宇宙戦艦ヤマト / Space Battleship Yamato

The mission: Restoring planet Earth.

Background.

Space Battleship Yamato (宇宙戦艦ヤマ, AKA Cosmoship Yamato and Star Blazers) is a Japanese science fiction anime series produced and written by Yoshinobu Nishizaki, directed by manga artist Leiji Matsumoto, and animated by Academy Productions and Group TAC. The series aired in Yomiuri TV from October 6, 1974 to March 30, 1975, totaling up to 26 episodes. It revolves around the character Susumu Kodai and a crew of people on Earth, tasked in going into space aboard the space warship Yamato in search for the Planet Iscandar in order to reverse the damage done to their planet after it was destroyed by the Gamilians. 

It is one of the most influential anime series in Japan due to its theme and story, marking a turn towards more complex serious works and influencing works such as Mobile Suit Gundam, and Super Dimension Fortress Macross as well as video games such as Space Invaders. Animator, director & actor Hideaki Anno has ranked Yamato as his favorite anime and credited it with sparking his interest in anime.

Yamato was the first anime series or movie to win the Seiun Award, a feat not repeated until the film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984). 

Notice: This entire review is based upon the original 1974 Animé. If you're looking for a Starblazers review, you won't find a lot of that here. However, those of us old enough, do know that the Starblazers adaptation was comprised of the first three seasons of Yamato (1974, 1978 & 1980 respectively). Today's entry is the original Yamato series, so to speak, "season 1" from the American adaptation. 

 

A legendary crew.

For an even more legendary battleship.

Plot.

In the year 2199, an alien race known as the Gamilas (Gamilons in the English Star Blazers dub) unleash radioactive meteorite bombs on Earth, rendering the planet's surface uninhabitable. Humanity has retreated into deep underground cities, but the radioactivity is slowly affecting them as well, with humanity's extinction estimated in one year. Earth's space fleet is hopelessly outclassed by the Gamilas and all seems lost until a message capsule from a mysterious crashed spaceship is retrieved on Mars. The capsule yields blueprints for a faster-than-light engine and an offering of help from Queen Starsha of the planet Iscandar in the Large Magellanic Cloud. She says that her planet has a device, the Cosmo-Cleaner D (Cosmo DNA), which can cleanse Earth of its radiation damage.

 

The inhabitants of Earth secretly build a massive spaceship inside the ruins of the gigantic Japanese battleship Yamato which lies exposed at the former bottom of the ocean location where she was sunk in World War II. This becomes the "Space Battleship Yamato" for which the story is titled. In the English Star Blazers dub, the ship is noted as being the historical Yamato, but is then renamed the Argo (after the ship of Jason and the Argonauts).

Using Starsha's blueprints, they equip the new ship with a space warp drive, called the "wave motion engine", and a new, incredibly powerful weapon at the bow called the "Wave Motion Gun". The Wave Motion Engine (波動エンジン hadō enjin) is capable of converting the vacuum of space into tachyon energy, as well as functioning like a normal rocket engine, and providing essentially infinite power to the ship, it enables the Yamato to "ride" the wave of tachyons and travel faster than light. The Wave Motion Gun (波動砲 hadō hō), also called the Dimensional Wave Motion Explosive Compression Emitter, is the "trump card" of the Yamato that functions by connecting the Wave Motion Engine to the enormous firing gate at the ship's bow, enabling the tachyon energy power of the engine to be fired in a stream directly forwards. Enormously powerful, it can vaporize a fleet of enemy ships—or a small continent (as seen in the fifth episode)—with one shot; however, it takes a brief but critical period to charge before firing. 

There's always time for booze.

Even robots do it!

A crew of 114 departs for Iscandar in the Yamato to retrieve the radiation-removing device and return to Earth within the one-year deadline. Along the way, they discover the motives of their blue-skinned adversaries: the planet Gamilas, sister planet to Iscandar, is dying; and its leader, Lord Desslar (Desslok in the Star Blazers dub), is trying to irradiate Earth enough for his people to move there, at the expense of the "barbarians" he considers humanity to be.

The first season contained 26 episodes, following the Yamato's voyage out of the Milky Way Galaxy and back again. A continuing story, it features the declining health of Yamato's Captain Okita (Avatar in the Star Blazers dub), and the transformation of the brash young orphan Susumu Kodai (Derek Wildstar) into a mature officer, as well as his budding romance with female crewmember Yuki Mori (Nova Forrester). The foreign edits tend to play up the individual characters, while the Japanese original is often more focused on the ship itself. In a speech at the 1995 Anime Expo, series episode director Noboru Ishiguro said low ratings and high production expenses forced producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki to trim down the episode count from the original 39 episodes to only 26. The 13 episodes would have introduced none other than legendary Captain Harlock as a new series character.

Behind a great team.

There's always a bearded captain.

Review.

Space Battleship Yamato marks one of the most crucial watershed moments in anime. It is the science-fiction epic for an entire generation of anime fans, some of whom would end up working on future efforts such as Mobile Suit Gundam, SDF Macross, and many, many others. Its influence pervades nearly every science fiction anime series told in its wake, and its storytelling has most certainly stood the test of time.

That being said, it is important to note that Yamato has aged remarkably well. Where many older series’ can be hindered by comparatively poor animation qualities, a lack of detail due to shoestring budgets, and cheesy or outdated voice acting & dialogue, Yamato defies these expectations with its lush colors, smooth animation, and superb direction. Although many may view this title through a historical or nostalgic lens, Yamato maintains a flavor of relevancy that is nearly unparalleled within its genre. With only a small amount of patience, any viewer can begin this series and draw enjoyment from it. An eye for dated works is not necessary.

Queen Starsha.

The original Manga. notice the "cosmoship" name.

A small example of how original this Animé is, is the Analyzer robot, whose official name is R-9 Autonomous Type Shipborne Analysis Unit. he's got an quantum computer with autonomous thinking and behavior that allows him to act as a general-purpose class system node analysis terminal. Equipped with an AI system installed with BIOS judgement rather than a simulated personality. Hates to be referred to by number, refers to self as "Analyzer." Moreover, he falls in love with Yuki and considers himself more than just a machine! And this is a 1974 Animé character dealing with complex matters that would later be the core to a lot of well-known Hollywood films and more recent Sci-Fi TV shows and Animé. In addition, he has a thing for panties! (see the pictures below). In addition, he gets drunk in an episode, and asks Dr. Sakedo Sado (the one who gave him the booze) how can he become more human. Touching.

Another example of the same, would be how many archetypes were established by Yamato in terms of the type of characters. The aliens have a blue skin, a pattern that you'd be seeing for a long time in the Animé industry. Also, secondary characters would wear different suits, and the cinematics established the standards in Animé.

Hi-tech robots serve a  purpose.

And they do it very efficiently.

Although dating from 1974, the animation is rather astonishing. The color palette, though not as subtle (nor as varied) as many more recent titles, works perfectly for the story being told. Explosions are vibrant and lush, characters are detailed and emotive, backgrounds and details retain consistency even during periods of intense action. The art direction itself maintains a futuristic significance even by today’s jaded standards—and while the general consensus of the “vision of the future” has shifted away from the analogue, button & knob-filled grandeur of the mid-70’s, the gritty Naval-inspired designs of the eponymous ship retain the relatable aesthetic that the creators wished to establish.

The bombastic soundtrack is immediately memorable. Many auditory motifs help engrain the atmosphere of the show, coloring a wide range of moods and emotions that only serve to further draw the viewer into the experience. As these songs repeat themselves throughout the series, it isn’t long before the audience begins anticipating courses of action based on motif alone—sometimes these anticipations are accurate, however, too many of the key plot points avoid rigid predictability. The narrative’s flexibility gives the soundtrack an added edge by staying fresh regardless of the implied mood. Each scene presents variable interpretations for the songs to adhere to.

Can robots fall in love?

I've heard of electronic dildos but these is ridiculous!!

Its characters are immensely likable and heroic, though not without their own flaws and inner demons. Their characterization is precise and archetypical, avoiding many clichés while perhaps establishing many others. The premise, though arguably rather two-dimensional, is overshadowed by a heavy reliance upon the character-driven narrative, and its superbly developed cast supports this to an exceptional degree. The voice acting is similarly well executed, and most certainly adds a sense of conviction, fortitude, and dedication to the characters that would otherwise be lacking.

There are also many cinematic techniques that make their first notable appearances in anime through Yamato, particularly with how certain battle scenes are sequenced, shot, and edited together in order to form the perfect cohesive experience. 

I assure you it's for the survival of the crew.

Iscandar, here I go!

Throughout the years Space Battleship Yamato has had many sequels: 11 OVA films, 3 live action movies, an arcade videogame, an currently a new Animé titled Yamato 2199 and its sequel Yamato 20202.

Before Ergo Proxy and Last Exile, before Evangelion, SDF Macross, and Gundam, before Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica (not before Star Trek though), there was Space Battleship Yamato. It deserves its place among the elite, and even though it's a 45 year old Animé, the story is still relevant and original, despite its limitations and dated animation techniques & music, this is a classic, perhaps one of the holy space opera trilogy of Animé (the other being Mobile Suit Gundam, & SDF Macross). 

Now, as usual, we move on to our video section:

The original opening:

The ending:

Isao Sasaki singing the Yamato theme live!

Isao Sasaki singin the ending theme live!

The live action movie trailer:

The infamous Starblazers opening:

Starblazers ending: