Stellvia of the Universe
Alternate Titles: Cosmic Stellvia, Stellvia in Space, Stellvia
Original Japanese Release Date: April 2nd, 2003
Episode Length/Run-time: 26 Episodes
Summary:
In the distant future, a supernova erupts and the heat and light burns the Earth, nearly wiping out mankind. However, mankind survived and in order to keep an eye on the happenings in the solar system they have built these space stations called “foundations”. Shima Katase has passed her prelim tests to go to the space academy to learn to be a pilot!
Review:
Overall, this is a solid show and that being said, its not perfect. It has its positives and negatives and I’ll cover them here. First of all, the concept of children saving the Earth from destruction isn’t new by any stretch, but the problem faced in this show seemed fresh. The “second impact” looms over the show like an impending doom and it’s this kind of tension that makes a show great. There is also the theme of the “academy in space”, I know many viewers really like having the school backdrop to a series. I’m not saying I like this. All of our listeners know that I can’t stand these school anime, but that doesn’t mean others don’t enjoy it. 🙂 Another aspect of the plotline, the pacing, serves as both a positive and a negative for the show. The show is slow. Much like Noir, this series takes a few episodes to get going. You’ll notice that it really doesn’t pick up until episodes 8 or 9. That being said, stick with it! After this point, the show really becomes motivated towards its conclusion and the pacing becomes quite brisk.
Aesthetically the show is very nice. The animation is good and the series soundtrack is great, especially the opening theme. The character designs weren’t bad as well but some of the designs I really didn’t care for too much. I think I’ve sort of moved past characters with spiky, bright red hair.
The characters in the show are both an asset and a detriment. The main cast of characters is very large and because of this, each character can’t get the kind of back story attention that they need. Why do they need it? Well, these kids are putting their lives on the line for half of the series and if I don’t know anything about them, why do I give a crap if they die, get bent, or whatever. I don’t. That being said, the characters that do receive the proper attention are good characters and they serve as the main backbone of the cast. Among these characters, Shima Katase and Arisa Glennorth probably receive the most focus.
All in all, this is a good show. I’d pick it up, especially if you are itching for a sci-fi space drama, filled with high school drama, romance, comedy, and of course, the possible destruction of the Earth!
[starrater]