27 November 2005: Seikai no Senki III
I've been so out of it that I didn't even know the third Banner of the Stars was out already. Being a big fan of space opera, and the earlier Crest of the Stars and Banner of the Stars installments, I was all over this.
Lafiel
Somewhat surprisingly, I was unprepared for how much I enjoyed hearing Ayako Kawasumi's voice again.
Let me back up a bit: I went anime-less cold turkey for three months—long enough that hearing Japanese again sounded weird as all Hell. I got used to it, of course. The first show I caught up with was Gundam SEED Destiny, and while it was nice hearing Fumiko Orikasa and Tanaka Rie again, I can't honestly claim that the experience was especially noteworthy.
Lafiel
Ayako Kawasumi's voice, on the other hand, was very welcome. It certainly helped that the character Lafiel is one of her best roles (if not her very best role), but in any case I reaffirm without reservation that the AYAKO DOCTRINE remains good law.
Given my immediate reaction to hearing Ayako Kawasumi's voice again at the start of Banner of the Stars III, I was naturally quite pleased with the OAV's ending. It was definitely appropriate.
Lafiel and Jinto
I'm not bestowing enough import upon Seikai no Senki III itself. The Crest/Banner of the Stars saga is a great series, and I was stoked to learn of this new installment. Even if I wasn't a sucker for space opera, the relationship between Lafiel and Jinto makes them one of the most compelling couples in all of anime—at least in my opinion.
