Banner of the Stars Special Edition: In-Depth Review and Recommended Points

Starry Sky Special Edition - The Tale of Space Warriors

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

novel

■ Broadcast period

July 8, 2001 - January 1, 0000

■Broadcasting station

WOWOW

■Frequencies

120 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■Original Story

Hiroyuki Morioka

■ Director

Yasushi Nagaoka

■ Production

Sunrise, WOWOW, Bandai Visual

■Works

©Hiroyuki Morioka, Hayakawa Publishing ©Sunrise, WOWOW

■ Story

In the distant future, humanity has formed thousands of interstellar nations in space, and many different races live there. A race called the "Arves" have acquired bodies that are best suited to space through genetic manipulation, and have built a powerful nation called the "Arves' Human Empire" that dominates half of the universe. In response, other interstellar nations, centered around the "Human Integration Body," have formed an alliance and started a war to try to recover from their disadvantage.

Jinto Lin, a young boy who is an Arv nobleman despite being an Earthling, graduates from the Starry Sky Army's training school and becomes a fighter pilot, assigned to the assault ship "Basroil." The captain of the ship is the Arv Emperor's granddaughter, Rafiel Tenth Fighter Commander, with whom he escaped during the war with the Human Integration three years ago and with whom he formed a deep bond. With Atosria, the sister of Baron Febdash, whom they were forced to kill during the escape, as their direct superior, the two take on their first battle at the enemy army's throat, the "Aptic Gate."

In the midst of repeated fierce battles, the Starry Sky Army loses many comrades, but finally corners the enemy fleet and forces it to retreat. However, just before that happens, the Versloyle is destroyed. Lafiel evacuates his subordinates, and jumps into the ship alone to rescue Jinto, who is left behind just before the ship explodes.

The two overcame the crisis together and made their debut, but before that there was a universe of further battles to be fought.

■Explanation

This special edition, which includes new cuts from "Battle Flag of the Stars," was aired unscrambled prior to the broadcast of "Battle Flag of the Stars II." This special edition aims to provide viewers with a fresh and moving experience by re-editing important episodes from the series and depicting the story from a new perspective. In particular, it emphasizes the bond between Ginto and Rafiel and the realism of the battles they face, making it a must-see for fans of the series.

■Cast

・Raphiel/Ayako Kawasumi・Jinto/Yuka Imai・Eclya/Kaori Shimizu・Sobash/Mitsuki Saiga・Samson/Akio Otsuka・Atslya/Miho Yamada・Spohr/Rika Fukami・Kufadys/Susumu Chiba・Doussagne/Kaneto Shiozawa・Kennesh/Chiharu Suzuka・The Bibous Brothers/Kazuhiko Inoue

■ Main staff

Planning: Shigeru Watanabe (Bandai Visual), Masuro Ueda (Sunrise)
・Original work: Hiroyuki Morioka (published by Hayakawa Bunko)
・Visual concept: Takami Akai, Keiichi Eda (Nine Lives)
・Character design: Keisuke Watanabe ・Mechanic design: Yasuyasu Moriki, Kunihiko Inoue, Mitsuru Owa ・Art director: Ariaki Okada ・Color design: Sayoko Yokoyama ・Director of photography: Hisao Shirai ・Editing: Takeshi Seyama ・Opening theme, music: Katsuhisa Hattori ・Sound director: Katsuyoshi Kobayashi ・Music production: BeSTACK
Producers: Masaki Kaifu (WOWOW), Mikihiro Iwata (Sunrise), Atsushi Sugita (Bandai Visual), Tadafumi Tsumi (B-Stack)
Director: Yasushi Nagaoka Produced by: Sunrise, WOWOW, Bandai Visual

■ Main Characters

The protagonists
・Lafil (Abrial Ney-Debresque, Viscount Pariugne, Lafil)
19 years old. Captain of the Starry Sky Army's Ten Commanders and the assault ship "Basroil." A beautiful Arven girl with long dark hair, pale tan skin, an oval face and black onyx eyes. She is the granddaughter of Emperor Ramage of the Arven Empire and the first princess of the Kingdom of Club. As befitting an emperor's granddaughter, she is proud and competitive.
・Jinto (Lin Shune-Lok Hyde Count Jinto)
20 years old. Winged Pilot of the Starry Sky Army, Secretary of the Assault Ship "Basroil". He inadvertently became a noble when his father became the lord of the Hyde Star System, which became part of the Arv Empire, but the Hyde Star System was later reoccupied by the Human Unified Corporation, and he inherited the title of Earl Hyde in place of his father, who went missing. A strange Arv nobleman with no territory or castle.

● Barthroil crew member Diaho (male)
A noble Arv cat. Ginto was given this cat by Rafiel, and he hates baths.
A winged pilot of the Ecrua Star Wars Army and second in command of the assault ship "Basroil" (her job is communications and operating the condensed light cannon). A beautiful Arv girl who doesn't say much.
A vanguard pilot of the Sobash Starry Sky Army and a senior pilot of the assault ship "Basroil" (navigator, whose job is to manipulate space-time bubbles). An Arven woman with an androgynous charm. She seems to be quite wealthy.
・Samson is a Winged Warlord of the Starry Sky Army and the director of the assault ship "Basroil" (his job is to maintain the engines, etc.). He is a surface citizen from Midgrad. He is a heavy drinker who loves alcohol.

Commander of the assault fleet to which the Starry Sky Army's Athosliya, led by Lafiel, belongs. Commander of the Hundred Flights. She is the younger sister of Baron Febdash Croire, who was involved in Lafiel and Jinto's escape three years ago.
A beautiful heroine who was promoted to admiral in the previous work "Crest". Due to her aggressive fighting style, she serves as commander-in-chief of the Genen Fleet's first fleet.
Coufadis is the Chief of Staff of the First Fleet of the Genen Fleet. He is a subordinate who is often pushed around by Spohl's unrestrained orders.
The Crown Prince of the Dussanyuave Empire and Imperial Marshal of the Starry Sky Army. He is the Supreme Commander in Chief of Operation Phantom Flame, which opposes the Triple Nation Alliance.
Kenesh The chief of staff of the Phantom Flame Fleet led by Dussagne.
Neres (Prince Neres of Bibaus Aron-Neremu)
The Bibaus brothers. Twins of the Bibaus family who serve as commanders of the Aptic Defense Fleet. Admiral. Along with Nephew, their words and actions are known as `splendid madness`.
・Nefe (Bibaus Aron-Nelem Prince Nefe)
The Bibaus brothers. The twins of the Bibaus family who support Neres as the chief of staff of the Aptic Defense Fleet. The Chief of Staff of the Sensho. A man who has had more romantic relationships than Neres.

■ Main robot items

・Assault Ship Basroyle The first newly built assault ship given to Lafiel. It is the main battleship of the Starry Sky Army, with antiproton cannons as its main weapon and designed for hit-and-run tactics. In recent years, with the upgrade of enemy patrol ships' equipment, there are concerns about its defensive vulnerability.

■ Related works

・Crest of the Stars ・Crest of the Stars Special Edition ・Fragment of the Stars: Birth ・Banner of the Stars ・Banner of the Stars II
・Starry Banner Ⅲ

■Detailed evaluation and recommendation

"Battle Flag of the Stars Special Edition" was broadcast on WOWOW in 2001 as part of a TV anime series based on the original novel by Hiroyuki Morioka. This special edition aims to provide viewers with fresh excitement by re-editing key episodes from the series and depicting the story from a new perspective. In particular, it emphasizes the bond between Ginto and Rafiel and the realism of the battles they face, making it a must-see for fans of the series.

The appeal of this work lies above all in its depiction of the epic space war and the deep human drama of each character. The relationship between Jinto and Rafiel grows throughout the series, deeply moving the viewer. Their bond gives them the strength to overcome difficulties on the battlefield, and gives the viewer courage and hope. In addition, the battle scenes on the assault ship, the Bathroil, are visually very satisfying, with meticulous mechanical design and powerful direction.

The acting of the cast was also superb, especially Ayako Kawasumi as Rafiel and Yuka Imai as Jinto, who expressed the emotions of their characters realistically and had the power to draw the audience into the story. The music, composed by Katsuhisa Hattori, was also an important element in enhancing the atmosphere of the story.

This special episode is recommended not only for fans of the series, but also for those who are watching "Battle Flag of the Stars" for the first time. The addition of new scenes allows you to enjoy the existing episodes from a new perspective and deepen your understanding of the series as a whole. In addition, the length of 120 minutes means you can watch it all at once, so you can immerse yourself in the story without worrying about time.

Be sure to check out related works such as "Crest of the Stars", "Banner of the Stars II" and "Banner of the Stars III". These works delve deeper into the adventures of Jinto and Lafiel, and allow you to experience the scale of space warfare. In particular, "Crest of the Stars" is a story that begins with the meeting of Jinto and Lafiel, and is an important work in understanding the basics of the series.

"Battle Flag of the Stars Special Edition" is a spectacular work that depicts the grandeur of space warfare and the human drama of each character. Experience the bond between Jinto and Rafiel and the realism of the battle they face, and feel the vastness of the universe and the strength of humanity. This work is a must-see for science fiction anime fans and will be an important step towards enjoying the entire series.