Crest of the Stars

Jinto's ego

Nick — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 22:17:42 -0400

I've been reading alot more books these days. I guess that's a good thing, even if these novels are actually official translations of Japanese books of which the anime adaptations rank among my favorites. Some of the stuff I've been reading lately include the Berserk graphic novel, The Twelve Kingdom novel (which I have more to say about in another post), and I'm awaiting for the next Kino no Tabi book scheduled to be released in June. But what I want to mention was some things I've observed in Crest of the Stars 2: A Modest War.

Will at Criminally Weird has already touched on some of the observations I had, especially in the attitudes of the characters. And especially with Lafiel and Jinto being forced into anime cliche early on in the animated series. I guess it's because it's much easier to develop a unique character in print form than in animated or even live-action form, there's seem to be a loss of this element during the adaptation to the screen.

What I really noticed after reading the first three chapters (about a quarter of the way through) of Crest of the Stars 2 is Jinto's ego; essentially, the punishment it endures to be saved by someone who is younger, female, and seemingly unflappable in battle! Never mind that he apparently likes this Lafiel, but would probably, at this point, not admit to that. This is a side of Jinto that never existed in the anime, and it results in some irrational outbursts from him and some back-and-forth bickering between Jinto and Lafiel in the novel. Truthfully, I prefer this Jinto over the "nice-guy" anime Jinto. He's really experiencing a culture shock, and produces one of my favorite scenes that I don't remember ever making it into the anime:

"How are you not freaking out over this?" Jinto demanded. "I mean, you blow a fuse at every little thing I say."

The outer edges of Lafiel's eyebrows rose in perfect unison.

"See? I speak and you get mad!"

"Does my composure really bother you that much?"

"No."

"Then what's your problem?"

"Well, it's . . ." Jinto wasn't really sure. Why did Lafiel's calmness unnerve him so completely? The more he thought about it, the more he realized it was his problem, not hers.

Not only did Lafiel's reaction create an amusing situation where Jinto's statement came true, we are also able to peer into Jinto's thoughts about why he's so agitated. The paragraph after this exchange that I didn't include actually reveals why he is this way.

One other observation was how much a certain scene in the anime was played out. It was the scene where Jinto, after just being forced through the vacuum of space when he and the Lyuk Raika (the old man who was Baron Febdash's lander father) escaped from their prison into Lafiel's shuttle. Here, in the anime, Jinto imagines Lafiel running from the cockpit to embrace him in a rather memorable scene, while in the novel, it only got a single sentence to signify it! I always thought that scene in the anime seemed a bit, sudden and dramatic for a dream sequence, but I realize that Jinto's feelings for Lafiel aren't often played out in the early part of the anime, where as in the novel, since much of it is from the perspective of Jinto, this is expressed in much more smaller and subtler ways throughout the first novel and so far in the second novel (up to chapter 3).

Well, I guess the phrase "the book is better" is indeed true in this case. I guess it shouldn't be so much of a surprise, really.

Crest of the Stars 2, front cover

Nick — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 21:05:16 -0400

Cover for the 2nd Crest of the Stars novel.

Recent additions to the collection

Nick — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 21:33:13 -0500

I'll have quite a bit to keep me busy for a bit. After I get through the current backlog of anime I have...

Recently Purchased Media

Nick — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 09:41:34 -0500

I have the following purchases inbound to me:

I have the following on pre-order:

I also have Full Moon Volumes 2-4 DVDs waiting to ship with Kino No Tabi.

I got a few things to look forward to!

A Space Opera, A Suspense-Thriller, And Ski-Ramp Noses

Nick — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 19:42:20 -0500

A couple of days ago, I decided to subject myself to the English dub of Crest of the Stars, gave up and started rewatching Monster. The night afterwards, I put in the first DVD of Vision of Escaflowne and watched the first couple of episodes in Japanese with English dubs. A few things came to mind at the time concerning each of these shows.

I do want to talk more about Mushishi also, but I'll do that later. Probably after I rewatch the episodes I've seen already again.

At first, the Crest of the Stars English dub didn't seem all that bad to me. I managed to go all the way through the first episode without cringing. It's when it got to the preview for the second episode that what people complained about struck me: Lafiel's English voice was just awful. I mean "wanting to hurl the DVD player out the window" awful. Maybe it was just those short scenes that the Preview highlights, but her voice just did not match what I had thought of her personality at all! I dunno, "bubbly" came to mind. Too bad, as the Crest of the Stars and Banner of the Stars series are some of the best examples of space operas in anime. It would be one I'd like to show to non-anime fans that don't want to deal with subtitles, but alas, I'm too horrified to even attempt to watch the second episode. Maybe I'll risk it later.

So I started rewatching my Monster fansubs instead. The first four episodes, to be exact. Frankly, these four episodes are what I practically call the prologue of the series as that's when the series really starts, when Tenzo finds out the truth of what he did ten years before. These first episodes really show Tenzo to be a highly skilled neurosurgeon with a gentle demeanor, and he discovers his naivety about the German medical system here. Heck, the first episode alone pull off a ethical and moral conflict that take many other animes an entire season to talk about, yet I know that Monster goes much further. I plan on showing this series to a few friends that would enjoy a psychological suspense thriller. I do hope it's licensed soon, though, and I would love to snatch up some official DVDs. Serious props if they decide to include a German dub, as that would be very appropriate for the setting.

As for Vision of Escaflowne, it ranks as one of my top favorite fantasy animes. Watching the first couple of episodes, I tried to pay close attention to Hitomi and how she acts and reacts in these early episodes. I do like that track is an integral part of her character; how she runs to warn someone of danger, how she long-jumps from one floating aircraft to another, or how she uses running as a way to cope with stress. Her clairvoyance ability doesn't fully show itself until the second episode, but we do get glimpses of it in the first episode. The problem with Vision of Escaflowne is those damn cliff-hanger endings; they make me want to keep watching the next episode! One of my previous roommates marathoned through the first 16 episodes over a night because he couldn't stop watching! Quite amusing as I woke up to get ready for work and I see him in the living room still watching with eyes peeled open.

I do love Hajime Mizoguchi's music in Vision of Escaflowne though. Nothing screams fantasy than powerful orchestral scores (though the "Esca-flowne!" chants do get annoying!).

Crest of the Stars 1: Princess of the Empire - Chapters 9-11 (Finish)

Nick — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 21:25:46 -0400

Ah, I finally get to the end of the book, and get left a bit hanging. I expected this because the anime Crest of the Stars was based off of all three books in the trilogy. I am enjoying this book enough and I loved the anime enough that I'm planning on purchasing the next books in the series as they come out.

Chapter 9

The Abh Smile (Barl Evos)

Lafiel takes a bath and has dinner with the Baron! I remember this scene being the closest to "fan service" you would find in the anime. Lafiel gets a little information out of her assigned helper, Seelnay.

Later, the dinner scene would end up being one of the most intense times in the anime. It's funny how much Lafiel actually eats here while talking to the Baron. I do think that the book makes too big of a deal about the "Abh smile", though it is important to know that it was a expression they use to show loathing.

Chapter 10

Jinto's Anger (Seilos Jintal)

Now we finally get back to Jinto, who we learn is waking up from being injected by sedatives as soon as he was parted with Lafiel. Groggy and essentially imprisoned in a strange room with an old man, Jinto now gets angry. About the most we would see in the entire series, if the anime follows the books closely as it has been so far.

The old man ends up being the father of the current Baron. We start learning more about the Baron, as his father relates the short history of the family. It seems that the Baron is upset at having so little background and that his father was a lander. Upset enough to keep his father locked up away from sight, though taken care of otherwise.

We also see Lafiel, waking up from a nap after dinner, setting off to find Jinto and get off of this rock.

Chapter 11

The Former Baron (Lyuf Raika)

Heh, that old man is a pretty pushy man, taking little digs at Jinto's and Lafiel's relationship. You can just see Jinto getting uncomfortable about it.

Now, the Baron is now shown to be a complete ass. We are now privy to his thoughts as he rests, and we learn that he wants to say king of his little hill. He's afraid of the enemy ships coming in and taking over, and he is willing to use Lafiel as a bartering chip with them. If that doesn't happen, his thoughts wander to making her his wife and having her bear his children. What a corrupt ass.

Good thing that Lafiel is able to make Seelnay turn against him for the good of the Empire, and... that's the end!

Nick's Impressions

I enjoyed this book. Even if the strong use of Baronh words forced me to slow down my reading by making me look some of them up, the book felt much too fast for me and left me wanting more. I do recommend this book for people that want a decent Sci-fi space opera to spend their time with. By far, it is the dialog between characters that draw me most into this universe. More than the (admittedly gimmicky) unique language created for these books. More than the space battles. No, I want to see more talking, darn it!

Crest of the Stars 1: Princess of the Empire - Chapters 6-8

Nick — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 14:12:56 -0400

Nothing to do in a chapter like starting an intergalactic war, no? In this set of chapters, the Abh warship Gosroth gets caught up in an incident that is forshadowed to start a long, drawn-out war between the Abh and the "Four Nations Alliance". Since Jinto is still a civilian at this point, Lafiel is ordered to take a short range shuttle and evacuate the battle with the lander. They end up on a baron's territory, where we can forsee some probable delays in the couple's journey.

I still love the conversations between Jinto and Lafiel. Jinto has an awkward mannerism, but he's not a spineless wimp that you often see in anime. Lafiel is arrogant and can seem rather indifferent, but she actually shows a bit of a human side once in a while. Their chemistry is just amazing.

Chapter 6

Emergency (Lesliamroth)

This chapter, the crew of the Gosroth discover potentially hostile ships heading their way while in plane space. Captain Lexshu orders Lafiel to evacuate and escort Jinto to his destination and to report the upcoming transgression.

There's a bit of a tense moment as Lafiel dares to defy the order out of pride, as she doesn't want to see like she's running away.

Chapter 7

Battle of the Gosroth (Slashoth Gosroth)

Ah, nothing like having the crew talking behind Jinto's and Lafiel's backs! Nothing bad, though. They really had nothing but good to say about that budding relationship.

This chapter deals with the upcoming battle. If you're liking the dialog more than anything in this book, this chapter will seem a bit dull as it basically deals with the tactics of the fight. Since I was getting fond of the crew and their manner of speaking, I was quite sadden to see the result of this hard-fought battle.

The end of the chapter focusses on Jinto and Lafiel on their little two day trip to the nearest Abh territory.

It might have been nice to maintain a degree of suspense without revealing the result of the battle for some time, but thankfully, the book doesn't follow that cliche.

Chapter 8

Baron Febdash's Territory (Lyumusko Febdak)

Finally, civilization! Maybe? After two days without a shower or gravity, Jinto and Lafiel are ready to take a short rest, clean up, and either refuel their short-range spacecraft, or acquire something that is longer range. Apparently Baron Febdash is a fairly strange fellow, with only female servants and seems to try to delay Jinto's and Lafiel's emergency trip.

It's apparent that they know of Lafiel's position in the Empire, though she insists on being treated with the lowly ranked military status that she has. Jinto seems largely snubbed in all of the proceedings probably because he's a lowly lander Abh nobleman. Neither Jinto and Lafiel are liking this, though Jinto is keeping himself much less angry at the situation than his Abh partner.

Crest of the Stars 1: Princess of the Empire - Chapters 4-5

Nick — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 21:39:29 -0400

Before I go in too far, I do have to comment that the book does go through many digressions into Abh society and into description of the technology. Not too bad to annoy me, but other readers may not like this. Though the technology discussion is important for later events.

Today I read about Jinto arrival on the Warship Gosroth, and his meeting with Lexshu, the captain of this ship. In addition, Jinto makes a discovery that, well, horrifies him. Again, a very enjoyable read. Don't read the rest of this entry if you don't want spoilers.

Chapter 4

Patrol Ship Gosroth (Resii Gosroth)

It's amazing. It hasn't been all that long since Jinto and Lafiel first met yet they're already taking silly jabs at each other like an old couple. Ok, maybe not that amazing, but much of the reason I watched the anime series was for the chemistry between these two. Yeah, the other characters were all interesting too, but the awkward lander and the arrogant Abh really dominate my attention. Fortunately, the novel, where it all started from, is even better than the anime. From Lafiel's pokes at Jinto's ignorance of Abh society, to Jinto's thoughtful questions, it's just mesmerizing.

Jinto's meeting with the captain was a joy, too, with him trying to keep in accordance to Abh etiquette. Of course, the crew notice this, but keep it amongst themselves and largely aprove of Jinto's manner. Apparently, the Abh aren't all robotic monsters that they seem to be hyped to be...

Here, we also read about the ship's entry into a sord, or a gate between normal space and plane space. Plane space is what allows faster than light travel in this universe, but the book can do a better job of describing this than I can.

Chapter 5

Princess of the Empire (Lartnei Frybar)

Right before the start of this chapter, Jinto learns a big secret. Lafiel, who's a pilot trainee, is an Imperial princess. She is actually in line to ascend to the throne! This horrifies Jinto, since he figures that she's pretty high up in Abh society, but he feared his earlier manner was improper for such an important person!

Of course, Lafiel actually welcomed his earlier manner. The fact that she told him to call her by her first name should have bene a clue of this. Jinto, the ever diplomat, jumbles in a brilliant scene where he starts out trying to be proper, then apologizes for trying to do so... It is one of my many favorite scenes in the anime.

The scene where Jinto asks if Lafiel ever got lost on the ship at the end of the chapter is also a laugh!

Crest of the Stars 1: Princess of the Empire - Prologue, Chapters 1-3

Nick — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 01:00:00 -0400

Written by Hiroyuki Morioka, this highly acclaimed novel was the source of one of my most favorite series of anime. Crest of the Stars is a space opera that, as an anime (along with its successors, Banner of the Stars I, II, and III), wasn't the most flashy sci-fi series ever, but had perhaps the best dialog, the best worldbuilding, the most intriguing "alien" race, and one of the most wonderful couples I've ever seen animated. Hence, I had high expectations when I picked up the book from Barnes and Noble. Did it meet those expectations? As of the first few chapters, I'd have to say yes, so far.

Prologue

The prologue starts with the then ten-year-old male protagonist, Jinto Linn, looking up in awe at the Abh battle ships in orbit around his home planet of Martine. Then, the books goes into the backstory of how humans traversed the galaxy, and how they did it.

One minor issue that bothered me here is that it doesn't even make a short footnote of when the Abh, the genetically-modified blue-haired descendants that can live for hundreds of year, split off from the rest of humanity, but that should be described better later.

Soon enough, the prologue finishes up with how Jinto's father, the president of this planet, makes a deal for the surrender of the planet without even firing a shot to the invading Abh. Basically, the president had the Abh make him a noble in the Abh society in return for the surrender of the planet. To the general populace of the planet, this was equivalent to selling out, though the real reasons weren't as selfish as thought. Because of this, Jinto also inherited his nobility status and was essentially exiled for his safety before the main chapters start.

Chapter 1

Delktou Spaceport (Bidaut Delktour)

The first thing I noticed about this chapter was the title. Apparently, Morioka had included a Baronh translation for each Japanese title in the original book. Baronh is the language that the Abh speak that the author had developed for this series. There's several online resources describing the grammar, the vocabulary, and the characters used in this language, though the book uses phonetic spellings to help the English speaker. Baronh words are also sprinkled untranlated in dialog, though their meaning can usually be inferred by context, and there's a handy glossary in the back of the book to define them.

This chapter starts when Jinto is around 17 years old. Here, he is at a spaceport orbiting the planet Delktou awaiting transport to a school so he can start his military training. Interestingly, in Abh society, military service is necessary if you want to rule a territory. In this example, Jinto is set to succeed his father as Count of the Hyde system, where his home planet of Martine is at.

This chapter contains some nice dialog between Jinto and one of his friends, and provides a little of Jinto's life since the Abh conquest of his home planet.

Chapter 2

Pilot Trainee (Bene Lodair)

This is the moment I've been waiting for. Those uninitiated to this series may not think this is much, but when Jinto and Lafiel first meet is one of the many highlight of the anime, and it's unchanged here. The anime really follows the novel rather closely (except the theif scene in the anime is not part of the novel), though the novel is more detailed, of course. Their relationship starts off in the right, awkward way. Quite nice. This chapter mainly details their first meeting.

Chapter 3

Daughter of Love (Fryum Neg)

Now we get to Lafiel piloting the shuttle from the spaceport to the warship that is supposed to escort Jinto to the Abh military school. There's a bit of explaining what the tiara-like device that Lafiel wears actually does and we read a bit more about the Abh societal makeup. This chapter is one place where the anime differs a bit; Lafiel's discussion about her "birth secret" is place in this chapter in the novel, but he anime places this dialog later on when they are on the warship. This chapter provides the first "big laugh" out of me.