The second to last volume of Stellvia brings a new threat to humanity as well as some new revelations and another appearance by the mysterious aliens.  Though a lot happens in the three episodes contained on this DVD, the show is still a shell of it's former self.  It no longer has the charm or excitement that the first half contained, and the characters aren't nearly as interesting.  Putting the climax to the series right in the middle was a big mistake.  There's a reason that the climax is always at the end.

Series Synopsis:

In the your 2167, the Earth was hit by a very powerful electromagnetic wave created by a supernova 20 light years away.  The wave had catastrophic effects, and life on Earth was almost extinguished.  But the survivors rebuilt civilization, and now, 189 year later, a second wave of particles traveling only 10% as fast as the electromagnetic radiation, but potentially much more dangerous and damaging, has reached Earth.  All of Earth's technology and manpower has gone toward erecting a shield to protect it from the second wave.  The system is successful, and humanity is saved.

Now however, there are mysterious objects that have attacked outermost space station.  Not only are there hostile aliens to worry about, but a cosmic fracture has appeared in space, and it's heading towards the solar system.  Is there any way that the young space cadets who were trained to help protect the world from the second wave can save the Earth a second time?

This volume:

As the volume begins, scientists have finished analyzing the data that was taken of the cosmic rift on the Ultima before it was destroyed.  It turns out that this phenomenon is a fracture in space that will destroy anything it comes in contact with at the atomic level.  It's heading towards the solar system, and large enough to destroy every planet and the sun as well.  Unfortunately Earth doesn't have 189 years to prepare like they did with the Second Wave.  The rift will arrive in a mere two months.

Working diligently and analyzing what happened when the Ultima was transported into the rift by the aliens, the scientists come up with a plan, but it's a long shot.  There's only a 0.73% chance of success, but it's better than nothing.

The new project, dubbed the Genesis mission, once again relies on Shima and Kota to pilot the Infinity.  The only problem is that the two were romantically involved but that seems to have cooled.  Shima can't use the sophisticated controls of the Infinity nearly as well as Kato and she feels that she's letting him down.  The fact that Kato's the only one in the world who can use it properly doesn't make her feel any better.  Every time she sees his she's reminded of her failure and so she tries to avoid him.  That only make Kato feel bad, which effects the job he can do.  Can these two love birds make up before all of humanity is destroyed?  And does anyone think the show will really end with everyone dying because of a lover's quarrel?

I'm surprised at how the quality of this show has decreased.  This volume was definitely better than the previous one, but it still doesn't have the impact that the earlier episodes did.  Everything that's happened since the impact of the Second Wave is just a shadow of the earlier shows.  Shima's boy troubles and the new threat to the Earth are a reworking of the earlier stories.  Not only is the second half a clone of the first one, but the program has lost its charm too.  Shima just seems whiney and spoiled and the cosmic rift doesn't really feel like a threat.  This show is just going through the motions and has lost its heart.
 

This disc contains a scant three episodes, and comes in a clear keepcase with reversible cover.

Audio:

The DVD includes stereo soundtracks in both English and Japanese.  Both tracks sounded very good, with a good amount of range and crisp sound.  I enjoyed the English dub just as well as the original soundtrack.  The English voice actors did a good job and didn't give the young girls high pitched voices.  Well, not all of them.  The soundstage was used effectively in both tracks, with some nice panning of the sound effects.  A nice solid sounding disc.

Video:

The full frame video looked very nice.  There is a lot of color in the show and they were reproduced very well.  The atmosphere of the Earth as seen from space looked great with no blocking in the clouds or haze, and no significant banding.  A very nice looking show.

Extras:

This disc was bare.  The only extras on this disc were a few previews for other Geneon series.

Final Thoughts:

While I really enjoyed the early volumes of this series, the show has really lost its inertia.  After the Second Wave, the plot hasn't been nearly as engaging or interesting.  Looking back on it having the climax to the series at the halfway point was a huge error.  Though new and greater threats have arisen, they just feel like the first half of the series told over again.  Rent it.