Well, it’s finally over, and what a ride it has been. The face-off between the Amaterasu and Conquistador quickly escalated into something much bigger on the galactic scale, due to various political machinations. Thankfully, after piling on oodles of tension and heart-wrenching drama, the writers did an admirable job of bringing a satisfying conclusion to the tale.
Starship Operators was a rare gem in that it was one of the few series that successfully pulled of the half-season format. The story was focused enough to allow for tight narrative and pacing, yet still managed to convey the feeling of a larger world beyond our immediate protagonists. Though there was not time to fully flesh everything out (especially with such a large cast), enough was implied to give viewers a solid frame of reference to go by. Small scenes littered everywhere spoke volumes about each member of the crew, giving us tantalizing hints about their personalities and pasts.
I could go on and on about the technical merits as well. The soundtrack by Kenji Kawai hit the sweet spot in that it is memorable, yet supports the show instead of stealing it (unlike certain *other* notable composers). I especially like the majestic theme whenever the Amaterasu advances, as well as its fast-paced battle variant. The character designs were a big plus as well, though the females reminded me a teensy bit of the Kiddy Grade/Uta Kata style. I was quite taken with the series’ unique take on the classic “young people on starship” theme; no giant robots, no singing, and no goofing off. Every day was a struggle to survive, and the toll of such stress increasingly affected the mentality of the crew. The level of technicality was a surprise bonus as well, as each battle had its twists grounded in familiar scientific notions. Heck, they even went out of their way to justify the sound effects in space. Sure, it isn’t on the level of PLANETES, but SSO strikes a nice balance.
The capital ship battles deserve special mention, as this style of slow, deliberate combat is a rarity in anime. Worlds away from the action-laden plasmastravanagzas in Nadesico or Gundam, SSO draws upon the tense, protracted cat-and-mouse warfare found in submarine flicks like Crimson Tide, Das Boot, or Hunt for Red October. Not a fighter or mech to be seen anywhere!
A couple more random thoughts:
1. The ship designs were very unique. Big thumbs up for keeping things fresh.
2. I wanted to know more about Yuki Shimay. He’s cloaked in mystery for most of the series, occasionally providing a voice from above to lend some timely support. I was intrigued by the near-desperation/relief in his voice when the Earth Federation ships appeared, but he returned to being composed and solemn at the end, when he took responsibility for getting everyone involved in a guerrilla war. His solemn statement that he was the only “actual soldier” really put things back into perspective- everyone else is really just a cadet still trying to find meaning in the war, and coming to terms with the value of their own lives. Yuki’s obsession with the Aesop supercomputer was never really delved into either; I was hoping there was something big lying underneath it all. And why does he look so young, when he’s supposed to be older than everyone else?
3. Chi ni Kaeru over the closing scenes was *perfect*. Reminded me of the last scene of Gundam Seed with Find the Way, except that SSO was actually good.
4. In a way, I guess it’s more realistic that SSO is only 13 episodes. A guerrilla war fought by a single ship full of cadets couldn’t survive 26 episodes, even if they do have Shinon.
5. I still have to laugh at the scene where Hisaka is rip-roaring through enemy territory on a motorbike – so ridiculous! Hisaka definitely gets to kick some major ass throughout the series though. Renna should have tag-teamed with her instead of Akiha; together they might have had a chance against Chuck Norris.
Overall, I’d have to give SSO a 4.7/5.0 rating. For a sci-fi junkie like me, it’s like a sampler platter of designer drugs, hitting every spot with just the right amount of force to keep you coming back for more. I demand a spinoff series now! One that does not involve meido costumes, please.
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12 Comments
A great end to a great epic. This was a remarkable ride that surpassed my wildest expectations. I’ll remember this show for years to come.
Believe it or not, there is actually a manga based on the novels of Starship Operators. I checked the character designs and covers of the manga and I was shocked from what I saw!! Not only are the designs bland and ugly, they are also meant to cater for your fanservice needs. I thank god a million times whenever I remember that JC Staff decided to go with original and serious character designs and a very serious story. I hope no company licences the manga since it only brings a bad name to the anime.
I can’t help but think that there is an implied message behind the choice of the Earth Federation fleet captain. His last name is the name of the US president who ordered the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. With his sunglasses on, he looks very similar to General Douglas MacArthur.
The best thing about the show is that it is more believable than most science fiction shows out there (anime or otherwise). I wouldn’t be surprised if humanity will reach that certain level of technological advancement in the future especially since the scientific concepts behind those advancements are currently being studied as we speak.
The full version of Chi ni Kaeru over the last minutes of the show is just marvellous. Gets me close to tearing up every time, and hell how often did I get to see this part in the process.
SSO had enough little consistency glitches, but overall it manages to capture and keep the viewer in suspense. Several other things are notable, for example Shinon, who is the first lead character who is nearly devoid of humor who I really got to like. And the bitter contrast between nation leaders toying with their power games and the small grunts at the frontlines who have to endure it resonates with me especially in our modern times, too. All things considered, admirable work.
I want to add a little shameless plug: The R1 DVDs of Starship Operators are exceptionally well-made. If you enjoyed the show as much as I did and can afford it, buy at least one of them, okay? Geneon really deserves to be rewarded for this awesome show.
I support the R1 DVD suggestion. I also want to thank Mentar, Zhentarim Divx and all the other groups that worked hard to bring us this great show and all the bloggers who blogged this show.
I forgot to mention this but I think Yuki Shimay was delighted when he saw the Earth federation fleet because he thought they were coming to help Amaterasu (which is what he based his whole plan on from the start) but then he returned to his usual self after realizing their true intentions.
Yes, a big thank you goes out to Mentar and the Z-D crew for laboring to get this series out, and for fixing the spelling errors as well!
Mohammad, you’ve piqued my curiosity about that manga. Care to post a few examples of the art on your blog?
You only need to ask (^_~)
The images are ready now. Sorry it took so long.
Holy bovine, those manga character designs were gawd awful. I recommend everyone check out the crew profiles link; Peter looks like he was ripped from GI Joe, and PM Mamiya evidently forgot to apply his Rogaine. The uniforms are extremely maid-ish, and even have those neko mimi things on the head…WTF?
I have to wonder though; in the novels, what is the storyline? Obviously it’s different than the anime since the book series is much longer (and still going), but I was curious as to how different it was plotwise.
I would imagine that the anime is largely based on the novel. I checked some of the chapter titles of the novel and they were exactly the same as the titles used for some of the episodes. That would probably mean that the anime story is based on a random selection of chapters from the novel and the anime ending is probably an original ending not based on the novel.
The chapter titles are on this website:
http://www.starshipoperators.com/novels/back_index.html
Ha, there’s an arc called “The Empire Strikes Back”? That’s probably where MacArthur reveals he is Shinon’s father.
Yeah, I guess (^o^)
I’m grabbing this! Thanks Ender for highlighting this series.
I was afraid of a ‘Blake’s 7′ ending while watching this; glad it didn’t happen. For all the fuss they made over Aesop, ‘he’ didn’t to make much of an impact.
Finally finished watching SsO.
A very open-ended close to the series. I sure would like to see a second season, but that would depend on the novels I guess. Overall, I have very few complaints about SsO. The main one I have about SsO is the tendency for the series to cause a lot of wasted emotional investment.
After the death of Iriki, I began to notice a disturbing trend in SsO. Every 2-3 episodes, they highlight a side character and off him/her subsequently. It reached a point where they even flashed the title, “Sudden Death” after showing a smiling Koukai. If that is not a Death Note, I don’t know what is.
As a result, there was very little incentive for me to invest any form of emotion into these side characters, because I know they are going to be killed off ala Red Shirt Syndrome. Captain Elroy is an example of a side character that justified the emotional investment. His death did not feel… fabricated.
Death for the sake of showing death, so to speak.
Iriki, Renna and Koukai, I am sorry to say, but I felt that your deaths did not leave much of an impression on me, compared to Elroy and Peter.
Despite this failing, SsO is still an excellent series, and I would give it the following ratings.
A
Cheers.