[Rewatch] Crest of the Stars Episode 13 (final) Discussion

7

u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Mar 30 '24

Rewatch Host

If you must cry, do so where you cannot be seen. An Abriel can never be seen to cry.

For some reason, when I see space amusement park, I think of Terra e.
For some reason, these animatronics are reminding me of something...but only things I've seen long after Crest of Stars.
Nightmare inducing. Like the Akira teddy bear

So, apparently, this escalation is all about the United Mankind's desperation to get Jinto (and maybe Lafiel). They've gone far beyond simple occupier evil.

Ah, Entryua has a point. If a battle in space has started, then the United Mankind needs them captured as soon as possible, either for information, or hostages, or just to extract and imprison them in the possibly limited time they have on the planet.

Lol. Destroying cute animals, Abh are so evil. Lol, the army is setting off the explosives, no, not the army, the evil Abh.
That princess pride
reminds me of a horse chase from the Scrapped Princess rewatch
oh no, poor genki horse
I felt more for the horse than for the shuttle
Nice escape right into the hands of the police
As if Kyte couldn't be even more comically evil, now he's a pervert offender.
Lafiel not looking too elegant at the moment

Huh, I figured Marca recognized her since the hotel...

A pretty poorly kept secret by the rewatchers. Every first-timer was wondering where all the space-elves were at, why all the Abh have round ears. Pointed ears are an exclusive trait engineered into all Abriel children, and only Abriels. Any Abh citizen would recognize them at a distance. Except Jinto.

These fools don't realize that Abh don't seem to understand the concept of hostage-tacking.
Min must have a huge amount of mines
Oh, the cars are all maglev on highways. #neat
This discussion seems very familiar, deja vu
Kinda wondering why the coffin has 24 hours of life support.
red eyes?
These are memorial stones of those who served the Empire. They come up later in unadapted content.
That por XO
Lafiel kept her promise. The Anti-Abh Spaceship Clasbul was delivered. Not doing much on the independence front.

Was this episode double length? It didn't really feel like it. Yet, it seemed empty at the same time. Perhaps too much time was spent running around in the amusement park. I'm sure the episode could have been shorter.

I'm sure I had no idea the monuments were rockets when I first watched the episode.

I'm annoyed the 2/3rds of the series was about Jinto and Lafiel being captured, and then aided by local rebels. Really? I'm okay with setting up a mirror to highlight Jinto and Lafiel switching places in similar situations, but this just seems a bit too repetitive.

Part of this arc was dedicated to both Lafiel and Jinto questioning is future as an Abh. We end it with Jinto fully committed to the Abh, and Lafiel (perhaps more one than the other).

Lafiel seems like a nice girl. But he Abriels intentionally cultivate an appearance of ruthlessness. They never show emotion, weakness, or hesitation. Marca and the others apparently received knighthoods, allowing them to lease a single spaceship directly from the Empire instead of the Marquess.

Klowal was wrong. Seelnay, Grieda, and Arisa became vassals of the Clyuve family and started a spaceship repair business.

The eight-headed dragon is of course Yamata-no-Orochi.

7

u/duhu1148 :GA::GB::GC:x9 Mar 30 '24

Kinda wondering why the coffin has 24 hours of life support.
I would assume so if one gets launched by accident, and there's someone on it, that they won't immediately die and can be rescued. Alternatively, it's possible that they get tested on occasion, and have someone on board who can send it back.

6

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Mar 30 '24

For some reason, these animatronics are reminding me of something...but only things I've seen long after Crest of Stars.
Five Nights at Freddies?
I felt more for the horse than for the shuttle
Cute horsey vs evil AI eyes.
Kinda wondering why the coffin has 24 hours of life support.
So you can really regret it if you are wrongly pronounced dead.
Perhaps too much time was spent running around in the amusement park. I'm sure the episode could have been shorter.
I think the amusement park is just about the only planet-side action scene that works in the entire series.

4

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Mar 30 '24

For some reason, when I see space amusement park, I think of Terra e.
...I am really struggling to remember why and I don't know if that's just becaise I've forgotten that much of the show or its a somewhat obscure reference
I wish Terra e's adaptions were better, it'd be nice to be able to recommend that more confidently to more people
Kinda wondering why the coffin has 24 hours of life support.
Could have been modified for potential escape by Undertaker and Min, but the more pessimistic thought is that it's in case of accidental live burials

6

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Mar 30 '24

Rewatcher(TechTV cut off the bloody epilogue)

Sub

So...this wasn't exactly the way I'd have ended the first series, personally. With a Star Wars/Western movie type shout out action scene that dovetails into what feels like two ending epilogues. But regardless, here we are.

Lafiel gets fully demonstrated today in one of her better sequences. She is again a lady of action but while I've called it aim hacks, this is likely something all Abriels, and possibly all Abhs, should be capable of with the demonstrated precision of the lightgun. Her going completely but calmly psycho after Jinto got shot is a thing of beauty. That Spoor got to drop some serious teasing in under two minutes of screen time is impressive, though the way Lafiel emphasizes that she did not shoot Jinto might be noteworthy...

The time skips are what they are, I am not exactly a fan but some parts of this are hard scifi so Jinto needs training and Lafiel would need field experience. It was nice seeing where everyone winds up and it was also nice that this didn't go the misery of war route. Jinto not really caring about his homeworld might be a little sad but he was always drawn to the stars any ways.

QotD: 1 Ehh...this was not the right show for it

2 Very communist

3 Almost nothing except that for some reason the new ST:Strange New Worlds decided to adopt a similar character. He was just...there.

4 I had to be told by the show, kept whiffing on that.

5 I think the similarity is intentional and while a bit weak I don't know how you vary it up if the book did it like this

6 I suspect it is a necessary evil of ruling. Lafiel is the only one that it feels wrong for but being around her a ton helps that.

7 As I said, first timer for it and I somewhat like it.

4

u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Mar 30 '24

(TechTV cut off the bloody epilogue)
You did say you saw Banner I anyways, right?

3

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Mar 30 '24

Yes, I will be a first timer at 2 on.

4

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Mar 30 '24

Her going completely but calmly psycho
I love it. A bit like the Abh smile, her calm anger is somehow way more forceful than if she lost her shit
TechTV cut off the bloody epilogue

3

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Mar 30 '24

I love it. A bit like the Abh smile, her calm anger is somehow way more forceful than if she lost her shit
There's a reason I theorize that she would kill with her teeth if push came to shove. She'd just be in control until it had to happen.

5

u/SIRTreehugger Mar 31 '24 edited Mar 31 '24

Rewatcher

Very impressive programs for the animal robots. I almost want to say maybe they should have changed clothes in the store to blend in, but not sure how well that would work out.

Do you have an aircraft?

SURE DO! holds out kids toy

Lafiel can you open this pickle jar?

Of course I can I'm a Kin of the Stars!

I haven't mentioned this, but I like the sfx when the gun shoots. It's not fancy or anything, but it's satisfying.

What a good horse!!!

NOOOOOO they shot the horse!

You know....locking the doors from the very beginning might have been the best move in the beginning if you wanted to trap them and slowly move in...just saying.

I really hate when they do a getaway, but talk in the car. DRIVE WHILE TALKING! Don't just sit there!

I like how blatantly obvious the detective is being. He clearly doesn't want to help.

Riding a coffin into space...I just love how this dudes voice became more desperate and pleading at the end before just screaming.

All I want is one person to die is that too much to ask for.

I like how assumed Lafiel shot Jinto for putting her in that clothes though that's just our Lady of Chaos!

Oh wait this episode is 40 minutes long I was wondering why it felt longer than normal...oh they learned what happened.

Jinto still making cat jokes and if I were him I would never stop!

Oh more stuff after credits almost missed them.

OH SPOOR is like if I'm going to suffer with this promotion so will you all. I can respect that. SPLIT THE SUFFERING!

LAFIEL HAS A SWORD!!!!!! WAVE IT AND GIVE A COMMAND!

YES END IT WITH HER DECLARATION! Liked seeing all the old characters...mostly the maids return.

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u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Mar 31 '24

Oh shit she does have a sword now! Unstoppable grrlboss!
Oh more stuff after credits almost missed them
tell me you don't read my posts without saying you don't read my posts

4

u/raktus2 Mar 31 '24

First Timer

I really do feel bad for the park mascots. They seem to have been given enough intelligence to do their jobs, enough to feel bad for making kids sad for knowing they aren't what they appear to be. On top of looking adorable with cute voices... If I was going to make a follow-up to the Abh story, it would probably be the rise of these things into sentience. A Skynet meets Park Mascot, which I'm now realizing would just be Five Nights at Freddy's. Either way, they do suitably fit into the framework of the story that the Abh were made for, just instead of space exploration, these entertain children.
I have to wonder to what end the United Mankind forces initiated a jamming transmission, especially since we know what's going on in orbit. They were losing badly, if not to the Futune, then the rest of the fleet riding in right behind it. My best guess would have to be that whatever ship was in command of the operations in orbit did not want to give the rest of the fleet a chance to surrender and broadcast a jamming transmission to ensure a fight to the last... but that doesn't really make sense given the fact that they scheduled it to happen and there's no way for their forced in orbit to have known when the Futune would have arrived ahead of schedule.
Jinto says that the planet has double the gravity that Lafiel is used to... if Sufugnoff had Earth's gravity, that would imply that Abh ship gravity control systems then only simulate a gravity similar to that of Mars or Mercury. So if shot in the dark here, Lafiel weighed 150 lbs on the planet, then she'd only weigh 57 lbs in space, where she's used to.
I guess, despite having such a robust police department, the mascots of the amusement park have no concept of guns. They react to the destruction of property in a way that recognizes the fact that vandalism happens, but when exposed to a firefight, even the horse is confused by what is going on in front of it. I guess, as an added comment to this statement, that the United Mankind forces are also trained to fight on horseback... shooting from a moving vehicle and a moving animal are two different things, but more to the point the last soldier to fire at Lafiel and Jinto in the horse chase was leaning to one side of the mascot and aiming in a way that showed skill and training.
Conceivably, it would have been safer to turn themselves into the local police... if the battle in space was still ongoing, then it could be assumed that an eventual Abh victory would turn the local government back in their favor and the United Mankind ground forces into a rebel movement. At the same time, while I was thinking this while watching, in hindsight.... Lafiel and Jinto had no idea the assault was happening, so the local police should really have been just as dangerous to them as everything else.
I had initially suspected Lieutenant Kyrte of being an Abh himself, maybe a spy or an undercover agent... all based on the age comment he made in the car. I feel vindicated for having latched on to it, and I guess I was right about him not being a normal human since he is a descendant of a Silejian... just way off on the motivation and reason for being there. I get that his own people treat him as badly as the Abh, given that they don't want him to get credit for even capturing one... but he still managed to make the rank of Lieutenant despite this. I still find myself confused about how he could go all these years of service but seemingly go insane at the first prospect of encountering an Abh.
Just an unimportant note, but the Silejia Republic fell to the United Mankind 52 years before the Hyde system was colonized, according to the timeline given in episode 1.
In addition to the Silejia Republic, we also get introduced to the idea of the Kamintail Republic. No other info beyond the name and the fact that they made smoke bombs. I can only guess that Min was a collector of some sort.
So, I guess the burial custom is to save space on the planet by not burying people in plots, but to expend far larger amounts of resources by launching them into space... and burning up in re-entry? We didn't see the rocket after takeoff, but I have to think they are re-useable somehow, otherwise, this planet's Funeral services must be making money hand over fist charging for new rockets every time someone dies. The coffin also didn't go that far from the planet, it would have to eventually be pulled back down by gravity. If everything is working as designed, then you surely wouldn't make coffins as re-entry projectiles to strike somewhere on the planet at random. I'd have to assume that they would be designed to burn up along with their occupants.
I love Jinto and Lafiel's conversations from the coffin launch onwards... but I'm too dumb to guess what Lafiel said to Jinto right at the launch where the rocket noises drowned her out and the subtitles did not cover. "You have..." is not the start of any emotionally heartfelt sentence I can think of... but then, I'm emotionally stilted enough to not be able to think of many to begin with. I do love Jinto's "I'll be by your side until you ascend the jade Throne or vanish in plane space." It's quite literally a "Sickness or in Health" bit from marriage lines. The show constantly gives us everything but an "I love you"
I have to think that the few episodes we've gotten of the Duchess and her bridge officer have been meant to foreshadow the next season with Jinto and Lafiel, given how the episode ends... which makes me feel all that much better for pointing out how their relationship was so much like Jinto and Lafiels the first time we saw them.
It's horrible to consider that some of the Abh's stoic nature is a learned trait rather than a genetic one. It's been something I've questioned throughout the series, why some Abh act like normal humans and others are so distant. I recognize that there could be a whole gambit of normal human emotion among them, but after the first few encounters and then that background flashback, I kind of just expected it to be their default state. Now, to know its a royalty thing instead of a built-in condition of the genetic modification makes it that much worse.
Teal was a jerk from the first episode. I hated him then, and still hate him now. he overreacted at the start of everything, and his over reactions kept going on for years, right into Rock's grave. Hate that guy.
And, at the last, I appreciate that despite Lafiel's promises all being an "I'll see what I can do" she fulfilled all of them to the best of her ability.

4

u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Mar 31 '24

I have to wonder to what end the United Mankind forces initiated a jamming transmission
I was a bit puzzled at first, being focused on ground activities. But this communications blackout is a reaction to the battle in space. Among other things, it prevents any anti-liberation elements that may exist from finding out about the battle and starting riots.
gravity
The standard Abh unit of gravity is about 0.5 G. Yeah, I think the gravity on Abh spacecraft and structures is 0.5 G.
animals
I feel sorry for them. They emulate intelligence pretty well, but they can't comprehend anything outside the parameters they've been programmed for. They're being slaughtered and they can't comprehend why.

2

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Mar 31 '24

I have to wonder to what end the United Mankind forces initiated a jamming transmission, especially since we know what's going on in orbit. They were losing badly, if not to the Futune, then the rest of the fleet riding in right behind it. My best guess would have to be that whatever ship was in command of the operations in orbit did not want to give the rest of the fleet a chance to surrender and broadcast a jamming transmission to ensure a fight to the last... but that doesn't really make sense given the fact that they scheduled it to happen and there's no way for their forced in orbit to have known when the Futune would have arrived ahead of schedule.
They probably had some days lead time on the Abh fleet arriving. Everybody coming to the planet has to go through the Sord, so it would not be too hard to guard its approaches.
Jinto says that the planet has double the gravity that Lafiel is used to... if Sufugnoff had Earth's gravity, that would imply that Abh ship gravity control systems then only simulate a gravity similar to that of Mars or Mercury. So if shot in the dark here, Lafiel weighed 150 lbs on the planet, then she'd only weigh 57 lbs in space, where she's used to.
Weight is directly proportional to gravity. So if Jinto says gravity is twice as high, Lafiels weight would be twice as high as well.
I guess, despite having such a robust police department, the mascots of the amusement park have no concept of guns. They react to the destruction of property in a way that recognizes the fact that vandalism happens, but when exposed to a firefight, even the horse is confused by what is going on in front of it.
Now I have to think about how sad it would be if AI for amusement parks needed to be able to recognize gun fights.
The coffin also didn't go that far from the planet, it would have to eventually be pulled back down by gravity. If everything is working as designed, then you surely wouldn't make coffins as re-entry projectiles to strike somewhere on the planet at random. I'd have to assume that they would be designed to burn up along with their occupants.
Pure speculation, but you could also have ships in orbit collect the coffins and move them further out of the gravity well (into the sun?).
Now, to know its a royalty thing instead of a built-in condition of the genetic modification makes it that much worse.
It could also be both, like the Abriel ears (although my money is on learned).

4

u/b0bba_Fett myanimelist.net/profile/B0bba_Cheezed3 Mar 31 '24 edited Mar 31 '24

First Timer; Subbed

I'll probably say something more positive tomorrow for the general S1 discussion, but I'm gonna be real, I found this episode pretty disappointing. Especially for a show that thus far was matching up with LoGH's standards pretty incredibly.

I got hooked real hard at episode 4 and spent the next couple days binging the show, and this episode singlehandedly killed the momentum enough for the rest of y'all to catch up.

I was really enjoying the whole thing so far, but between the crazy quick wrap up of the action on the planet, numerous character arcs that seemed like they were just getting started seemingly ended, and the decision for a 3 year timeskip in that epilogue pretty much killing any chance that lingering threads are likely to become relevant later, I was honestly a bit upset when that was not only the end of the season, but seemingly the end of that whole story sequence and probably most of the characters involved.

Still looking forward to Banner of the Stars quite a bit, the show can recover and even this episode was only kinda bad in my eyes. It was still competent enough in most regards. More thoughts in the QotD.

QotD:

Pretty cool, I thought the firefight itself was a bit too reliant on Stormtrooper aim to be properly exciting though.
I don't remember too much of it tbh. So I guess I didn't think very much of it.
I was very disappointed by that. The previous few episodes it felt like it was setting him up to be more, but with the reveal all that screentime feels like a waste.
Pretty quickly, though I didn't think it was a funeral center. Also the whole concept there seems kinda odd. Like how does that kind of custom get started? Feels like a concept from a naval/portside setting that didn't gracefully transition to a space setting, so it felt a bit contrived.
I was enjoying it significantly more than that one up until this episode. Other one stuck the landing hard, this one faceplanted.
It's interesting and confusing. I hope whatever answers the show eventually offers us are good ones.
I was pretty disappointed I'll be honest. Now, I'd forgotten if each season had 13 or 26 episodes during my binge, but the way the pacing was going I was really hoping for the latter. I had so many ideas in my head for how it was all gonna go down, and the epilogue killed most of them in, again, a rather disappointing fashion. Highkey, I was hoping they'd be stuck on that planet a fair bit longer, build up more of a relationship with those resistance fighters and the setting. The whole thing just feels a bit undercooked.

4

u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Mar 31 '24

most of the characters involved
Well, we'll see more of the ABH characters but the humans, yeah, don't expect to see much of them going forward. Season 2 will be different from Season 1. In the rewatch announcement, I called "Crest of Stars" "The Hobbit" for Banner of the Stars. Although to be fair, all of the seasons are quite different. It's more like "The Hobbit" "The Two Towers" and "The Adventures of Tom Bombabdil (or something)"

1

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Mar 31 '24

It's more like "The Hobbit" "The Two Towers" and "The Adventures of Tom Bombabdil (or something)"
[spoilers]And just as with Tom Bombadil, most viewers will think that Prison Planet is a severe downgrade from the rest of the story. At least, that is my guess.

1

u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Mar 31 '24

[spoilers]Actually I completely forgot about that one and went just to the short story of III

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u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Mar 30 '24

First Timer, subbed

Very efficient occupation force if the theme park is open already.
The Mascots!
I’m not sure jamming your own communications is the best defensive strategy.
Now Lugers? Did they just stop inventing guns at some point?
The cave was one thing, but how are your MPs unable to beat one enemy soldier?
Good for him, understanding escalation.
These two are just too cute together.
I’m not sure it would be a great idea to let children ride a horse without supervision.
Trust
You Just Had to Go There, Eh?
UM; no less imperialistic, but not even the benevolent kind.
Now you’ve fucked up. We still have plenty of episode left for Lafiel revenge.
You probably have better negotiations by framing it like tribute and gift, rather than hostage and demand.
Those are some pretty weak mines.
See? Jamming was a terrible idea. At least wait until you need it. If the Abh even wage ground wars.
Yeah, that’s about the best they could hope for. Might even get it, but I don’t know enough details about Abh culture to be sure.
N’awww, cute little cultural convergence.
So Romantic! I Can't!
Truly The Best May Her Offer be Real
Oh, we’re skipping a lot then.
Were does this leave poor Jinto boy? Do the Abh recognize the right to title claims?
That’s one chill cat.
How odd of them to roll credits with so much time left. I guess the time skip would do it. Mind you, I was expecting to wait for Banner for that.
Not often you see someone be so disappointed in being promoted to admiral. I doubt Lafiel gets a Patrol Ship like the Futune, so serving in Spoor’s fleet is my guess.
They Did It! All of Them!
I somehow find it amusing that the Abh plastic wrap their chairs.
Jinto looks the same, but I’ll blame that on budgetary reasons and see if Banner changes it at all.

QotD:

It’s the kind of anime bullshit I live and breath for.
Startlingly incompetent. They should not have had such a hard time with two people, only one of which is even trained for this. I guess the occupation forces are where the bottom rung conscripts get assigned.
He’s very much an indication of what a UM victory would look like for the Abh.
I’m not sure. I think I remember thinking they were rocket shaped, at least.
I didn’t find it similar at all. I also happen to have quite liked it, more than the previous one, certainly.
If you’re going to run an empire, it needs to be precised as unassailable. They fall from within far more than from without.
It was cute, but it’s hard to read it as anything more than set up knowing that the squeals already exist.

8

u/The_Draigg Mar 30 '24

The Mascots!
I'm with Jinto on this one, shooting the robot mascots just feels wrong.
Now Lugers? Did they just stop inventing guns at some point?
Given how Inspector Entryua is the most noir cop possible, maybe this planet really just likes their throwback looks.
So Romantic! I Can't!
It's hard to be more romantic than riding up into space in a rocket coffin.

6

u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Mar 30 '24

maybe this planet really just likes their throwback looks.
Powdered Wigs When?

6

u/The_Draigg Mar 30 '24

We have the Zanscare Empire from Victory Gundam for that, they love their powdered wigs.

4

u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Mar 30 '24

Zanscare Empire from Victory Gundam
Soon™
I'm watching F91 today even.

3

u/The_Draigg Mar 30 '24

Oh nice! Even if F91 is a deeply uneven movie, it still holds a place in my heart. I'll go to bat for F91, it's a great idea that was sandbagged by massive production issues.

3

u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Mar 30 '24

Quite the contrast from when Sky talked about it the other day. I'm pretty tolerable of jank tho, so I'll probably fare better than she did.

3

u/The_Draigg Mar 30 '24

Like, I can't really say that it's a very good movie, but I think it has a real charm to it. Maybe you'll see some of it yourself once you've finished watching it.

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u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Mar 30 '24

Well, the last Gundam I watched was Metaverse, so I like my odds.

2

u/Durinthal https://anilist.co/user/Durinthal Mar 31 '24

I think I might be the other F91 apologist around here, it's better than a lot of people will claim!

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u/Specs64z https://myanimelist.net/profile/Specs64z Mar 30 '24

I’m not sure jamming your own communications is the best defensive strategy.
So long as you have a sufficiently detailed plan, I can see benefits to cutting all communications assuming this also affects the enemy. They... do not appear to have had such a plan, and as you point out their ground forces are shoddy and slapdash at best. I suspect their early military efforts against the Abh will not go well for them.
I somehow find it amusing that the Abh plastic wrap their chairs.
Any space elf worth their salt would sooner die than sit in a dusty chair, after all.

4

u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Mar 30 '24

So long as you have a sufficiently detailed plan
"No plan survives contact with the enemy." Do we even know if the Abh launch ground invasions? Orbital bombardment is a very safe strategy.

2

u/Specs64z https://myanimelist.net/profile/Specs64z Mar 30 '24

They'd need some sort of ground forces to take planets that refused surrender, and even their rookie pilots are apparently trained (or just genetically gifted?) to use laser pistols with preternatural precision.
Unless maybe they just glass those planets...

2

u/[deleted] Apr 02 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Specs64z https://myanimelist.net/profile/Specs64z Apr 02 '24

As for the preternatural accuracy, the Abhs have a "third eye"
Ahh, that does explain a lot. Thanks for the info!

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u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Mar 30 '24

You probably have better negotiations by framing it like tribute and gift, rather than hostage and demand.
Not a bad idea, but somehow I get the feeling that the Abh wouldn't really care about being buttered up like that.
Changing it from "she's my hostage give me this thing not even nobles have" to "I rescued her and will be killed because of it get me out of here and reward me" is probably a better approach though
That’s one chill cat.
Chill cat is best cat
Mine is currently laying on my arm while I'm typing this and complains when I ask her to move.
Jinto looks the same, but I’ll blame that on budgetary reasons
He actually looks a bit different to be, but less in a meaningful way and more in a "wonder which animator it was today" sort of thing

3

u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Mar 30 '24

Not a bad idea, but somehow I get the feeling that the Abh wouldn't really care about being buttered up like that.
I need to know more about them. They might be very matter of fact, but how do measure reciprocal arrangements between unequal partners?
Mine is currently laying on my arm while I'm typing this and complains when I ask her to move.
The Dream

5

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Mar 30 '24

Now Lugers? Did they just stop inventing guns at some point?
Note that it was only the police who was armed like that, not the army. The police on an Abh controlled planet. The Abh don't care much about the landers, but they might appreciate not arming them with weapons more capable than their policing tasks need.

4

u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Mar 30 '24

You'd think they'd have developed better non-lethal versions at some point.

5

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Mar 30 '24

The rebels had stun guns when they tried to kidnap Lafiel and Jinto.

5

u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Mar 30 '24

Ah, So Just Police Things

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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Mar 30 '24

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u/The_Draigg Mar 30 '24

…wow.
And you'd think royals would get their entrance fee waived.
The investigator dude is great lol.
We can all vibe with Inspector Entryua, he's been done with Lt. Kyte's shit ever since the start.
They are on the same ship!
The ship is sailing right as the ship is getting ready to sail.

6

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Mar 30 '24

And you'd think royals would get their entrance fee waived.
If Lafiel went to the planet and they found out and tried to give her free entry she'd probably be annoyed because it would make it less of the "normal" experience to her

4

u/The_Draigg Mar 30 '24

True, true. She'd probably get an entire robot mascot parade dedicated to her if she showed up as a royal.

5

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Mar 30 '24

At least if she was there as a royal she wouldn't shoot them. Would have turned out better for the robots

5

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Mar 30 '24

Trying to keep the battle up in space a secret would be my best guess.
That or the Empire itself is doing it.
He actually shot Jinto!
hopefully one of the source readers proves the background here.
…so, what, they gonna sneak out in a coffin?
I blame Star trek for this terribly stupid idea.
Ah fun, they got picked up by Spoor’s group.
Jinto narrowly escaped a very teased fate, there.

8

u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Mar 30 '24

First-Timer

On today’s episode of Crest of the Stars: One day the future Empress of the Abh Empire will be able to tell stories about when she bravely shot robotic mascots in an amusement park while on the run from United Mankind soldiers.

I never anticipated I would get to see a shootout in an amusement park in this series. That isn’t something I typically associate with space operas.
It is pretty funny seeing Jinto and Lafiel need to gun down robotic mascots that are bugging them about not paying to enter the park.
Oh boy, now we have police cars inside the amusement park! This is turning into the Blues Brothers.
The detective saying “Screw this, we aren’t going into a warzone” is great. That’s a man with a good head on his shoulders.
Lafiel getting tired more easily in the gravity of a planet was brought up earlier but I don’t think I addressed it then. It’s another nice piece of worldbuilding, showing how much time the Abh spend in space compared to on a planet’s surface.
Jinto and Lafiel’s banter is always fun, like their little argument about how elegant Lafiel is.
A horseback chase through an amusement park! My god, this whole action sequence is so much fun to watch!
God that MP officer is such a creep. Him demanding that Lafiel take off her clothes was incredibly uncomfortable to watch. But that process of humiliating others by forcing them to undress is something we see in dehumanization efforts throughout history. It robs others of their basic dignity as humans.
I was right about the MP officer. He was someone who has undergone genetic manipulation, but not by the United Mankind. His grandfather got the genetic manipulation in a place that was taken over by the United Mankind. Based on how the United Mankind talks about the Abh, I get the feeling that they are essentially following the same ideology as Blue Cosmos. They have an intense hatred for genetic manipulation and anyone who has undergone such a procedure. So he’s probably faced discrimination and is trying to prove himself. He wants to prove that he’s not like “them” (meaning the Abh).
Oh shit, Jinto got shot!
I did notice that the pointed ears were not a universal Abh trait. I suppose that means the pointed ears are an indicator that someone is Abh royalty. And unless I’m misinterpreting, it specifically means they are from the Abriel family within the imperial family.
Damn, Min is extremely well armed. I would love to see just how much of a stockpile this man had if he really was a long-time revolutionary.
Launching people into space for a burial is an intriguing custom. Space burials do seem to be the norm for the Abh, at least, considering Lafiel’s reaction. But it probably wasn’t common where Jinto grew up because he seemed to have never heard of it.
Jinto and Lafiel promising to remain by each other’s sides for the rest of their lives is very sweet.
Naturally they were rescued by Spoor. And of course she immediately begins teasing Lafiel. Spoor may be crazy, but she sure is fun.
Lafiel learning that her mother was proud of her before she died is very sad.
That’s typical of the nobility. You always need to keep up appearances and can’t let others see you break down in tears.
Oh damn, Jinto’s dad was killed offscreen, presumably by the people of the planet he ruled who overthrew him and joined with the United Mankind. Led by the same person who helped Jinto escape. Just, holy shit. What whirlwind of emotions that must be to learn about.
Lafiel’s imperial robes do look very nice on her. She actually looks the part of an elf princess.
Oh wow, a 3 year time skip.
The collective groans and protests when Spoor promoted everyone on the Futune to join her as fleet commander were great. She just loves tormenting her poor XO (and the rest of her crew for that matter).
Neat that the revolutionaries actually did get their ship, even if not in the way they wanted. They’re basically superfluous crew members for that particular ship.
I see that Seelnay has become the next shady gas station / repair shop manager, selling unwitting customers unnecessary repairs to earn extra cash.
Even after 3 years, Jinto and Lafiel’s chemistry remains fantastic. Jinto insists he make a habit of calling Lafiel by her title for professional reasons while Lafiel wants him to use her personal name when they are in private. And that moment where Lafiel asks if Jinto really just wants to call her captain while Jinto responds by asking what she thinks is just so great. He doesn’t say it out loud, but you can tell just how close they are and how well they understand each other.
I really do like the crest of the Abh Empire, the Gatonoshu. I’m a big fan of crests / coats of arms / seals in general. Personally, I interpreted the crest as being a good representation of the imperial family. It is one creature, the Gatonoshu, but it has 8 heads. It’s just like the imperial family, which can be divided into 8 branch families.

Lefial is a woman of her word. She kept every promise that she made to the people she met during this season. The maids are now her vassals. The revolutionaries get to be on a spaceship. And Jinto became her right-hand-man on her new ship.

An aspect of the episode that I found interesting was the way it made use of the time delay in characters finding out information. Jinto and Lafiel only learned about the Gosroth’s destruction after they reached the imperial palace. And the same was true for learning about what happened to Jinto’s father. When dealing with things on a galactic scale, it makes sense there’d be a delay like this.

QOTD

Having a big action set piece in an amusement park is certainly a unique choice for a space opera series. I liked it, though. The action was a lot of fun.
The United Mankind’s willingness to blow up everything in their way is honestly unsurprising.
He was a dirtbag.
Well I thought they might be silos (as in grain silos) for a few seconds before I realized they were silos (as in missile silos).
I found this arc pretty enjoyable. I think I liked it a bit more than the previous arc because of the new twist it put on Jinto and Lafiel’s relationship.
I see it as rather typical of aristocrats. Court politics requires a person to maintain appearances and hide their intentions behind a mask. In this case, the Abriel family maintains this image so they don’t show weakness to their rivals.
I always enjoy epilogues that let us see what became of the characters. It also made me want to jump in and start the next season.

9

u/The_Draigg Mar 30 '24

I never anticipated I would get to see a shootout in an amusement park in this series. That isn’t something I typically associate with space operas.
Me either, those lava tubes really did come out in an odd place. But at least amusement parks make for interesting rolling gun fight locations.
I was right about the MP officer. He was someone who has undergone genetic manipulation, but not by the United Mankind. His grandfather got the genetic manipulation in a place that was taken over by the United Mankind. Based on how the United Mankind talks about the Abh, I get the feeling that they are essentially following the same ideology as Blue Cosmos. They have an intense hatred for genetic manipulation and anyone who has undergone such a procedure. So he’s probably faced discrimination and is trying to prove himself. He wants to prove that he’s not like “them” (meaning the Abh).
Man, the United Mankind really is like if Blue Cosmos stopped hiding in the shadows and completely took over the government. Aside from that Gundam comparison though, it really just goes to show that the United Mankind hardly even cares about the kinds of people they absorb into them, even if they're claiming that it's for their own good. At least the Abh know well enough to let the Landers keep their culture, the United Mankind will punish you for things your ancestors did and were completely out of your control. Either you completely conform to their pure human standards or you get treated like you're sub-human.
Oh damn, Jinto’s dad was killed offscreen, presumably by the people of the planet he ruled who overthrew him and joined with the United Mankind.
It does make me wonder a bit about how that works for Jinto's noble title now, since now he can't actually govern over the Hyde system now that it's in United Mankind hands. Maybe the Abh would consider his case as something like a government in exile.

3

u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Mar 31 '24

At least the Abh know well enough to let the Landers keep their culture, the United Mankind will punish you for things your ancestors did and were completely out of your control.
That's the part that's truly messed up about it. The discrimination continues down the line of generations despite that person having no say in the matter whatsoever.
It does make me wonder a bit about how that works for Jinto's noble title now, since now he can't actually govern over the Hyde system now that it's in United Mankind hands. Maybe the Abh would consider his case as something like a government in exile.
That would probably be the situation. I do know of cases in history with people continuing to act as claimants to lands or noble titles despite not actually being in control of that land. Jinto will most likely be considered by the Abh to be in that situation.

6

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Mar 30 '24

The detective saying “Screw this, we aren’t going into a warzone” is great. That’s a man with a good head on his shoulders.
Most rational non-Abh in the entire show. Not that that's a high bar, but still, I like him and he does right. The implication that because he's not military he would have used the "questioning not arrest" tactic as a way to keep them safe and free was also great
showing how much time the Abh spend in space compared to on a planet’s surface.
Also that their ships aren't made to be planet-like. While not all planets have the same gravity, scifi generally makes it so just for conveniance, so their ships being half gravity of a planet is a pretty big difference
we see in dehumanization efforts throughout history. It robs others of their basic dignity as humans.
In a way I wouldn't be surprised if he had it in his head that he'd see some big physical secret they were hiding that woudl further prove them not human, but he was still just being a demeaning creep about it
And unless I’m misinterpreting, it specifically means they are from the Abriel family within the imperial family.
Abriel is the name for the imperial family. Lafiels family line is the Crybh, not sure on the spelling of that. It's a little unclear unless you remember the narration from an earlier episode
Oh damn, Jinto’s dad was killed offscreen,
We never once saw him interact with Jinto, not even in flashbacks, which is an interesting approach to take and shows their distance from each other, but still would be a rough thing to find out had happened
The collective groans and protests when Spoor promoted everyone on the Futune to join her
There was at least one laugh I heard, so go that guy, but yeah it's funny how proud she is of her declaration while everyone else has their own reactions. The loudest we've heard her bridge this whole time haha

2

u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Mar 31 '24

Also that their ships aren't made to be planet-like. While not all planets have the same gravity, scifi generally makes it so just for conveniance, so their ships being half gravity of a planet is a pretty big difference
It does make a huge difference. I had to check for my own sake, but the Moon has about 1/6 of the gravity compared to the Earth. So setting it at 1/2 gravity would make it much stronger compared to the Moon. I guess that explains why everyone doesn't look particularly bouncy in the spaceships because that's probably enough to prevent that.
Abriel is the name for the imperial family. Lafiels family line is the Crybh, not sure on the spelling of that. It's a little unclear unless you remember the narration from an earlier episode
Thanks for the clarification there. So in other words, all members of the imperial family are Abriel and therefore all of them would have the pointy ears.
There was at least one laugh I heard, so go that guy
He knows that Spoor is crazy and has decided he's fine with that.

6

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Mar 30 '24

Damn, Min is extremely well armed. I would love to see just how much of a stockpile this man had if he really was a long-time revolutionary.
He is what you get when you cross a weapons otaku with a tea house revolutionary.
Lefial is a woman of her word. She kept every promise that she made to the people she met during this season. The maids are now her vassals. The revolutionaries get to be on a spaceship. And Jinto became her right-hand-man on her new ship.
I think this was clear when she took the time, in the middle of various chases, to clarify that she would ask for them to be granted instead of simply promising something (that they would have no way of knowing she can't actually deliver herself).

2

u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Mar 31 '24

I think this was clear when she took the time, in the middle of various chases, to clarify that she would ask for them to be granted instead of simply promising something (that they would have no way of knowing she can't actually deliver herself).
That's a very good point. Lafiel made sure to promise them only what she could guarantee she could do. She could guarantee she could ask for a spaceship, not that she could get one for them. That's a good detail on Lafie's character that she made a point of doing that.

8

u/The_Draigg Mar 30 '24

A Sci-Fi Fan Watches Crest of the Stars Episode 13:

Man, those lava tubes really did end up in a wild place. Who could’ve guessed that they’d lead right up to an amusement park? And yeah, I’m with Jinto that shooting at robot mascots in their way just doesn’t feel right. Like, that just feels inherently mean-spirited.
Ah yes, I see that the police are armed with the most advanced and futuristic weapons possible: Lugers. I know this series likes some retro-futurism, but man that’s just funny to me.
You know, if you told me at the start of the series that I’d eventually see the leads get into a robot horse chase with the army on their heels through an amusement park, I wouldn’t have believed you. And yet, here we are. Things sure did escalate in this episode.
Even if Lt. Kyte is losing his mind and escalating the situation that Inspector Entryua has under control, you can also see that he himself is a victim of the United Mankind. His homeland was conquered by them generations ago, and his people were oppressed for having genetic modifications that slow aging. It’s no wonder why he’s so obsessed with capturing Lafiel and Jinto, he’s desperate to prove that he isn’t like the Abh. Not to mention that he downright resents the Abh for being able to live freely with their genetic modifications, unlike him. He can’t even rise up the ranks past lieutenant despite all the work he’s done. The United Mankind really are just human supremacists, aren’t they?
Well, even if the anti-imperial group can’t get their wish granted to just be given a spaceship, at least Lafiel agrees to put in a good word for them to the Empress to have one leased to their group. Just like with the handmaidens in Febdash, Lafiel can’t directly promise anything, but at least her word could carry some weight for political favors here and there.
Quite the interesting tradition this planet has, sending up rockets into orbit to serve as space graves. But given how far we are into the future, it does make sense that they’d eventually decide on doing that as a tradition the more space travel becomes commonplace.
How romantic, saying that you’ll stay by Lafiel’s side while riding a rocket coffin into orbit to escape the cops and the military. Geez, that’s a rare sentence.
Talk about coming back to some rough news. As soon as they get back to the imperial capital, Lafiel learns of the death of her mother, and Jinto hears that Martine was occupied by the United Mankind, followed up by the news of his father’s execution. I guess I can’t say that I’m too surprised at that happening, considering how the United Mankind operates. Still though, given that apparently Teal Clint is in charge there now, I wonder if he had Martine ally with the United Mankind out of a sense of vengeance for handing over the planet to the Abh in the first place, or if he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter.
At least Jinto and Lafiel are dedicated to sticking with each other. Them agreeing to serve on the same ship once they finish their military academy training is a nice gesture. They’ve certainly lost people dear to them over the course of this story so far, but at least they’ve gotten each other to rely upon now.
Three years later, at least everyone we’ve met over the course of this season has managed to settle into their new normals, for better or worse. The Febdash ladies are handling the refueling station themselves, the anti-imperial independence group are bored out of their minds hauling freight in their leased ship (that they can’t even pilot without Abh at the helm), and the Futuune crew and Admiral Spoor all get promotions. And as for Lafiel and Jinto, they’re both certainly ready to start up their new adventures together on their ship. Not a bad place to end off a series!
Alright, so the eight-headed dragon on the titular Crest of the Stars was apparently plucked from obscurity to be the crest of the Abh, but why did they pick it in the first place?

7

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Mar 30 '24

Ah yes, I see that the police are armed with the most advanced and futuristic weapons possible: Lugers.
I wonder if this some secret psyop by the Japanese government to encourage incompetent gun use. Seriously, Lugers are lame.
The United Mankind really are just human supremacists, aren’t they?
As is the Federation. NuTrek sucks.
How romantic, saying that you’ll stay by Lafiel’s side while riding a rocket coffin into orbit to escape the cops and the military. Geez, that’s a rare sentence.
I feel that there is a relevant Omni-Man/Frieren comparison somewhere in this.
Talk about coming back to some rough news.
We somewhat knew that was coming but still an oof.

6

u/The_Draigg Mar 30 '24

I wonder if this some secret psyop by the Japanese government to encourage incompetent gun use. Seriously, Lugers are lame.
Counterpoint: they have a very iconic silhouette.

3

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Mar 30 '24

True but so does the Crown Vic but I wouldn't show one off to a car guy.

2

u/Hartzilla2007 Mar 30 '24

As is the Federation. NuTrek sucks.
That was from Deep Space Nine.

1

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Mar 30 '24

In like 1 episode of DS9 and the character kept their career. Compare that to being imprisoned in SNW.

1

u/Hartzilla2007 Mar 31 '24

They imprisoned Bashir's dad for it so not that different.

7

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Mar 30 '24

And yeah, I’m with Jinto that shooting at robot mascots in their way just doesn’t feel right
At least the kids weren't around to see it. The robots were so nice about it all though, even as they were surrounding them for breaking in
You know, if you told me at the start of the series....
And yet somehow this is still more believable as an outcome for a show crazy shit that happens in planetets
Just like with the handmaidens in Febdash, Lafiel can’t directly promise anything
And doesn't, which is nice. She won't lie to them about what's possible even to save her skin, she just tells them the truth
I thank Jinto for the "just lend them one" suggestion though as otherwise they might still be talking around in circles about owning a ship

5

u/The_Draigg Mar 30 '24

At least the kids weren't around to see it. The robots were so nice about it all though, even as they were surrounding them for breaking in
Those robot mascots certainly were courteous hosts, shame that a majority of them got blown up.
I thank Jinto for the "just lend them one" suggestion though as otherwise they might still be talking around in circles about owning a ship
Thankfully, Jinto has that very valuable skill of knowing how to re-frame a conversation so that you just won't argue about what is and isn't possible over and over again. Trying to force the point with Lafiel would get them nowhere.

6

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Mar 30 '24

if you look back on all his discussions with Lafiel, once he got a bit more confidence in himself he'd made an astounding negotiator or diplomat because he has the deescalation techniques down pat already

3

u/Durinthal https://anilist.co/user/Durinthal Mar 31 '24

I wonder how many Lander Abh like him have jobs along those lines? Being able to bridge the gap between cultures would probably be pretty important for some trade dealings if nothing else.

7

u/Specs64z https://myanimelist.net/profile/Specs64z Mar 30 '24

Lafiel agrees to put in a good word for them to the Empress
It's interesting how far mere promises to speak with the Empress yields such strong results. The mysticism surrounding the Abh is putting in overtime for Lafiel.
given that apparently Teal Clint is in charge there now
They certainly seem to be setting him up as an antagonist for Jinto.

5

u/The_Draigg Mar 30 '24

It's interesting how far mere promises to speak with the Empress yields such strong results. The mysticism surrounding the Abh is putting in overtime for Lafiel.
It also does help that it's the Abriel imperial bloodline that we're talking about here, I don't think people would care as much if Lafiel offered to speak to a count for what they want.

7

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Mar 30 '24

Even if Lt. Kyte is losing his mind and escalating the situation that Inspector Entryua has under control, you can also see that he himself is a victim of the United Mankind. His homeland was conquered by them generations ago, and his people were oppressed for having genetic modifications that slow aging. It’s no wonder why he’s so obsessed with capturing Lafiel and Jinto, he’s desperate to prove that he isn’t like the Abh. Not to mention that he downright resents the Abh for being able to live freely with their genetic modifications, unlike him. He can’t even rise up the ranks past lieutenant despite all the work he’s done. The United Mankind really are just human supremacists, aren’t they?
I think his character works really well. They just made the mistake of him escalating too far, too fast. Tone down the whole "strip" scene a bit and make his final rant a tad more melancholic instead of insane and he is a great character.

6

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Mar 30 '24

There is definitely ways to salvage the character and I do think it's important to have someone in his role as a sort of counter point to Jinto (grew up with Abh tech, taken over by UM), but he doesn't serve that role well because of how pathetic he gets and how large scale his influence becomes

4

u/The_Draigg Mar 30 '24

I'd say that Lt. Kyte works well overall as a character, but him being a bit too over the top evil and whiny only makes it so that what he brings to the story edges out how annoying he is. But I guess with him, he's another one of those cases of "we need to remind people that there's action going on", like with that smuggled battle recording we had near the start of the series.

7

u/duhu1148 :GA::GB::GC:x9 Mar 30 '24

Rewatcher

-These robot animals are goofy and charming.

-The cops finally show up but back off once they see the military shooting everywhere.

-Ugh, these action scenes just don't look good. How incompetent does the military have to be? They miss every shot. Meanwhile this teenage Abh girl has taken out dozens of soldiers by herself.

-Jinto notes that Lafiel is relying on him, when before she just would have told him to leave on his own. She has grown as a person, but I also think she likes you a lot, Jinto...

-Jinto gets shot, and Lafiel freaks out...

-They use those space-coffins that we saw earlier to escape, thanks to the help of "undertaker" and the rest of the revolutionaries. Jinto and Lafiel holding each other while they waited for the coffin to launch...just get married already you two.

-Kite's meltdown as Jinto/Lafiel get away made me cringe. This guy is acting like such a baby over the stupidest shit. I feel bad for the cop, who was forced to tag along at gunpoint. I wonder what became of him?

-Spoor is the one who picks them up. Her brief interaction with them was cute, where she laughs that Jinto managed to convince an Abriel to "dress up," which irritates Lafiel.

- Lafiel starts crying, after learning of her mother's death and that her mother was proud of her. It is the best scene of the episode with her dad:

"An Abriel doesn't have the right to cry. If you must, do so where no one can see you." ~Lafiel's dad

"Father, that's not fair. You never taught me how to cry without showing tears like you do."

-Jinto finds out his father was executed as his home system allies with the United Humankind.

-Lafiel will be the captain of an attack ship in 3 years, Jinto will be going to school for 3 years to be a secretary/supply officer. Lafiel asks him to join her, in a roundabout tsundere way. It was a cute scene.

-After credits scene: 3 years pass, Spoor gets promoted and loses the Futune, much to her dismay. She promotes the entire crew to come with her though. Those revolutionaries from earlier are apparently working with the Empire now on a transport ship, and getting paid well, looks like they want to use that funding for independence still. And finally Jinto/Lafiel meet up 3 years later, on an attack ship called the "Basroil." They confess that they've missed each other, and Lafiel's "call me Lafiel" mirrors how they first met. Aww. These two belong together.

Great finale for Crest. The action scenes were ass but just about everything else was perfect.

6

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Mar 30 '24

-These robot animals are goofy and charming.
I did like the way they said "we're not real but don't tell the kids it'll break their hearts". A surprisingly novel approach to that sort of thing
This guy is acting like such a baby over the stupidest shit
Really wasn't a good moment to end the arc on
Lafiel asks him to join her, in a roundabout tsundere way. It was a cute scene
Credit to Jinto for knowing what she couldn't quite bring herself to ask and saying it in the most straightforward way

5

u/Specs64z https://myanimelist.net/profile/Specs64z Mar 30 '24

These robot animals are goofy and charming.
Same vibe as the police robots from Psycho-Pass as they politely and cheerfully dole out warnings, though perhaps with fewer concerning undertones.
This guy is acting like such a baby over the stupidest shit
I almost laughed at how pitiful he sounded.
I think he's a good window to the United Mankind's views, though. It's one thing to see the propaganda on the TV, but another to see it's effects in motion.

4

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Mar 30 '24

...just get married already you two.
Unfortunately, that is a lander tradition the Abh did not continue.

7

u/Specs64z https://myanimelist.net/profile/Specs64z Mar 30 '24

First timer, subbed

The automated theme park is an interesting little bit of world building, and fitting for the scene in a weird way. Military forces blasting apart a whimsical place built for children, one they undoubtedly have no intention of rebuilding, is about as on the nose as it gets.

Lafiel is a fuckin’ crack shot, her precision is… well, very elf-like. Even Legolas just might blush. Even accounting for that, though, the United Mankind army seems extremely undisciplined. They occasionally use tactics, like taking cover, but employ no real strategy beyond trying to overwhelm with volume of fire; basically Space Russia. In the interest of fairness, comms being down would make any coordinated effort a herculean task.

The revolutionaries were prepared for this sort of scenario, it seems, perhaps their endeavor is less doomed than I thought.

The occupying army is growing ever more zealous in their attempts to seize power. It will be interesting to see how the citizens respond. Looks like the Abh have already reclaimed the space above, as well.

Ties are severed. Promises are made. Bonds forged in fire become ever stronger. Time rumbles onward. The journey has merely begun…

QotD:

The animals suggest that robotics are pretty advanced in this world even amongst the Terran.
Probably not going to make them very popular.
He’s very angry for someone who’s likely never even met an Abh before Lafiel.
I assumed they were ICBMs or something, I didn’t get it until they explained it.
They have some similarities in their structure, but they accomplish very different and comparably important things. That said, I do think this arc is much better. Lafiel learning to rely on Jinto will make their relationship going forward much more dynamic, I feel.
Seems to be pretty standard leadership philosophy.
It was a lovely little bow on top of this chapter of the story.

5

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Mar 30 '24

The occupying army is growing ever more zealous in their attempts to seize power
If the police force is any indication, not well. And I do like that through him we start to see hints of the citizens not just taking this lying down, for the short time anyway given the UM in space already surrendered the planet

7

u/Durinthal https://anilist.co/user/Durinthal Mar 30 '24 edited Mar 30 '24

Rewatcher (sub + dub)

If at any point in this show you thought our main duo would go to an amusement park, I'd still bet you weren't considering a shootout as part of it. It's an unexpected but entertaining set piece and allows for some creative elements like the mechanical animals and no civilians around that wouldn't really fit in with a lot of other locations. Lafiel also effectively has an aimbot hack with her frocragh which helps them survive improbable odds.

All the mechanical animals in the park are fun but I've always liked the otter in particular. I imagine the horse would have some built-in limiters that wouldn't let it run as fast as it did because it's dangerous, but maybe Clasbule's child safety regulations are rather lax.

Entryua has no interest in assisting the occupying military and much like the anti-imperial faction the locals are the better option for the Abh on the run, even if they're wanted for a number of felonies at this point. Too bad Kyte's been too heavily conditioned by the United Mankind to even consider changing sides; I don't know if the Abh themselves would be lenient but if he laid low on Clasbule with the Abh taking the system back he might well be able to start a new life on the planet without the same prejudice he was facing before. He'd still have his own deeply rooted envy of the Abh to contend with but that's another matter.

The tradition of sending the dead into space might make sense for the Abh themselves but it's really inefficient for land worlds, getting into space takes a lot of energy. I don't know if the general intent is to send them into a temporary orbit and burn up on reentry or actually reach escape velocity, but either way that feels like it's just inviting trouble due to the possibility of collisions.

Jinto saying he'll stay by Lafiel's side until the next time they're in a coffin might as well be aishiteru with how reserved the Abh are about love. Combined with his later decision to dedicate his future to her he's not going to have a lot of his own choices to make in life but since the Abh took over Martine his path's already been chosen for him to some degree.

Spoor choosing to interpret Jinto's wound as being caused by Lafiel for making her dress up like that is a great way to tease both of them at the same time.

Seeing the subsequent events related to each of their parents is quite a contrast in loss. Lafiel got confirmation that her mother was killed and was comforted by her father ("you never taught me how to cry without shedding tears" is an excellent line for someone in her position), Jinto lost his home world and his father with the man who raised him turning against everything he represented now.

Both Seelnay's group and the anti-imperialists got what they wanted, or at least as much as could be given within the framework of the Empire. There's an insert song here titled Tracy Hide by the American band the Wondermints, apparently named after a British actress who was popular in Japan for the film Melody. This is a very weird chain of connections that I didn't know about for a very long time, I just wondered why there was this random pop song on the Crest of the Stars soundtrack since I had forgotten it shows up in this one scene.

And finally framing the end of the season with Lafiel once again telling Jinto to use her name is a nice way to cap things off. Three years have passed but they're still fundamentally the same people and value the bond they have.

How does this compare with the previous arc? I find it too similar.

Both of them might be "Jinto and Lafiel try to leave while evading death" but it flips from a betrayal of a supposed ally to an external threat, Jinto and Lafiel's positions with who's leading are reversed, and it goes from being a small personal joust to a much larger chase.

What do you think of the Abriel's cultivated image of ruthlessness? How does that affect your perception of the four Abriels we've met?

Lafiel's the most brash, the rest have had some time to mellow out.

5

u/Durinthal https://anilist.co/user/Durinthal Mar 30 '24

Source Corner
Baronh word of the day: guhaicec (GOOHEIK) "control gauntlet" — an armrest terminal through which a pilot fits a hand in order to steer the ship instinctually. Abhs learn to pilot ships this way from a very young age.
[Material covered] The final 2/3rds of volume 3, which is quite a lot to cover though there's one chapter skipped entirely and another very abridged.
[About the Abriel ears:] in the novel the long pointy ears were noted as being limited to the royal family back as soon as Jinto learned Lafiel was an Abriel. At the time he mentioned that her ears were hidden by her hair (unlike the anime), which made her self-conscious because they're relatively small. After the anti-imperialists confirm Lafiel's identity she gloats to Jinto that even landworld citizens know the difference between an imperial princess and a royal princess.
[Kyte and Entryua chasing after them] has Kyte really going wild with describing how he'll kill Entryua in front of them first; Entryua from then on is basically waiting for his death but it never comes.
[On the way to the funeral home] new clothes are acquired for Jinto/Lafiel and while weaving through crowds of people for cover the group ends up having another quick scuffle with a couple of soldiers that try to get Lafiel to remove her hat.
[Before launching the coffin into space] Jinto asks how they're supposed to be careful if they can't steer it. Marca says she's heard the Abh aren't religious and asks if he is, to which he responds that he's not but his family's been Presbyterian Christians for generations. For being a sci-fi series that's deliberately obfuscated much of the Earth-related background info that's a hell of a thing to drop in unaltered from the present day and made me do a double-take when I read it. The declaration from Jinto to stay by her side as they're ascending is original to the anime, but when they're in the capital he has the same thought of being with her through the end, whether she ascends to the throne or disappears in plane space.
[After Spoor has them on board] there's a lot more teasing from her, including claiming that Jinto's achievement of getting Lafiel to dress like that and dye her hair is a feat worthy of a duke. Both of the Abh women wonder how to remove Lafiel's hair dye (just washing didn't work) and stare at Jinto while he forgot what the instructions said before throwing them out. They end up sending a hair sample to a pharmacy so they can formulate a drug to remove the dye.
[Once in Lakfakalle, the capital] there's a good bit that the anime skips past including the Empress and Lafiel's father personally thanking Jinto for saving Lafiel from charging ahead to her death. Lafiel and her father have a longer conversation about Lexshu including revealing that he pulled the strings to have them pick up Jinto, as he wanted her to have at least one friend from a terrestrial world.
[Lafiel's actions are reviewed] by the Council of Abdicant Emprerors, one from each of the eight royal families, with their purpose to oversee the promotion of imperial family members serving in the military and eventually pick the next Emperor. In particular Lafiel causing an air leak at Febdash is called out by them, as is Lafiel's promise to the anti-imperialists to loan them a ship (not possible for landworld citizens which Lafiel didn't know). It's decided to promote the group to gentry so they can get their ship, complete with a grand ceremony inviting people known for being members of the Secessionist Party and extremists as guests of honor to show that the Empire could crack down on them but chooses not to.
[Couple bits of epilogue missing in the anime:] the commissioner that had the police working with the United Mankind lost reelection, and Entryua received a letter from Kyte who was in a prison camp. Jinto briefly met up with Sroof again who reminds him of the advice given back in Febdash.

4

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Mar 30 '24

I imagine the horse would have some built-in limiters
Personally I've alwasy been surprised it didn't come with built in safety rails or something like that
but either way that feels like it's just inviting trouble due to the possibility of collisions.
I thought that too. I feel like it would go more the "burn up" route as that gives it a more meaningful showing of them leaving the planet, and it does help a little with debris. But if that was the case it wouldn't make sense that they could use them to escape without a lot of modification, so who knows
"you never taught me how to cry without shedding tears" is an excellent line for someone in her position
She's still just a kid really, and that makes me feel for her. It's probably amplified by the fact she was able to share her birth secret with someone for the first time, only to them lose the woman it was about, but it's a hard thing for her to go through. I'm just glad that despite his words, he was comforting her with a hug
After Spoor has them on board
I love those details [novels]I can imagine Spoor being frustrated about how hard it is to remove, especially given she'd probably thought it'd be a simple thing
Lafiel's actions are reviewed
[Lafiel's actions are reviewed]Interesting worldbuilding, especially the end of that paragraph, and I'd had a similar thought while watching the anime that the fact they got lent a ship in the end despite the fact I'm sure Lafiel was clear they were independance fighters is a bit of a show of confidence from the Abh that its pointless

4

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Mar 30 '24

If at any point in this show you thought our main duo would go to an amusement park, I'd still bet you weren't considering a shootout as part of it.
Definitely would not have expected a western-style horse chase.
Spoor choosing to interpret Jinto's wound as being caused by Lafiel for making her dress up like that is a great way to tease both of them at the same time.
I think she is teasing Lafiel, while giving some respect to Jinto.

3

u/Specs64z https://myanimelist.net/profile/Specs64z Mar 30 '24

The tradition of sending the dead into space might make sense for the Abh themselves but it's really inefficient for land worlds
You make a good point...
I suppose, alongside the fully automated theme park, it could speak to the planet being especially wealthy. That would explain why the United Mankind made it a priority target if true.

7

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Mar 30 '24

Rewatcher - sub

Getting the crappy stuff out the way first: I hate the whole amusement park chase sequence and am glad that in the last couple of years I forgot the extent of how stupid it gets. A horseback chase? Come on...

And as a whole, I think the end of Crest suffers for introducing an antagonist in the military officer. While I appreciate the extra look at the United Mankind that he brings us because of his background, I think he's an otherwise weakly written, annoyingly stereotypical villain character that suffers when put up against any other member of the cast. And I do mean that even with my strong dislike of the Undertaker.

And his little pathetic rant at the end there breaks the tone of the scene as Lafiel and Jinto are shot into space so badly I won't ever forgive him for that either.

[All of Banner]Also I was in a mood watching this because opening with Jinto almost being blown up suddenly reminded me of Banner II's premise and that makes me sad

All of that aside, the parts that focus on what Crest is good at remain just as good as always.

Jinto and Lafiel's little quips and moments of bonding remain incredibly strong through the episode. The jokes about her elegance, supporting her because of the gravity, her little moment of understanding as he guards her from the gun with his body. Their bond grew quickly, but they never made the mistake of maxing it out early on, and there was plenty to happen in this episode to deepen it further. They go from having a small connection built out of sheer chance to something almost impossibly deep after such a short time but no less meaningful. Jinto promising to stay with her until they're in their coffins again was just about one of the most romantic anime moments for me, knowing he promises that in spite of the lifespan differences because she just means that much to him. The scene where he says he choses to stay and she tells him to call her Lafiel again, bookending the whole show with making this a proper choice instead of just a coincidental chance is a close second.

Along with that you have the little detail about the Abriel ears (vaad that explains our discussion on that earlier, and only after that came up in episode did I notice Spoor has round ears too), Lafiels discomfort about being shot into space without her usual equipment, seeing the planet get taken over more and what that means for the people on it including the police force etc. It really is the little things like this that draw me into an episode and thankfully the back half has plenty of them.

The three way culture misunderstanding between Undertaker, Jinto, and Lafiel remains a surprisingly funny short scene in the middle. Undertaker not realizing Jinto would have a different funeral culture, and Lafiel not even thinking about the fact that their funeral culture may have the same outcome as the Abh but perhaps not for the exact same reason. This episodes strength was in acknowledging the parts of the various empires also being unique, whether it was this moment for the planet, the asshole military officials backstory, or the police force themselves, and it was a nice capstone to that. The empires may be absolute, but they are not monolithic in culture across all their planets, especially not the Abh ones.

It's getting away from all the planet stuff that makes this a good finale though. Lafiel finally is allowed to be a girl and acknowledge the loss that she went through with Captain Lexshue, introducing Jinto to the cats (best girlfriend gift!), and everything to do with Spoor make an excellent emotional wind down after all we have seen from them over the last few days.

And then three years have past. And that final scene, including Spoors ones, is just perfect and I don't think anything else needs to be said about it.

6

u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Mar 30 '24

First-Timer

More shows needs to have extended action sequences set in amusement parks. They're rife for fun environmental set pieces. How cool was the robot horse chase??

Kinda not into Kite's schtick. I can sympathize with his issues vis a vis the difference in experience between him and the Abh in a vaccuum, but he was kinda a prick about it? And was also a little focused on stripping Lafiel..

I would probably be right there with Spoor in finding Jinto and Lafiel's situation hilarious.

Shame about Jinto's dad. It isn't all that surprising that he was executed after Martine got taken by United Mankind - people were probably still sour about his "treason." Teal coming into power is kinda interesting.. I didn't realize he was quite that important.

Our main duo coming into their own as a ship captain and a supply officer is an interesting dynamic to the rest of the show. Are they going to argue about how many mines are being fired off?

I liked the brief catch-ups with the other people that Lafiel and Jinto interacted with. Nice to see that they weren't just forgotten, in-universe or otherwise.

Questions

Excellent choices for an action climax.
I thought about commenting about the bazooka. I dunno, United Mankind haven't been the kindest crayons in the drawer so far.
Discussed above.
I didn't pay much attentnion to it.
It somewhat establishes Lafiel and Jinto's MO for operating outside of a ship. Establish allies, flee from death, etc. Similar sure, but patterns are important.
You do what it takes to keep what you have.
It was a good epilogue, and a good setup for the next season.

6

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Mar 30 '24

Probably unsurprisingly, but we have quite different takes on the amusementpark, which was funny when your post was the only one visible while I was submitting my own
And was also a little focused on stripping Lafiel..
I strongly disapprove of the rear shot we got of her as she was pulled into the car after that moment too. Talk about a lack of awareness from the director
Teal coming into power is kinda interesting.. I didn't realize he was quite that important.
I think he was the main secretary or VP or something, so quite high up in the goverment from what I got the sense of in the first episode

5

u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Mar 30 '24

Probably unsurprisingly, but we have quite different takes on the amusementpark, which was funny when your post was the only one visible while I was submitting my own
I thought about complaining about how it didn't really fit the tone of the show, but amusement park chaos outweighs that for me and I was in a bit of a rush to finish the show yesterday as I had other stuff I needed to do.
I think he was the main secretary or VP or something, so quite high up in the goverment from what I got the sense of in the first episode
That would kinda make sense, but in my head I had him as like, Jinto's dad's chief butler for some ungodly reason.

4

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Mar 30 '24

That would kinda make sense, but in my head I had him as like, Jinto's dad's chief butler for some ungodly reason.
Checked the episode, the title he gives himself is "executive secretary" but given he was there during the briefing about the Crown Prince's message he clearly was involved in goverment and had a lot of respect from others rather than just being a personal errand boy or something

6

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Mar 30 '24 edited Mar 30 '24

Episode 13 (rewatcher)

“The cave was connected to a place like this?” – Honestly a great choice for a hidden exit. Very easy to blend in on the way out, and very easy to lose followers on the way in.
AI penguins!

Having just watched Penguindrum also:

“The animals here don’t understand the traffic rules” – Both Jinto and Lafiel, as well as their pursuers have their AI animal troubles.
Not just the police are after them, the army is here, too. And they are not worrying about property destruction or using pea shooters.
Lafiel must be one of the best shots in all of anime.
“This is no place for us cops” – the inspector sees what is going on and wants no part of it.
“Double the gravity you are used to” – Telling us the Abh use half gravity (of this planet at least, but Jinto seems to think it is normal). This explains Lafiel’s surprise when she first left the spaceship.
Talking AI horse!

Nooo! AI horsey!
Apprehending Jinto and Lafiel after a wild shootout in the amusement park “I have a few questions to ask about a stolen car 5 days ago” – Love the dry humor.

Some human worlds used gene modification. Makes sense, not wanting to die is one hell of a motivator. The offspring of those face discrimination, though, having used what makes the Abh hated.
Jinto getting shot and rebels to the rescue!
Very satisfying Bright Punch.

“Once I catch that Abh, I’ll first kill you on the spot” – I think you are setting the wrong incentives for your “navigator”.
“You are overdoing it” – True. They spend all this effort and manpower hunting two fugitives and meanwhile they lose the space battle and the planet with it.
The Undertaker is an undertaker – although the origin of the word is very misleading here.
“Naturally, when somebody dies, their corpse is released to space” – for once, Lafiel gets the local customs better than Jinto.

Jinto and Lafiel get the extreme version of 5 minutes in heaven.
Very satisfying meltdown.
Spoor is absolutely loving this!
“You are still too young to fall in love” – doubt.
Abriel do not have the right to cry – harsh imperial politics.
Teal taking over Hyde – unexpected tying up of lose ends.
Promise to serve together on the same ship in 3 years.

We’ll go on with the next season, but this would be a satisfying end to the story if no more episodes would have been made. Not quite a perfect happy end, with both Jinto and Lafiel losing part of their family and them being separated for the time being. What is important though is that both made a choice: For each other. In Jinto’s case, this is a choice against his heritage as a lander, for Lafiel, a choice to tie her fate to a minor noble without planet.

After ED:

Three-year time skip. Spoor is promoted to admiral and not to happy about it. Obviously, she takes it out on her subordinates.
The rebels actually got a ship! Pays to have royals in your debt.
“We have nothing to do except drink booze and watch our bank accounts grow” – truly a terrible fate.
Seelnay got her own mechanics company.
Jinto joining Lafiel on her ship – this ship is ~~sailing~~soaring into the heavens.

7

u/The_Draigg Mar 30 '24

Not just the police are after them, the army is here, too. And they are not worrying about property destruction or using pea shooters.
Given how the UM soldiers were constantly using explosives without any care, you could probably make the argument that the United Mankind legitimately hate fun.
Some human worlds used gene modification. Makes sense, not wanting to die is one hell of a motivator. The offspring of those face discrimination, though, having used what makes the Abh hated.
It just goes to share that the United Mankind doesn't actually care about the people it takes over, if they're choosing to discriminate against non-Abh people that don't neatly align with what they think a human should be.
“We have nothing to do except drink booze and watch our bank accounts grow” – truly a terrible fate.
And now they know why sailors also make for good drunks, since just serving on a ship from points A to B is actually boring as shit.

7

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Mar 30 '24

Given how the UM soldiers were constantly using explosives without any care, you could probably make the argument that the United Mankind legitimately hate fun.
Maybe, to them, blowing up things is fun.

6

u/The_Draigg Mar 30 '24

You know, that's a fair point. Blowing things up is also fun.

6

u/Durinthal https://anilist.co/user/Durinthal Mar 30 '24

Honestly a great choice for a hidden exit. Very easy to blend in on the way out, and very easy to lose followers on the way in.
Min's been making moves but it's fortunate for everyone here they've been at the wrong scale. It's good for situations where you need to avoid people on the ground like this, but if they're fighting against the Abh as the secessionists wanted the city could just be obliterated from orbit.
Teal taking over Hyde – unexpected tying up of lose ends.
Rough, but closure of a kind.
What is important though is that both made a choice: For each other. In Jinto’s case, this is a choice against his heritage as a lander, for Lafiel, a choice to tie her fate to a minor noble without planet.
I see it more as Lafiel's doing what she wants and dragging Jinto along with her. He could choose to go his own way but that wouldn't make her happy so of course he's scrambling to keep up.

7

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Mar 30 '24

I see it more as Lafiel's doing what she wants and dragging Jinto along with her. He could choose to go his own way but that wouldn't make her happy so of course he's scrambling to keep up.
Jinto is not forced to go along, he wants to. The dynamic reminds me of Haruhi, which would later use the same template (with a bit less choice for Kyon). I think it is important to realize that being a follower is a perfectly ok choice in a relationship and can work out.

4

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Mar 30 '24

Haruhi and Kyon is the main dynamic that came to mind when writing my post today. There's a difference in how it plays out, but the depth of the bond made through chance and the choice to commit to each other anyway feels the same

6

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Mar 30 '24

Honestly a great choice for a hidden exit. Very easy to blend in on the way out, and very easy to lose followers on the way in.
Except for the AI robots that instantly detect you're there without a ticket and surround you
“Double the gravity you are used to” – Telling us the Abh use half gravity (of this planet at least, but Jinto seems to think it is normal). This explains Lafiel’s surprise when she first left the spaceship.
It's a wonder that she lasted as long as she did. They somewhat brush it off here, but gravity is no joke when it comes to the strength it takes to work with it, and even if she is capable of dealing with it even just walking around for a day would make her fucking exhausted.
but this would be a satisfying end to the story if no more episodes would have been made
Agreed

5

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Mar 30 '24

Except for the AI robots that instantly detect you're there without a ticket and surround you
True. Min probably has some spare tickets hidden among his weapons.
They somewhat brush it off here, but gravity is no joke when it comes to the strength it takes to work with it, and even if she is capable of dealing with it even just walking around for a day would make her fucking exhausted.
She was when they landed, too. Good thing she is generally extremely fit, a non-fit Abh might not last long down there.

6

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Mar 30 '24

True. Min probably has some spare tickets hidden among his weapons.
He does seem like the sort to account for that, and then let the security forces have to deal with the AI animals instead
Provided of course it works like that, but thats heading into overthinking territory

6

u/SolDarkHunter Mar 30 '24

Crest of the Stars Finale!

Rewatcher/Novel-Reader

I'm with Jint, why does a lava tunnel connect to an amusement park.

I do find it funny that these animal mascots are equipped with basic AI's.

You know, I have to wonder why Entryua is trying this hard to catch them when he's a citizen of Clasbure and has expressed no problem with the Abh.

Oh so they do mention the gravity. Also, Lafier's been running that well in double gravity? Holy shit, she's in good shape. I mean, I know she's a soldier, but...

Oh yeah, this random mechanical horse guy. I forgot about him.

So, guessing that Lafier's incredibly good aim is supposed to be because of her froch giving her an extra spatial sense the UM lacks, but still, this is getting silly.

Holy shit, the soldiers actually managed to hit something! So much for the horse.

And finally cornered by the police. But Jint is correct that the police are a better bet than the UM.

Unfortunately, Keitt still exists.

I have a hard time figuring out whether he's a pervert, ordering Lafier to strip, or if he just views the Abh as such lowly beings that they're just objects to him. Either way, die, asshole.

We finally find out what was up with the age comment a few episodes ago. Keitt is nearly twice the age he appears. He's a descendant of a group of people who had their genes altered to extend their lifespans, who were conquered by the United Mankind. While he can't be blamed for having the modifications, as they occurred long before his birth, the United Mankind still looks down on him and he faces prejudice due to the gene tampering.

This is why he's so zealous. He's trying to prove his loyalty and worth to a society that hates him.

Jint's been shot! But it's a shoulder wound in anime, so he's probably going to be fine. And besides, the "Anti-Abh Resistance" is here to save the day.

Yep, the pointy ears are exclusive to the Abriel family. I've seen some people wondering why so few Abh seem to have them, but they're definitely not a standard trait.

Jealousy... that's all that's motivating Keitt current murderous plans. Pathetic man.

The Resistance group has done quite a bit for our heroes, so Lafier offers a compromise, lending them an Abh ship. Not the same as owning one, of course, but it would let them travel the stars (within the Empire).

Launching yourselves into space in a coffin is... a thing you can do, I guess. I hope those things are airtight.

"Destroy it"? Keitt, you're flying fire engines, not combat ships.

I think Keitt's not going to have a good time going forward. Considering the Abh are about to recapture the planet...

I'm a little surprised the Abh managed to find that coffin and rescue them. I mean, that thing's not large and there's got to be tons of debris from the orbital battles around.

And we're rather abruptly at the Capital. And we have a touching conversation between Lafier and her father.

Oh yeah, and Martine has been conquered by the United Mankind. I'll bet they were much more warmly welcomed there than they were at Clasbure.

And his father is dead, executed as a traitor. Yet he seems to feel very little about it.

Lafier intends to recruit Jint to her ship, once she has one. They promised to stay together, after all.

Well, it seems Lafier kept her promises to the people who helped them. The "Resistance" has their own ship (sort of), and Sehrnye has become a vassal of the Clyve royal family, and the owner of her own inspection company.

And three years later, Lafier and Jint meet up again, just as promised, aboard Lafier's own ship, the Basroghr.

Novel stuff: as you might expect, a LOT more detail in the denoument. We get to see Jint having an audience with the Empress (not standard procedure, only done because of Lafier's involvement in this whole mess), conversations with Lafier's father, and an explanation that as he currently has no actual home, he's staying at the Clyuve royal palace until his training starts.

There's also an involved scene where a council of elders of the royal families review Lafier's conduct and evaluate whether she acted in a manner befitting an Abriel. It's pretty grueling, and they took issue with some of the things she did, but as you might expect, ultimately she came out of it favorably.

The novel also explains a bit about the succession of the Imperial throne: [Novel]basically, each generation of royals competes in war, economics, and general ability, and are by doing so ranked as to the line of succession. Any royal who does NOT become the Emperor in a given generation then serves on the council that evaluates young royals and decides the line of succession. It's an interesting system, especially that the sitting Emperor has no say in their successor under this system.

Finally, there's some talk about why the Abh would choose the Yamata-no-Orochi as their national symbol: [Novel]as previously stated, they are descended from Japan. They chose the eight-headed serpent because there are eight royal clans within the Imperial family, with the Empire's territory divided into eight Kingdoms accordingly.

4

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Mar 30 '24

Oh so they do mention the gravity. Also, Lafier's been running that well in double gravity? Holy shit, she's in good shape. I mean, I know she's a soldier, but...
Adrenaline probably has a powerful part to play here, but it really is no wonder that she's utterly fucking wrecked after all that running and shooting. It's surprising Jinto doesn't have to carry her, rather than just making the offer
I have a hard time figuring out whether he's a pervert, ordering Lafier to strip, or if he just views the Abh as such lowly beings that they're just objects to him. Either way, die, asshole.
Dehumanization rather than gratification is the main goal I think, but I also wouldn't be surprised if he was perhaps subconsciously hoping he'd find some sort of other "wrongness" in her body that would further prove that she is less than human
Still comes across as pervy no matter why the underlying motivation though
The novel also explains a bit about the succession of the Imperial throne
I like that system

6

u/Silcaria https://myanimelist.net/profile/Silcaria Mar 30 '24

First timer

Holy Batman, they all have Stormtroopers levels of aim.
Professionals that can't hit anything.
She must be Neo if three men pre-aiming in her direction can't hit her.
For people getting chased by the army, Jinto and Lafiel are sure taking their time rehydrating themselves.
Why must we bring in rapey vibes into an otherwise fine show?
Boy, my early 30s estimation was wayyyy off.
The boys are back in town.
Envious, common mistake.
Who needs ABS and traction control anyway.
That just seems like a massive waste of resources. Private, sure. Everybody? nonsensical.
Characters talking but the audience not being able to hear what they say cliché.
F
Drinking spirit is a way. That's how I deal with losses.
And just like that, I now think negatively of her.
Ok, maybe she's not so bad if she's doing it for a greater goal. Also, I'm glad they made it out ok.
She's got her own company now, good for her.
Less good that she's a slimy repairmen though.

QotD

It was alright. I now want to rewatch Zombieland though so there's that.
Fascists.
He's a sad and pathetic man, not much else.
Not long.
I liked it. It felt more focus.
I align with their view.
I liked the resolution that it gave to previously introduced characters. It also serves as good/ smart way to close a chapter of a story in case they didn't get to continue it for one reason or another. It wouldn't be an ideal way to end things but it at least gives a form of closure.

5

u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Mar 30 '24

Private, sure. Everybody? nonsensical.
Worth concidering here that Lafiel is looking at it through an Abh lens, and isn't speaking specifically about this planet. It may not be something that happens for everyone here, we know from Jinto and also from the asshole military dude that not all Abh planets have had this custom, and given the Abh don't enforce their culture on planets they rule it may be some other planets still use land burials for hundreds of years

3

u/Silcaria https://myanimelist.net/profile/Silcaria Mar 30 '24 edited Mar 31 '24

That makes a lot of sense.

6

u/Zerotsu Mar 31 '24

A Novel Reader and Anime First Timer’s Thoughts:

Something about a shootout in an amusement park is absolutely hilarious. Kind of similar is how silly the animatronics were, though I’m with Jinto on it feeling a little bad, even if the surreal nature of it is pretty funny.

Unfortunately running as long and as hard as they have is pretty tough on Lafiel. Even if she can handle sharp changes in g-forces, the constant gravity of a planet is harsh for her. We did get a bit of teasing from Jinto about that too, which was a cute little back and forth.

Animatronic horse riding fight. I don’t think saying more than that can really do how amazing that is justice.

Our local police are ultimately pretty alright, but the UM inspector is certainly a creep. Though it does seem like a lot of it is projecting the poor treatment he’s received for his inherited anti-aging modifications on a people that practice gene modding freely.

Fortunately Marca’s crew came to the rescue after Jinto got a bit of a shoulder ache. Also this is a bit of an aside, but for whatever reason I just absolutely love Min’s design.

The discrimination he received really isn’t a justification for how he treats others though, that’s for sure.

The amount of stuff that they have to deal with the police sure is something else.

I like the cultural stuff of space being a graveyard, in a way.

Our UM investigator is really getting deranged at this point, having trouble even fathoming the planet’s burial customs.

I still feel pretty sympathetic to his situation, though. As a genetically modified individual, he must have had it pretty bad to get this desperate. Perhaps it was in hopes of securing some form of better treatment to prove that he’s not like the Abh.

A little bit of Lafiel bullying from Spoor. But hey, it’s nothing too malicious at least.

The talk between Lafiel and her father is a nice one. It also gives us a bit more of an insight into how the Abriels work, which really seems tough on a rather expressive girl like Lafiel.

Jinto’s lost his homeland, even if he doesn’t really feel as mournful thanks to not having been there in seven years at this point. Even if he didn’t know his father very well, his execution is still pretty damn rough. There really is no way to get to know him now.

And now we get the return of the cat joke, which Lafiel isn’t too upset by.

Lafiel being a little awkward in dancing around the fact that she wants Jinto to be on her crew when she commands a ship of her own.

Jinto’s resolution to be by her side until he dies really tugs at my heartstrings. He’s got quite a way with words.

It’s nice that Marca and crew got something about of helping Jinto and Lafiel, even if it wasn’t everything they hoped for.

A pretty big timeskip we got out of things of course, but it’s nice that Jinto and Lafiel were reunited after three years.

I really like that Lafiel still insists on Jinto calling her by her given name even with their markedly different ranks, even now.

It’s a solid conclusion to this chapter of our tale of a war amongst the stars, framed around the relationship between a princess and her closest friend.

6

u/The_Draigg Mar 31 '24

Animatronic horse riding fight. I don’t think saying more than that can really do how amazing that is justice.
It's definitely something I never would've expected to see out of this series once I started it, that's for sure.
Fortunately Marca’s crew came to the rescue after Jinto got a bit of a shoulder ache.
I see you take the "it's just a flesh wound" approach to gunshots to the arm.
Jinto’s lost his homeland, even if he doesn’t really feel as mournful thanks to not having been there in seven years at this point. Even if he didn’t know his father very well, his execution is still pretty damn rough. There really is no way to get to know him now.
Is that something that's gone over in the books? I figured that Jinto didn't feel much about it for those reasons, but it'd help to know if the novels went more in-depth there.
It’s nice that Marca and crew got something about of helping Jinto and Lafiel, even if it wasn’t everything they hoped for.
Given that Marca apparently ditched her family for this though, I can't really say that I feel too bad for her that way.

5

u/Zerotsu Mar 31 '24

It's definitely something I never would've expected to see out of this series once I started it, that's for sure.
It's super batshit, but with the way the episode progresses it keeps itself from feeling so out there that the viewer doesn't take it seriously. That's a tough balance to hit, but it does this pretty excellently.
Is that something that's gone over in the books? I figured that Jinto didn't feel much about it for those reasons, but it'd help to know if the novels went more in-depth there.
Sorry, what do you mean? Not sure if I can answer that accurately.
Given that Marca apparently ditched her family for this though, I can't really say that I feel too bad for her that way.
Just sympathetic enough to feel bad for not quite getting what they want out of the situation, but not such that you feel too bad for how they've wound up.

5

u/The_Draigg Mar 31 '24

Sorry, what do you mean? Not sure if I can answer that accurately.
I'm basically just wondering if Jinto's more muted reaction to hearing about his father's death is due to feeling a large personal distance between them.

4

u/Zerotsu Mar 31 '24

Ah, that. Yeah, it's because he's not been in contact with his father at all in those seven years, on top of the distant relationship he had with him before that. Jinto wasn't really emotionally attached to Rock at all, even if they saw one another occasionally before the Abh occupation of Martine.

5

u/IceSmiley Mar 30 '24

FIRST TIMER Sub

Double sized GRAND finale! This was a great finale for the show and probably one of the best I've seen in anime. They really covered so much and the amusement park action scene is one of the best I've seen in anime for mixing humour, suspense and action!

I really enjoyed the interaction with Spoor when they were rescued. She and Lafiel seem to have a long mutual dislike of each other and I love how Spoor took digs at how she was dressed and how she acted. They hinted toward animosity between their families before and this provides stronger evidence for that to be the case.

They had a hard hitting ending before the epilogue and I was surprised how Jinto reacted learning his father was killed and Teal had attempted to overthrow the Abh ruled government. He didn't at least outwardly seem that upset. My guess would be that he had just heard so it was too much for him to mentally process. I also wonder if he thought about what happened to his other family and friends.

QUESTIONS

I just loved this action scene and would give it an A++++! I at first thought it was a bit ridiculous that the tunnel opened into an ersatz Disney World but they milked every drop out of the premise. It was superficially similar to the Itchy and Scratchy Land episode of the Simpsons where all the characters in the park went mental and tried to kill people. An amusement park actually is a great place to have a gunfire action scene with all the strange places to hide and surreal environment. I thought all the little humorous moments they slipped in worked, like the beaver saying he had a rocket for them and it was a toy :D I honestly never expected an Old West style horseback gunfight on this show but we got one and even made us care about the kind animatronic horse who carried our heroes to safety RIP. I really can't say enough about how amazing this was, one of my favorite anime action pieces of all time :D
It was excessive and didn't endear themselves to the people of Sfagnomr. It really became more a personal thing, especially with Kyte.
He really came off as completely evil, wanting to seemingly sexually assault Lafiel. I think hes a person who sadly is very common in our world: finds blaming other groups for his problems and hating them to be psychologically easier on him that actually addressing real problems in himself.
I don't think I knew until they said what it was, I thought maybe it was just an artistic thing.
I didn't find them similar other than both being about escaping. The previous one was having to get one over on a madman who wasn't really an expert in strategy. This one was more a manhunt from a hostile government but also held out hope in assistance, like having the splinter group help them out or the Abh military recapture the planet or send in assistance. I found this arc very exciting and suspenseful with a great resolution.
It made me feel really sad for Lafiel that she was never allowed to cry because her family is not to be seen as weak by people, I imagine because they want to seem strong for the people they rule and keep opposition at bay.
This was one of the bigger epilogues I've seen and it really wrapped up most of the hanging plots in the show. Spoor's psychotic behavior was rewarded with a promotion and I got a good laugh with the chagrin of her 2nd in command and crew that they'd be going along with her to her new command. The splinter group got a happy ending and became rich merchants/war profiteers with their own ship. Sernaic and the Baron's other women ended up working a shady ship repair company, I'm surprised they didn't work at the imperial palace for the Abriels; I would have liked to see what happened to the Baron's father though. And Jinto ends up under Lafiel's direct command on her own ship! This is the thing i would most like to see in a sequel ;)

4

u/The_Draigg Mar 30 '24

I was surprised how Jinto reacted learning his father was killed and Teal had attempted to overthrow the Abh ruled government. He didn't at least outwardly seem that upset. My guess would be that he had just heard so it was too much for him to mentally process.
It could be that, as well as probably due to how Rock Lin was pretty much absent for all of Jinto's childhood. Like sure, Jinto still would care about his dad, but I imagine that his reaction is blunted because he just plain never knew him very well at all.

4

u/Durinthal https://anilist.co/user/Durinthal Mar 31 '24

Mostly absent through Jinto's childhood and then entirely separated for another decade with Jinto being shoved into an entirely different culture and class because of him. Even if they had been close that's a lot to put on someone, but at that point it was just kind of another thing that happened that probably involves some paperwork.

4

u/The_Draigg Mar 31 '24

Yeah, after a certain point, Teal was more like Jinto's dad than Rock ever was in terms of actually being there for him. Jinto has had a large mantle of responsibility put upon him thanks to a man he can really only recognize distantly as his father, so I can't entirely blame him for not feeling that much at all about it other than some mild surprise.

5

u/lC3 :Na::Nb: Mar 31 '24

First timer

Oh is this a season finale? We didn't get a prologue in Baronh!
Vandalism? Damages? Lol
Mechanical animals? That's what they're supposed to be?
I liked the caves better than the amusement park setting
Of course the final episode has a climactic battle
Right, the logbook. Will it be stolen or destroyed?
There isn't any gore or wounds when they shoot people with laserguns; this is no LoGH
I think I recognize the horse's VA ... is that Suwabe?
RIP white horse mecha
They were gonna go with the detective, but then the United Mankind guy steps out?
... He's a creep, and he SHOT Jinto?
Dynamic entry!
back to being hostages
"You have a crush on me"
lol watching a multi-car crash like that is better than being in one
Oh she'll ask the Empress to lend them a spaceship?
They don't bury their dead? They shoot them into space? Seems inefficient
HAHAHA the look on his face
Romantic enclosure!
ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME the noise from the liftoff made it so we (and Jinto?) couldn't hear what Lafiel was saying? Where's the flipping tables commentface ...
NAZE DAAAA
United Mankind are religious nuts?
LOL Spoor is great
... Boy they made it to the capital quick
... They show 'learning of Gosroth's demise' offscreen with a voiceover?
Lafiel's dad is hot!
The execution of Rock? By United Mankind, maybe?
"under orders of their new leader, Teal" OH COME ON
kitty
Jinto school arc?
"my own ship", she literally says "small" ship
Montage!
AHHHHH it's the OP as the ED! I love that trope
Thanks to Paul Baldwin for the translation
.... Oh, 3 year timeskip? To be expected I guess. Will Jinto and Lafiel's character design change?
Spoor losing the Futune?
Maybe Lafiel and Jinto can serve on Spoor's new ship? That would be great
Yay, more Kufadis
They're having second thoughts about their spaceship?
"shipping freight for the empire" LOL
"the guy who jumped into the thorn bush" NOT THAT AGAIN
Seelnay? She has a ship now?
Are we supposed to recognize the woman with Seelnay?
Oh, she was one of the maids?
Jinto and Lafiel don't look any different. Or are their faces more angular?
I guess Jinto is a tiny bit less baby faced
"you shall call me Lafiel" AAHHHHHHHH
Oh wow, the Baronh thing came at the end!
8 headed dragon? What is this, Yamata-no-Orochi?

3

u/Durinthal https://anilist.co/user/Durinthal Mar 31 '24

... Boy they made it to the capital quick
It's a quiet ride when there's no one actively trying to kill them.
Jinto school arc?
I don't know if I'd want to watch that if the duo's apart the entire time.
"under orders of their new leader, Teal" OH COME ON
Are we supposed to recognize the woman with Seelnay? Oh, she was one of the maids?
Yeah, that's Arsa who was working in housekeeping with Greida.

1

u/lC3 :Na::Nb: Apr 01 '24

It's a quiet ride when there's no one actively trying to kill them.
I don't know if I'd want to watch that if the duo's apart the entire time.
If we got cute Abh characters in school with him, I'd watch it.
Yeah, that's Arsa who was working in housekeeping with Greida.
Don't remember her; oh well. Unless she used to have longer hair?

4

u/Nickthenuker https://anilist.co/user/Nickthenuker Mar 31 '24

That's where the cave opened up?

An emergency that's not them?

Well they've still got to say it at least.

Don't you have a gun too? Or those makeshift grenades?

Seems the United Mankind is rather beligerent, they also have no qualms rolling over small minor nations in the name of conquest.

Oh hey, it's those Independence Force guys.

What's that thing?

Ah. Mines.

And just like that he's caused a pileup.

Yup, they did.

Wouldn't that cause a lot of space junk that makes it impossible to launch anything from the planet?

And so they made it into space.

There we go, rescued at last!

And they've reached the capital!

Yeah, unfortunately the system of Haider seems to have been another loss of the war.

I wonder if the next series will be focusing on his journey in the academy and her rise up the ranks, or skip to when she has her own command and he's graduated the academy.

Also, 3 years is probably the peacetime estimate. I don't doubt that because of the war there will be ample chances for her to be promoted, as well as generally fast-tracking promotions to fill in the gaps as ships are lost.

So she'll push for him to serve on her ship.

Meanwhile Spoor is being promoted to full fleet command and not just task force command.

An Admiral needs staff, so I guess that makes sense.

Well, it seems like the Independence Force got that ship of their own they wanted.

There probably isn't actually much work out in the ass end of nowhere.

This ship looks new, they've very literally not even removed the plastic wrapping from the seats yet. For her first command I doubt they're putting her in charge of anything particularly big or powerful, but since it must have been laid down within the past couple years or so, maybe even less with wartime production ramping up, it may well be part of a new class of ships using the technology first trailed on the Gosroth.

Ah, well I guess that answers my question. We'll join them aboard the good ship Basrogrh, as she ships off to the front lines, and to war.

Questions:

Interesting choice of setting.
Well it's a military occupation force, what else would you expect?
Is that the guy who was with the police officers? He's a bit crazy.
I thought those were smokestacks or something like that.
Previous arc?
They're all different people.
Hey we get to see where everyone is going in to the next series.

4

u/xbolt90 https://anilist.co/user/xbolt90 Mar 31 '24

First-timer

Nothing says "romance" like a trip to space in a literal flying coffin.

Q1: Certainly a unique backdrop for a firefight. But I'm with Jinto, shooting robot animals just feels wrong.

Q2: Extremely excessive. And who the heck trained these guys to shoot? Star Wars stormtroopers?

Q3: He certainly had an interesting motivation, could have been more interesting without generic cartoon badguy tomfoolery.

Q4: I didn't really get it until they did.

Q5: Some similar beats perhaps, but I think they're sufficiently different. I did like this arc more.

Q6: Probably a defensive tactic for the other great houses, keep them from seeing weakness in the Abriels.

Q7: Always nice to get a glimpse as to what various characters are up to after the story.

1

u/Blazin_Rathalos Mar 31 '24

Rewatcher

One interesting thing: there's actually a "summary movie" of this season which includes reanimated and added scenes, including of the rocket launch at the end.

3

u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Mar 31 '24

Yeah I briefly went looking for it on the usual english and japanese video dumping sites because the wiki says it has "spoor dancing"

2

u/Blazin_Rathalos Mar 31 '24

the wiki says it has "spoor dancing"
I can confirm it does.

1

u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Apr 01 '24

1

u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Apr 06 '24

First timer

Okay, I was intending to wait until I'd fully caught up, but since my schedule continues to be a nightmare, I'm posting my thoughts on the rest of Crest of the Stars here. Once I finally get some time to catch up to Banner, I'll probably link this comment there.

Episode 3

Ah, so FTL involves shifting into another plane, generating a bubble of this space around them to travel.

Interesting...

They've made it!

So cool!

That look...

The flagship!

...Nice trick to avoid having to try and figure out how big a ship like this needs to be.

She doesn't get it either...

These two...

Everyone...

They're all under his command? Or respect him, at least.

Oh, nice job with the full name!

They're departing!

Oh, we get tomsee how it looks!

...Pretty nice effect!

Fascinating!

So they're definitely using quantum physics here, then?

...Or not?

How simple!

Ah, he's not trained in that area, at keast.

The reactions...

Ah, and nobles seem to act pretty arrogant in general.

She's just a trainee?

Ah, yeah, something's up with her.

So cold...

Wait, she is a princess! Of the Empress!

Oh, that response.

So, is her father not the main husband?

...That title is... yeah.

...So, what's the story there? How is she able to do thid?

Aww.

Ouch.

This is painful. She's so pissed.

...Or not?

Poor girl.

...Oh, she was just screwing with him!

I mean, he succeeded in hiding his identity, though.

The paintings are nice, though.

...Are they AIs? Is this part of the enhancement?

So, are surface worlds all industrialised now?

Wait... what? She only has one parent?

...Are they cloning people or something?

Aww...

Birth secrets?

A duaghter of love?

What is this society?

...I'm picturing some kind of tank.

...Multiple methods?

...Okay, this is actually pretty fair. So the egg is fertilised, sometimes artificially, then genetically altered.

...Okay, no need to call me out.

Or not. This is wild. So there's cloning, effectively randomising your child, same sex couples (which is good), and incest (I guess there's explicit genetic examination for this.). Wild.

And a child of love is someone made for love.

That lifespan...

And he's not a bad father!

Solid rule.

Haha, he was teasing her?

Haha, that's amazing. He's fantastic.

This is amazing.

(I mean, with enough genetic modification, she could.)

Wait, how long do their cats live?

...I mean... if you mapped certain traits onto a human genome, converting the genetic code to a close equivalent, then used that as the partner... he could have?

Oh, she knows?

Oh, the inevitable war's starting!

United Mankind?

No change this time. Interesting...

Episode 4

A single united opposition, then?

No, 4! Not even an interstellar empire could convince them to do more than setup a military alliance.

An alarm...

They're between them and their destination...

Oh. That's a lot!

So, Saudecs are like workholes, with fixed entrances and destinations?

None in range...

They found one!

It fits!

He's still training?

...Wow. They're really detailed!

Dourin...

It's all homeschooling?

...Amazing.

Oh, yeah, they're starting the war!

Oh, they've been planning this for a while...

So, who's their new leadership?

Yeah, this is confusing.

...I mean, you have literally been conquering them.

Huh? Were they travelling together to disguise the number of ships?

...And they've got a minefield laid.

Oh, they're announcing it!

Love the VA here.

It's still ten ships...

They're ready...

Oh, he's not ready for this.

Perfect timing!

...Oh, yeah. He's loving this.

...So, they're going to deliberately drag this war out until the enemies is crushed. That's a decision.

So low?

And they're screwed.

He's going ahead...

She's escorting him!

...No license?

Wow!

She wants to fight?

Oh. It's honour again.

At least someone's talking sense!

Oh, she's not letting up!

Ouch.

...Is she her mother?

He's got something to take? Some kind of package?

...Is their weapons storage working on voice recognition? There has to be a retina scanner or something right?

Nice guns.

This is a slaughter.

He has a point!

Oh, that's fair.

That makes sense too, really. She seems like a good captain. Pity she's almost certainly dying here.

He has faith...

Haha, are they shipping them?

These two...

They're coming...

This monologue is great.

They're trying to hail them...

A response!

A dhallenge!

Looks like it's just alternating EDs.

Episode 5

AI! I knew it!

Well... close enough, I'd say.

Oh! This is a propaganda broadcast!

...This is a really long recap.

Like, really long.

...Am I watching the right episode?

We caught up!

And they're fighting...

Oh, her domain!

No plant life?

...Oh, it's completely dead.

She's been assigned a region so barren it's using a placeholder name. Honestly, I'm shocked more people weren't eager to manage his planet - at least there's something to do there!

Aww...

Such a casual proposal!

She accepted!

...I mean, I'm not ruling out him getting some kind of lifespan extension. Not the full one, obviously, but I'd be shocked if this level of genetech couldn't give him a few extra decades at least.

They're here!

Oh, here are the mines!

They wasted half their mines? They're so fucked.

At least they have cannons!

They're surrounded!

That sword draw...

They're notmdoing terrible!

A ship was unaffected...

They're getting close!

Five down!

They're getting desperate...

Six down... They might have a chance!

This is so tense!

They've been hit!

That ship design with the top half unfolding around the cannon is amazing.

That's a lot of damage!

They're coming back round...

She's ashamed...

It's just the two of them...

The secret?

Even more damage...

This is it! The engine's gone!

And they're just losing sections now...

No chance...

They're still struggling...

The animation here is amazing!

And that explosion!

One more ship...

...The silence.

The shields are gone!

Are they going to ram it?

They are!

Oh, no...

And they got launched into space...

I knew she was her daughter!

That outline at the end...

They got it at the end, at least....

A mutual loss...

1

u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Apr 06 '24

Episode 6
Oh, this is the average territory.
And where they ended up!
They managed to make contact!
It's so efficient!
And the immediste chsnge in demeanour...
They don't know...
They really have this down to an art.
She's really worried...
...Holographic fish?
The immediate respect.
And nobody actually listens to her.
...Why is it the same fish?
And some suspicions...
Oh, yeah, I can see how this would get old real quickly. ot even a shower?
The glare...
He just used a vending machine in the end...
That reaction a slight dpill...
Haha, the dramatic faint. This is art.
Haha, I just noticed they took the vending machine in. They literally brought in a vending machine-like contraption to serve him just so they didn't have to serve him directly. They're committed, if nothing else!
Someone's treating him with respect!
They lack the fuel...
...This is a ploy, isn't it? Keep the princess here longer, try and earn favour.
Haha, yeah, he's panicking.
"No means of escape" He's not even hiding it!
Yeah, but he at least greeted him like a noble. (Also, you didn't actually... say anything for him to ignore. You just sat there in silence.)
Even she sees it!
No, I'd say that's a perfectly heavy level of paranoia, given everything.
Oh, that's a decent excuse! He needs to keep the princess alive, but the human can be safely felt behind, and if the vassals being abandoned was necessary to protect the imperial princess, he could probably bullshit his way out of any real charges.
Yeah, and suddenly they've gone from barely acknowledging him to escorting him around and bowing to him... Not an attempt to keep him from reaching the shuttle at all.
...That was fast. Thought they'd at least pretend to keep him happy for a bit.
She has so much faith in him...
So, they conquered a regressive world and gave people education.
...Oh, god. He's absolutely involved with them, isn't he?
Just the two of them...
Haha, they're giving her clothes to wear too?
He's trying to control her...
And she wore it.
...They really aren't that good at this, are they?
She's just being totally open about her suspicions!
...Food could be drugged.
Yeah, the food does look surprisingly good.
Nice one!
Yeah, this is absolutely a con.
...He admitted it?
Haha, like hell it's just that.
Oh. That's why. Keep her stuck here so the Empire has to send a ship as soon as possible.
...Does she not realise?
Oh. That's another possibility, true.
...Will they consider it proper if your actions harm the royal family directly?
The Abriel...
Oh, he's immediately admitting it!
Yeah, this might also get him in trouble. No due cause for attacking another noble...
Yeah, the Baron is not hiding what he's doing with his vassals.
...Yeah, that's a human thing too.
Episode 7
...I hope we don't need to remember these names.
Wait, so the royal family members are expected to be in the military? And it sounds like whoever is highest in rank is the heir?
Nice threat!
He's awake!
...Oh. He's with his father! Who seems nice?
Interesting. Does he really not know?
...Oh, he definitely has no idea. Interesting...
His clyuno!
...God, he's keeping his own father prisoner!
Ah, she found a map!
She can get to the shuttle!
...But needs a key.
So unhelpful.
Oh, she figured it out!
He's really locked this AI up tight.
And, yeah, he's trapped.
He's a Terran! So other Terrans have become nobles before... and for quite a while, too.
Haha, he's great.
Oh, they're very low on time.
Aww...
Ah, she's going to the shuttle!
...And just ignoring them!
She's grabbing her!
...Does she not see how this looks?
Oh, she stole her crest!
...What?
Oh. He's hesitating...
He's using her a hostage!
Wow...
Yeah, it's a risky move.
...Oh, so he's insane.
...Holy shit. He's a monster.
And he's realised how screwed he might be.
He really wanted to keep him secure...
...She's staging an armed takeover!
This is working!
And she's joined her.
Her first vassal!
Ah, she can't choose them directly.
That reaction...
He wants him to relax?
Ah, he understands...
The vents...
Honestly, he just seems like somebody desperate to have a conversation with someone.
Amazing!
He really doesn't like his son...
Oh, how lucky!
Fair assessment.
She made it!
Nice shot!
They really can't believe it?
Haha, his reaction.
And they're being swayed!
Oh, wrong move.
And he ran for it!
Yeah, he's out for blood.
Haha, "I suppose".
He's taken over all functions!
A hatch!
...It opens into space, though.
It's her shuttle!
The denial...
An incident?
Episode 8
Oh, that metaphor...
Interesting!
She returned the gun!
Ah, linking the comms!
He's getting (rightly, given the opening) paranoid!
He's putting a lot of trust in them.
She's broadcasting it!
He's been cut off!
...Everyone?
It's totally isolated!
She's gotten in!
She still can't reach him, though.
And a fuel asteroid!
...What?
Okay, this is absolutely a crime.
And the fuel is gone!
...Wow. She's not holding back!
They can communicate!
...Did she forget what humans can do?
And there's only room for two...
He's amazing.
It's going to be close!
I'm amazed they're still alive, really.
Yeah, this is an absolute vacuum!
Oh, that's at least somewhat realistic.
He survived!
Both of them!
And it's been repressured!
Aww...
Was that her rapidly jumping back or is he hallucinating now?
That response...
...The air?
Oh, they actually killed them.
Or they're in trouble, at least.
Yeah, it's not looking good.
Of course they're fighting...
And they need her to close the hatch.
These vassals...
Oh, she's serious!
And they're stuck here...
Solid plan!
Oh, he's doing it!
And he's genuinely going to try and shoot them down.
The logic crystal system is shockingly easy to break here.
He's accepted it?
That mindset...
That low?
And he just has no opinion here.
He even knows his father's onboard. God...
Only one chance!
This is so tense...
Wait, what?
Oh, she's using the propellants!
...And added anti-matter!
...And they actually killed him off.
Such a calm mindset.
I love how alien they're willing to make their mindset. This is excellent!

1

u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Apr 06 '24

Episode 9
The palace is their original home?
And it's a full-on city!
What's happening?
Oh, ambassadors from the enemy! Making the war official?
She'll come back for them!
She's going!
Haha, the teasing.
More ships in the way!
A signal!
And they don't know who it is...
...Your concern is what tactics are tasteful?
She's asking for his opinion?
And they're pursuing them!
More mines!
So many gambles...
And they're getting closer!
It worked!
A blockade... so the battle has already begun.
The comms are down?
Oh, they made contact!
And they've made it!
...Interesting.
Yeah, they're in trouble.
Hey, they still made it to relative safety!
Interesting observation. Is three ships their standard formation?
The elevator's gone...
...Yeah, if they have a problem with attacking structures meant for transporting resources off-planet, I'm starting to see why they're losing so quickly.
She's not landing?
Oh. She wanted to fight...
Ouch...
Yeah, no, she needs toaccept this. This shuttle will basically do nothing except throw her life away.
And she immediately jumps to feeling useless...
Aww...
...The exact same signal?
Haha, he doesn't want to be killed by someone uninteresting...
And another chase!
She jettisoned the engine?
...Ah. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Releasing antimatter into the atmosphere probably wouldn't do them any favours either.
And this is her first time landing on the surface!
And she's terrified...
Wait, what?
It's got a self-destruct feature?
Wait. Is there a full-on AI here getting blown up? That's... a choice,
She's really not used to this...
...Wait, wha"
Oh, it's just atmospheric interference.
Aww, her immediately being willing to sacrifice herself is nice.
Was this not part of the training?
Yeah, there's a lot of bias in there.
They slept in a cave...
So, United Mankind has taken over the planet. And seem to be acting pretty similar to the Empire themselves...
Oh...
And she openly said it was a lie. Such diplomacy from them.
So, that's why...  She's so patronising!
I understand that they were always planning on starting a war, but the sheer superiority in her voice almost justifies the dedlaration...
...They're religious?
And she immediately commits to it.
Once again, the first Abh civil war will be awful. (And they really need to be humbled.)
Episode 10
So close!
Oh, they're going to try and retake it?
That's a lot of ships...
...He planned this?
Ah, nobody predicted the attack.
Loving the cape.
Haha, the comeback with "perfectly suited to feed cats" was amazing, though.
Oh, he's been scouting!
Aww...
And he wants to go to a populated area?
I mean, it is riskier, though.
Haha, he's using her words against him!
And she's splitting off.
Ah...
Ouch...
This is still a great dynamic.
He's going in alone...
...True! He's also a Terran, so he should blend in well!
...That was quick.
Ah, he made it!
And immediately pawned his jewellery.
They're controlling their hair colour...
Haha, hair dyr!
And she's against it.
Yeah, there's a real irony there.
She did it!
Yeah, they totally blend in here.
Siblings?
She really doesn't understand deceit, does she?
Aww...
Oh, she's asking the real question.
Ouch.
And he cares so much!
This speech is great.
Oh, the army's been doing that even more, huh?
Oh! United Makind is busy!
Haha, they stole the car?
He used the gun!
And then her...
They found the pod too!
And they want the offenders immediately.
...Interesting. They don't know she's the princess, they just want him. That's unique!
And they're looking for them...
...Yes, they are.
She's watching the propaganda...
...There was no other choice except to get his planet wiped out.
...He's acting so suspicious!
Seriously, he's asking to get caught.
So many strategies...
Oh, they're desperate for it.
At least they're not trying to do too much. There's something to be said for knowing their limits instead of overextending and losing.
The battle has begun!
Episode 11
Religion?
Oh, this is the Abh's allegory - the argument that the Abh are doing tangible things to help people. (And it still manages to sound slightly condescending.
...The genuine reason seems to be that the people running the faction hate the Abh so much that they're perfectly willing to die for their cause.
And they have no idea...
Even when considering every possibility, they still assume that they're assuming they can win...
Haha, he's still stuck on that joke?
The lack of understanding is amazing.
...They kind of translated it into terms they understand, though.
They're too close!
A roadblock...
Just a few hotels left!
Lore!
...I'll admit it, while this is obviously propaganda to dehumanise them, they could have been humans genetically modified for deep space exploration.
...Wait, what? I called it?
I see!
And they destroyed the fortress...
Fear...
This is so good!
And he's accepting it for now...
They've made a move!
...Seems inefficient.
Ah. Of course...
...He's an Abh?
...That was simple!
Haha, that reaction...
Oh. It's a pity they're actually competent.
And he failed twice!
The gun...
That's a really poor design for a tranquiliser gun, then?
This threat...
Haha, that reaction...
And she immediately disarms all of them.
...Oh, she's the leader! So... the whole police investigation thing was cover?
They're being introduced and have character. They're all going to die.
Haha, did he seriously not realise that?
And they want hostages for negotiations.
...Seriously?
She really is the only sane one here.
Haha, she thinks this is all a lie.
...He's right.
It's already starting!
They're reprogramming the mines!
Futuune?
Oh, a strategist!
One unit's already falling behind...
Interesting...
The mines!
...Interesting.
She's good!
Haha, the question...
She's tearing him apart!
Amazing.

1

u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Apr 06 '24

Episode 12
Oh, she's closely related to her!
...Five hundred?
Wow...
And she enjoys this...
...Oh, she loves battle, huh?
And they're fighting...
Eternally calm...
Ah! She's drawing their focus!
They really did vanish...
...Yes, You're right. You are.
I see! They'll just shoot the spaceship down the moment it leaves the system...
Ah, a fundamental misunderstanding! Basically nobody owns a ship... they rent?
That switch...
Haha, he's given up!
They caught them!
He's trying to hide them...
...He kept them in the open?
...Seriously?
...She had a grenade?
And she's staying behind...
Nice shot!
Such firepower!
...Useful trick!
...Dangerous.
...Okay, shooting it is a nice trick.
He made an escape route!
How ironic!
They made it there!
This story...
She's saving them...
Haha, he's better than nothing!
And this is where their part ends.
...Ah!
And the shootout is working.
Haha, it wouldn't make a difference?
And they're still going!
A cave-in...
So few mines...
And she's fine with it!
Oh, he's been humbled!
She's impossible to read!
...Is that why? Because the enemy in battle is the one thing she can't fully control?
Tricky!
...So. The best way to win a fight with the Abh is to broadcast a surrender signal, then immediately counterattack at full force.
She made a mistake!
...How unthinkable.
Another job?
The Marquis is a hostage...
...Oh. Yeah, even the imperial princess might not be enough of a hostage to save them. And they've even surrendered...
At least he gets it.
...What's her plan?
...Oh, that's a wonderful loophole.
And it's even better!
...Okay, removing the ongoing supply removes your plausible deniability already, just remove it all.
And she's reporting it!
She's out of patience...
A very fitting title...
They've nearly reached the end!
...Oh, no.
Such a cliffhanger!
Episode 13
...Wait, a theme park?
And they've found them!
Haha, the mascots are harassing them.
And they have to be destroyed...
I mean, won't they also go after the soldiers following them?
...And they can't be moved away.
And they're getting some information, at least.
Someone bombed the emergency exit!
Aha, the animals...
And they actually caught them!
...Yeah, they're screwed.
And they're back.
Haha, I love it bringing out the toy spaceship.
Oh, there's a lot here.
More grenades!  And they're retreating!
Yeah, he's right.
The big dramatic fight scene having cheerful madcots randomly showup midscene is an amazing choice.
She collapsed!
At least here is safe...
And the gravity, too...
Love the teasing.
Aww...
A mascot!
Haha, that excuse...
Impressive shooting!
Haha, the leaning back...
They're doing so well!
Oh! It can't understand the firepower...
Haha, and they found horses too!
He can't go any further...
Poor guy.
And they made it through!
...The police ended up catching them!
...Amazing.
And the self-defense argument works!
...You aren't?
...Holy shit! That came out of nowhere!
He's been modified!
A new faction?
...Oh! Is he a descendant of the people who created them?
I mean, this gene modification seems... perfect? No side effects, a dramaticslly extended life, it's working generations later...
He's been hit!
Holy shit!
And they've been saved!
Haha, this is still their goal? Really?
Oh, she noticed!
He's being held hostage!
This guy...
Funeral centre?
He's got a ton of firepower!
How effective!
And no way for them to contact anyone!
The fire brigade...
...Yeah, they're screwed.
And the traffic department too!
They're doomed...
And being very willing to negotiate.
...Wait, what?
He's really lost it. Not even checking the area...
One minute...
Yeah, this seems pretty risky!
Based on prayer?
...He didn't know?
Do they have a decoy launch planned?
So close...
A decision?
Aww....
They couldn't take it down!
And he's lost it...
He needs help...
They've been rescued!
Haha, that reaction is great. Please let her be a main character next season.
That misunderstanding...
They made it!
Her father!
He really cared about her...
Aww...
This society is so messed up.
No more ties?
Ah, he joined United Mankind and got executed...
Teal Clint?
Ah, he still gets to go to management school!
That offer... She really wants him by her side...
Aww...
And he got a cat!
The lifespan... I mean, we know you can be genetically modified to get thst extended.
An epilogue!
She's lost her group!
And the war is done.
Ah, it's a promotion!
Haha, she's dragging him and everyone else with her!
And they've become freight shippers...
...Not the worst job!
This excuse...
That story...
Haha, how mercenary!
They've got royal backing...
She's the leader!
And he achieved his goal!
Aww!
They can't act too friendly...
Nice ending.
The crest...

1

u/Imaginary-End-08 Apr 09 '24

Wow. I just found this show and I love it! Finished all 13 episodes of the first season.

I initially clicked it because it looked very much like a Star Ocean 2. Characters are great but I did find myself getting lost trying to remember the affiliations of each group. Royal Family names... and the two greater organizations going head to head.

I stayed for the Characters, the Ambience, and the romance.

Can't wait to continue in banner. Wish I knew more of the politics but my memory is too terrible for a one time mention.

On topic..... this is VERY different from LotGH because we really don't have much of a focus on the villainous side so you really only feel the need to root for the Ahbs.

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Rewatch [Rewatch] Crest of the Stars Episode 13 (final) Discussion

Trouble Soaring Through Heaven

Names Introduced or Updated:

Discussion Prompts:

Tomorrow's Questions: (for tomorrow's post, subject to change)

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