For those who have seen the Seikai series, Seikai no Senki Special Edition is basically Seikai no Senki, summarised, and just as worthy addition to your anime collection.
And for those who haven't seen the whole series but would like to dive straight in without committing 5 hours into the series, Seikai no Senki Special Edition is perfect for you.
For the uninitiated, Seikai no Senki is about the adventures of an Abh princess Lafiel and her childhood friend, Jinto. The story takes place in the future, when Man has genetically engineered a species of humans specially suited for space-faring - the Abh. But the Abh eventually rebelled and broke away from Man, forming their own empire. Jinto and Lafiel meet again in the Abh star forces just before the start of a war that has been already threatening to erupt for years...
Seikai no Senki is a rather recent series, and as such, the animation is first-rate, as expected. Battles are done with attention to detail, and do not rely on 3D animation which tends to be rather jarring when used badly. Planets and starscapes are drawn beautifully, since that is what the viewer will be seeing most of the time.
Character designs are pleasing to the eye, unless you are one of those fussy types. It is kept simple (no painstakingly drawn strand-by-strand hair here), but with enough detail to draw you in. Designs are unique, so you do not feel two chracters come from the same mould. Because all of the Abh have blue hair, the "different hair color to differentiate chracters" trick does not work and thus thankfully is not used. There is good variety here - even minor supporting chracters are given individuality via little nuances; a holding of hands here, a smile there - you feel each of them have a story behind them.
The soundtrack comprises of orchestra pieces and majestic classical-tending music. Thankfully, it's not corny and ridiculously overused in the Star Wars fashion. The music changes to fit the mood of the various settings, and the resulting ambience is very nice. Rather than taking centre-stage, the soundtrack seeks to complement the show - sometimes you don't realise it's there because of its background role. It draws you into tense scenes, brings across one's sorrow, and then slowly lets you settle back into a more relaxed state. That is the beauty of the music in Seikai no Senki.
Even though earlier knowledge of the series does help, it has no impact on the story progression. Unlike many anime, there are no obvious loopholes. (Of course, you could pick on the high-tech sci-fci gizmos, but that's why it's fiction, no?) Seikai no Senki does not pretend to be hopelessly deep, profound and convoluted. Yet, it manages not to fall into the "B-grade" anime category, by putting in lots of meaningful dialogue. Interspersed between them are enough action scenes to keep you riveted to your seat. More of the action takes place on board the ship's bridge, where tension can be better felt. It is more than typical fluff. There are no horribly cliched happy endings, nor miraculous resolutions to problems. It does not make you cry all the time, too. A good balance that is notoriously hard to find in films today, especially with all the over-hyped psycho-babble that makes you think too much.
The character development is done well...characters are fleshed out in many ways. My only complaint is that there is no way you can develop characters enough in 2 hours - even in the 13-episode version, potential sidelines are not explored fully, so what more in a condensed version?
The conclusion: Whether or not you have not seen the prequels, Seikai no Monshou/Danshou, watch Seikai no Senki. I would recommend that you watch the 13-episode TV series, though - 5 hours is digestable, and offers a more riveting storyline, plus more in-depth chracter development. But that said, Seikai no Senki Special Ed has managed to bring out the best in the TV series, and is already pretty formidable on its own.
If you have already watched the TV series, and would like to re-live and enjoy it all over again, this one is for you, too.
Anime: Seikai no Senki Tokubetsu Hen
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* Based on the Seikai no Senki sci-fi novel series by Morioka Hiroyuki.
Three years after their adventure, Lafiel becomes captain on the brand new assault ship Basroil and Jinto finishes his training to become a supply officer and joins Lafiel's crew. They set out to join a large fleet with the mission to defend the strategically important Aptic Gate from a force 15 times larger than their own. And to make matters worse, their new fleet commander is from the Bebaus family, a family notorious for their "Spectacular Insanity".
Source: ANN
Three years after their adventure, Lafiel becomes captain on the brand new assault ship Basroil and Jinto finishes his training to become a supply officer and joins Lafiel's crew. They set out to join a large fleet with the mission to defend the strategically important Aptic Gate from a force 15 times larger than their own. And to make matters worse, their new fleet commander is from the Bebaus family, a family notorious for their "Spectacular Insanity".
Source: ANN
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16-19, female, , abhThe abh are space-dwelling people in the fictional universe of Crest of the Stars. They are the rulers of an interstellar civilization with feudal government and social structure., adolescentAn adolescent (teenager) is 13 to 19 years old., blue hairThe character has blue hair., grey eyesThis character has grey-coloured eyes., long hairLong hair is hair from (but not including) shoulder-length, up to (but not including) waist length hair. Sidelocks do NOT count as long hair., pointy earsWell they are ears... and they are pointy... what`s more to say there?!, princessno description set, vessel captainA vessel captain is the officer in charge of commanding it. This applies to civilian vessels, such as merchant ships and airliners, and to military vessels. They may not necessarily be the seniormost officer aboard; for example, admirals are generally not the captains of their own flagships. Captains of military vessels do not necessarily hold the exact military rank of captain, when such a rank exists.
voiced by:
Kawasumi Ayako
17-20, male, , adolescentAn adolescent (teenager) is 13 to 19 years old., brown eyesThe character has brown eyes., brown hairThe character has brown hair., countno description set, humanModern humans are the only extant members of the subtribe Hominina. Together with chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans, they are part of the family Hominidae. Terrestrial animals, humans are characterized by their erect posture and bipedal locomotion; high manual dexterity and heavy tool use compared to other animals; open-ended and complex language use compared to other animal communications; larger, more complex brains than other animals; and highly advanced and organized societies., short hairShort hair is hair from (but not including) bald, up to (but not including) shoulder-length hair. This hair length is what one would typically, though not always, see on most males. Short hair includes hair that goes no more than a centimetre or two beyond the chin; anything longer is shoulder-length.
voiced by:
Imai Yuka
secondary cast
male, , abhThe abh are space-dwelling people in the fictional universe of Crest of the Stars. They are the rulers of an interstellar civilization with feudal government and social structure., blue hairThe character has blue hair., military uniformA type of outfit worn by military personnel. May also cover armours as long as they are standardised among the troops (e.g. army of ancient Rome).
Military uniforms can be either ceremonial or practical (utilitarian)., purple eyesThis character`s eyes are colored somewhere between red and blue., very long hairVery long hair is hair from (and including) waist-length hair or longer., young adultSomeone is generally considered a young adult if they are between 20 to 40 years old.
voiced by:
Shiozawa Kaneto
female, , abhThe abh are space-dwelling people in the fictional universe of Crest of the Stars. They are the rulers of an interstellar civilization with feudal government and social structure., leadershipThe ability to lead skillfully., military uniformA type of outfit worn by military personnel. May also cover armours as long as they are standardised among the troops (e.g. army of ancient Rome).
Military uniforms can be either ceremonial or practical (utilitarian)., purple hairThis character`s hair is colored somewhere between red and blue., straightforwardThis character is well aware of what he/she wants, and is not afraid of showing it, or going for it. No need to wrap things up, when you can more easily call things by their actual names., swordA sword is a long, edged piece of metal, used as a cutting, thrusting, and clubbing weapon in many civilizations throughout the world. It fundamentally consists of a blade and a hilt, typically with one or two edges for striking and cutting, and a point for thrusting., yellow eyesThis character has yellow eyes., young adultSomeone is generally considered a young adult if they are between 20 to 40 years old.
voiced by:
Yamada Miho
female, , abhThe abh are space-dwelling people in the fictional universe of Crest of the Stars. They are the rulers of an interstellar civilization with feudal government and social structure., adolescentAn adolescent (teenager) is 13 to 19 years old., blue eyesThis character has blue-colored eyes., blue hairThe character has blue hair., military uniformA type of outfit worn by military personnel. May also cover armours as long as they are standardised among the troops (e.g. army of ancient Rome).
Military uniforms can be either ceremonial or practical (utilitarian)., short hairShort hair is hair from (but not including) bald, up to (but not including) shoulder-length hair. This hair length is what one would typically, though not always, see on most males. Short hair includes hair that goes no more than a centimetre or two beyond the chin; anything longer is shoulder-length.
voiced by:
Shimizu Kaori
male, black hairThe character has black hair., brown eyesThe character has brown eyes., humanModern humans are the only extant members of the subtribe Hominina. Together with chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans, they are part of the family Hominidae. Terrestrial animals, humans are characterized by their erect posture and bipedal locomotion; high manual dexterity and heavy tool use compared to other animals; open-ended and complex language use compared to other animal communications; larger, more complex brains than other animals; and highly advanced and organized societies., scarsA scar is an area of fibrous tissue that replaces normal skin after an injury. Scars are result of the biological process of wound repair in the skin and scarring is a natural part of the healing process., short hairShort hair is hair from (but not including) bald, up to (but not including) shoulder-length hair. This hair length is what one would typically, though not always, see on most males. Short hair includes hair that goes no more than a centimetre or two beyond the chin; anything longer is shoulder-length.
voiced by:
Ootsuka Akio
female, , blue hairThe character has blue hair., braidsBraids is a style of hair in which the hair is interweaved into locks. Braids can be displayed in various styles, such as twin braid tails or a braided hair hairband., long hairLong hair is hair from (but not including) shoulder-length, up to (but not including) waist length hair. Sidelocks do NOT count as long hair., military uniformA type of outfit worn by military personnel. May also cover armours as long as they are standardised among the troops (e.g. army of ancient Rome).
Military uniforms can be either ceremonial or practical (utilitarian)., ojou-sama laughA type of haughty laughter typical of rich young girls, as well as older rich women. Generally sounds like a high-pitched "OHOHOHOHOHOHO"., red eyesThis character has red eyes., swordA sword is a long, edged piece of metal, used as a cutting, thrusting, and clubbing weapon in many civilizations throughout the world. It fundamentally consists of a blade and a hilt, typically with one or two edges for striking and cutting, and a point for thrusting., young adultSomeone is generally considered a young adult if they are between 20 to 40 years old.
Group status
| Last Update | Name | State | N | Episodes | HE | SP | Languages | Source | Rating | Cmts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03.01.2023 | Anime-Films | complete | 1 | 0 | ja ru | DVD | N/A (0) | 0 | ||
| 18.10.2017 | kuchikirukia | complete | 1 | 0 | ja en | DVD | N/A (2) | 0 | ||
| 01.07.2017 | Project-gxs | complete | 1 | 0 | ja en | DVD | N/A (0) | 0 | ||
| 09.09.2011 | Vega | complete | 1 | 0 | ja ru | DVD | N/A (0) | 0 | ||
| 21.07.2003 | ANBU | complete | 1 | 0 | ja en | DVD | 4.18 (14) | 1 | ||
| no group |
