Light Novel Review: Crest of the Stars

Review:

Crest of the Stars Light Novels
Publisher: Tokyopop
Author: Hiroyuki Moriaka

Synopsis:

Jinto has it rough. 14 years ago, his planet Martine was conquered by the intergalactic empire of the Abh; an alien race with human roots and genetically-modified attributes, making them long-lived, beautiful, highly-skilled and psychic.

Thanks to deft political manoeuvering on the part of his father Rock Linn, the Martine surrender with a catch: Rock Linn becomes sovereign of the Hyde system. In turn, Jinto is catapulted to nobility and honorary Abh status.

Having completed his instructions on the Abh’s culture and language, he taking his first steps in a long military career in the Abh’s Starforce required by the Abh nobility. However, a chance meeting with the Abh assigned to pick him up sparks a unique relationship and thrusts him straight into the midst of battle – a battle that looks to be the catalyst to a full-out, galactic war…

I see what you did there.

Some of you may be aware of what stereoscopy is, but for the uninformed: it is the three dimensional view created when viewing the same scene from two slightly different angles. Normally, your eyes perform this function, each retina taking in the view and melding so you are able to perceive depth.

Photographers are also able to recreate this effect by taking two photos of the same scene and by either using the anaglyph method (where the two images are overlayed, each with either high red or cyan values) or cross-viewing, the photograph can be viewed in 3D. I was browsing byMal’s Flickr gallery of *ahem* curvaceous three-dimensional goodness when it hit me.

I had already begun my descent into PVC idolatry thanks to tj_han’s amusing figure reviews and super rats’ superior photoshoots and fantastic lighting tutorial over at HappySoda, but I wanted to try something a little different. And I thought, if stereoscopy was designed for anything, it was to show off figures. Hell, Charles Wheatstone, the father of stereoscopy, was basically an otaku born 200 years too early. He assisted in the development of one of the first widely used telegraphs (clearly trying to win an Internet), encryption in the form of cyphers (doujinshi does not hide itself, you know), and unwavering and somewhat disconcerting fascination with his interests.

Let me tell you a story.

Welcome to the second post of Almost A Hero, the first being the obligatory “Hello world!”

They say the greatest form of flattery is imitation. I have been an avid reader of many of the popular and/or excellent anime blogs for a number of years now, and finally felt the need to start my own. The act of creation can be said to be the final stage of any fan – following your initial wonder and a long period of consumption (read: OMG WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO ALL MY MONEY?!). You want to contribute, in some tangible form, to the medium that has held you in its sway.

Hence, Almost A Hero, where I shall scribble my thoughts and reviews on anime, manga, games, figurines, light novels, comics, films and other interesting facets of the “otaku” lifestyle. Of course, this has been covered to the n^th degree by the multitude that has come before me, but I hope that you will find my musings interesting enough to warrant repeat visits.

This is merely an introduction: I’ve prepared something quite unique and original for you fans of figurine photo-shoots out there as my curtain-raiser. It’s an established photographic technique, but this will be the first time (at least, that I am aware of) that it will have been applied to anime figurines. Look forward to it!

~ Almost A Hero

Hello world!

program New;
begin
  Writeln('Hello world!');
end.