Vanity: Space Battleship Yamato Series Reboot (aka: "Starblazers")

Anime Network ^ | 12/19/2012 | Kolath

[Kolath]

"Space Battleship Yamato," a classic sci-fi anime series of the 1970's with international fandom, movies and spin-offs, is being reintroduced with a series reboot for 2012. The reviews from the international anime crowd have been astounding.

Packaged in four-episode "mini-packs," and hitting select Japanese movie screens, "Yamato 2199" is now being released on BluRay (compatible with US players). Currently, Amazon is selling select Bluray episode packages.

Bandi is selling collector figurines and models for the general public.

No news as of yet if Film distributor Shochiku is seeking US media distributors at this time.

If sales are any indication, the production studious in Japan are likely to finish season one and possibly proceed with seasons two ("Comet Empire") and three ("Bolar Wars").

The original 1974 series was released in the US in 1979 under the title "Starblazers".

[GenXteacher]

Gen-X pingworthy, perhaps?

[FreedomPoster]

Bfl

[Eye of Unk]

I think its a great idea, I bet it goes over big. And I hope the US market doesn’t try to suppress it here in the states. Granted some historical events should be deep sixed, like who would want to see a series about the Bismark fighting space aliens? Some things are just too turbid.

[rottndog]

Loved the series as a kid. You can watch all the old shows on Hulu now.

[qam1]

A little late

Xer Ping

Ping list for the discussion of the politics and social (and sometimes nostalgic) aspects that directly effects Generation Reagan / Generation-X (Those born from 1965-1981) including all the spending previous generations are doing that Gen-X and Y will end up paying for.

Freep mail me to be added or dropped. See my home page for details and previous articles.  

[qam1]

A little late

Xer Ping

Ping list for the discussion of the politics and social (and sometimes nostalgic) aspects that directly effects Generation Reagan / Generation-X (Those born from 1965-1981) including all the spending previous generations are doing that Gen-X and Y will end up paying for.

Freep mail me to be added or dropped. See my home page for details and previous articles.  

[relictele]

Loved Star Blazers even if some of the animation and character design - especially the doe-eyed females - seemed odd to a kid unfamiliar with anime (apart from Speed Racer of course). The WWII apocalypse allegory was also lost on me.

We had a summer routine down...get to neighbor kid’s house 5 minutes before airtime, coax a decent picture out of a distant UHF signal using one those set top controls that rotated the rooftop aerial. Something to be said for working a bit for one’s entertainment.

Later I bought the VHS compilation.

[tanknetter]

3. It’s a cultural thing

Very true. Starblazers was edited in a major way for US television. Some of it was overtly sexual content that would probably be ok these days. Some of it was cosmetic, like renaming the Yamato "Argo".

However one of the big cuts was the original beginning, a flashback where the Yamato is sunk by USN pilots, with direct analogies drawn between the USN pilots and the evil Gammalons.

There's been a major resurgence in Yamato interest in recent years. Besides the different "Space Battleship" efforts (anime and live action), there was a live action movie about the Yamato's wartime service, and there's even a massive (1/16 scale I think, maybe 1/8th even) Yamato that's been built and put on display.

[tanknetter]

Question for you: are the new episodes dubbed into English, or subtitled?

[Ted Grant]

There was a live action film a few years ago.

[Kolath]

They disks are subtitled in English. If they find a US distributor I can only assume they’ll be dubbed. And I can only hope they find good voice talent for the task.

Quite frankly, as an anime fan, subtitling is often better than most dubbs (IMHO). Dubbing often “loses something” especially if the English voice actors aren’t up to the task (or if the actor’s voice just doesn’t fit...I’ve experienced some dubbs that are just horrible and detract from the story).

[Kolath]

Gen-X pingworthy, perhaps?

Yes....ping away!!!

[Army Air Corps]

Fond memories as this was one of my earliest exposures to anime as a wee lad.

[tanknetter]

Thanks! The reason I asked is that my son is at the same age that I was introduced to Starblazers (he’s 7) and while he’s a good reader I think that he’s going to find subtitling problemmatic. But Im going to order them and give it a try: one of the things that, in retrospect, was great about Starblazers was it’s continuing, progressing storyline. I think that it really helped me develop good attention and retention skills.

[Kolath]

Yamato (Starblazers) was just so different than the “buy my cereal” cookie-cutter crap coming out of the US (with few exceptions such as Disney and perhaps certain iconic titles from Hanna-Barbera).

Leader Desslok was the first “cool villain” I’d ever seen. Perhaps the first ever metro-sexual villain of animation (LOL)!!!!

As I’m typing this, I’m listening to the “Final Yamato” soundtrack....it’s awesome.

[Kolath]

One the best quotes from Desslok (Season three, “Bolar Wars”)

At the end of the episode, a senior officer was caught openly worshiping the “Golden Goddess of Peace” at their conference meeting. Desslock was pissed!

ZAPPPP goes Desslok’s ray gun and as the senior officer laid on the floor, gasping for breath, Desslok leaves the conference room in disgus. But before he passes the door, he turns around to the other staff officers and says with contempt....

“Gamilon only has room for one God...and that God is ME!!!”

Classic!!!