were going out of their way to cram all of the vision presented in the original novel into a limited running time in a case of what’s generally known as “Akira syndrome.” Having never read, or ever being likely to read, Keisuke Watabe’s novels, I can’t say for sure either way, but it doesn’t change the fact that the pacing of “Crest of the Stars” is completely out of whack. This is never demonstrated better than the four episodes spent on Jinto and Lafiel’s relatively inconsequential encounter with the Baron Febdash. In a thirteen episode series, this is nigh-on disastrous.
What’s more is that the story can’t seem to settle on a satisfactory angle from which to tell itself, frequently changing between the observer’s perspective of Jinto and Lafiel and those of the political and military power plays going on over their heads; the two don’t integrate well, and a lot of plot points are abruptly cut off or just kind of fizzle out with no real consequence; anyone who can figure out the relevance of the crazed police officer in the last few episodes within a wider story arc is a smarter man than me.
Production values are a mixed bag. The artwork is pretty much what you’d expect from any anime produced early this decade; detailed enough, nothing to shout about but nothing to complain about either. What gets me are the character designs; a lot of them are simply too idiosyncratic and (why don’t I just say it?) ugly for me. It’s all a matter of taste, I guess, but to me, the supposedly ravishing Lafiel looks like an anorexic blood-transfusion patient. Thankfully, the soundtrack presents something of a compensation. Living up to its operatic aspirations, “Crest of the Stars” is accompanied with just the right orchestral flourishes. For what it’s worth, the opening theme is one of the few I’ve heard in an anime that are actually worth listening to every time.
It's a tricky one, there's no doubt about it. "Crest of the Stars" presents us with an inspired and, frankly, brilliant vision of a sci-fi world, only to let us down by revealling it has only the most tenuous idea of how to portray it. All the same, despite its flaws, I’m prepared to mark “Crest of the Stars” favourably. For one thing, it has two sequel series which I haven’t seen yet, and may well redeem the faults in the show’s structure. For another, it still successfully delivers some spectacular set pieces like the battle of Gosroth. I’d be lying if I said I rhapsodised about “Crest of the Stars,” but the world it offers is undeniably intriguing, and worthy of recommendation to any anime fan with a taste for something a little different.
-Thrash Til’ Death
LAA Rating: **1/2
Rating System:
* - Horrible
*1/2 - Very Bad
** - Bad
**1/2 - Good
*** - Very Good
***1/2 - Excellent
**** - Masterpiece"
