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Banner of the Stars - No Turning Back (Vol. 1)

Banner of the Stars - No Turning Back (Vol. 1)

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Start to a Sequel Story
Review: I thought this dvd was great.It was just what I expected from a sci-fi drama series like this.To me they have much more action in this storyline.I love all the new characters.I think the battles are great.The voice actors couldn't have been picked better.I strongly recommend this series more than the first.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Comment on the Editorial Review
Review: In the Amazon.com Editorial Review, the reviewer claims that the producers of this series (as well as Crest of the Stars) spends too much time inventing words and runes and not enough time with character development and space battles. What if it does? Didn't Tolkien do the same thing with The Lord of the Rings? (Not the movies.) But they didn't: Crest and Banner are strong on character development, with Jinto's (and sometimes Lafiel's) internal monologues scattered throughout the series--which were kept from the original books, I assume. Also remember that this series is not about humanity, really. It's about the Abhs, which are human, but very different than your average human. There aren't going to be all that many traditional anime relationship/character building moments, because they sometimes don't work on the Abhs. In exchange you get some fresh ideas that you (and the planet-born humans in the show) maybe surprised at.

The space battles are gorgeous and there aren't very many of them, but if you're looking only for space battles you shouldn't be watching this series. This series deals much more within the bridges of ships and the characters and the planning of the overall war--sort of like a happy War and Peace for space operas. The entire concept of Plane Space (their faster than light travel method) makes large battles easier to comprehend for the viewers, while keeping the complexity of space battles and the need for good strategy, de-emphasizing the pretty graphics and large explosions and putting the focus on what is really the most important stuff.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Space Adventure continues the "Crest of" three years later.
Review: Jinto and Lafiel are still the pivotal characters in this sequel to Crest of the Stars. I have to disagree with those saying that characterization is lacking, it is in fact very well done. A few things may be assumed from the Crest series for the leads, but besides that's it's still one of the series strengths.

This time the series focuses more on the Space War with the United Humans, than in the original. I gave it a slightly lower rating because of that. It was a little more difficult to contrast the two leads as shipmates. I preferred the changing locations, and the dynamics of the original series.

Battle strategy, and space warfare were done very well, plus once again had a very realistic feel to it. As in the first series, the animation, and visuals are all done first rate. The series tries hard to create its own culture. As the world of Star Trek, and the world of Star Wars, are structured to have an independent notion of the future. So does the world of the Abhs and Humans.

One question I do have for series of this kind is why the political structure for such an intelligent race. They use what seems to amount to a Monarchy. Basically, this is just a unified Feudal system, an ages old government with many flaws. One of those flaws being that the Royals are those who ultimately command. As history has shown us, there are wide differences between the intelligence, and ruling capabilities of Kings and Emperors!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Space Adventure continues the "Crest of" three years later.
Review: Jinto and Lafiel are still the pivotal characters in this sequel to Crest of the Stars. I have to disagree with those saying that characterization is lacking, it is in fact very well done. A few things may be assumed from the Crest series for the leads, but besides that's it's still one of the series strengths.

This time the series focuses more on the Space War with the United Humans, than in the original. I gave it a slightly lower rating because of that. It was a little more difficult to contrast the two leads as shipmates. I preferred the changing locations, and the dynamics of the original series.

Battle strategy, and space warfare were done very well, plus once again had a very realistic feel to it. As in the first series, the animation, and visuals are all done first rate. The series tries hard to create its own culture. As the world of Star Trek, and the world of Star Wars, are structured to have an independent notion of the future. So does the world of the Abhs and Humans.

One question I do have for series of this kind is why the political structure for such an intelligent race. They use what seems to amount to a Monarchy. Basically, this is just a unified Feudal system, an ages old government with many flaws. One of those flaws being that the Royals are those who ultimately command. As history has shown us, there are wide differences between the intelligence, and ruling capabilities of Kings and Emperors!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great sequel
Review: This is the second story arc out of 3 which have been animated from the novels. Fulfilling the promise she made 3 years ago at the end of Crest of the Stars, Lafiel recruits Jinto to the bridge crew of her attack ship Basroil. The crew are training for the war that soon begins and escalates through the rest of the series. While the immense Starfleet Navy finally takes the offensive, Lafiel is sent to the front lines where attrition is high and the fate of her relatively small ship is never certain.

The story fits right in with Crest of the Stars, which felt incomplete at its end. While the first series introduced the mystique of the Abh wonderfully in the first two shows, the story seemed to stray from that. Be assured the Abh and their epic conflict return to center stage. Given the normal run of 26 or 39 episodes for a show, this is only halfway through despite the title change, and fans of space opera who enjoyed Crest will be well pleased.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great sequel
Review: This is the second story arc out of 3 which have been animated from the novels. Fulfilling the promise she made 3 years ago at the end of Crest of the Stars, Lafiel recruits Jinto to the bridge crew of her attack ship Basroil. The crew are training for the war that soon begins and escalates through the rest of the series. While the immense Starfleet Navy finally takes the offensive, Lafiel is sent to the front lines where attrition is high and the fate of her relatively small ship is never certain.

The story fits right in with Crest of the Stars, which felt incomplete at its end. While the first series introduced the mystique of the Abh wonderfully in the first two shows, the story seemed to stray from that. Be assured the Abh and their epic conflict return to center stage. Given the normal run of 26 or 39 episodes for a show, this is only halfway through despite the title change, and fans of space opera who enjoyed Crest will be well pleased.


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