Space Battleship Yamato

I'm really suprised this anime doesn't have a stronger following, this is one the first animes that was brought to the US that had an actual ongoing storyline. It also is the anime that upped my expectations of cartoons, after this series I was much more skeptical and demanding of how cartoons where done. Unlike Superfriends, characters ability's didn't change with the demand of the situation in each episode of Starblazers, I really recommend anybody who wants to see a good ongoing anime series to go out and try to rent this series, you won't regret it.

I think another (maybe the first) reviewer said it best: "I can't believe there aren't more reviews here!" The original Japanese title for this show is "Uchuu Senkan Yamato" (Space Battleship Yamato). I believe it came out in 1974 in Japan, but was Americanized and released in the US in 1979. Be that as it may, this is, has been, and probably will be my favorite anime series of all time. Not only do I like it because it brings back great after-school memories of congregations of neighborhood kids, but it has a very believable and emotional storyline. Not many series I know of devote an ENTIRE episode to having an emotional goodbye to families before the Argo (Yamato) leaves the Solar System. There are so many well-developed sub-plots...you'll just have to see for yourself if you've never heard of this. It is a GEM, and if you like sci-fi at all, you will not be disappointed. Of the 3 series, my personal favorite is the "Quest for Iscandar." Rent it, buy it, or borrow it if you can. With VHS tapes becoming obsolete, you can get them cheaply on e-bay. I own all the VHS tapes, and the American DVDs recently put out by Voyager Entertainment. But I must say to the purists who aren't aware of this: get the 9-DVD set from www.sundevildvd.com. I am not affiliated with them in any way, but they offer a "Star Blazers DVD Bundle." It is the ENTIRE 78-episode series (Quest for Iscandar, The Comet Empire, and The Bolar Wars) for less than $100. One catch: the language is Japanese, but if you can bear the not-perfect-but-acceptable English subtitles, that's the way to go. All of these episodes are COMPLETELY UNCUT, and you'll see just how much footage was cut from the American versions! Desslok with his original Japanese voice sounds as cool as Mr. Eddie Allen doing his voice in English.

They just don't make 'em like this anymore. Watch one, and you'll be hooked.....I can just about guarantee it. Enjoy.

The animation is a bit crude by today's standards, but only on the surface. Its style and heart are still unique and compelling, and clearly each frame is lovingly crafted. The music is phenomenal and moving, especially given that it was probably taken from the original 1974 film. The SF ideas presented (e.g. holography room, space/time warps, etc.) are borrowed by many films and series that have followed. The plots, though overly dramatic sometimes, are poignant and epic nonetheless. Overall, the series is rough on the edges, with many minor flaws such as character inconsistencies and scientific factual blunders, not to mention the gross inefficiency of using a seagoing battleship design for a space cruiser. However, the core of it is pure genius and I'm held in rapt admiration of it.

The references to World War II are obvious: fighting an almost hopeless war against an evil, corrupt empire. The enemy leader, Desslok, even looks like a Nazi with the uniform he wears. The story is emotionally driven: fraught with patriotism, sacrifice, and the desperation to save Earth. The writers employ healthy doses of characterization and detail, something sadly lacking in most other series. Lots of morality and spiritualism are brandished effectively such as (paraphrased) "don't destroy other worlds in desperation, even though Earth will die in less than a year", "with great power comes great responsibility", "take pains not to harm indigenous life on other worlds", "take the blame for your actions and move on", "in spite of all the Capt has lost, he goes on, indomitable", and "your brother survives in you."

Part of the series' attraction is the epic space battles. The see the animators craft the ships and their weaponry, and put them into action, is a sight to behold. "Space planes" soar in formation around the enemy and bristle with missiles and torpedoes. Weapons of mass destruction are brought into play to save the day. And the battleship Argo itself is such a work of art. Its splendor is shown off in a vast array of combat attitudes. They couldn't resist having the ship land in on an ocean, so that its seagoing superstructure and profile could be admired (powerfully reminiscent of the sea battles in our history). Overall, the heroic spirit personified by ship and her crew is exploited to the hilt, and it's hard to resist cheering for them in spite of the melodrama.

This was the best animated series of its time. Star Blazers was made at a time when American cartoons were trite junk like "The Super Friends" and "The Brady Kids." When Star Blazers hit syndicated TV in America in the early 1980s, it was still categorically more engrossing than any American cartoon, any American science fiction... heck, it was better than 90% of American TV period.

In case you missed the plot summary: hostile Aliens (the Gammalons) attack Earth and defeat all of her military might. The Gammalons then proceed to launch a years-long nuclear attack against Earth which renders the entire surface unfit for life. Cowering in caves, humanity awaits its final extinction...

Until a message is received from the Planet Iscandar, offering aid. Iscander can provide "Cosmo DNA," which can resuscitate the Earth's entire ecosphere. Iscander also provides the blueprints for a powerful interstellar propulsion system: the wave motion drive. Desperate beyond measure, Earth refits one single starship, the Argo, with the wave motion drive, and sends her and her brave crew to cross 100,000 light years of Gammalon territory to reach Iscandar.

Right away, one can see that this cartoon has a much more intelligent plot than any shows intended for kids and adolescents. It is also notable that this series is a serial: each episode is part of a larger, evolving story. It would be decades before any American shows that are not "soap operas" would develop this format (like Buffy the Vampire Slayer). The plot is also dead serious: the world is ending, and ending in a way that was plausibly frightening to Japanese kids in the wake of Hiroshima and American kids in the wake of Three Mile Island. This didn't so much scare me as a kid, but it made the show totally riveting.

On top of the smart and emotional plot, the series had some other virtues. The "cinematography" was great, with good drawing and well-composed scenes. The lessons of the episodes were more serious and adult than typical kids shows, focusing on duty, loyalty, teamwork, and honor. The episodes themselves got a bit formulaic in the middle of the first season, usually ending in a desperate battle with Gammalon ships which can be won only be use of the wave-motion gun.

Sorry to be so long winded. If you like anime and you like sci-fi, you should watch at least the first season. Its better than a lot of anime than came after, and much more original than most anime. The second season was very good, too, although it was even more serious.

I can still sing the theme song...."We're offfffffffff to outer spaaaaaaaace. We're leaving mother eaaaaaarth. To save the human raaaaaaaace........" My friends and I watched this show everyDAY before 7th grade and after that also. It came on right after Speed Racer and before Rodger Ramjet. We continually followed the plights of Mark Venture, Derek Wildstar, Nova, the Captain and all the others. I believe that I was actually very, very sad when the Captain died. It seemed that there was ALWAYS a reason to fire off the "wave-motion" gun in each episode.....but oh well. I loved the series....hope it comes back on cable!