Gall Force 3: Stardust War is a 1988 science fiction anime OVA directed by Katsuhito Akiyama and written by Hideki Kakinuma, featuring the voices of Hiromi Tsuru, Naoko Watanabe, Yûko Mizutani, Waka Kanda and Chieko Honda. It’s a sequel to Gall Force Eternal Story (1986) and Gall Force 2: Destruction (1987), the third and final entry in the Gall Force original trilogy, made by a lot of the same creative team.
In Gall Force 2, the annihilation of Terra, Earth, was stopped by Lufy and her new team. However, both factions, the Solnoids and the Paranoids, now plan to use their Planet Destroyers in order to secure the total destruction of both races and end the war once and for all. Lufy and her fellow soldiers plan a last chance to avert complete devastation.
While most of the positive aspects of the previous OVA's are still present here, I think Stardust War feels incredibly different and discordant in tone and atmosphere compared to the previous one. We once again follow Lufy and the survivors of the last fight from the climax of Destruction, but this time we have a lot more emphasis on the worldbuilding and backstory of the creation and development of this all-female intergalactic race. There are lengthy explanations about the origin of the species and its creators, as well as what could possibly happen in the future. These exposition scenes are very well executed as they are engaging and interesting since they do give answers to a lot of questions you might have had regarding the mere concept of the franchise.
There's a sense of dread and doom throughout Startdust War, the title itself refers to the fact that by the time the final battle is done the only thing left might just be stardust, so that sets up the stakes of this mission. There's zero comedic relief, or at least it's minimized as much as possible. Most of the OVA has a serious feeling and a lot of it carries a great amount of weight. Lufy's decision to have a moment of redemption or at least to set things right and make her companions' struggle not be in vain is quite moving. The despair is real and the actual conclusion might leave some people with a bittersweet feeling because of the ending but the film handles these complex emotions very well.
Some people might be disappointed because this entry doesn't feature a high amount of action set-pieces, probably because the budget was lower, but even if the quantity goes down the heaviness and intensity of the battles make up for that. It's all meaningful and everyone plays a very important part, so this pretty much continues with the important themes of the franchise like collective action in order to achieve a better future, putting the necessities of the group above your own independent needs and the fight or search for a better world in the horizon without losing hope.
Another very solid OVA, this one has a satisfying conclusion to the original Gall Force trilogy without feeling overly long or stuck while also explaining things in a logical way that makes sense and doesn't break what we have seen before.
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