Story
In the future, Humanity has reached out into space and colonised two other planets. The story begins on the most recently colonised planet, as it falls under attack by alien forces. The civilian population proceeds to evactuate and amidst the chaos of battle, the training ship Janus takes flight across the galaxy. It's crew number just over a dozen, most of whom are children.
Essentially, this is a story about 13 children, their travels across the galaxy, and the effect they have on the war. It's a fairly light-hearted tale, watching the characters learning to cope in space, and learning to defend themselves, while they grow together as a group.
There is a fair helping of humour in the way the characters go about there task, but the series is generally a serious one. The scenario is also well crafted, with lots of little details as to how and why. I didn't really notice any loose threads.
The series weighs in at a hefty 46 episodes, but there's plenty of story to tell, and it keeps going at a fairly nice pace.
Character
From the worried leader, to the excitable-military-nut, to the laid-back-jokester, the characters are solid, if perhaps a little simple, with a good variety of personalities.
Art
For an 80s anime, the art is well done. The characters have lots of personality, and the battles are decent, with little noticable re-use of clips.
Sound
No complaints. The characters seem well-voiced. Hearing the little ones ask when they'll meet their parents will likely tug at a few people's heartstrings.
Overall
In short, it's a good series that doesn't really deserve to be overlooked as much as it seems to be. Sure, being from the 80s, the art is a bit dated, and scenes are paced a bit slower, but it's still a well-made series. I'll recommend this to people who like sci-fi, and think the characters should be more important than the mecha.
PS. It probably deserves an 8, but my bias against 80s anime says only 7 :P
