I watched crest of the stars on a whim. I've never heard or read a review about it. The only thing I knew that it was a scifi setting, that's all. And for the record I've never watched a space opera so it was a new experience entirely. I'm glad that I don't regret my decision. The least crest of the stars can provide is fun but that's definitely not the only thing.
PLOT
Basically, the Abh are humans that have prolonged their lives by gene modification and they are also super powerful. These things didn't sit right with the other humans in the galaxy and as a result they played war-war. Our main protagonists, Lin Jinto who became an Abh when they invaded his home planet and now he's a nobleman and have an identity crisis and Lafiel a trainee in the military who is tasked to escort Jinto to the capital for his training regime, are stuck in this galaxial war.
Good Stuff
The first strong point about this series is its worldbuilding, like any other good worldbuilding, it did not feel overwhelming. It's subtle in a way that is not too slow or not too fast . We are introduced to the mechanics and conflicts of the world and what is the position of our main cast in all of this mayhem. Another strong point is the main cast. I really enjoyed their character dynamic and their personalities were refreshing. The way their personalities conflicts and complements each other is masterfully done. Their relationship with one another did not feel forced even in the slightest. Although, one can argue that Jinto is a little bland sometimes. Aside from that, a very solid main cast.
Now onto the battles, the animation is nothing insane so most of the impact of the battles is emotional. These battles want you to root for the characters involved in this hence drastically increasing their subsequent emotional impact. That is one thing that I deem is the most important in any sort of action scene. Like sure the fights are flashy and beautiful to look at but many modern anime or even movies forget about the major element of any action scene which is to provide an emotional impact giving the viewer an opportunity to connect with the characters.
Finally, Lafiel is a tsundere done right. Tsunderes are often time portrayed as characters that are bashful regarding their feelings and as a way of expressing their emotions they get aggressive. This is usually played for the comedic effect. But Lafiel has a legitimate reason of being a tsundere (considering the upbringing of Abh childern) and also her character trope is done in way that does not feel awkward but flows nicely. So I definitely appreciate this fact.
There are other subtle things that are done excellently that you'd come to appreciate (if you are a screenplay nerd like me).
PROBLEMS
The pacing at best is inconsistent and at worst is poor. This whole season desperately needed another four or so episodes to really flesh out the side characters and other plot points. That would have greatly increased the dramatic effect that these characters were set out to accomplish. Although, I'm glad that they did not sacrificed the main cast for this purpose. The two antagonists that we encounter throughout the story are not that memorable but at least they serve their purpose. A couple of characters were introduced for the sake of the next seasons; they felt a little forced. That's all
SUMMARY
Crest of the stars is a good show that would not feel boring and certainly has substance beyond that. With its captivating main cast and rich world ;great things can be expected from the upcoming seasons. This definitely has the potential to be a very great show.
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