Search - Starship Operators - Truth (Vol. 3) on DVD

FIVE TO ONE

Sesho | Pasadena, TX USA | 07/04/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the last volume of Starship Operators, the crew of the Amaterasu has its back against the wall after a Kingdom covert attack on an AGI spacedock makes their supplier refuse to do business with them after this last transaction. So that basically leaves them with only the food and weapons they have, which puts them at a great disadvantage. The prime minister of Kibi has gone to Earth to persuade the Earth Alliance to come to the aid of the Amaterasu. Meanwhile, the Kingdom is in disarray as its supreme ruler has died and battle of succession has begun and it's unclear who will come out on top. The acting commander sends out a fleet of 5 Kingdom battleships to deal with the rebels once and for all, led by the Conquistador, which is manned by the most skilled captain in the Kingdom. Is Sinon up to this challenge (We all know she is the real brains behind the Amaterasu, not Capt. Ciska). If she's not, then all her friends and herself will either be killed or taken prisoner!

This is a series that I would classify as an anime sleeper. It just kinda crept up on me when I was looking to be entertained. I wasn't impressed by the first volume, but with the second, I was hooked. Instead of being the usual teenagers in space storyline, Starship Operators became a virtuosic example of how to make an anime that can become more complex as it progresses without becoming more confusing, that became deeper without losing its message in muggy symbolism. When it comes down to it, this show was about survival, and of the things and people you lose when you stay alive while others fall around you. It also shows how large sacrifices are sometimes necessary to gain even the slightest moments of peace. I thought Operators was also clever in the way it portrayed the power of the media to influence the brainless cows that make up most of society. I mean, let's face it, most people are manipulated by television and movies and other media whether they know it or not. Entire nations can be created or destroyed by how they are conveyed into people's minds by imagery. The crew of the Amaterasu, in this case, are using that power to save their nation. This was a really good show. I highly recommend it.

Extras include two music videos set to footage from the anime and a clean closing of the final episode. I would also recommend Cowboy Bebop and Kiddy Grade."