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Fans of this 1999 TV series compare it to the live-action sci-fi program Babylon 5. Jinto Lin becomes a prince when his home planet Martine is conquered by the interstellar Abh empire. The Abh claim to be descended from humans, but have altered their genetics to give themselves 200-year life spans, blue hair, and elfin features. As Jinto begins his education aboard an Abh starship, he meets pilot trainee Lafiel, the granddaughter of the Abh Empress. Jinto is a good-hearted, unassertive character, while Lafiel vacillates between no-nonsense discipline and romantic daydreams. Jinto's puppy-like adoration and Lafiel's reluctant acceptance of his attention is played against the escalating conflict between the Abh and the forces of United Mankind. Although Crest of the Stars looks and sounds good, with lavish backgrounds, flashy CG effects, and a lush score, the story telling is often spotty. The filmmakers devote too much effort to preserving details from Hiroyuki Morioka's science fiction novel and too little to pacing and character development. Aya Yoshinaga's screenplay suffers from an overload of Abh jargon, including such nonsense as "You put lope in your til nom?" The series ends with Jinto declaring he will always remain at Lafiel's side, but questions of divided loyalties, the rights of subject people, the legitimacy of military conquest, and the struggle for freedom are left unresolved. The sequel, Celestial Banner, followed in 2000. (Rated 13 and older: brief nudity, minor profanity, violence) --Charles Solomon
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