English Title: Crest of the Stars | Banner of the Stars
Japanese Title: 星界ã®ç´‹ç« — Seikai no Monshou — “Crest of the Stars” | 星界ã®æˆ¦æ—— — Seikai no Senki — “Banner of the Stars”
Author: Hiroyuki Morioka — 森岡 浩之
Illustrator: Toshihiro Ono — å°é‡Ž æ•æ´‹
Translator: Sue Shambaugh (Tokyopop), Giuseppe di Martino (J-Novel Club)
Genre: Sci-fi, Space Opera, Military
Original Run: Crest: April 1996 – June 1996, Banner: December 1996 – ongoing
English Run: Tokyopop: September 2006 – May 2007, J-Novel Club: June 2019 – ongoing
Japanese Publisher: Hayakawa Bunko JA (Hayakawa Shobo)
English Publisher: Tokyopop (discontinued), J-Novel Club (license rescued)
Volumes in Japanese: Crest: 3 (Completed), Banner: 6 (Complete)
Note: Tokyopop released all three volumes of Crest of the Stars back in 2006 – 2007. They did not release any volumes of the sequel series, Banner of the Stars. J-Novel Club has released the Crest of the Stars volumes again with a new translation, and will continue the series with a translation of Banner of the Stars.
Volumes in English: Crest: 3 (Completed), Banner: 5 (In Progress)
Note: Also available to read online through a J-Novel Club subscription.
J-Novel Club will eventually release hardcover “3 volumes in 1†omnibus editions for this series.
- English Website — Japanese Website
- MAL Entry — Forum
- Baka Updates — LNDB.info (Crest) — LNDB.info (Banner) — Novel Updates
Synopsis: In the far-distant future, mankind has traversed the stars and settled distant worlds. But no matter how advanced the technology of the future becomes, it seems the spacefaring nations cannot entirely shed their human nature. Jint Lin finds this out the hard way when, as a child, his home world is conquered by the powerful Abh Empire: the self-proclaimed Kin of the Stars, and rulers of vast swaths of the known universe. As a newly-appointed member of the Abh's imperial aristocracy, Jint must learn to forge his own destiny in the wider universe while bearing burdens he never asked for, caught between his surface-dweller “Lander†heritage and the byzantine culture of the Abh, of which he is now nominally a member. A chance meeting with the brave-but-lonely Apprentice Starpilot Lafier aboard the Patrol Ship Goslauth will lead them both headfirst down a path of galaxy-spanning intrigue and warfare that will forever change the fate of all of humankind.
— Crest of the Stars —
J-Novel Club releases:
Volume 1 — The Imperial Princess
Amazon -- iBook -- J-Novel Club -- Kobo -- Nook
Released June 9, 2019 -- ASIN: B07R5Q9FGS
Volume 2 — A War Most Modest
Amazon -- iBook -- J-Novel Club -- Kobo -- Nook
Released August 10, 2019 -- ASIN: B07SSCL11Y
Volume 3 — The Return to Strange Skies
Amazon -- iBook -- J-Novel Club -- Kobo -- Nook
Released October 12, 2019 -- ASIN: B07W7QMSB1
Crest of the Stars Collected Edition Volumes 1-3 (imitation leather)
Amazon -- Barnes and Noble -- Book Depository -- Rightstuf
Releasing March 03, 2020 -- ISBN-13: 978-1718350700
Tokyopop releases:
Volume 1 — Princess of the Empire
Released September 5, 2006 -- ISBN-13: 978-1598165753
Volume 2 — A Modest War
Released January 9, 2007 -- ISBN-13: 978-1598165760
Volume 3 — Return to a Savage World
Released May 1, 2007 -- ISBN-13: 978-1598165777
— Banner of the Stars —
Vol 1 — The Ties that Bind
Volume 1 — The Ties that Bind
Amazon -- iBook -- J-Novel Club -- Kobo -- Nook
Released December 17, 2019 -- ASIN: B07Z234ZBM
Volume 2 — What Needs Defending
Amazon -- iBook -- J-Novel Club -- Kobo -- Nook
Releasing February 22, 2020 -- ASIN: B0836Z4ZYS
Volume 3 — Dinner With Family
Amazon -- iBook -- Kobo -- Google Play -- Bookwalker
Released May 17, 2020 -- ASIN: B085TD3HYJ
Volume 4Â
Amazon -- iBook -- Kobo -- Google Play -- Bookwalker
Released November 29, 2020 -- ASIN: B08J3W573M
Volumes 1-3 Collector’s Edition (imitation leather)
Amazon -- Barnes and Noble -- Book Depository -- Rightstuf
Releasing February 02, 2021 -- ISBN-13: 9781718350717
Volume 5
Amazon -- iBook -- Kobo -- Google Play — Bookwalker
Released February 6, 2021 — ASIN: B08NN8LZQ6
Reviews of Crest of the Stars and Banner of the Stars
Anime Adaptations
Crest of the Stars — MAL Entry -- 13 episodes -- Aired January 1999 – March 1999
Funimation (streaming) -- Amazon -- RightStuf
Banner of the Stars — MAL Entry — 23 episodes — Aired April 2000 – September 2001 | 2 OVAs — Aired August 2005
Funimation (streaming) -- Amazon -- RightStuf
Manga Adaptation
Seikai Trilogy — MAL Entry -- 3 volumes (English release by Tokyopop)
Amazon -- Barnes and Noble -- Book Depository — RightStuf
If you liked Crest of the Stars and Banner of the Stars, you might also want to try…
- Legend of the Galactic Heroes -- space opera, military
- Record of Wortenia War — military, drama
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