Stellvia - Foundation IV (2003)
Animation Production: Xebec/Foundation
Released by: Geneon Entertainment
Running Time: 75 Minutes
By Jeffrey Couto

Introduction

Now, here’s a DVD I’ve been patiently waiting for! The fourth volume of Geneon’s release of Stellvia, a show I’ve grown quite fond of. In the previous DVD the storyline took a surprise turn by advancing what had seemed like the plot for the final arch of the story to episode ten, the arrival of the second wave. It was an amazing chapter in the story of Stellvia, but ultimately it left me wondering where we would go from there since everything up to that point had been directly linked to everything we saw in episode ten.

With this DVD we start our journey into the aftermath of the second wave and surprisingly there is a lot more to Stellvia than what we’ve seen so far as we venture into a new mysterious threat and explore other aspects of not only the main cast, but other players in the plot such as the big four.

Story

"The Second Wave has passed replacing our green universe with a red one. The threat of extinction has been narrowly averted. Consequently, a mysterious flying object has started to appear near the Ultima FoundationThe new DLS control systems are a bit difficult to master. Some students never do get the hang of it. However, Shima seems to have no trouble at all and scores the highest record. It's no wonder that Ayaka seems a bit irritated. An irritation that can bring about unthinkable actions Then it's off to Earth for Christmas vacation. Shima and Kouta visit their families for the first time since school started. But it's a short trip when..."-- Back of DVD Box

Review

Volume four of Stellvia contains episodes 11 through 13 in the series, which include:

Episode 11: The Real You
It’s been three days since the second wave arrived and was successfully suppressed by the valiant people of the Stellvia and all the other orbiting space stations around the galaxy. With things now settling down and humanity’s biggest threat averted it’s time for things to go back to normal. For our young space cadets this means learning and training to use the DLS control system, which connects directly to the mind of the user. While almost all the students struggle with this new challenge for Shima it almost seems like a second nature interface that she easily masters from the get go. However when Ayaka notices Shima’s achievements she gets extremely jealous and decides that her new opponent needs to be dealt with, but will she do the unthinkable?

Episode 12: Confession
It’s Christmas time onboard the Stellvia and everyone onboard is in a festive spirit! That is everyone, but those around the incident that took place between Shima and Ayaka. Will the spirit of the holidays prevail or is this the end of Ayaka’s career as an ace student and a part of the big four? Also, is that love in the air of the space station? It just might…

Episode 13: Winter Vacation
After their first semester on the Stellvia the time has come for our space cadets to return to the blue planet and spend some time with their families during Winter break. For Shima and Kouta however this is a different trip than the other students though, because they are Japan’s most popular celebrities now, as a result of their heroic efforts and daring stunt during the second wave. This forces our young heroes to travel to Kouta’s home in a remote and desolate island, where they spend the day bonding and enjoying the peace of the oceans and the skies. However this serene existence doesn’t last long as the two of them are asked to join an emergency meeting at the Stellvia. It seems like a new threat may be afoot in space…

As mentioned above in the last episode of Stellvia we saw the arrival of the Second Wave, an event whose magnitude and significance made it seem like its entry into the series would not be until the end of the series. This was quite surprising, but at the same time it was a refreshing move as we get to see this big cosmic event happen early into the series, thus satisfying our curiosity about what exactly it entails and how the Earth’s government’s plan would work out and what is involved in terms of manpower and technology. After this very powerful episode the question that immediately popped into my head was, now what? After all this is what the show had been building up to all this time. There didn’t seem to be anything else on the table for us to explore. This is where volume four of Stellvia comes in…

At first it seems like we’re headed back to the same territory that we found ourselves in during the majority of the series early on as the students go back to school for training in a new spaceship control system. Then slowly, but in a carefully crafted manner the story begins to move into a new direction as unidentified flying objects begin to appear in the wake of the Second Wave. We don’t learn much about these and for the most part they remain a background element in episodes eleven and twelve, but by the end of “Winter Vacation” the situation seems to change as both Shima and Kouta are recalled from their winter vacation on the same day they arrive back on Earth. So in a way you could say these three episodes are our segway into a new overarching story and conflict for this series.

More than that though they are also a vehicle to further develop the cast of characters we’ve come to know and even those who we’ve met through them like the Big Four. With so many events behind them Shima finally seems to have gained some confidence in her abilities, which adds a lot to her character, seeing as to how in the first five or six episodes she was quite bashful and unconfident in herself despite her obvious talents. The catalyst for this new found strength can be attributed to Kouta, whose mental strength and friendly demeanor have not only brought about Shima’s hidden fighting spirit, but also a personal bond between the two of them. This particular bond and blossoming relationship between the two of them, which was hinted at before, but only now finally comes to the forefront is a major theme in the episodes contained in this DVD. I was surprised at how well the writers handled this and didn’t go overboard with it, allowing for the images and music to tell more of the story of the young couple.

The other characters are further developed by having them come more to the forefront than that have been before. In particular the Big Four (the top students of the Stellvia) get some much needed screentime that helps shed some of the mystery that has surrounded them since the beginning and humanizes them. Others like Shima’s brother get to express their feeling more explicitly, thus building on the web of relationships that all these characters have between them. Perhaps the only characters that we really don't see develop (and would like to) are Shima's parents, who upon seeing their daughter for the first time since her return from space must inform her that she is to leave for the Stellvia again, leaving no time for a family reunion.

As was the case with the previous three DVD’s the art in these episodes is phenomenal and really something to be admired. The animation is extremely fluid and the color palette that's used is bright & varied. There is also a great deal of CGI animation and effects used throughout each story that seamlessly meshes with the traditional 2-D artwork. The character designs by Makoto Uno also continue to impress with their originality and streamlined look.

I continue to enjoy the music for this show, in fact, I listened to the soundtrack CD for it as I typed this review. The music has a very peaceful atmospheric sound to it that is quite unique for an anime soundtrack. Needless to say that the CD is very highly recommended if you collect anime soundtracks. The voice acting on both the North American and Japanese tracks were right on par with everything we’ve seen previously with everyone turning in a fine performance.

The DVD itself follows the pattern established with volumes on, two and three. The front cover art features Shima’s friends on a foil covers that flashes slightly when light hits certain points of it. Within the case you can see a different piece of artwork on the inside cover that features Kouta’s sister’s anti-gravity vehicle. In addition there is a small insert with the release schedule for the rest of the series. The DVD itself is a basic package with the only extras to speak of being previews for other Geneon releases. The video and audio encoding as before are absolutely perfect.

Final Thoughts

Going into the next set of episodes I am extremely confident in the ability of this show to continue to surprise and engage with a mind-grabbing stoyline and characters that you care about. I’m really happy that the writers have been able to setup a new plot that seems to be every bit as good as the Second Wave story arch. Can’t wait to learn more about these mysterious flying objects that have begun appearing.

If you haven’t gotten into Stellvia yet, you have to! You really have to! This is an amazing anime series that needs to be part of every anime fan’s personal collection!

Jeffrey Couto