Starship Operators 1

January 17, 2005

Title: Count Down
Fansubbed by: Lunar Anime

The starship Ameterasu is about to complete its first voyage.

But the cadets mutiny and seize control of the starship . . .

. . . and battle against the Henrietta Galaxy Alliance.

The End.

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RATING: C

Just as noted in Momotato's insightful commentary, this episode presents a tale of a lone starship trying to single-handedly overthrow an tyrannical empire. However, despite the epic premise, the story seems to be distinctly uncompelling.

In a sense, the *core* plot dynamic of this story is quite interesting -- the idea of a cadet-piloted starship flying through space and uprooting evil evokes a chivalrous feel of gallantry and derring-do. However, this storyline is poorly executed, and in the end, one left with the picture of some power-hungry sods taking a cruiser out for a joyride. Given the gravity of the situation and the ridiculous odds against the protagonists, it's rather absurd to see on-board paparazzi broadcasting the ship's activities on television, as if this was some twisted gladiatorial event. All said, these dichotomous perspectives leave one wondering whether this 'heroic attempt' is just a bad joke.

Nevertheless, there's no doubt that this series has scads of potential -- the graphics are pretty in their own right, and the large cast provides tons of opportunities for betrayal, treachery and angst. However, without establishing a strong underlying rationale for the story, all this window-dressing is essentially pointless.

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