About Amanda Rush
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The great race of Oban has reached the final rounds, and the Earth team is more determined than ever to win.
The first season of Oban Star-Racers introduced us to the players and the stakes. Now, the Earth team, led by Molly the pilot and Jordan the gunner have moved on to the deadly final rounds, held on the mother planet itself, Oban. Joining them is Prince Aikka of Nourasia and Kross of the Crog Imperium, among others. The races are harder, the stakes are steeper, and it will take everything the Earth team has just to stay alive and in the race. All of our questions are answered – what is the ultimate prize? Who tampered with the Earth team’s star racer on Alwas? Which side is Aikka really on? Will the Crog conquer the Earth?
The second season is different from the first in many ways, all good. The characters are stronger, the villains are badder, and the good guys have their morals pushed to the limits. Everyone is tested at their weak spots, and whenever a good guy flags, a villain is there to use them. Molly wants the ultimate prize to bring her mother back from the dead, but when she finds out that Muir wishes to bring his mate back, she has to decide if her mother’s life is more important that Muir’s mate’s. Aikka’s parents are held hostage to ensure his cooperation with the Crog, and it’s up to him to decide if his code of honor will allow him to do what’s right and sacrifice his parent’s lives -not to mention the stability of his people.
The plots are darker and much more adult. While racers on Oban will do anything to get ahead, including breaking the one and only rule – don’t kill – the war between the Earth and the Crog heats up back home. Don Wei is the only member of the Earth team who is watching the war, but the audience is constantly made aware of it, and the implications of the Earth team’s losses. The writing, done by series creator Savin Yeatman-Eifel, moves to more dramatic and intriguing places, and because of it, I couldn’t wait to get to the next episodes.
The skill and quality of the animation constantly improves as the series moves on. Every race on Oban takes place in a different landscape, and they are all beautiful. Character emotions are clearly illustrated, and the 3-D races are breathtaking in their choreography. In the making of featurette, one of the animators glibly states that the creator, Savin Yeatman-Eifel, demands feature film quality on a series, and he’s absolutely right. The animation is tight, clean, and stunning by the last episode.
The music is beautiful. Score is composed by Taku Iwasaki and performed by a forty piece orchestra, which adds a flair of dramatic to each episode. The opening and closing credits were composed by Yoko Kanno (of Cowboy Bebop and Escaflowne fame).
The nods to major sci-fi fantasy brands are still there; one of the villains, Canaletto, looks like a skeksis from The Dark Crystal (in season one, a creature very reminiscent of a Mystic showed up in the stands at races repeatedly). The scene between Canaletto reads almost like the scene in Empire Strikes Back where Darth Vadar cuts off Luke’s hand and proclaims that he is Luke’s father. There are monkey/lion creatures on Oban called Drudgers who look like a cross between Princess Mononoke’s Night Walkers and tree spirits.
The DVD set features a wide array of extras; part two of “The Making of Oban Star-Racers” is here (part one being on the first season). At almost an hour long, “The Making Of” is very interesting – when you hit the end of the series and want more, which you will, this featurette is there for you. Like season one, season two feature Star-Racer profiles and concept art. Also featured is the extended opening sequence and the mipcom presentation (it works as a trailer for the show).
Season one had its flaws, some of which are shared by season two. But on the whole, season two is smarter, prettier and more compelling.
