Space Battleship Yamato

[Mechamaniac]

OK, so being a child of the 70's and all, I know this will come as a shocking confession, but I have never seen Space Battleship Yamato!

So, anyway, I caught a fansub of the first episode of the original Japanese series, and well, I'm hooked, I gotta see them all.

So, can anyone point me at a website where I can find info about the series, or can someone here give me the rundown?.

I know the original series was around 75 or 80 episodes. Wasn't there another series, and a movie or something?.

Thanks!

[myk]

Gosh, there were 5 movies. Check them out here: http://www.rightstuf.com/cgi-bin/catalogmg...tem/62529/4/0/0

Honestly though, I have to recommend that you watch the english versions of the series, as the voice acting of Desslok (sp?), IQ-9 and the other characters is unmatched and extremely enjoyable. If you do manage to pick up the movies, don't be confused by them as they do not follow a line of continuity amongst themselves OR even the series; I believe that the ship and crew pretty much die in every movie, for example...

Pick this stuff up-you'll like it!

Season 1 Quest for Iscandar: Earth Defense Force uses alien technology to seek out a way to combat deadly radiation bombing by the invading Gamilon race...

Season 2 Comet Empire: Victorious Earth Defense Force, in the midst of picking up the pieces of the first war, face a new threat in the form of the Comet Empire, a race of beings in league with the Gamilons...

Season 3 Bolar Wars: An errant missile impacts the sun and threatens to wipe out mankind again in just under a year-to the stars!

Edited March 16, 2005 by myk

[Pat Payne]

Maybe it's just me, but I will not buy another Voyager DVD. I bought the original SBY movie, and haven't been able to watch it all the way through. Either my players won't read it, or they'll play it about halfway through and then begin to break up.

[Opus]

Maybe it's just me, but I will not buy another Voyager DVD. I bought the original SBY movie, and haven't been able to watch it all the way through. Either my players won't read it, or they'll play it about halfway through and then begin to break up.

have you tried checking your DVD player manufacturer's website to see if they have a firmware upgrade? My player didn't like certain disks until I upgraded it.

[Fort]

here This site was very helpfull when

I got into Space battleship Yamato. Oh yeh the movies are masterpeices, especially Be forever Yamato and Final Yamato.

Edited March 16, 2005 by Fort

[Keith]

If you want to blow a shitload of money on a dub only release, then by all means, buy the Star Blazers box sets.... The video quality is crap, the audio quality is crap, all of the episodes are run together with no intro's & endings inbetween on each disc, and they're glithy as hell. Plus it's an edited version of the show.

If however you want to watch Yamato, then track down the HK releases. Very good (though not perfect, but still wonderfully done for an HK release) subtitles, audio & video are directly taken from the R2 DVD releases (and are far superior to the U.S. star blazers discs), and you get the full series, uncut for about $90 (3 $30 box sets). I'm not saying you should buy HK disc's because they're cheaper, but in this case, because the U.S. releaseing company has been grossly negligent with a series that deserves far better treatment.

Yamato Box 1

Yamato Box 2

Yamato Box 3

www.animeniacs.com

Now for the Yamato movies, you will have go go through Voyager. The audio & video problems remain. Just like their version of the TV series release, VHS masters with VHS flaws remain, and are hard encoded into the video. The films are also hardsubbed, but the films are at least un-edited, and both endings to Final Yamato are included.

Speaking as a huge Matsumoto fan, I definately reccomend this route.

[Renato]

I hadn't seen any of it until last year, either. Well, maybe I did when I was a kid, but I watched a ton of anime back then and I don't remember most of it now.

Since this year is the 30th or 35th anniversary they're repeating all the old Yamato shows on TV but I haven't really been paying attention. It's just not that interesting to me... Any particular reccommendations (specific movies or episodes)?

[Graham]

Another child of the 70s here and I've also never seen any Space Battleship Yamato. But then again, for some reason Leiji Matsumoto's animes have never appealed to me. I think it's his character designs that put me off.

Graham

[Renato]

Another child of the 70s here and I've also never seen any Space Battleship Yamato. But then again, for some reason Leiji Matsumoto's animes have never appealed to me. I think it's his character designs that put me off.

Graham

"The Cockpit" is pretty good.

He's very nationalistic in his works, though, I believe. Doesn't seem to put off many gaijin, though.

[Guest Bromgrev]

If you want to blow a shitload of money on a  dub only release, then by all means, buy the Star Blazers box sets.... The video quality is crap, the audio quality is crap, all of the episodes are run together with no intro's & endings inbetween on each disc, and they're glithy as hell. Plus it's an edited version of the show.

Can't argue with that. I also agree the character designs suck, but then it's a pretty ancient anime. Still, IMO it's worth it just for the spaceship designs and the way-out space fantasy settings, makes a change from todays dark, conspiracy-riddled near-future anime (a.k.a. Gasaraki, which I love like a son).

However, the English dubbing scores with the ridiculous voices, and I just can't get the theme song out of ... my ... head ...

We're off to outer Spaaace,

Far frooom our Mother Eeeaaarth ...

Edited March 23, 2005 by Bromgrev

[Graham]

"The Cockpit" is pretty good.

He's very nationalistic in his works, though, I believe. Doesn't seem to put off many gaijin, though.

Seen The Cockpit years ago. Thought it was ok, but again the potato-headed secondary characters put me off.

Graham

[Mechamaniac]

If you want to blow a shitload of money on a dub only release, then by all means, buy the Star Blazers box sets.... The video quality is crap, the audio quality is crap, all of the episodes are run together with no intro's & endings inbetween on each disc, and they're glithy as hell. Plus it's an edited version of the show.

If however you want to watch Yamato, then track down the HK releases. Very good (though not perfect, but still wonderfully done for an HK release) subtitles, audio & video are directly taken from the R2 DVD releases (and are far superior to the U.S. star blazers discs), and you get the full series, uncut for about $90 (3 $30 box sets). I'm not saying you should buy HK disc's because they're cheaper, but in this case, because the U.S. releaseing company has been grossly negligent with a series that deserves far better treatment.

Yamato Box 1

Yamato Box 2

Yamato Box 3

www.animeniacs.com

Now for the Yamato movies, you will have go go through Voyager. The audio & video problems remain. Just like their version of the TV series release, VHS masters with VHS flaws remain, and are hard encoded into the video. The films are also hardsubbed, but the films are at least un-edited, and both endings to Final Yamato are included.

Speaking as a huge Matsumoto fan, I definately reccomend this route.

Yeah, I totally agree Keith. I don't want to have anything to do with StarBlazers, don't want to blow a shitload of money for sure , and definitely don't want anything that has been watered down. I would much rather get the HK sets and fully plan to do so.

Another child of the 70s here and I've also never seen any Space Battleship Yamato. But then again, for some reason Leiji Matsumoto's animes have never appealed to me. I think it's his character designs that put me off.

No kidding!. Ultimately, this is going to be a revelation of my own stunning hypocrisy. Though I love Gundam, I have long said that I cannot stand the original Gundam series becaue of the crap ass 70's animation, as a matter of fact, I have never even seen the whole Original Gundam series, and probably never will. But there is something about Yamato that makes me feel 5 years old again, it's stuff like Cosmo Cleaner D, and the bellbottom uniforms, and the porno 70's BGM I can't explain it, but it's so retro and campy that something struck a chord in me.

He's very nationalistic in his works, though, I believe. Doesn't seem to put off many gaijin, though.

Definitely, Yamato has TONS of very nationalistic overtones. The opening theme, the lyrics, and especially the scene where they say that all the other major cities are starting to dwindle. It definitely lays the scene for a "Japan has to save the entire world" plot.

Thanks for the info guys, looks like on top of GITSAC, and Peacemaker Kurogane, I have yet another anime series to shell out buck$ to get.

Time for a part time job at Suncoast.

[bsu legato]

If you want Starblazers then by all means buy the DVDs.

If you want Space Battleship Yamato then go to the CENTRAL ANIME website. They've subbed up to episode 16, and seem to be able to crank out new episodes weekly.

Its not as pronounced a difference as, say...Robotech vs Macross, but there are differences. I think you're grown up enough to handle a little drinking, cussing, and even a bit of that campy macho chauvinism that we just don't get anymore.

[Mechamaniac]

If you want Starblazers then by all means buy the DVDs.

If you want Space Battleship Yamato then go to the CENTRAL ANIME website. They've subbed up to episode 16, and seem to be able to crank out new episodes weekly.

Its not as pronounced a difference as, say...Robotech vs Macross, but there are differences. I think you're grown up enough to handle a little drinking, cussing, and even a bit of that campy macho chauvinism that we just don't get anymore.

Ironically, I have already downloaded the first 16 episodes from that very site. I highly recommend these fansubs to anyone interested in Yamato, they seem to be very accurate aside from some numerical errors, and the quality of them is great.

I will definitely keep downloading them, but I know enough to know that I want to buy the series on DVD too.

I DON'T want Starblazers. Give me my drunken, cussing, nekkid boobie women!

Oh, and I am not grown up!, what fun would that be????

Man, I had already ordered the reissue Bandai Yamato toy just on general principe of it being so freaking cool. NOW, I want it even more!.

Edited March 16, 2005 by Mechamaniac

[myk]

Oh I'm all about wasting s@@tloads of money. What fun is a hobby without the penchant for spending too much money? Why buy just one VF-1 Valkyrie when you can buy a bunch of them with the only difference being the color of the stripe on their bodies yet paying over $150 for each? I have both Star Blazers and the HK jobs, and I enjoy them both. As with Clash of the Bionoids, the hokey english acting keeps me awake and lends a twist to an otherwise droll 2 or more hours of monotone Japanese voice acting...

As I said before pick this stuff up, English or HK version you'll win no matter what....

Edited March 16, 2005 by myk

[Keith]

By wasting a shitload of money, I'm referring to $150 per season for straight VHS dumped to DVD, with terrible compression to boot.

[Dobber]

Man, I had already ordered the reissue Bandai Yamato toy just on general principe of it being so freaking cool.  NOW, I want it even more!.

Yeah I had that thing pre-ordered also from HLJ.....but I had to cancel it. I just couldn't justify nearly $200 before shipping for that toy....no matter how cool I thought it was. But damnit....I still want it!!!!!

I have the HK DVD's and am really happy with them. Series 2 the Comet Empire was just incredible...best of the bunch IMHO! It's funny how the music can be soooo campy but then turn to such a beautiful score also...particularly at the end of the Comet Empire series.

Chris

Edited March 16, 2005 by Dobber

[calean007]

you can goto

Starblazers Website

That would be my best guess.

Great series....As a young kid, I wanted inside Nova's flight suit...

[JELEINEN]

If you want Starblazers then by all means buy the DVDs.

If you want Space Battleship Yamato then go to the CENTRAL ANIME website. They've subbed up to episode 16, and seem to be able to crank out new episodes weekly.

Its not as pronounced a difference as, say...Robotech vs Macross, but there are differences. I think you're grown up enough to handle a little drinking, cussing, and even a bit of that campy macho chauvinism that we just don't get anymore.

Central does awesome work. These guys are true perfectionists when it comes to subtitling. I've been watching their Yamato releases as well and they're doing an upstanding job. It's especially nice to see that they're using real R2 import DVDs for source and the notes during the credits of what must be the results of 30 years of fan speculation.

[Mechamaniac]

Central does awesome work. These guys are true perfectionists when it comes to subtitling. I've been watching their Yamato releases as well and they're doing an upstanding job. It's especially nice to see that they're using real R2 import DVDs for source and the notes during the credits of what must be the results of 30 years of fan speculation.

Yup, their subs are probably the best fansubs I have seen yet. I am really happy with the Central Anime fansubs, I've got the first 17 episodes downloaded.

This series just keeps getting better!.

Taking a page from the end of episode recap...

Bandai, hurry up and reissue the BPX-01 Yamato, people on Earth are being poisoned by the lack of this cool ass toy.

Yamato toy, hurry up and begin your journey of 6800 miles from HLJ to my house!.