Jinto and Lafiel leave the Gosroth as they head for a remote outpost presided over by the Abh Baron Febdash to send news ahead of the United Human Force’s intentions. Meanwhile the Gosroth prepares for a battle against overwhelming odds as the United Human fleet closes in.

The only criticism that could have been levelled at the first instalment (a minor one at that) was that of the pacing: for a series with intergalactic warfare as a central theme it was pretty light on the combat side of things. The opening episode of this disc exceeded all of my expectations however: the battle between the Gosroth and the ten opposing ships is an exhilarating and heart-rending experience that delivers an entire episode’s worth of courage and drama, pulling the viewer right in to the thick of the action. It really hammers home the dignified and intelligent nature of the Abh race and portrays them instead of the humans as the heroes battling a faceless enemy: quite an unusual approach but the storytelling is all the more refreshing for it.

In contrast Jinto’s and Lafiel’s arrival in Febdash’s domain shows another side to the Abh: the strange reception they receive proves that the humans are not the only ones who are prone to showing racism and ruthlessness. The scheming Baron provides a suitably mysterious villain for this volume as we slowly learn about his motives; the depth of his character is another example of the thorough writing this series has shown so far.

The CotS universe is given more depth (aided by the ever-helpful intro narration before the opening credits), not to mention Jinto and Lafiel themselves. The two leads are given plenty of screen time while the events that take place in this volume give us a clearer impression of their respective personalities. Jinto is a likeable and thoughtful individual who makes every effort to do or say the right thing; it is Lafiel who really shines here when confrontations with Febdash show her judgement, moral strength and fortitude. Their friendship progresses naturally and gradually too, avoiding the pitfalls of showing a rushed romance.

The visuals and music are also of a very high standard in this volume: I’ve taken quite a liking to the 90s-era character designs and the dramatic orchestral music score helps give the series its ambitious and grandiose feel. In some ways it is following the classic sci-fi sagas but at the same time is adding fascinating details of its own, playing around with the ‘humans vs. aliens’ theme to make it something more complex and interesting. Now that the introductions to the locations and main characters have been made, Crest of the Stars is showing every sign of being another one of those ‘classics’ of serious science fiction.

In Summary

A compelling battle, conspiracies and further characterisation prove that Crest of the Stars is going to be an outstanding series. So far it is doing everything right: the two leads are engaging, the music and artwork work perfectly and the story exhibits surprising amounts of originality. After the meticulously-written but slow-burning introduction, this volume delivers on every level: those who were willing to give the opening instalment a chance will be amply rewarded here.