Gallery: Merchandise: Books

Seikai started out as a book series. There were three Seikai no Monshou books, then three Seikai no Senki books, and there should be more. Further more, the popularity of the anime series spawned several more in the form of manga, art books, and guide books. I have listed here those I have been able to find. If you have any to add, by all means, send it in.

	Seikai no Monshou I by Hiroyuki Morioka. The book that started it all. Before this had been published, Japanese science fiction had been dying. For years, no one would publish Morioka's books, for fear of losing money on them. Therefore, he had years and years to polish his universe and make it perfect.
	When published, the Monshou books were a huge success. Interest in science fiction was rekindled, and the sequel was received happily all over the country. The revived interest even led to active Japanese fandom abroad, and the first stirrings of the idea of a Japanese WorldCon.
	With the completion of the Monshou series, it became a possibility to create an anime based off these works. With three novels worth of material in one 13 episode series, it was sure to be fast-paced. Even so, enough time was taken to develop the characters that Seikai no Monshou was a rich, multi-layered show which appealed to audiences the world over.
	The truth was, however, that Monshou had only been a side-story to the overall story Morioka wanted to tell. Now assured of his book's financial and popular success, he was free to write the full series, Seikai no Senki. This series, he has promised, will be much longer than the original Monshou. Seikai no Senki I was published.
	Contracts were signed to make anime from Senki as well. Senki I was turned into a 13 episode show, more action packed than the first but still containing enough focus on characters that it didn't disappoint fans of the original. The sequel to Senki was quickly released, and anime created as well. The 10 episode series focused mostly on the characters. Both Senki series were a bit slower than Monshou, only having one novel of material to work from rather than three.
	Senki III is the most recent book in the series, and it has been a few years now since publication. No anime has been made, though fans eagerly await it. Perhaps even more eagerly, however, do they await the publication of Senki IV. In the meantime, a sidestory entitled "Lost Chapter of the Stars: Birth" has been released, and was made into a one episode OAV.
	This art book was released as a companion to the Seikai no Monshou anime. It's a great book, full of stills and captures from the show, promotional artwork, and even a fold-out poster and mini-manga in the back. It contains character designs, sketches, and a merchandise listing as well. A really wonderful addition to a Seikai collection. Strangely enough, So far as I can tell the title translates to "Crest of the Stars Visual Funbook". Um, okay.
	Here's an oddity that doesn't happen often- manga made from anime made from novel. This is the first manga for Seikai no Senki, and while I haven't seen them, I'm sure there's more. The art style is different from either the show or Takami Akai's artwork- much cuter and almost chibi. Also, many of the characters are more sexualized than they are in the show. The Crest manga was recently licensed by Tokyopop, so an English version will be released in the near future.
	This is the guidebook published for the Seikai PlayStation game. It seems to have been titled simply 'Seikai no Mounshou'. I'm afraid I really can't say much about this book, as I've neither played the game nor seen the book.
	This is, I believe, a guide to the world of Seikai no Senki. "Everything Seikai no Senki is in here!" it claims. I've... honestly never seen this book, or heard of it outside a Yahoo! Japan auction, and my kanji reading is pretty rusty. I apologize that I don't have much information on this book.