Star Ocean EX
Production
Studio Deen, TV Tokyo
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
26 episodes
Year
2001
Star Ocean EX
By Eric
23rd May 04  I'm a big fan of Star Ocean: The Second Story (An RPG for Playstation. Do yourself a favor and buy it, it's only 14 bucks!), so this review is a little biased. I will be sporting and be the first to admit that fans of the game will probably like this more than people who've never heard of Star Ocean, especially since the series was canceled... Sadly, it's true. This anime follows the storyline of the game, almost to a tee. Unfortunately, Star Ocean was a long game, and the series was axed before it could get to the most exciting parts. Be forewarned that if you watch this series, it will end rather abruptly. Even though it was canceled, I never thought Star Ocean EX was a bad little anime. It just needs a little love. The characters can be a bit goofy and dorky, but they're also widely varied and unique. Ashton---or "Aixidun" as he's known in the subtitles---is my personal favorite. Since this anime is based on the game (and since it's incomplete), I don't see a need to tell you about the plot. Play the game if you want to know the whole story. It's worth it, trust me. Those of you who do know the plot can be rest assured that it isn't mutilated. A few episodes go off onto a sub-plot, but the story is otherwise followed well. The characters have even more personality than they did in the game, too. Especially cute is Rena, who insists male protagonist Claude isn't her boyfriend, but becomes jealous and rants when she sees him allegedly kiss another female party member. In actuality, he wasn't kissing her, he was helping her check to see if she had something in her eye! Hah! It's great stuff, but there are a few things about it..The battles usually end with the same finishing move, which always has the same animation. It's more of an annoyance than a major flaw, but I could still do without it. Secondly, Ashton has an obsession with barrels. That's right, barrels, the kind you hold wine in, only without the wine. It really gets on your nerves after a while. Ashton's hobby is supposed to be annoying, but damn, he's such a fanatic! Minor complaints, really. Star Ocean fans owe it to themselves to see this. Everyone else...become a Star Ocean fan, then see it! 8/10
-- Eric 23rd May 04
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