Unjustly Ignored — Why Star Blazers 2199 is More Than Worth Your Time

I recently came upon Star Blazers 2199 having never seen a single episode of the fabled original 1974 Space Battleship Yamato, infamously localised (and edited) in 1979 for US broadcast as Star Blazers. That I, and my ten-year-old son, enjoyed it so much is testament to the fact that it's a fantastic modern remake, one that requires no prior knowledge of this long-running, convoluted, and confusing franchise.

Space Battleship Yamato 2199 had an unusual release pattern, to say the least. Between April 7th 2012 and August 24th 2013, it was initially released in Japanese cinemas as a series of seven movies that were essentially multiple episodes mashed together, and attendees could buy the limited-edition blu-rays as they left the showings. Only in April 2013 did the twenty-six individual episodes begin their Japanese television broadcast. It wasn't streamed for Western viewers, unlike the majority of its contemporaries, which may at least partly explain why the show was largely ignored by Western anime fandom.

Renamed to Star Blazers 2199, apart from a botched, incomplete (and exceedingly expensive) 2014 blu-ray release from Voyager Entertainment, it didn't even properly come to US physical media until 2017 (and 2020 in the UK)! At least it's now also easily available to stream via Funimation. With sequel series Star Blazers 2202 (a remake of 1978's Space Battleship Yamato II) also available to stream and buy on disc, now is the perfect time to catch up in anticipation of the new Space Battleship Yamato 2205 movie duology.

Star Blazers 2199 is an essential slice of space opera, and a loving homage to the golden age of exploratory science fiction. Thematically similar to Battlestar Galactica, the crew of the resurrected WWII battleship Yamato flee the dying Earth in their super-cool retrofitted vessel, made improbably space-worthy enough to traverse between galaxies to reach the fabled planet Iscandar. Hounded at every turn by the Gamilans—a powerful, tireless enemy—they must surpass tremendous odds to secure a future for their beleaguered people.

Although a strongly pro-militaristic serialised war story with frequent episode-ending cliffhangers, 2199 occasionally slows down to allow the Yamato's crew to experience episodic adventures on exotic alien planets and meet (suspiciously human-shaped but differently-hued) alien people. The propulsive overarching plot follows the Yamato and its crew seeking Iscandar's “Cosmo Reverse System” to heal the Earth, uncovering dark truths about the universe along the way, and engaging in truly spectacular, nail-biting space battles.

That last is one of the show's best callbacks to the 1980s' SF anime glut. I can't remember the last time I witnessed such exciting, explosive anime space combat; more immediate than The Legend of the Galactic Heroes' stately chess-with-space-submarines, but with a scale and depth of warfare outclassing most modern SF anime, 2199's incredible budget shines during the multitudinous technicolor detonations that fill the screen as small smoothly-animated CGI ships dip and dive between Star Wars-esque star destroyers. There's none of that distracting, bargain-basement, frame-skipping anime CGI to mar these expertly-choreographed battles.

Against a stunning, hauntingly-depicted backdrop of kaleidoscopic colour, the Yamato defends itself against countless foes, neon lasers glittering over swirling blue, pink, and green nebulae. Like Hornblower but in space, enormous battleships sail parallel, blasting cannons at one another while characters shout familiar naval terminology. They even refer to themselves as “sailors in a sea of stars”. Every impact is brutal, shearing through solid metal, sparks (and bodies) flying into the vacuum of space. Enemy ships explode in intricate conflagrations detailed enough to swallow the entire action animation budget of most other shows.

Enhancing the dazzling visuals, 2199's rousing score ups the ante considerably. The opening theme, with its initial solemn chant giving way to deep, warm bass vocals supported by upbeat, '70s-esque brass operatic pop and background soaring female soprano, really sells the emotional stakes of characters driven by desperation for survival. It's a stirring modern arrangement of the original theme, and the opening animation sequence it accompanies was designed by none other than Evangelion's Hideaki Anno.

The music used within the show is varied and atmospheric, often riffing on its synth-heavy 1970s origins but never degenerating into full cheese. The battle themes in particular greatly raise the tension and add much personality. Perhaps as a result of its initial release as separate movies, there are seven different ending songs, all very eclectic in style from beautiful, evocative ballads to Queen-esque squealing guitar-filled power rock. 2199 is worth experiencing even for its music alone.

Yamato's original co-creator and character designer, the legendary Leiji Matsumoto, was not directly involved with the remake, though the character designs (by Escaflowne's Nobuteru Yuki) are extremely faithful but attractively updated for modern sensibilities. Anyone concerned that there would be a dearth of Matsumoto-style tall, mysterious, blonde, waif-like anime ladies can breathe a sigh of relief. There are at least four of them in 2199 alone, and their presence drives a very odd mistaken-identity subplot.

Nominal lead Susumu Kodai is a fairly typical young, hot-headed male protagonist who gradually matures, but he's surrounded by an ensemble of colourful characters. Most prominent is main antagonist and blue-skinned, blonde-haired Space Nazi Abelt Desler. He's a real old-style boo-hiss bad guy with some hidden depths and an incredible ability to keep turning up again after certain death. It does harm the story's credibility a little that the main antagonist just won't stay dead. Even my ten-year-old was like “I know his ship's just got blown up, but Desler's not dead, is he?” This isn't much of a spoiler, as even the next-episode previews spoil his inability to die.

Elder statesman Admiral Juzo Okita is Yamato's answer to Battlestar Galactica's Bill Adama. A wise, grizzled old commander, he leads his adoring crew with fairness and wisdom, despite his failing health. Scarred from his previous war experiences, he's a pacifist at heart, though not afraid to leap into the fires of war to meet his objectives. The battles of wits between Okita and enemy Gamilan general Elk Domel are a highlight of the second half of the show, the outcomes of which are sometimes impressively apocalyptic.

Main female lead Yuki Mori is one of the aforementioned blonde Matsumoto archetypes. Her relationship with Kodai is more than a little reminiscent of Macross' Hikaru and Misa — co-workers who get off to a bad start but gradually fall in love. Their slightly dull romance is probably meant to be the heart of the show, but thankfully it's sidelined by many other plotlines.

As is often the case with shows with large ensembles, it's the side characters who are most interesting. I'm a big fan of fiery, blue-skinned, red-haired Gamilan pilot Melda Ditz. Originally an enemy, then a cautious ally, and finally a friend, her rivalry-turned-friendship with fellow female (but human) pilot Akira Yamamoto is probably my favourite character pairing. The impulsive, reckless Akira is more than a little reminiscent of Battlestar Galactica's Starbuck, as are her interactions with Kodai as an Apollo analogue.

2199's attitude towards war is fascinating. Any analysis must consider that the original 1974 show was made less than thirty years following the end of WWII, with the war still well within living memory. Japan, of course, surrendered following the use of nuclear weapons upon its soil (and people), and many of its powerful navy's ships were sunk to the bottom of the ocean. In the years following the war, the Japanese were viewed with suspicion by the Allies, as “bad guys” who had sided with the Nazis. With Yamato, however, Matsumoto and co. dreamed up a myth where Japanese military might was not to be feared, but to be celebrated. The re-surfacing and resurrection of a famous Japanese warship would be the very thing that would save the entire world from disaster.

At almost forty years later, Yamato 2199 was further separated from the original Space Battleship Yamato show's production than the original had been from the war. In 2012, even the very youngest war survivor would have been 67. Most survivors with direct experiences and memories of the war would have been in their seventies, eighties, or even nineties. It's interesting to note then that the Yamato is fitted with a blatant nuclear bomb analogue in The Wave Motion Gun, a doomsday weapon powerful enough to destroy entire planets. They even use it within the first few episodes, leaving a massive, ugly scar across the surface of Jupiter. The weapon is clearly identified as a horrific abomination, yet characters also argue it's necessary for self-defence. A late-story objection to this never really amounts to anything meaningful. Was 2199 deliberately written as a defence of the nuclear deterrent? If so, there's dissonance in that coming from a country with no nuclear weapons of their own and such a tragic history concerning them.

2199's enemies are hardly cardboard cut-out baddies either. Uber-antagonist Abert Desler notwithstanding, we're presented with a conveyor belt of Gamilan generals and politicians. Some are stereotypical snivelling sycophants, the worst kind of cartoon cliche the show could have done without. Others are more reserved, honourable men, complex and sympathetic characters with their own motivations and troubles. One character who I wish had received a little more screen time is the Minister of Propaganda and “witch” Miezela Cerestella, whose spooky telepathic abilities were under-explored. Although the vast majority of the Gamilan enemies are nothing but cannon fodder for the story to (at times, very bloodily) dispatch in their millions, these more complex enemies add extra flavour and colouring to what otherwise would be a very moralistically black-and-white story.

The very best SF is often thought-provoking and morally challenging, but this isn't what 2199 sets out to be. The moral quandaries are only skin-deep, and it's usually very clear from the setup of each episode what needs to be done. There's definitely more meat to chew on here than the average space-action anime show, and there are a few references to famous poetry and classic fiction to stimulate the braincells, but overall this is fun, flashy popcorn entertainment. Suitable for adults and older children alike, this captivated my normally distractable 10-year-old son so fully that he begged not to stop watching after each episode. We binged the final eight episodes in one sitting, and with my bonkers, fidgety child, that is utterly unheard of.

2199 does benefit from being digested in chunks, and the story fits well thematically into the original film-shaped segments. The first two episodes cover the departure from Earth (movie 1), then four episodes covering the journey through the solar system (movie 2), four episodes travelling through our galaxy (movie 3), four episodes travelling between galaxies (movie 4) and so on. Seriously, Netflix should get on the Yamato train. Its binge-ability would suit their demographic perfectly.

Hopefully Funimation will soon announce the English language license for both Space Battleship Yamato 2205 movies so that Western fans can continue to watch this spectacular and entertaining franchise. Hey — perhaps a few more viewers might help push their hand a little, so do me a favour and go stream or buy Star Blazers 2199!

Kevin Cormack is a Scottish medical doctor, husband, father, and lifelong anime obsessive. He writes as Doctorkev here and appears regularly on The Official AniTAY Podcast. His accent is real