Banner of the Stars

Publisher
US: Bandai
Director
Yasuchika Nagaoka
Production
Bandai, Sunrise, WOWOW
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
13 episodes
Year
2000

Banner of the Stars Volume 2

By David Rasmussen
16th Jan 05

Company - BANDAI
Age - 13 and up
Episodes 6-9
Dual Language (Japanese/English)
Optional Extras? See Optional Extras (below)
Time 100 minutes
Created by Hiroyuki Morioka (Hayakawa Publishing)
Planned by Shigeru Watanabe (Bandai Visual) and Masuo Ueda (Sunrise)
Art Director - Tomoaki Okada
Directed by - Yasuchika Nagaoka
A Production of Sunrise Inc., WOWOW, Bandai Visual

Banner of the Stars V. 2
The Basroil Unleashed!
Episode 6 - Remembrance Dinner
Dinner? Looks like Commander Atosuyua is up to something... or is she? Well, she just invited Jinto and Lafiel to dinner on the anniversary of her brother's birthday.

Yeah, well, whether or not it's a My Dinner With Andre setting is something else, but you get to see Lafiel decked out to the nines wearing a very beautiful evening dress, and dinner is in fact a success so things may not be so bad after all that's when you start to get worried. In fact it seems that dinner is more revealing (in more ways than one) than it might seem... or maybe the cameras just likes to stare in all the wrong places.
Yes. There's more revealing shots in this one episode than in any other... and don't forget to look for that sexy little supporting cast member (forget her name) as she bathes Jinto's cat in the nude... and gets scratched! Bad kitty! Bad!

As for the war? Yeah, you know, that pesky thing that's happening between the character development. It seems as forces of the Abh Empire gather in the Aptic System, forces of the Triple Alliance are speeding towards the Aptic System for a confrontation with the Abh, only this fight will be done in normal space.

Why? Who'll have the advantage? Last time (Episode 2) a fight in normal space went to the Abh, but maybe they're overconfident now and the Triple Alliance is about to put all that information they got from those Patrol ships to good use. That can only mean bad news for the gang of the Basroil.

Episode 7
Looks like the Basroil has been sent out with a squadron of ships to check out the "Plane Space"gate (equivalent to a Hyperspace Gate in Babylon 5) near enemy-controlled Wimpel System, only to get caught in a battle against enemy forces (similar to the fight in Episode 3, but in reverse). And, similar to what happened in Episode 3, some ships are slowed by debris caught in their "Space-Time Bubbles" only this time it's the Basroil and one more ship (the Seigroil).

That's bad because it gives the enemy time to catch up to them as they're limping back to the gate at Aptic and pursue them, which is brutal. Especially since they're in the flight path of the entire fleet of the Third Alliance (headed to Aptic System) so that's just worse for them.

In the end they have to abandon one of the ships (the Seigroil) taking its crew and fuel on board to have a chance of escape; however, they must abandon the bridge crew of the Seigroil who are trapped in their bridge section unable to escape, and they are left to be slaughtered by their Triple Alliance pursuers by the way.

As for the Basroil? Well, since this is only Episode 7 they do get out when they're saved by a squadron led by Commander Atosuyua, who also finishes off the rat bastards who killed the bridge crew of the Seigroil (giving back what they gave in turn).

However, one thing is clear. The hammer is now falling.

With the arrival of the main attack fleet of the Triple Alliance at Wimpel, the war is about to go into overdrive.

Episode 8
The hammer is falling. Nothing can stop that now.

With the war about to reach a climatic moment, and the forces of the Abh Empire and
Triple Alliance gathering for a showdown in normal space, things are coming to a collision course that nobody can get out of the way of.

Before this battle is over there'll be dire consequences for one or both sides, and it'll set the stage for what is yet to come in Banner of the Stars II.

The battle will soon be on. But for now there is nothing more to do than count down the hours from 54 hours down to zero hour.

Catch your breath, get a cold drink and wait for the hammer to strike.

Episode 9
I'm going to stop here, at this cliffhanger moment as the hammer finally strikes and -- well, the obvious.

Region 1 Optional Extras
Newsletter of the Stars
A bit of Q&A concerning the series from the series creator (Hiroyuki Morioka) as he gives "inside information" about Banner of the Stars, discussing aspects of the novels (yes, the series started as a sci-fi novel series) and the making of the Anime adaptation of his works.

When it comes to extras like this I have a "Golden Rule" of sorts which you should abide by. What is that rule? The rule is when in doubt watch the series first before exploring these "notes" extras.

You know, just in case there's spoilers in here that you don't want to be exposed to prior to viewing the episodes.

Crest of the Stars Summary
Recap of the events of Season 1 on DVD 1. Worth reading before watching.

Production Art
Present in Banner of the Stars Volume 2 it's the all-important artwork and a nifty bonus if I do say so myself, and I do say so myself.
Take some time to pan through these and see the images, a must see.

Banner of the Stars Breakdown
What's Hot?
When you first look at it, you might be tempted to groan "Oh, no! It's a Japanese Anime version of Babylon 5 (or Space: Above and Beyond)!!"- but as you watch it you see how truly great this series is! From beginning of the episode to the end it's a great show to watch, and is high on marks in all categories.

Visually it's stunning with excellent animation and visuals that just are great to watch. The plot is right on, and solid to boot with a great feel to the show and excellent pacing. Without a doubt I can say that fans of series like Babylon 5, Space: Above and Beyond and other sci-fi greats will love this show. It's a definite must-have for the Science Fiction fan(atic).

What's Not?
Nothing. Solid show. Solid animation. Solid experience. I definitely recommend making Banner of the Stars (and its first season Crest of the Stars) as a part of your collection!

Moments to Remember?
Way too many to list here. That'd deserve its own review!

What to Ignore?
The booklet inside this DVD is wasted, and I wish I could ignore it. I would have been better served by a synopsis of the episodes (a la Fancy Lala) or a profile on the main characters (a la Meltylancer) but this is wasted space with a brief "State of the Empire" report and that's it? Total waste of space if you ask me. I'd have expected better from such a large-scale series like Banner of the Stars.

Overall?
The series is beautiful and addictive to watch, with a great and beautiful animation style and a story well worth watching again and again. It's a wonderful series that you should give a whirl yourself and try ASAP. Watch it, because it's quite watchable and something I'd think you'd love.

NOTE - I have never reviewed Banner of the Stars V.3 so that will be delayed for awhile until I actually go out and buy a copy of that for review... hopefully I can get one and should have a review sometime in the first quarter of 2005.

-- David Rasmussen 16th Jan 05

Banner of the Stars Images