Very rarely do anime series based on video games rise above mediocrity, especially those based on console role playing games. Viewers are often delivered a series that is nothing like the games they fell in love with, or a series that tries to place forty hours of story into a thirteen to twenty-six episode season (or even worse, a two to four episode OVA series). Therefore, great care must be taken to ensure that the hardcore fans will be pleased while also ensuring that new viewers will not be totally lost. From its first few episodes, it appears that Studio Deen and TV Tokyo's approach at the Star Ocean franchise manages to achieve that elusive goal of being both faithful and fresh at the same time.

Star Ocean EX does not try to hide its obvious roots in the video game world. Instead, it embraces them and turns the story into something that is more suitable for television. The result is a fine mix between fantasy and science fiction. However, rather than focus on action, the series is more character-based. Every character has his or her own internal struggles to overcome, but it never reaches the point of self-loathing and angst. Those expecting a literal translation of Star Ocean: the Second Story's deep, involved storyline to anime will be sorely disappointed. A lot of content was cut from the original work to preserve flow and interest. As a result, the story is more streamlined and accessible for non-gamers.

Claude and Rena are two ordinary people thrust into an extroadinarily epic adventure.	Celine has her own, "unique" ways of getting to know men.

For the soundtrack, series composer Osamu Sakuraba remixed many of the tunes created for "the Second Story" by Motoi Sakuraba. The result is a gorgeous array of melodies that is suitable for any situation. The opening theme, "To the Light" is a catchy techno-rock piece performed by Amika Hattan that begs for strength, the power to protect. The closing song, "Hearts" is a bouncy, guitar-heavy single by Saori Nishihata that toys with the idea that reality is not a game, and that people should seek their own happiness before the future comes upon them. In terms of acting, both tracks show a solid performance. The original Japanese features an all-star cast that includes Yuuki Hiro (Evangelion, Arc the Lad), Mayumi Iizuka (Escaflowne, I'm Gonna Be an Angel!), and Chihiro Suzuki (Rizelmine, Boogiepop Phantom). The cast performs well together, and creates a convincing atmosphere. The English track, which was performed by the Ocean group presents a fairly strong appearance, but several characters simply seem wrong for their parts. Oddly, the English track does not sound as clear as it should. Much of the disc has a muffled, flat sound to it, compared to the clarity of the Japanese track.

Beautiful character designs and decent animation help to complete the one-two punch of video and audio. Minato Koio's original character designs translated well to celluloid, without too much of a loss in detail. In the transition, much of the cast received a shot of personality that adds a layer of personality that the characters sometimes lacked in their original, pixelated forms. The animation is a clean mix of CG and cel animation. The cel animation is typical television faire, with fairly smooth movement from all characters. The CG, on the other hand, is impressivley integrated, as it is reserved for the most subtle of effects, and is barely noticeable as a result. The series has transitioned well to DVD, with no obvious signs of cross-coloration, aliasing, or other visual defects.

For the DVD release, Geneon has taken a simple, yet effective approach toward Star Ocean's release. The packaging and insert both featue the same image of Claude striking a dramatic pose with his phase gun drawn and aimed as he stands before a green background. The back of the packaging contains four images from the show, an episode list, and a brief description of the disc's contents that accompany a short summary. The menus aim for a futuristic look, as they mimic a ship's control panel. The selections are bordered by images from the show and images of Claude and Rena. Access times and transitions from menu to menu are quickly executed. The disc's extra features are comprised of a series of character profiles, as well as both the Japanese and creditless openings for the show.

While many more ambitious attempts at a conversion from game to anime have fallen flat, Star Ocean EX looks to be a series that will attract both gamers and non-gamers alike. Hopes are high that Enix's masterpiece will continue to receive the respectful treatment that Star Ocean EX's first five episodes have offered.

Distributor: Geneon Entertainment
Creator: enix/tri-ACE
Released: 2004

Video Quality: A-
Audio Quality: B-
Presentation: B+
Content: B+
Overall: B+