Uchu Senkan Yamato 2199

Now this is how to update a classic TV series. If you look closely at the 2005 Battlestar Galactica, you come to the realization of what doing a "reboot" truly means. It means the creator of the new series had absolutely no respect for the original material. He liked so little of it that he threw out the baby with the bath water. Nothing was worth saving except for the barest essentials - character names and the tiniest shred of the premise. The characters themselves were completely unrecognizable. JJ Abrams' Star Trek movies are the same way. Space Battleship Yamato 2199 is the opposite. It's a remake, not a reboot. The difference is they wanted to fix or modernize a few things, but by and large had great affection for the series and kept as much of it intact as they could.

I really wanted to watch the original Star Blazers, as the show was called in the US, but alas, the time slot wasn't cooperative as it conflicted with the school day and consumer VCRs were expensive and rare in 1979, so I couldn't timeshift it. Many years later, I finally had recordings of the show, but couldn't really get more than a few episodes into it before losing interest. Still, I did eventually see the English dub of the Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato movie and enjoyed that. The live action SBY movie from 2010 again left me cold and I don't think I even finished that. If I did, it was so unmemorable that I've forgotten even watching it through to the end. To me, this remake is the best version yet, good enough for me to binge-watch the whole series in a matter of days.

I watched the original series, like others here. I can safely say that while this series holds true to the original, it stands alone on its own.

The animation is very good. Explosions, lasers, all the sci-fi stuff one expects and done well.

The score is another aspect I found compelling. The music was done well, with great pieces well placed to enhance the story.

Characters, this is where I believe the show really stands out. With 26 episodes characters are well developed, and not just the humans. Many of the enemy characters are given equal treatment, going so far as to show family relationships among the enemy.

Battle scenes, great stuff here. We are treated to some battles that get you excited and anxious at the same time. People die, even many characters who have been developed in the storyline.

Finally, and I know some will not like this statement, any movie containing a battleship is a great movie. The naval themes presented are right up my alley. With everything from ship designations based on naval terminology (destroyers, cruisers, aircraft carriers, etc) and line formations just like watching naval reviews. Much of the ship fighting combat scenes are based on naval warfare techniques from the days of the large capital ships combined with more modern carrier warfare.

To conclude, I have watched this series twice now, and still find it exciting to watch and the characters extremely compelling. I have only found the series with English subtitles and the speaking in the original Japanese. If one is not able to do subtitles, you might wait until a dubbed version is released.

Note, this has also been released at Starblazers 2199. The primary difference I found is calling the ship the Argo rather than the Yamato, as the original Starblazers series did. The original series also changed the names of the main characters, for example Yuki Mori was called Nova in Starblazers. I am unable to explain these changes in names other than fear that a US audience would reject characters with Japanese names and would not want to see the IJN Yamato take on a second life of space flight a mere 40 years after its actual sinking. Space Battleship Yamato 2199 plays no such games with its audience.

If you're a fan of the original Starblazers, you owe it to yourself to watch this series in its subtitled glory. It may not entirely have the same voice-acting nostalgia you grew up with, but characters you know and love are still there.

The character designs are not exactly the same either, but it borrows aspects of the original art style so that the characters are recognizable. Everything looks and feels fresh, crisp, and new. But the beauty of this re-make is they've kept all the things that make Starblazers/Space Battle Cruiser Yamato the same...the sound effects from the original series are still intact, as well as re-recorded versions of the classic music. C.G. is added to good effect for the actual ship, without sticking out like a sore thumb (*cough*evangelion*cough*).

I just started watching and I'm instantly hooked. ^_^ Anyhow, this review, work in progress, since I just started watching. And I have to get to sleep soon. So, to be continued...

If you were a fan of the original series (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0140644/), the 2199 series will be a nostalgia filled experience. There have been a number of updates as other reviewers have posted. The end result is that 宇宙戦艦ヤマト2199 is overall a richer experience and up to par with today's expectations. If you are someone who has never seen the original, this is an exceptional piece of work and fully stands on its own without need for prequel.

If you're a fan of the original soundtrack, you're in for a special experience as the most familiar melodies are there and unchanged. You will also find a plethora of new material that blends well with original 1970's compositions.

The animation is clean and crisp, but full of detail. Typically not what you'd expect to see in a weekly televised series. Due to the unique method of release (episodes grouped and released to theaters first and shortly after broadcast episodically), the production values are very high.

Again for those familiar with the original series, everything is updated but familiar. Nothing went through a redesign so drastic that it would not be recognized. Character designs are updated to more contemporary appearances. The mechanical side of the designs benefit most from the improved animation technology available today. Some elements and characters are new, mostly done to complete the story or add depth. The story is now deeper without becoming mired in its own twists and turns hopefully allowing the viewer to become more emotionally invested with at least a few of them.

The end result is a remake that does not need to rely on nostalgia but embraces and honors its past all while bringing the animation, sound, and story into a more contemporary era.

First off, thank you Bandai and the production team for bringing this back.

I watched the original when I was 10-12 years old, so on a personal level it was nostalgic. That being said, the story has been modernized in a very technical way to add "onion like" layers to the level of realism.

The combat scenes were the finest space battle scenes I have ever seen in live action or Anime, in their detail, Better than the New Battlestar Galactica IMHO. The CGI and 2D animation was blended masterfully.

The Story has been updated in a way to fill in the realism gaps without stepping on the Original. The Characters have real and individual motives and the antagonists are no exception.

You do not have to have watched the original, the movie, or even anime, to thoroughly enjoy this series.