Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 宇宙戦艦ヤマト2199

| Episodes: 26 | Score: 8.3 (40580)

Updated every at | Status: Finished Airing

Type: OVA

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Synopsis

Earth's once green hills and rich blue oceans have been converted into a desolate wasteland by the relentless onslaught of planet bombs from the expansionist Gamilas Empire. By the year 2199, humankind has retreated to the depths of underground cities to escape the radiation. However, all hope is not lost, as the distant planet Iscandar offers Earth its final salvation: the Cosmo Reverse System, capable of restoring Earth's irradiated surface. In a desperate bid to retrieve this technology from Iscandar, the Earth Defense Force pours its remaining resources into the Yamato—an innovative, state-of-the-art battleship equipped with an infinite energy Wave Motion Engine. From young talent such as Tactical Officer Susumu Kodai to accomplished veterans like Captain Juuzou Okita, the Yamato's crew consists of many individuals, all varying in their experience on the battlefield. But despite their differences, one goal unifies them all: to complete their perilous 168,000 light-year voyage to Iscandar and save humanity from imminent doom. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Voice Actors

Yamadera, Kouichi

Ono, Daisuke

Kuwashima, Houko

Sugou, Takayuki

Suzumura, Kenichi

News

Reviews

baltic_scorpion
09/12/2023, 11:31 AM
If you are fan of the original 1974 series then you'll be blown away by the improvements of the story quality and the characters in this reboot. As a space opera, its no surprise that the series is filled with an abundance of gorgeous scores, that both include themes from the original series, and new ones that only further enhance the experience. Now I know the word 'reboot" can make people a bit nervous. Often times we worry that it could never live up to the original. I mean, why fix what isn't necessarily broken right? But there's no need to worry here. Thistakes the classic story and brings it to a new audience while also creating a experience that feels new for those who think they already know the story. With improvements to the story and characters you can of course expect the visuals to be improved as well. The production value of the series was extremally high and it shows. The animation is clean and the backgrounds are stunning to look at, weather it be the complex ship interiors or the vast star systems the anime takes you through. While the 74 series was good, one cannot deny that the animation is quite dated. This series does a fantastic job of making the visuals something you won't soon forget. The series is 26 episodes, so not a very long anime by any means, but story takes place over year and by the end you really feel like you went on a voyage across the galaxy with these characters, even if you manage to binge watch it in one day. Anyone who loves sci fi adventure anime with some romantic sub plots will have a fantastic time with this series. There's no need to have even heard of the original to enjoy this series. it is more then capable of standing on its on, and in my opinion, stands even taller then the original.
Connoisseur5910
10/20/2021, 12:59 PM
WELL For about a month or so, i've been in a rush after work to go home, and the reason for that was because, i wanted to make it on time. In order to watch this great Anime on TV. Every single day at work, i await, when I will be able to leave... An evening without Yamato is a day not complete. For anybody who went to High School the name Yamato is known. Cause it is not just the fictional name of the ship in Anime, for someone who are interested in Japanese History and more specifically Military History, like I am, we know muchmore about it... So a important History Fact must be mentioned. At the End of the WW2 the Japanese Empire built a warship of enormous Power it was the super Battleship Yamato. It took more than 300 US Military Aircraft to sink this monstrous War Machine. The Mission, which Yamato in real Life was to undertake, it was a suicide Mission. The Military High Command hoped, by sacrificing this ship they could save the Empire of the Rising Sun. Just like in this Anime, the Star Blazer Yamato must accomplish a Mission, which equals a Suicide, in order to save our Planet Earth. Traveling across vast ranges in the Universe, to another Planet, Fighting countless battles and surviving more than 300 Enemy Spaceships of different types, Yamato succeeds the mission in year 2199. All this Outstanding story is portrayed with amazing Art, no time and effort to details were speared. And the Soundtrack in this Anime is just Masterpiece. Every Character has their own role and reasons to fight in this war, and in the 26 Episodes all of that is mentioned, we get to know a handful of great characters. Just to mention several of them: Susumu Kodai, Yuki Mori, Daisuke Shima, Melda Deitz, Elk Domel, Wolf Frakken, Kaoru Niimi, Akira Yamamoto. My Advice would be, pay more attention to these characters. All of this summed, up, made my heart react to every aspect of this Anime. Weather it was a action scene, a more intense battle, or Plot Twist, which got me surprised. Or the few tears during the last Episode, which i just watched today. (Good tears I mean) All this is proof, what a great Anime this is. Nothing more, nothing less. I rated this Anime 9/10. And it really is one of, like 5 or 6, Anime i watched so far, that really deserve a score of 9. This really is a great Anime, Greatness at is finest, sort of speak. I recommend all of Anime Watcher to give this Anime a shot. It will be worth your time.
Ernacram
06/07/2021, 05:19 AM
Due to its nature of OVA and remake of a really old (but legendary) series, on top of being a space opera, that is to say a genre that is long forgotten, Space Battleship Yamato 2199 was either avoided or went unnoticed by most anime fans. In 2012-2013 the anime community was apparently too busy watching soft-core porn series such as High School DxD and its sequels. Or perhaps were they repelled by the stench of nationalism coming from this OVA, which would be a better reason than wasting their time w*nking to demon teenage girls. But I highly doubt that anime fans are thispolitically aware. So what’s worse? Porn addiction, which slowly destroys your brain and makes you see people as objects? Or nationalism, which encourages you to sacrifice yourself and others for the glory of a mystic entity while your ruling class is profiting off arms sales? The answer is obvious; today I will be teaching you about the wonders of nationalism! --- The story and why it is good Ignore the joke in the intro. Let’s forget about the nationalistic undertones of the series for a moment – I will talk about them in a later paragraph – this is an excellent OVA. The story is set in a future where Earth is being bombed into eradication by an alien Empire known as the Gamilas, who are some sort of space Nazis led by a space Hitler named Desler. The bombings have covered the surface of the Earth with toxic contamination and people are forced to live in underground cities. Humanity is on the verge of extinction. To remove the contamination and to fight with the aliens on equal footing, Earth turns a WW2 Japanese battleship, the Yamato, into a powerful spaceship and sends it on a quest to retrieve a technology that can restore Earth to its former state from the alien planet Iskandar. The OVA follows the Yamato's journey to Iskandar, and the many challenges faced by the crew as they travel through enemy territory, and fight the Gamilas Empire in space battles or on other planets. While this does not sound like a very original premise nowadays, the story is well-executed. There are cool weapons such as the Yamato’s Wave Motion Gun, which can destroy entire continents, or the drill missile (yep, it wasn’t invented by the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies). There is cool technology such as the Warp, which creates artificial wormholes to move faster than light. There are good and likable characters on both sides, such as the charismatic and brave Domel on the Empire’s side, and Okita as captain of the Yamato. Okita Juuzou, another man of honor who respects his enemy. An old captain who wants to save his people and homeland, and whose body was made weaker due to toxic contamination, but doesn’t seek revenge or extermination of his enemy. How could someone dislike that grandpa? The characters’ motivations are easy to understand on both sides of the war, without them being one-dimensional. Some want to get revenge, some want to protect their families, and some others want glory and recognition. There are epic space battles where both sides actually establish strategies to kill each other. And there is tension and situations where it gets desperate for the Yamato and its crew, the battle against Domel is the best example. --- Improved story and characters This remake improved already existing characters and added new ones. In the 1974 series there was only one female in the crew, and her only purpose in existence was to fall in love with the protagonist almost immediately along with being sexually assaulted by the robot Analyzer on several occasions. In this remake not only did Analyzer stop being a sexual assaulter, a few relevant female characters were also added, such as Yamamoto Akira. The romance between the protagonist Kodai Susumu and Mori Yuki is also more developed than in the 1974 series. The relationship between the characters are a bit more complex. Characters are developed throughout the whole series rather than getting their own dedicated episode, as it was the case in the 1974 series. In the original series, the characters on the Gamilas Empire’s side were all cartoonishly evil and had mischievous faces, except from Domel. In this remake they are more developed and made more human, as they have families and better motivations. Schultz and his men, for example, are second class citizens who seek to become first-class citizens through success in the military. Domel also has a wife and family. The universe in general is more complex and more coherent. There are a lot of cool additions, such as the fact that the Gamilas Empire has its own language which, for once, doesn’t sound too ridiculous. They have their own names for technologies and planets, for example Pluto is called Plat. In the original series the Nazi aspect of the Empire was mostly about aesthetics, with the German-sounding names and such. In this remake, the Empire has racial discrimination and a secret police that suppresses any opposition (yes, there is an opposition now). The Nazi character of the empire is also made more obvious with other additions such as a Nazi-like salute and a Swastika-like symbol. There are also other alien races, and some of them are under the domination of the Empire. Contrary to the 1974 series, it doesn’t have filler episodes (or episodes that feel like fillers), meaning that the entire series is good to re-watch, except maybe from one or two episodes where not much interesting stuff happens, such as ep.9 and ep.14. --- There are a few problems, however The first flaw is fairly obvious, it’s the fact that an entire galactic empire and its space armada is unable to destroy a single spaceship sent by a dying civilization. It doesn’t matter that the Yamato has powerful weapons like the Wave Motion Gun. It shouldn’t be capable of breaking through entire armies, taking heavy damage and still manage to repair while in space, and resupplying only once or twice on an uninhabited (and hostile) planet in an entire year. The second flaw is that the end of the series is too long. Without spoiling anything, towards the end of the series, when the quest of the Yamato is basically completed, some unnecessary events happen and this justifies the existence of two episodes which could have been used differently. Note that this is also a problem of the 1974 series and not just this remake. This remake could have removed or replaced this two episodes just as it did for the filler episodes in the 1974 series (such as the one taking place on a planet inhabited by tribal ants, which was absolutely ridiculous). It could have used them to develop the Gamilas Empire a bit more. It could also have used them to explain certain things that are left unexplained even at the end of the series. Even if characters were improved, some of them are still pretty bad. The best example being Desler, (aka space Hitler) who is the same as in the original series: nothing more than your typical cartoonish bad guy that wants the whole universe under his boot, always has an evil plan (that fails, of course), makes bad decisions and kills his own subordinates for fun. He doesn’t have enough charisma to compensate. --- The stench of nationalism Perhaps the major flaw of both this remake and the original is its nationalistic undertones. For some reason, most reviews and comments about the series completely ignore this aspect, while some others give little attention to it. Yet this isn’t something trivial. The fact that few people are pointing it out, and even fewer people are actually denouncing it is somewhat alarming. If the show had been a German cartoon or live-action series about the Bismarck fighting against fascist aliens, it would have caused a controversy and the show would have been canceled almost immediately. But when it comes to Japanese involvement in WW2, people get strangely forgetful. Firstly, the fact that in this series, the Earth is saved by the Japanese, and only by them. In ep.2 of the 1974 series there is a scene that shows how the historical Yamato was sunk by the USA at the end of WW2, scene in which the Japanese navy is portrayed in an almost positive light. This scene should make uncomfortable anyone who knows about the atrocities committed by Japan and its armed forces during the Second Sino-Japanese War and WW2. Fortunately, this scene is absent in this remake. However, the ambient nationalism didn’t vanish, as the Earth is saved by the Yamato – a symbol of Japanese military supremacy – and an all-Japanese crew. The space fighters are also named after WW2 Japanese fighters, such as the Zero. Why are the crew members all Japanese? Other countries were not eradicated yet, and Japan is not supposed to be the most advanced country in space exploration or space technology, so it doesn’t make sense. This remake added new characters, including relevant female characters to get rid of the sexism, so there was an opportunity to add American, European, Russian or Chinese characters, but they didn’t do it. Instead, Martians and Iskandarians get more representation in the crew than non-Japanese earthlings! But there’s more. Let us look at the premise of this series again. The Gamilas Empire bombs Earth with weapons of mass destruction, and humanity sends a single space battleship, the Yamato, to fight back against the entire Empire and save their homeland from eradication. This situation looks awfully similar to how the historical Yamato was sunk: it was sent to fight an uneven battle against an overwhelmingly stronger enemy, at the time where Japan was being bombed to hell (the bombing of Tokyo is one example) by said enemy. In short, this series is yet another attempt for Japanese nationalists to play the victim, when it was Japan that started the war and killed (directly or indirectly) dozens of millions of people, mostly Chinese. It is yet another attempt for Japanese nationalists to portray themselves as the good guys, in a fantasy where their heaviest ship bravely faces a Nazi-like empire and saves the people whom they oppress. Who contributed the most to the defeat of the Nazis, again? It was the USSR, with the help of the US and the UK. It was certainly not Japan, which was allied with Nazi Germany. So perhaps the series should have been called Space Tank T-34 instead? This doesn’t prevent the series from being excellent nevertheless. It is good that this OVA removed the scene mentioned earlier, and that some plot points were added to make it less nationalistic, but the nationalistic undertones remain. They will surely make a lot of people uncomfortable, myself included, and for good reasons. --- The animation is still very good Despite its old age, the animation of the 1974 series is very good and one of its strong points. Is the animation of this remake on par with the original? It definitely is! The animation is clean and smooth, the space battles look particularly awesome. The backgrounds look very good and are very detailed. The Gamilas cities and buildings are well done and original, they really look like alien cities. Their design is mostly the same as in the 1974 series, but with much more detail. Iskandar also has very cool Utopian-looking buildings. The somewhat archaic art-style is replaced by a more familiar one, making it easier for today’s anime fans to watch the series. The downside is that it looks generic. Despite that, the character designs are well done and easy to recognize, without using extravagant hairstyles that would feel out of place in a series like this. Vehicles and spaceships are CGI, including the Yamato. I will always say this: good 2D animation looks better than good CGI. I would have preferred to see the Yamato in 2D again, but the CGI in this anime is of high quality, and the Yamato is still so goddamn sexy. There are however a few things that look ugly, for example the rare CGI crowds, a huge CGI bug on some planet, and also some special effects like explosions and smoke which sometimes don’t look very good. --- Great music The sound is another strong point of both the 1974 series and this remake. The soundtrack is awesome. It definitely fits the series as it sounds military, with drums, trumpets and such. Most of it is the same as the 1974 series, but there are also a few new tracks in the same style, which are made by Miyagawa Akira, the son of Miyagawa Hiroshi, who composed the music of the 1974 series. The opening is an updated version of the original opening with modern animation and sound, which is good since it is such an incredible and memorable opening. The sound in general is very good. The sound effects, like the alarms or the sound the Wave Motion Gun makes before firing are just so cool. It is sad however, that the sound effects for the laser fires were not updated. The voice-acting is also very good, with well-known seiyus such as Ono Daisuke (Erwin in Attack on Titan, Jotaro in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure) voicing Kodai Susumu, or Ootsuka Akio (Rider in Fate/Zero, Wham in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Batou in Ghost in the Shell) voicing Elk Domel. --- Verdict Overall Space Battleship Yamato 2199 is an excellent OVA, and a good remake of the original series. Many things were improved and made more up-to-date to modern day standards, which makes it more accessible to modern audiences, while keeping the elements that made it a legendary series. Though I would have loved to see the Yamato animated in 2D again, the animation is top-notch, and so is the soundtrack. So I would strongly recommend it to most anime fans, but you have to be aware of its nationalistic undertones.
_cjessop19_
04/24/2020, 09:16 PM
Remakes or reboots often get a bad rap in the anime community as many beloved series often get messed up and butchered in an attempt to add a more modern spin on an already old and classic series. Space Battleship Yamato 2199, however, is a remake of the classic series that is not only able to catch the spirit of the original, but is able to expand further and vastly improve and succeed on what the 1974 version couldn’t do in terms of production values. This OVA remake has become the pinnacle of what a modern space opera should be, and I’ll explain why thisis a series you should definitely be invested in. Space Battleship Yamato, or Star Blazers as it’s known to us westerners, is one of the most influential and important series to have come out of Japan, and if you’re old enough, you might have seen it when it originally aired in the US in the early 80’s. The show’s themes and story influenced more serious works and series such as Mobile Suit Gundam, Evangelion and Macross; it’s the equivalent of Star Wars here in the west. The story of the show is orientated on the journey rather than the destination. Earth is under attack from an authoritarian space-conquering race called the Gamillas that threatens Earth to either be destroyed or enslaved. Humanity receives help from another alien race and are told to travel to a nearby galaxy to receive an item that can cleanse the Earth of radiation and make it habitable again. Humanity receives a capsule that allows for interstellar travel and a means to protect themselves from the Gamillas. We follow the journey of the crew that set out on a massive spaceship called Yamato (based on the famous WW2 Japanese warship) and the epic fights, hardships, and drama that the characters experience and overcome on their journey towards preventing humanity’s extinction. Even if the story is simple, what makes a simple story and it’s premise so engageable and thrilling are the different plot twists in each situation. As humanity’s existence is dependent on the success of the journey, each event has a great sense of weight and importance and can greatly influence the outcome of the story if anything goes wrong. One thing that the remake blows away the original series at is the artwork and animation, I can only praise at how fantastic it is. The original series is an unfortunate victim of old age and limited and outdated technology, meaning the animators were limited to what methods and techniques they had available during the production of the show, which shows as the show hasn’t aged all that well artwork and animation-wise. Luckily, technology has advanced far enough since then for the producers to use what is available today to its fullest extent. Being produced by Xebec and AIC, this series is some of the best works of art and animation to have come out within the last decade or so, especially from studios that aren’t as well known for their animation, or just in general, compared to studios such as Bones, Ufotable and Wit. It’s clear to see that they had a large budget to spend; the animation was fluid and the use of CG is some of the best, dare I say, in all of anime, that’s probably where most of the budget went to; that also allowed the series to have some awesome space fights. Most of the fights were in CG, but you can definitely tell that a lot of care and attention were put into each fight, since each ship and when they’re destroyed and each projectile being fired has a great amount of detail put into them. The producers were able to successfully add a more sleek and more modern touch to the art style, everything looks amazing, and I would go as far as to call it a visual masterpiece. Nothing fits perfectly with a space adventure series than an orchestral soundtrack, as the soundtrack for this show is another one of its high points. A lot of the OSTs for this show are re-recordings from the 1974 version, and if you’ve seen the original series before watching the remake, you’ll definitely be reminiscent of the old music. Each soundtrack is used perfectly to evoke and amplify different emotions for the viewer, whether it be intense music for the fights, the upbeat and cheerful music for the crew’s accomplishments, or the mellow and relaxing music in the background as the characters interact with each other and as the ship floats peacefully through space. The OP and ED are good as well. The OP is a revamped version of the 1974 version, which the lyrics sing about battleship Yamato; it makes you feel hyped up and it gives you a sense of nostalgia as well. The show has 7 different endings, and as usual with most anime endings, they are more slow-paced and mellow compared to the opening; the best ending song in my opinion is “Utsukushii Chikyuu wo Shiru Mono yo” by Aki Misato. Overall, the soundtracks for the show are very fitting and are used very well. One of the main differences compared to the original series are the number of characters, especially female characters. In the original series, Mori Yuki was the only female character out of the main cast of characters in the crew. However, we are introduced to other characters such as Akira, Niimi and Melda (and many more side characters), making the female cast for this show much stronger. The characters are created from common character archetypes, though it was executed quite well, we see them ranging from the brave heroes to the evil villains and everything in between, the cast is large and full of life. Most of the characters are likeable, well-written and developed, which makes the journey more interesting and fresh. We are often presented with the image of good vs evil in most series, we follow the main cast of characters who are the “good guys” who fend off and achieve their goals against the “bad guys”. This series takes a slightly different approach with that notion, different characters have different motives which can affect the outcome of the crew’s mission, whether it be their desire to achieve the mission or to rather resettle humanity on another planet, or to rule the galaxy with an iron fist or to fight off and defend oneself from a tyrannical dynasty, there are both good and bad guys on both sides and we get to see many characters who fit those descriptions. The character dynamics are well thought out and feel natural, and alongside their motives, the characters in this show are likeable and interesting and are overall very good. As a fan of sci-fi series and space operas, and that I’m studying astrophysics as a career choice, I found this show amazing and a joy to watch. This show has everything I hoped for a space opera to have; be it epic space fights, amazing music, great characters, fantastic animation, and a satisfying ending. This show is an example of what a modern space opera should be. I would highly recommend this show if you’ve seen the likes of LotGH or any other sci-fi/space anime. Overall, I thought this is a fantastic show, I might even boost this up to a 10/10 if I’m feeling generous enough. Overall score: 9/10
Bananandoreasu
04/15/2020, 11:25 AM
Considering the very high rating, I'm a bit disappointed. Sad to say, because it certainly had potential to be better. Characters are not very good. It's debateable whether this is sci-fi or not. If it is, then it's ultra-soft sci-fi, seems more like fantasy in space to me. Several underdeveloped and unresolved side-plots, even a few plot holes. In 26 episodes, It's amazing how little character development they've managed to fit into such a simple story, considering other shows with way more complex stories does considerable more in half as many episodes. I think this show would be better off if it had spent more time on the characters aboardthe Yamato and elaborated on the main plot. Instead it attempts to build an intergalactic universe it ends up not knowing what to do with. The visuals and music, however, that's what this show has going for it. The space battles are as pleasing and spectacular as fireworks on New Year's Eve. Also, it was cool watching an old WWII ship in space.
mouthpiece
10/29/2019, 04:44 PM
Review up to OVA 10. This is the remake of the first anime space opera, made back in 1974. Since I have already made a review for the original version, I will only mention the differences and how they compare. PROPER MINDSET First of all, I am not against remakes if they are at least two decades apart and if they have something new to offer without taking out the magic of the original. In this case there were four decades since the first version but this anime was made at the same time the live action movie was out. Why did they make two versions so closeto each other? Weird. Not that the movie was bad in any way but it sure changed a lot of elements to the point it felt like a different story altogether. This anime on the other hand kept things almost the same and only tempered with minor details and aesthetics, so it manages not to annoy any fans of the original. THE STAFF - The animation is a collaboration of two studios, AIC and Xebec. They are notorious for their bad production values and below average shows, yet in this case we have a very weird exception where they did a splendid job. It looks brilliant! This was such a surprise for me. - The direction is done by Izubuchi Yutaka, who was an assistant to dozens of famous sci-fi titles over the years, including the third season of the older Yamato. His only previous directing work as in Rahxephon, which had an amazing concept but was otherwise completely boring and badly presented. I was expecting a lousy job but again I was amazed to find it he actually did pretty well this time. I guess it was studio Bones at fault and not his talent at fault. PRODUCTION VALUES The first thing everybody will notice is how the faces are not Leiji-like. It can sort of disappoint some retro fans but to be honest most new viewers would simply hate that style. Also, Ozma was completely Leiji-styled and we all saw what a waste of time that was, so leave the style to be modern. I got used to it after only half an hour. Character faces aside, everything else is left the same in terms of artwork; ship, uniforms, robots all look the same. They have also been upgraded to include ten times more details instead of leaving all minor characters like blobs in the background. It also corrected the color mistakes the older version had. Remember how they forgot to draw the aliens with blue skin in the first episodes? Aesthetics aside, it looks plain gorgeous in everything from environments, to explosions, to smooth animation. This is how perfection is supposed to look like. It really matters when you have ten times more time and budget to make an episode, than just one week and a few pennies. The soundtrack is basically an upgrade of the original, still ballads with more flavors in musical BGM. Unless you expect new songs in a remake, you will love the new more dynamic versions of the classic themes. SCRIPT Ok, sure, it’s the age-old classic story of an alien invasion. The Earth people create a super spaceship and go to beat the aliens and find a way to rebuild their planet. As simple as it sounds, it has a lot more things to it, from taking the time to flesh out all the major characters, as well as to expand into other themes, such as patriotism, honor, and propaganda. Those themes were present in the original as well but definitely were undermined in favor of space exploration and rather dull dialogues. So although the main plot is as basic as it sounds, each episode usually branches out to include various interesting side stories of human drama. Also, you now feel that there are far more planets with civilizations out there, from colonized human planets, to systems the aliens conquered. This of course can work negatively, since in the older version it was jusy Earth and Gamilas the only planets which could support human life. Now we are just a backwater planet, and a minor conquest instead of a vital area that will help the aliens to survive by migrating from their dying planet. In a similar way, there are many areas on the planet which don’t feel like they are under immediate threat by the aliens, as they all were in the older version. I mean there were families which were discussing the heirs of their busyness and the global bombings felt like minor set backs to them instead of horrifying mass extinction of life. So the scope of the story has spread to include far more planets, which is good, but at the same time degraded a lot the importance of the main two warring factions. The results of the war just don’t feel like they will signal the death of a whole race; the losing side can just migrate to a different planet for all we care. But aside from this minor degrading, everything else is pure gold and no episodes were useless so far. CAST While everybody still has the same roles as before, they feel far more fleshed out here, with more elaborate backdrops and characterization. A major plus is how you now feel that several secondary characters are important to the plot as well, besides the main five. Especially when it comes to the female characters, you now get a handful of dynamic women in various key positions, such as pilots, announcers, and enemy representatives. The older version was also supposed to have had many women on board the ship but from a point on they removed them completely and replaced them with genderless blobs, so they will save time in drawing. All you were left were a couple women in the roles of platonic girlfriends and deus ex machinas. So once again, a major improvement was done. What may seem a bit off though is ho cute all the girls are. Not oversexualized and indecent or anything but surely they are all so perky, with skin tight uniforms and innocent looks. Ok, all Leiji omen were treated as such too, but they ere few and major. Over here every girl is like it popped out of a non-erotic dating sim. Nothing particularly bad but it feels like fish out of water in a grim setting where entire solar systems are enslaved and planets are wiped out. Just saying. LEGACY As far as remakes go, this is amongst the best I have seen in my whole life. Although it doesn’t feel as grim and serious as the older version, it does a much better job in improving visuals, story complexity, and character depth. It is rather saddening to see how unnoticed it is by the fandom, as everybody was deifying complete trash shows like Sword Art Online, and didn’t give a damn for a much superior show such as this. Proves once again how we are full of tasteless retards. We haven’t had a good space opera for over a decade and it easily ranks as one of the better anime that were made in recent years. I just hope they are not going to remake the later seasons or movies. They were just inferior rehashes of the first season and any improvements they had over the first season have already been present in the remake. They have absolutely nothing to offer besides weird weaponry and Desler changing moods like he doesn’t know what he wants. Maybe the Black Nebula part would be fine to remake but everything else is completely passable. And now for some excused scorings. ART SECTION: 9/10 General Artwork 2/2 (looks great) Character Figures 1/2 (generic) Backgrounds 2/2 (detailed) Animation 2/2 (overall very good) Visual Effects 2/2 (overall very good) SOUND SECTION: 9/10 Voice Acting 3/3 (fitting with the feeling of the series) Music Themes 4/4 (great) Sound Effects 2/3 (ok I guess) STORY SECTION: 7/10 Premise 1/2 (typical) Pacing 2/2 (fine) Complexity 2/2 (many good side stories) Plausibility 1/2 (so-so) Conclusion 1/2 (I suspect cheesy) CHARACTER SECTION: 6/10 Presence 1/2 (generic) Personality 2/2 (rather cheesy but well founded) Backdrop 1/2 (generic and simplistic but it’s there) Development 1/2 (overblown but it’s there) Catharsis 1/2 (overblown but it’s there) VALUE SECTION: 8/10 Historical Value 3/3 (all-known) Rewatchability 2/3 (high if you like its style) Memorability 3/4 (a very well made remake) ENJOYMENT SECTION: 7/10 Art 1/1 (looks splendid) Sound 1/2 (great songs) Story 2/3 (feels generic but plays out nicely) Characters 3/4 (they are generic but play their parts nicely) VERDICT: 7.5/10
DANGER_ONEECHAN
02/25/2018, 05:18 AM
Space Battleship Yamato 2199 or Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 is a refreshed envisioning of the retro space epic Space Battleship Yamato. It takes place in the year 2199 and follows the epic tale of the Space Battleship "Yamato" as it engages on a solitary Intergalactic journey to save the whole of humanity. Earth and its sister nation of Mars have been laid to waste by the alien civilization known as Garmillas, with the aforementioned Nation sending massive Planet bombs down towards the surface of Earth. These bombs have raided the once fertile and healthy Earth and transformed it into a oceanless and toxic brown huskof what it once was. But there lies hope in the form of assistance from Iskandar, a planet whose people provide a means of perhaps solving earth's crisis. Therefore, the Yamato departs from its own Galaxy on a year-long voyage into the depths of space in desperate attempt to ensure a future for the human race. But the plot itself can't carry a show, and what really makes this show work is in its fully fleshed out characters. Over a diverse cast of many different characters who all have their own separate stories contained within the show, Yamato 2199 expertly manages to weave the plot intricately within the plights, dreams, struggles, and desires of each character. For only having 26 episodes to work with, every individual character from the ships' Nurse to the enemy Admiral charged with preventing the Yamato's success feels fully fleshed-out, and you are drawn to them and their own plights. Those who could be just as easily portrayed as one dimensional enemies, are all the same nuanced and complex with their own agendas and own feelings that can and do shine through. But that is not the only area in which Yamato 2199 is worthy of credit. Yet in addition to its compelling plot, the developments of all cast members over the duration of the show was a true pleasure to watch. It is very rare that you are able to see characters grow and change as clear as you can see within Yamato 2199. Relationships are brought to bloom, friendships form, struggle and then are rekindled. Diplomacy occurs and new ground is made. Tackling all these interpersonal plot lines and developments is undoubtedly a hefty challenge for director Akihiro Enomoto or so one might expect, but if it is, he does not show it. Assisting in this challenge is the voice cast of 2199, with whom great acting is done. Still, even in addition to all, that the art portrayed in the show is beautiful and doesn’t use an excess of CGI or other computer aided art in order to placate budget concerns, as is a pitfall of many other competing Space Opera anime such as Knights of Sidonia. Things like the ships, the planets, and the settings are all meticulously designed and executed, but even when it comes down to the appearance of weapons such as lasers and space torpedoes, it's just as believable as any other show of 2012. Not to be mistaken, CGI is certainly used and this can be considered a knock against the show, but it’s well advised for audiences to look over that fact thanks to the tasteful way that it was blended in with lush environments and fast paced, engaging action scenes. Because even if you consider that, all characters in the show are drawn lovingly and not rendered, with eye catching character designs that just further add to the relatability of the characters. You feel a part of their own struggles as an audience to Yamato 2199, and that’s a particular finesse that is very hard for most shows to capture. 2199 is not most shows. And here in the end, that is the greatest point of Space Battleship Yamato. It isn't like other shows because it captures a different type of humans- Yamato 2199 paints an exceedingly human depiction of real, adult struggle against the odds, people holding fast together to accomplish something that seems unthinkable. It mirrors us in our own struggles against any number of trials, and that's great. Amidst the washing sea of countless seasonal anime depicting Japanese high schoolers do any number of miraculous things, here presented by Studio AIC is a refreshing take of regular, heroic people taking up the mantle of humans just trying to survive. And in Yamato is all the accompanies of that very mantle-- the excitement, discovery, disappointment, the failures of people doing what they think is right, love, hate, camaraderie, and hard won success. It's all there, and that is what makes Space Battleship Yamato 2199 a great watch. Thank you for reading.
Tsugan
02/16/2018, 03:30 AM
Three days ago I had no idea what Space Battleship Yamato 2199 was; I had no idea about the original series made back in the 1970s; I had no idea of the cultural significance it has in Japan, on par with Star Wars in the West; but I have corrected my woeful ignorance and it was one of the best decisions I've made. Story: A space opera for the ages, Yamato 2199 reaches for the stars, and takes them all for itself, leaving later sci-fi anime to fight over the scraps. I have never seen an anime so skillfully manage so many characters without leaving any looseends, it's an achievement that even the most grizzled anime fan can appreciate. I cannot believe such a legendary story slipped past me for this long. Art: This remake's art looks stellar to me, it keeps the spirit of how anime was done back in the 70s and applies a careful modernizing touch to the effects and character design. Sound: Explosions sound great, as does everything else, not a single complaint. Character: Susumu Kodai is a one dimensional main character that feels covered in diamond plot armor no matter what happens. At the very least, his motivations are exceedingly empathetic, and he doesn't do anything radically out of character ever. Captain Okita, Yuki, Shima, Akira, and all the other named crew members really carry the show - by the end you truly care for each and every one of them. However, the real reason that Yamato 2199 stands head and shoulders above all other space-themed anime is its thoroughly developed antagonists headed by the ever mysterious Lord Desler. He is Machiavellian in nature, and his exact desires aren't made clear until the very end. The largest hole in the story, in my opinion, is the lack of explanation regarding Desler's willingness to commit terrible acts - I do not feel the minimal excuse given in the story is enough to justify some of the things he did. Enjoyment: A classic amongst classics, Yamato 2199 inspired the entire genre of space opera anime that went on to spawn things like Mobile Suit Gundam. Anyone claiming to be a connoisseur of anime MUST watch this.
ArtyWolve
12/08/2017, 06:54 PM
I was originally going to rate this a 7, because while I enjoyed it, I didn't think the story was all that remarkable - heroes go out into space, defeat the universe, and save the planet - you've seen it all before right? But then I considered how much I like the characters, and the little things that must have been thought about to make everything flow; there was nothing in the series that dragged on or rushed through, or that didn't somehow contribute to the plot or the characters, and it results in a very wholesome feeling anime. I'm watching this as a person whois new to the series, so I can't really comment on comparisons to the original, but even so I could clearly see how it paid homage to the 1970's version, especially in the OP and sound effects, but also in the design of the characters, which had a modern polish, but still a recognizable retro feel to them. While it may be a little lost on people new to the genre, I'm sure those who've watched the original series will fully appreciate it. I was also surprised by how well CGI was integrated into this anime. Usually CGI in anime is enough to make a lot of people turn around and walk away right then, but, although it is still obvious when CGI is used, I didn't find it to be painfully so like in most anime. When working with complex moving forms like battleships - and then fleets of battleships - it's understandable why CGI was used, and although there are a few odd moments with water and explosions being overly detailed, generally it blends really well, although it probably helps that it's never applied to living forms. Overall, I felt the characters were all likable, and I really enjoyed the progression of their relationships, in spite of a few cheesy moments that were probably unavoidable being a remake from the 70's! Although the story may not be that original, when it first came out it probably was, and I think this anime, being well-made and well-rounded, truly deserves flagship status in this genre.
Lady_Day
11/13/2017, 07:45 PM
So in the beginning I was super hesitant to give this a shot due to the low-ish ratings. OMFG I am so freaking happy that I forged ahead anyways. Seriously, this show is SO damn underrated ... It has a superbly woven mastery to it that you just do not find in a lot of shows, and I love a good sci-fi. Did I mention ACTION PACKED TO THE HILT?!! I know it is a remake so this opinion is based solely on this reboot. Are there a few corny moments that happen... yes. Will all be forgiven considering you will be hanging offthe edge of your seat more than once? Hell yes. I so respect a well thought out, cohesive story with believable characters more than I detest any other flaws I came across. The musical scores were simply amazing and so well timed, seriously bravo. It gave me a James Bond-esque vibe and I watched every single James Bond movie as a kid, so perhaps I am slightly biased. The character designs/set/costume were different and intriguing. Best part? As an adult, I didn't feel like my senses were being dulled with fluffy filler or immature moments that I couldn't relate to. Cons: The ship designs could have been a bit more "futuristic", but then again I believe the original story was written in the 70's/80's - (it was so much action that after a while I didn't even care). The alien races were all a bit too "humanoid" and they could have done better than just changing skin color, although the creativity with the worldbuilding (to me) offsets this. I wont spoil it, but the "miracle" that happens at the end might make you do an epic eyeroll. I give this a 10 due to the fact I was literally drawn into the story like I haven't been in ages, and for someone who is not easily impressed that is priceless.
ImRingo
05/16/2017, 08:59 PM
***THIS IS A SPOILER FREE REVIEW*** My anime quest has finally led me to the path of space operas and with this quest I find myself finishing 26 episodes of absolutely masterful scenes. This remake of a cult classic seems to have surpassed anything I could of imagined. Story: 7/10 This is a remake of the original anime Space Battleship Yamato: The Quest for Iscandar. From what I have read online the remake does an amazing job of keeping the feel and core concepts of the original in tact while offering a fresh look and take on the series. At its core, Space Battleship Yamato 2199 has onevery simple plot device; get to the target planet and destroy everything in its path. That's really it. You will spend 26 episodes getting from Earth to the target planet and back. What keeps things together is of course the scenes between the Earthlings and the enemy. While other space opera shows rely on multi-faceted levels of politics and alliances, Space Battleship Yamato 2199 is very simple to understand and follow. It kind of is like what Fate/Zero is to UBW. To sum everything up, it is one long escort quest that provides many episodes filled with battles, drama, and a little bit of space love. Animation: 8/10 If you look at who is responsible for managing and creating the animation for this show you might get a little worried. AIC and Xebec do not have the greatest track record but they somehow pull together such an amazing display of semi-moe character models and absolutely gorgeous fight scenes. The scenes revolving around the Battleship Yamato going into warp are simply outstanding. The only thing dragging the visuals down are a couple of lazy looking scenes. Sound: 9.8/10 By far the most outstanding element of the show is its overall sound design. Everything comes together in such a cohesive way that it is pretty overwhelming. The music that plays behind the action, behind the drama, behind the slower parts is just 100% spot on. Even when you hear recycled music bits it still fits into the scene. The more impressive part of the sound design though is by far the sound effects. 10/10 on the sounds that Battleship Yamato makes as it speeds up, slows down, fires on enemies, and warps light-years ahead. Lastly the voices actors did a very good matching their on-screen counterparts. I personally loved Makoto's, Yuria's, Saburo's, Yuki's, Susumu, Akira's, and Juzo's voice actors. They did an amazing job relaying emotion to the viewer. Characters: 8/10 There are a lot of characters in the show. The crew on the Battleship Yamato is numerous but they all serve a purpose and receive quite a lot of screen time. The enemy also has many characters that come into the spotlight in order to give the Battleship Yamato a hellish time. I was very impressed by the element one Enemy general (Elk) provided for the show. He was a character that you couldn't necessarily hate due to the way he carried out his actions. As the show progresses you do start to see a sort of love triangle form but thankfully the show doesn't make it the main focus. This element however does allow the characters room to grow which I liked. The show definitely favors the interactions between Susumu and Yuki but not to the point where other characters lose out on possible character development time. Overall: 8.2/10 On a technical level I feel pretty ok with giving Space Battleship Yamato 2199 an 8.2/10. However in my opinion this show is one of the best shows I have ever seen regardless of genre and medium. It sets the goal of the show within the first episode and delivers on said goal within 26 action/adventure filled episodes. I was never bored and I never thought about skipping parts; I was too enthralled with what I was seeing on-screen. You absolutely need to go watch this now. No exceptions. Enjoyment: ∞/10 Thanks for reading my review! If you liked my writing style, would like to see some other reviews, or just want to talk, please stop by my page! Sincerely, Awesome Drummer
KapengBarako
04/28/2016, 02:54 PM
A journey; a trek; a voyage, that's how watching Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 feels like. You know an anime is good, REALLY good, when 26 episodes completed in 4 days feels like 26 episodes completed in a year. This anime just drags you in. Now let's get to the review! Story:10 The story of Uchuu Senkan Yamato is a simple one: A story of trials for salvation, just like those legends of the ancients. Though simple, it's executed well and remains entertaining throughout. There are no annoying sub-plots that detract the story, everything that happens is related to the main premise that is to reach Iscandar, which is greatand makes it epic. Art:8 The art is matches well and is good, that's all. It remains consistent; no quirks or anything. and he art is attractive and conventional; not too flashy nor shabby which is great as it fits the more adult oriented nature of the series. Sound:9 This score is mostly because of the main theme. UCHUUUUUUU SENKAAN YAAMAAAAAAATOOOOOOOOO. Instrumental or not I loved it. The voice acting was great too, and lively, many characters spoke uniquely such as Sado,Katou and Kodai Mamoru. The sound effects were fine too, nothing too unrealistic or crude. Character:9 There were interesting characters from all the sides(Terron,Gamillian.Iscandarian,Zaltzi etc.) and none of them felt empty, you will give a damn about most of them. The only thing I didn't like and the reason I deducted one point was the lack of romance , I mean romance obviously played a part in the plot but there was not much of it. We get to see the outcome of the romance but not much of the buildup nor the transition. Enjoyment:10 Why would you watch a series that you cannot enjoy? As said earlier, Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 is a journey and it's a very entertaining one. Dull moments are few and are quickly forgotten. I highly recommend this anime, like you should watch it now, like right now, what are you waiting for? Go!
katamuro
02/05/2016, 10:45 AM
This anime is great for many reasons, the story, the art, the music, the battles. All really good. Want an anime with ship battles that do not seem contrived? Watch this. Want an anime with epic story, lots of characters and a bit of romance? Watch this. Want a good space opera that is not ashamed of being seen as "soft" scifi and uses it to all it can? Watch this. Really, there is just so many reasons to watch it even if you have never heard of Leiji or have seen anything made by him. I can honestly say that even the slower episodes provide greatworld building and character building. Honestly they could have easily released the second season and a third season, there is just so much of possible stories there.
luhter
01/08/2016, 05:27 AM
I have not seen the original Yamato, so this review has not "old-new" hate or nostalgia. It's about Yamato 2199 as a singular anime series. Story 6: The story starts strong. The first 8-10 episodes were 10 story-wise, the next maybe an 8 , and around episode 18 and after 4-5 . I've included a spoiler section at the bottom of the post. There I will tell you why such a low score but I advise you not to read it unless your 4-5 episodes deep into the anime. Art 10: It's beautiful. The backgrounds are great and vivid, the visual effects and animations are awesome and some caneven make you re-watch the scene. I think this is this series strongest point. Sound 9: A great soundtrack, is one you don't notice. An epic soundtrack is one you notice in a memorable way. Yamato has just a great soundtrack. Nothing really memorable, but it fits great. I can't tell you about voice acting and stuff, because I don't know Japanese, the characters sounded convincing. Character 9: I really liked them. It's great the major characters have a backstory, a different motivation and inner conflicts. Also what I liked is that most of them stayed true to their character traits. They didn't over romanced it and that's good, because I hate that trend in animes. What I didn't liked though was some of the villains and that security leader officer, which felt a little too bleak and just put there so the story can have traction Enjoyment 8: Since the story is getting annoying towards the end, it drags down the enjoyment. At first I was: I need to watch the next episode! but slowly it faded into: Just 6 episode left, I should watch them to finish the series already -------- Overall 8: It's an enjoyable anime. It has a great premise and stunning visuals, and I really hope in the future they would take the main ideas and make a new one with a greater story and more compelling villains. If you liked Battlestar Galactica,Star Wars or any other space opera then watch this anime. ---------------------------- !! SPOILER SECTION !! ---------------------------- Story: The good: The story telling is interesting. I loved the fact they didn't started with Yamato, and they built up the tension and hardship earthlings face. I liked the idea of a superior technology embedded into a lower technology ship and how it takes everybody by surprise. Also the story shines when it doesn't take the obvious twists: like the fact Mori is not an alien or when they built up to an unnecessary and predictable XO selfsacrifice, then we realise it was just a bluff Another thing I liked it in the first part of the anime, is that there are shades of grey: the alien leader on Pluto doesn't really like war and all he wants is a better life for his family, humans actually started the war, Susumu is sometimes a dick etc The bad: The fact all aliens are too much alike humans even if they come from another galaxy. And even if we overlook this, because there really are some plausible explanations, there is 0 biodiversity even if the empire spans across 2 galaxies full of unique alien worlds Yamato is taking so many hits in battle, just to be as fresh as ever in the next battle which is then even more destructible, and still packs a heavy punch. It's stupid how in impossible situations there is always a lucky deus ex machina part... The last part of the anime is going full retard. Iscandar is so lame and barren and the princess living there is dumb like a brick. The fact humans reach there do nothing there, just get some boxes and then come back is dumb, because all they wanted was an 1 shot device that restores the earth, and there was no need for them there. Also is stupid to request for a ship to go the twin planet of the net superior enemy and on top of that then complain why you used a powerful weapon. The only way even the writers saw this plausible was from a plot device where they force the main fleet to be 2 month away. I mean what where the odds of that happen when that princess made her genius plan? The fact they reach there and on top of that solve the whole galactic problem with the dictator, destroyed a quarter of its fleet and war and so on . Why on earth they have to save everyone ? Couldn't they just leave this be without turning Yamato in Goku 2.0 ? Dumb plot devices and motivations towards the end: the terraforming devices is wait for it ... the main characters long dead brother. Yep. The prince of Gamillans after his presumed death, tries to take over Yamato, fails and then said: "Lets suicide and stuff just because", or lets kill Mori just to revive hear 1 episode away because were out of ideas and we need some dramatic shit The list can go on.
conformityrules
08/09/2015, 10:51 AM
About two years ago, I watched through the original Star Blazers/Yamato series, as well as the sequel and inter-quel movies that accompanied them. While they each had significant flaws (under-developed characters, lack of world building, and short-changed arcs in the case of season 3), I enjoyed following the adventures of the Space Battleship Yamato from series to series thanks to its well-animated fight scenes for the time, thought-provoking (if heavy-handed), exploration of moral grey areas, and the inspirational message that no matter what happens, good will triumph over evil. I was ecstatic when I discovered the series was being re-made in the form of Space BattleshipYamato 2199. With contemporary, more detailed character designs, smoother animation, gorgeous CGI fight scenes, everything seemed to be in place for an show that takes all of the good things about its foundation series and makes it better. For the most part in the first half of the series, this was true. But once the series had approached and reached its climax, I realized the show had short-changed many of the plot and character arcs that looked so interesting at the start of the series; almost as if the writers took the easy route and created moral compromises that were simpler for the audience to resolve and understand. Story (6/10): Yamato 2199 (or Star Blazers 2199 as it's called on the DVD releases from Voyager Entertainment) follows the same basic plot as its predecessor. However, several subplots are added that give the series much more depth and nuance than its predecessor. A botched attempt to deal with the invasion of the Gammilas is established, developed, and comes full-front about half-way through the show, relationships and conflict are established among members of the Gamilas staff (who now have distinct personalities), and Dessler is planning some sort of conspiracy he hasn't seemed to make any of his staff aware of. I have to go out and say that this series does an EXCEPTIONAL job of developing these plots bit by bit, giving them just enough time in each episode to give new info about them without giving away anything. This series kept me hooked week-to-week thanks to how much promising plot material was surely going to be explored late in the series. In addition, an plot thread following main heroine, Yuki, implies she's actually an Iscandarian Princess. Very intriguing stuff. But . . . Well . . . On the plus side, the series does bother resolving these plot threads. It just does so in a very unsatisfactory manner. Project Izumo's plan is dealt with in the course of just one episode (No. 16) and derails the sympathy and morality of the plan and one of its key members in the process. The intrigue of the Gamilas staff is dealt with when one, obviously evil member goes rogue, and no dissent and political backstabs are ever heard from again. Dessler's 'conspiracy' turns out to be one of the most fool-hardy, and gratuitous turns since Prince Schiezel and Dewey Novak. And Yuki . . . don't get me started . . . But they resolved the arc in the worst way possible, simultaneously insulting their audience for thinking their conclusion on what she was was right. As opposed to leaving opportunities for audience interpretation and debates over whether certain actions or right or wrong, the series insists on telling us who the guys we're supposed to feel bad for our, and who we're supposed to despise. It's an uninteresting, linear way to conclude these arcs when it would have been much more effective to leave some ambiguity as to who is right. There is an arc I can't really go into detail on without spoiling the resolution, but it's yet another unnecessary turn that would've made more of an impact if they had gone with a simple solution. Sometimes, it feels like the series just goes out of its way to make sure every questionable moral decision is either justified or downright wrong. There is only one episode completely segregated from the main plot, and its a story featuring the red robot, Analyzer, who is (thankfully), nowhere near as annoying in this show. The plot could've been deep, but like much of the series, it was far too heavy-handed, and without reasonable rhetorical discussion to be worthwhile. Honestly, the backstory in the episode that was basically created for the sole purpose of providing paralells would have been a better way to spend an episode than what they decided. To its credit, though, the last few episodes of the show are okay. They wrap up the series well, and the deux ex machina ending of the orignal now has some explanation here. It wraps the series up well for the most part, but a crippling lack of explanation of a key background element where a huge leap in logic is made is never explained. Art (9/10): Yamato 2199 excels in the presentation department, particularly in its visuals. The traditional animation is smooth, each body movement serving a purpose in illustrating character. The updated character designs are much nicer and distinct looking than the ones in the classic show, and help give personality to the Yamato crew, as well as the Gamilas characters. There are a couple of off-model episodes (such as 11 and 12 when Xebec first took over animation duties from AIC), but otherwise, it's definitely solid. The CGI, meanwhile, is drop-dead gorgeous. Fights are rendered with far more sophisticaed animation than most TV computer generation. The models of the ships are extremely accurate to the ones used in the old show, with some additional designs and alterations to add distinctiveness. Explosions and particle effects are powerful and breath-taking to the point I eagerly anticipated each fight scene even more than I did in the old show. Sound (8/10): The scoring for the show is done by Akira Miyagawa, son of the composer of the original series. As a result, the majority of the tunes are snazzy remixes of the father's exceptional work, so it sounds very polished. It gives the series a retro feel that meshes with the setting very well, as well as the themes of sentimentality. A couple of the tunes haven't aged well, and sound a bit too old, but the tunes work well for the most part. The opening is a remix of the old one, and is just as grand in scale as it has always been. The thing that stands out the most about this series' sound, however, is the choice in ending themes. They're changed up every four episodes, and they each compliment the arc stories/themes exceptionally well. The first one, in particular, by Aira Yuhki, has become one of my favorite ending themes of all time. Character (6/10): Much like the resolutions to the plots, some of the character arcs are rather disappointing. You know it's bad when I believe the Yuki from the old series had more character than the one in this remake. In the first four episodes, Yuki is established as awkwardly polite with people she doesn't know, but abrasive towards the enthusiastic attitude some of her comrades have towards war. She's respectful to her superiors but feel people are too quick to assume war is the only option. Thus, her relationship with Kodai is tense, lessened when she realizes he's more human then he appears. After episode 5, though, the writers decided they didn't like the direction they decided to take her character, so they stopped her development. Suddenly, she turns into THE most generic main heroine I have seen in any anime I've watched up until now. The writers never decided what new character traits to give her, so they never gave her a personality to fill in the void. As a result, the prominence she gets is very irritating and distracts from a much more colorful supporting cast. Dessler is the second big disappointment. Set up as an enigmatic ruler with his own goals who, nevertheless, is surprisingly kind an lenient with conquered species, turns out to be not nearly as complex as he's seem. Worse, he could've easily enacted his plan because of how loyal his staff and people were to him, so his plot wasn't even practical in the least. I can't go into much more detail than that, but there is virtually no foreshadowing for it, and very little explanation as to why he'd go to such great lengths. Other than that, though, the characters are pretty strong. Okita is as likeable an captain as he was in the original series, Kodai is more strong and confident in himself, making his inevitable rise to Captain more understandable, and his relationship with Shima is more genuine since the latter has a more vivid, friendly, enthusiastic personality. There are many, many more characters who I could talk about, but most of them are pretty solid. There's the witty scientist, Niimi, radio announcer Yuria, cocky gunman Nanbu, old engineer Tokugawa, there are a plethora of colorful personalites that sadly, only have the time to be somewhat revealed during the course of series time. However, each of them get enough development that you feel like you know them, and ultimately, you grow to care about them. In addition, there are a number of female characters added here (a quality severely lacking from the previous series), who all stand out in their own way. Pilot Akira Yamamoto, in particular, is an excellent character, and was teased as a possible romantic interest for Kodai, only for Yuki to take center stage with no explanation. Had she been the main heroine, this series would gain back points in its favor. The one other significant character who was interesting until, unfortunately, he wasn't, is the slimy security chief, Shinya Itou. He has an interesting dynamic with Niimi and oozes with so much evil, he's actually rather charming. Unfortunately, he goes insane half-way through when his plan starts failing, and boringly loses his composure (again, way too easy to tell who the bad guys are). He actually somewhat redeems himself later on, but it's not quite enough to sell me on the character. Then there's the Gamilas General Domel, who steals the show whenever he's on screen. He's easily in my top three for most favorite character in the series thanks to how straight he's played as a principled, sympathetic character who's, nevertheless, bound to Gamilas due to his code of honor. Enjoyment (7/10): For all of the execution issues this series has (particularly when it comes to climaxes and resolutions), I enjoyed Space Battleship Yamato 2199 through and through. Sure, the first half was a lot better than the second, but the supporting cast and some of the main characters remained colorful, the visuals were top-notch, and the music was great. And even if the ideas were poorly-handled, the new concepts were great potential ways to improve on the original series. And, some of the new ideas, do work pretty well. The aforementioned fair treatment of races the Gammilas encounter? That was really cool, and it made the now justified pale-skinned Schultz a more compelling character. Even if a lot of the nuance is lost, there's still depth to much of what happened, and being a fan of the original series, all of the fanservice for super fans of the original series was great and helped me enjoy the cast even more than I would've otherwise. Overall (7/10): It's littered with character flaws, and anti-climaxes, but I can still earnestly recommend this series. It does have a good supporting cast, solid visuals, and a good main character. Sure, it fails to realize a good bit of its potential nearly as much as it should, but fans of the original series and newcomers will still enjoy this series, issues and all.
dustinator1991
01/22/2015, 05:22 PM
For those that wonder about this anime, you might not partially like space-related anime. But I warn you, give this anime an chance. I wasn't too keen on watching this show but I gave it an chance. And guess what? I was surprised that I actually liked it. People praise this anime saying that this remake was made from an classic of an old anime. Now I see what they were talking about. I agree with them. This anime is awesome! When many people, hear remake or "reboot," they get turned away but I assure you that this anime will meet your expectations and then leave youwanting more. Story: 10 There is a strong story here. The planet Earth is fighting for it's survival, against an alien threat. Either extinction or slavery. But hope isn't gone for humanity. Battleship Yamato was built, in order, to travel across the universe to the aliens, Iscandarians, who brought a mysterious technology. They made it possible for the humans to build the Yamato. Obstacles are presented throughout their journey, expiring more bits of the story and the puzzle. The story isn't hard to understand but it is nonetheless enjoyable to watch. There are many developments and annoyances that help shape into something more than the simple premise of the story. For the most part, it follows the original plot, I cannot say what but I can say it follows it confidently though. It is not overly confusing or complex - there are also many things that is left for the audience to ponder and wonder so the they are boring them. If you expect more out of the anime and come in with a clear mind, you will be happy and see a flawless anime. Art: 10 The art was beautiful. Visuals were amazing. It was like a breath of fresh air when compared to other anime. Originality. Sound: 10 I have no complaints with the sound. It was on point. Character: 10 There is a big cast of characters in this anime. Sometimes when that happens, it can ruin shows. But this isn't the cast. You see the brave heros, loyal comrades, tragic villains, and whatever else in between. Some characters may seem stereotypical but it soon changes as you watch more. At times, Yamoto, doesn't define the difference and you can sympathize with the enemy, questioning the motives of the heros. It's important that it separates the wheat from the chaff in this aspect. Still, there is a classic story at hand and classic characters. But they are not as hollow and calculable as one more suspicious may come to believe. Enjoyment: 10 This anime has a lot going for it. The story was awesome. A lot of the music was from the original, which was nice. Characters were awesome and I loved seeing the characters change and grow. There were different types of emotions being experienced. Overall: 10 I thoroughly enjoyed this anime. I am happy to say I recommend this to anyone because it is that AMAZING. It's an awesome remake of an classic anime. It is very much re-watchable. It deserves the praise that it gets. I hope everyone else enjoys this anime as much as I did.
skarabox
12/27/2014, 10:06 PM
THIS COULD BE AN EPIC ANIME... but it falls short. Therefore only 7/10. You will enjoy it at first and then you will get disappointed, wishing it could be perfect. I hate anime like that. The story and characters have an epic potential but I don't know whether it is because it is an old anime or what, but the story has many holes, characters behave really shallowly a lot of times and the anime create really artificial moments in order to evoke a certain emotional reaction in the viewer. All of this makes you feel like the authors treat you as a dumb, notdemanding or 12 years old viewer who can't catch all those obvious flaws. For example the crew needs to go asap to one place, but they debate whether to go to 2 other places before hand and they decide not to go to not waste time. But 10 seconds later the ship's engine melt and they have to go to one of those places and after fixing the engine they suddenly decide to go to the other 2nd place. Or in a big fight in a really intense moment they portray a main character like he died from a heart attack and then 10 seconds later he is standing next to them completely fine with a doctor confirming everything is fine. There is a lot of stuff in this anime like this that turns you off even though you really wish everything would be polished, because the story and characters have an epic potential if made right. The sound/music in this anime really suck ass, they are simple and like from 1960 but because you think the story and characters will develop so well you don't care about the sound, until you realize the story and cast falls short and they you feel disappointed even by the sounds and soundtracks.
Raptor1221
12/07/2013, 08:28 AM
To be called “The Star Wars of Japan” you must be doing something oh so right. “Space Battleship Yamato (1974- 1975) was labeled as such. It’s a show so imbedded in popular culture that I had even heard of it. This was long before even watching my very first anime (To me known as “Star Blazers” for US). It was truly the show of an age. Now fast forward to April, 7th, 2012, an OVA remake of the beloved classic begins its air time. The final question of fans was. Will it live up to the original? Or disappoint usas much as the 2010 live action movie? Fans were treading carefully, hoping with all their hearts for a good adaptation (unlike many other shows of late). They looked for a great modern re- vamp; both in the visual and sound departments….. and that my friends is just what we got. The premise of “Space Battleship Yamato 2199” is a simple one.” An interstellar war against a mysterious Alien race known as “Gamilians” (who btw toooottaaallly aren’t alluding to Romans) has Humanity near extinction and the earth nearly uninhabitable in the course of 8 years. Humanity has given a valiant effort, but is not on par with their enemy. Who by the way has shielding technology and interstellar flight. But, there is hope, another alien race known as Iscanderians (the totally not alluding to Greeks people) give them the power to arm one ship with their ultra advanced technology. They must now seek out Iscander and gain a device know as the cosmos reverse system to save the Earth. This mission is then dubbed “The Yamato Project” and our noble crew heads out. The Majority of the show is the crew of the aforementioned super ship “Yamato” heading out to Iscander, while encountering harsh resistance by their Gamilian foes. The show does develop as it goes on. There are a few twists and we get to learn all the races motives and reasons. Still it’s not a very complicated show; which in a way is where its charm lies. It’s very much akin to well “Star Wars”. It’s an enjoyable show with very stereotypical, but well developed characters. Its key level of enjoyment comes from the premise. The one ship vs the galaxy, and wits win the battles. It feels during these times much like an episode of “Star Trek”. There are great moments of tactical fun in almost every battle. They usually survive by using some tactical hat trick. It’s the quick thinking, and patch work of the crew that make this show truly a gem. Its great scale, its fun battles, its tense moments make for an overall fun and well written plot that eventually ends in satisfaction; it’s just a treat to enjoy. (9/10) The animation was handled by “Xebec” studios, which is a sub division of production I.G. I really cannot say anything bad about the animation. It just seems neigh perfect. Great effort was put into recreating the feel of the show. It did not use the original style, but went for a modern approach. It used CGI for ship battles, and normal safe, but detailed animation for everything else. All is just great. The CGI is some of the best I’ve seen in anime (though not U.S Tier CGI, cus America loves the stuff). It provides some AMMMMAZZZZZINNNG space battles. The animation is well done and details from the original show are kept correct. Not really many flaws in sight (that is unless you don’t like CGI) (9/10) Music was Handled by Miyagawa, Akira, who’s probably most well know work is… Kirby Right Back at Ya. What I will say he brought in the right people for the job (as the compositions were handled by various artists). The openings were both well done. The first is a rescored/ revamped version of the original. The 2nd a modern original Op made by “UVER world” dubbed, “Fight for Liberty”. Both the ending themes were also done well, and both present a classic and gentle tune to the show. The Osts though truly shine. Every Ost fits the moment, from sad, to happy and just plain epic. One of my personal favorites of the Ost’s in the show is the main theme. The main theme is a sea shanty rehash of the 1st opening that sets the tone for most of the battles. It’s simply called “Space Battleship Yamato 2199” (srlsy I want to take on the Garmilian armada right now…. Come at me bro). The other end we have the “Garmilian National anthem” it perfectly fits the nation and its proud people. It’s epic and proud; it creates some of the greatest moments in the show. Such as when you seen their fleet rise up and this anthem plays …. simply wonderful. What the show does lack in sound is the variance. The Osts pretty much are the same group played over and over again. They are no doubt excellent, but after 26 episodes it can try one’s patience. The Osts in Space Battle ship Yamato are simply great when they need to be. Yet, they are used over and over. All in all it does install a feeling of “retroness” that few can match with its sound track. Thus sound gets a (8/10). With a great ship, you need a great crew. That is what the crew of the Yamato delivers in full. They are really are just archetypes, the main character with loss, his best friends, the staunch captain, and the super logical science officer. Yet, somehow these characters remain somewhat interesting; this is due to the excellent development. Each is stereotypical, but each learns, gains, and looses throughout the show. It’s the crew with there well written interactions goes about the marry task of 1 VS all. With great heroes you got to have some great villain’s, right? Yes, and in many ways the villains outshine the heroes in both motivation, and in charisma. They are in my opinion much akin to Kligons (though much better dressed). The Garmilians also get their development; they are humanized, but not enough that you root for them instead. They have families, and reasons to try to keep the peace within their empire. It adds some very interesting clashes in ideals between the apposing races. The characters in Yamato each get their time and development. The reasons for their actions are clear to the viewer; though their characters are extremely stereotypical. This in its own way adds to the retro vibe that Yamato installs, but also somewhat hurts it (but hey they are the originals)….. (8/10) “Space battleship Yamato 2199” is truly a treat. Its simply fun, and installs a sense of “retro” upon you. It uses well developed archetypes, fun and interesting plot twists, and great art /sound, to create an excellent remake of a timely classic. Very few shows recently have matched Yamato in overall enjoyment and quality. Yamato, is no perfect show, but is damn well better than most things right now. It is an anime not to be missed for both its fun and charm. Raptor-(9/10)
rtil
11/23/2013, 11:14 PM
Most of you may know that Space Battleship Yamato 2199 is a remake of the 1970's space opera by the same name (bar the 2199). If one were to make a comparison of its significance to its importance of the genre, it is basically the Star Wars of Japan - the series that one would point to as a culturally significant moment in entertainment and the rise of the genre itself. In recent times, one becomes wary when they hear the word 'remake' or 'reboot'. Audiences have reluctantly witnessed so many beloved series, stories and characters get butchered in misguided and unnecessary attempts to be recreated. Thankfully,I am happy to say that Yamato's 21st century rebirth is done faithfully, respectfully, and masterfully. First, there is the story (9/10). Yamato's story is timeless - the people of Earth are fighting back against an alien threat to bring their planet to slavery or extinction. Humanity's last hope lies in the battleship Yamato, its crew, and a mysterious technology brought to mankind from a distant alien race of people called Iscandarians. Their destination - lightyears away, on the planet of Iscandar. In their path lie many obstacles, and every one a piece of the story and the puzzle. In this respect, Yamato's story is not difficult to understand, and is something you can appreciate at any age in any time. There are many developments and nuances that shape the story beyond its simple premise as the show develops, however. For the most part, it faithfully follows the original plot, and while I can't comment on specifics, I know enough to say that with confidence. It is not overly complex - there are also many things that are left to the imagination for the sake of not boring the audience. If you accept them for what they are and don't convolute them, it is, for the most part, flawless. This is, after all, a fictional universe. Now for the art (10/10). There has been some fuss over the stylistic changes from the original Leiji style of Yamato to the remake. However, I find them to be a perfect blend of the retro style and modern style - which still brings an incredibly refreshing artistic flair to Yamato that isn't seen anywhere today. Even if one were to miss the original style, I think it would be impossible to truly recreate it exactly unless you had all the original animation staff, and that is too much to ask for a 40-year old series. Nobuteru did an excellent job of revisiting the style of Leiji and bringing it to a modern audience. The animation is absolutely stunning. It's quite obvious there was a high budget for the series, and they use it in all the right places. Let's be honest - in the 70's, many of the technical challenges that came with animating epic, large-scale space battles were difficult to tackle with the technology of the time. While many are impressive, it's easy to see where they struggled to achieve their true vision. In 2199, the ships are 3D models, and CGI comes heavily into play during battle scenes. There was a time that this spelled bad news for mixing with 2D animation, when CGI suffered from a "video game cutscene" syndrome. But with today's technology, 2199's CGI is absolutely stunning, and blends beautifully with the show and the backgrounds. Every ship is masterfully crafted and detailed, and every nuance of the ships and the weaponry is nothing short of perfection. The excitement of every battle scene leaves you speechless. Fans of spaceships, fighter jets and miscellaneous mechanical things will be filled with nothing but glee. The character and 2D animation is equally as important, and is treated that way. There's a lot of expressiveness in every character, and it shows. There's a bit of fanservice and moe here and there, but nothing overdone. Yamato takes itself seriously when it has to, but it also has a bit of fun when it's appropriate. The music and sfx (10/10) adds another layer of immersion to the world of Yamato. The soundtrack is a lot of re-recordings of original Yamato tracks, with that 1970's sci-fi trumpets and backing vocals that many may remember fondly. If not, it's something that you hear very rarely these days, and is absolutely perfect for this series. It's enough that the opening is one of those songs you just can't skip - the rest of the soundtrack is equally inspiring. The sound effects, voices and ambiance is also well done. My favorite bits are definitely the sounds of the ships and the weapons during battle. There's nothing quite like hearing a flurry of lasers, rockets and explosions - and of course, the awe-inspiring Wave Motion Gun. The characters (9/10) of Yamato are stunning examples of common archetypes. There are brave heroes, loyal comrades, tragic villains, and everything in between. There is a very large cast of Yamato, so I won't dive into every character, but while many characters may seem stereotypical at first glance, Yamato never attempts to clearly define the difference between good and evil - at times, you will sympathize with the enemy, and you will question the motives of the heroes. It's one of those important aspects that helps separate the wheat from the chaff in this aspect. Still, there is a very classical story at hand, and with it come classic characters. But they are not as hollow and predictable as one more cynical may come to believe. Overall, there is not much more to say. I gave enjoyment a 10/10 because I always found myself looking forward to the next episode of Yamato - and when they came (the waits were quite long for those following the series release), they were over so soon because I enjoyed every moment. It is quite clear that the creators of Yamato 2199 had great respect for the source material and made every effort to craft a remake worthy of the name Uchuu Senkan Yamato. And in every aspect I would say they succeeded, and brought a story that deserves to be retold to a new era, taking advantage of the tools they have today that its original creators did not to remake Yamato in its full glory. And although the eye-candy visuals of space warfare are a spectacle in their own right, Yamato 2199 never loses sight of the story it is trying to tell and the cast that we want to root for, which is where many remakes of this era falter. This is a very rare and important piece of animation history - one that I believe deserves to be viewed and appreciated by everyone. I would recommend this series to absolutely anyone, even if they are not fans of sci-fi. If you want an example of a remake done right - this is it.
RedgraveGilver
11/19/2013, 04:16 AM
Note: This is a remake of the classic Battle Ship Yamato by Leiji Matsumoto which is one of the most revolutionary anime. Space Operas are very rare now a days in the anime industry. Just as the quality of mecha anime and it's audience has been downgrading and declining in favor of slice-of-life, ecchi and harem genres, space operas were always being overlooked at. After almost at least 40 years, one of the space opera classic during the 70's was given a chance to have a remake in order to introduce the series and gain a wider audience in today's anime community. But does the showitself succeed? Let's check it out: Story/Characters: Just as the title implies, the show is set during year 2199 and the once blue, green and thriving with life planet earth has been reduced to a radioactive wasteland because of the Garmillas aliens which forced the remaining population to hide underground. However, a friendly alien race from the planet Iscandar contacts the human race and gives them blue prints to build a powerful space battleship capable of retrieving a device to clean planet earth before humanity disappears. As they resurrect the long sunken ship yamato, they then applies the alien technology that they got from a messenger that came from Iscandar, transforming it into one of the most epic and greatest ship that will venture through the sea of stars to save their home planet. Enter Space Battle Ship Yamato. Now i know most of you will think that the premise is pretty similar to Macross but the latter was aired during the 80's specifically after the success of an another behemoth called Gundam while the original Yamato was aired during the 70's. So therefore Yamato was the one who influence Macross. As i already said from the synopsis, this is a light years journey to Iscandar from planet earth and it will take a year in order to get through Iscandar and they also must retrieve the device in immediately before planet earth is forever doomed. As such we will encounter many kinds of phenomenon and typical issues from this long journeys such as trust issues, food shortage and of course battling their enemies, the Garmillans as they opposed the ship to reach Iscandar. Tactics to fend off enemies were heavily used and while the tactics many not be that good as LoGH, it still managed to give the feeling of unpredictability of the battles, plausibility of the tactics that were used and you will always be in the edge of your seat with the epic space batles that were occurring in your screen and backing it by great animation and intense old school soundtrack. The series also dealt with mature themes such as racism, genocide and politics. There is also fanservice in this series. Oh, i didn't mention that? But don't worry the fanservice in this series is not like in your ecchi show where it's distracting. The fanservice actually have some subtility. For the most part. The characters were no slouch either. They were interesting and likable for the most part and the character interactions were well-written and probably the main forte of the characterization of the show. The way the Yamato crew interact is just fun to watch. Oh sure there are some characters like our main protagonist, Susumu Kodai who sometimes acts like an angsty teen and some characters do too but they don't exaggerate to the point that it become annoying. They still act accordingly to the situation and maturely to many situations. Many of the stuff that happens throughout their journey have challenged the Yamato's crew beliefs about the war and this anime is also not entirely black and white where humans are automatically good, and the garmillians are automatically bad. There are both good and bad people from each side and some good and bad decisions and deeds that both the Humans and Garmillians have made. Okay, maybe i'm saying the obvious but it's still worth pointing that out. The female cast are also strong individuals for the most part so don't worry about some very useless ass female characters that you mostly see. Overall, the story is great and the characters were interesting, likable and fun to watch to. If there are criticisms that i would give is that there are some more potential that the series overlooked. With a good world building that the show created, that show could have last in more than just 26 episodes and that is why some scenes in the series felt rushed, some characters are really lacking for being fleshed out and development, and there are some very questionable decisions during the end BUT it didn't really detract for my own personal enjoyment. The original Yamato is also only 26 episodes and most people would rage quit to a series which is over 30+ episodes anyway so 26 episodes is still fine as it's still be able to tell a great story in a series which the scale and world building is pretty big. Animation: The studios that brought to us the animation are studio Xebec and AIC. The animation, the crisp of the characters and design, heck even the CGI are just fucking stunning and beautiful. Although some might say differ about the CGI but i didn't really find any problem with it as it really works perfectly to the scenery of the series and the CGI only made the battles more epic and engaging. The director is Yutaka Izubuchi who is known for directing and creating RahXephon. He was also responsible for the character designs of Gundam Wing. Hideaki Anno worked on the story board. If you didn't know who he is then you're probably living in a cave. Akihiro Enomoto whom have worked as the key animator in Char's counterattack also worked on this anime. Anybody here whom have watched Char's counterattack knows that the battles there were simply one of the best mecha battle and the animation was just absolutely gorgeous. Akihiro also brought his forte into this series as the key animator in most episodes so therefore the battle scenes, as i mentioned before, were engaging, terrific and epic like Char's counterattack. It feels like real space ships are really battling it out. As most of the budget were used in the CGI and the battles, the character movements felt really poor in many episodes but you know what? Most of the episodes they spend were sitting in the ship anyway. Just trying to point that out. Sound: Catchy and old school. Seriously, the opening song and the first ending song were retro songs during anime of 70's but it really fits perfectly well during the series(There are several different versions of the opening. The first opening is the classic version while the other version is still the same only much more modernized). I really appreciate how they decided to bring a retro song as an opening to a modern remake now it's stuck to my head and i can't stop humming it whenever i'm taking a shit or taking a shower. The OSTs that was used were also very catchy and old school but still felt intense during the battle scenes. The voice acting is also very well done. Ono Daisuke as the voice of Susumu Kodai who also voiced Sebastian from Black Butler, Kuwashima Houko as the main heroine, Mori Yuki who also voiced Tomoyo Sakagami(Clannad) and Clare(Claymore), Yamadera Kouchi as the main antagonist, Lord Desler who also voiced Spike Spiegel from Cowboy bebop, Otsuka Houchuu as Shiro Sanda who also voiced Jiraiya from Naruto and other famous VA's. Aside from the the opening songs, the OST's while catchy doesn't really warrant to be listen on it's own which kinda of a shame. Enjoyment: After watching LoGH and this, i am now craving for more space operas. This anime has many things that i could hope for. Engaging story, fun and interesting characters, beautiful ladies, epic and compelling space battles with great animation and a satisfying ending. It's really a shame that despite being a remake of a classic with great animation, anime like these is still being overlooked at the anime community today. Hopefully in the future, more anime fans would be able to watch this series and this is one of the primary reasons why i'm doing this review right now. Whether you think this anime is great or not is still up to you of course but if you find this review helpful(which i doubt) and decided to watch the anime and think the anime is good, then please do recommend this to your friends. Then maybe there is hope for more space operas in the anime industry and for this sub-genre to completely not die in the anime realm. Well, it really won't because of LoGH(Although there is also only a handful of people who have watched this) but you get my point anyway. Verdict Story: 9/10 - Epic and engaging journey to save planet earth. Characters: 8/10 - A great cast and fun characters to watch to. Character development is there but lacking a bit due to the length of the show but characterization is solid. Animation: 9/10 - It's Fluid in the battles and the CGI is good. Sound: 8/10 - Nostalgic old school music and soundtrack. Enjoyment: 10/10 - Never failed to entertain me and didn't make me bored while marathoning the whole thing. Final Verdict: 9/10 - Amazing anime and a great space opera.

Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 宇宙戦艦ヤマト2199

| Episodes: 26 | Score: 8.3 (40580)

Updated every at | Status: Finished Airing

Type: OVA

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Synopsis

Voice Actors

Yamadera, Kouichi

Ono, Daisuke

Kuwashima, Houko

Sugou, Takayuki

Suzumura, Kenichi

News

Reviews

baltic_scorpion
09/12/2023, 11:31 AM
If you are fan of the original 1974 series then you'll be blown away by the improvements of the story quality and the characters in this reboot. As a space opera, its no surprise that the series is filled with an abundance of gorgeous scores, that both include themes from the original series, and new ones that only further enhance the experience. Now I know the word 'reboot" can make people a bit nervous. Often times we worry that it could never live up to the original. I mean, why fix what isn't necessarily broken right? But there's no need to worry here. Thistakes the classic story and brings it to a new audience while also creating a experience that feels new for those who think they already know the story. With improvements to the story and characters you can of course expect the visuals to be improved as well. The production value of the series was extremally high and it shows. The animation is clean and the backgrounds are stunning to look at, weather it be the complex ship interiors or the vast star systems the anime takes you through. While the 74 series was good, one cannot deny that the animation is quite dated. This series does a fantastic job of making the visuals something you won't soon forget. The series is 26 episodes, so not a very long anime by any means, but story takes place over year and by the end you really feel like you went on a voyage across the galaxy with these characters, even if you manage to binge watch it in one day. Anyone who loves sci fi adventure anime with some romantic sub plots will have a fantastic time with this series. There's no need to have even heard of the original to enjoy this series. it is more then capable of standing on its on, and in my opinion, stands even taller then the original.
Connoisseur5910
10/20/2021, 12:59 PM
WELL For about a month or so, i've been in a rush after work to go home, and the reason for that was because, i wanted to make it on time. In order to watch this great Anime on TV. Every single day at work, i await, when I will be able to leave... An evening without Yamato is a day not complete. For anybody who went to High School the name Yamato is known. Cause it is not just the fictional name of the ship in Anime, for someone who are interested in Japanese History and more specifically Military History, like I am, we know muchmore about it... So a important History Fact must be mentioned. At the End of the WW2 the Japanese Empire built a warship of enormous Power it was the super Battleship Yamato. It took more than 300 US Military Aircraft to sink this monstrous War Machine. The Mission, which Yamato in real Life was to undertake, it was a suicide Mission. The Military High Command hoped, by sacrificing this ship they could save the Empire of the Rising Sun. Just like in this Anime, the Star Blazer Yamato must accomplish a Mission, which equals a Suicide, in order to save our Planet Earth. Traveling across vast ranges in the Universe, to another Planet, Fighting countless battles and surviving more than 300 Enemy Spaceships of different types, Yamato succeeds the mission in year 2199. All this Outstanding story is portrayed with amazing Art, no time and effort to details were speared. And the Soundtrack in this Anime is just Masterpiece. Every Character has their own role and reasons to fight in this war, and in the 26 Episodes all of that is mentioned, we get to know a handful of great characters. Just to mention several of them: Susumu Kodai, Yuki Mori, Daisuke Shima, Melda Deitz, Elk Domel, Wolf Frakken, Kaoru Niimi, Akira Yamamoto. My Advice would be, pay more attention to these characters. All of this summed, up, made my heart react to every aspect of this Anime. Weather it was a action scene, a more intense battle, or Plot Twist, which got me surprised. Or the few tears during the last Episode, which i just watched today. (Good tears I mean) All this is proof, what a great Anime this is. Nothing more, nothing less. I rated this Anime 9/10. And it really is one of, like 5 or 6, Anime i watched so far, that really deserve a score of 9. This really is a great Anime, Greatness at is finest, sort of speak. I recommend all of Anime Watcher to give this Anime a shot. It will be worth your time.
Ernacram
06/07/2021, 05:19 AM
Due to its nature of OVA and remake of a really old (but legendary) series, on top of being a space opera, that is to say a genre that is long forgotten, Space Battleship Yamato 2199 was either avoided or went unnoticed by most anime fans. In 2012-2013 the anime community was apparently too busy watching soft-core porn series such as High School DxD and its sequels. Or perhaps were they repelled by the stench of nationalism coming from this OVA, which would be a better reason than wasting their time w*nking to demon teenage girls. But I highly doubt that anime fans are thispolitically aware. So what’s worse? Porn addiction, which slowly destroys your brain and makes you see people as objects? Or nationalism, which encourages you to sacrifice yourself and others for the glory of a mystic entity while your ruling class is profiting off arms sales? The answer is obvious; today I will be teaching you about the wonders of nationalism! --- The story and why it is good Ignore the joke in the intro. Let’s forget about the nationalistic undertones of the series for a moment – I will talk about them in a later paragraph – this is an excellent OVA. The story is set in a future where Earth is being bombed into eradication by an alien Empire known as the Gamilas, who are some sort of space Nazis led by a space Hitler named Desler. The bombings have covered the surface of the Earth with toxic contamination and people are forced to live in underground cities. Humanity is on the verge of extinction. To remove the contamination and to fight with the aliens on equal footing, Earth turns a WW2 Japanese battleship, the Yamato, into a powerful spaceship and sends it on a quest to retrieve a technology that can restore Earth to its former state from the alien planet Iskandar. The OVA follows the Yamato's journey to Iskandar, and the many challenges faced by the crew as they travel through enemy territory, and fight the Gamilas Empire in space battles or on other planets. While this does not sound like a very original premise nowadays, the story is well-executed. There are cool weapons such as the Yamato’s Wave Motion Gun, which can destroy entire continents, or the drill missile (yep, it wasn’t invented by the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies). There is cool technology such as the Warp, which creates artificial wormholes to move faster than light. There are good and likable characters on both sides, such as the charismatic and brave Domel on the Empire’s side, and Okita as captain of the Yamato. Okita Juuzou, another man of honor who respects his enemy. An old captain who wants to save his people and homeland, and whose body was made weaker due to toxic contamination, but doesn’t seek revenge or extermination of his enemy. How could someone dislike that grandpa? The characters’ motivations are easy to understand on both sides of the war, without them being one-dimensional. Some want to get revenge, some want to protect their families, and some others want glory and recognition. There are epic space battles where both sides actually establish strategies to kill each other. And there is tension and situations where it gets desperate for the Yamato and its crew, the battle against Domel is the best example. --- Improved story and characters This remake improved already existing characters and added new ones. In the 1974 series there was only one female in the crew, and her only purpose in existence was to fall in love with the protagonist almost immediately along with being sexually assaulted by the robot Analyzer on several occasions. In this remake not only did Analyzer stop being a sexual assaulter, a few relevant female characters were also added, such as Yamamoto Akira. The romance between the protagonist Kodai Susumu and Mori Yuki is also more developed than in the 1974 series. The relationship between the characters are a bit more complex. Characters are developed throughout the whole series rather than getting their own dedicated episode, as it was the case in the 1974 series. In the original series, the characters on the Gamilas Empire’s side were all cartoonishly evil and had mischievous faces, except from Domel. In this remake they are more developed and made more human, as they have families and better motivations. Schultz and his men, for example, are second class citizens who seek to become first-class citizens through success in the military. Domel also has a wife and family. The universe in general is more complex and more coherent. There are a lot of cool additions, such as the fact that the Gamilas Empire has its own language which, for once, doesn’t sound too ridiculous. They have their own names for technologies and planets, for example Pluto is called Plat. In the original series the Nazi aspect of the Empire was mostly about aesthetics, with the German-sounding names and such. In this remake, the Empire has racial discrimination and a secret police that suppresses any opposition (yes, there is an opposition now). The Nazi character of the empire is also made more obvious with other additions such as a Nazi-like salute and a Swastika-like symbol. There are also other alien races, and some of them are under the domination of the Empire. Contrary to the 1974 series, it doesn’t have filler episodes (or episodes that feel like fillers), meaning that the entire series is good to re-watch, except maybe from one or two episodes where not much interesting stuff happens, such as ep.9 and ep.14. --- There are a few problems, however The first flaw is fairly obvious, it’s the fact that an entire galactic empire and its space armada is unable to destroy a single spaceship sent by a dying civilization. It doesn’t matter that the Yamato has powerful weapons like the Wave Motion Gun. It shouldn’t be capable of breaking through entire armies, taking heavy damage and still manage to repair while in space, and resupplying only once or twice on an uninhabited (and hostile) planet in an entire year. The second flaw is that the end of the series is too long. Without spoiling anything, towards the end of the series, when the quest of the Yamato is basically completed, some unnecessary events happen and this justifies the existence of two episodes which could have been used differently. Note that this is also a problem of the 1974 series and not just this remake. This remake could have removed or replaced this two episodes just as it did for the filler episodes in the 1974 series (such as the one taking place on a planet inhabited by tribal ants, which was absolutely ridiculous). It could have used them to develop the Gamilas Empire a bit more. It could also have used them to explain certain things that are left unexplained even at the end of the series. Even if characters were improved, some of them are still pretty bad. The best example being Desler, (aka space Hitler) who is the same as in the original series: nothing more than your typical cartoonish bad guy that wants the whole universe under his boot, always has an evil plan (that fails, of course), makes bad decisions and kills his own subordinates for fun. He doesn’t have enough charisma to compensate. --- The stench of nationalism Perhaps the major flaw of both this remake and the original is its nationalistic undertones. For some reason, most reviews and comments about the series completely ignore this aspect, while some others give little attention to it. Yet this isn’t something trivial. The fact that few people are pointing it out, and even fewer people are actually denouncing it is somewhat alarming. If the show had been a German cartoon or live-action series about the Bismarck fighting against fascist aliens, it would have caused a controversy and the show would have been canceled almost immediately. But when it comes to Japanese involvement in WW2, people get strangely forgetful. Firstly, the fact that in this series, the Earth is saved by the Japanese, and only by them. In ep.2 of the 1974 series there is a scene that shows how the historical Yamato was sunk by the USA at the end of WW2, scene in which the Japanese navy is portrayed in an almost positive light. This scene should make uncomfortable anyone who knows about the atrocities committed by Japan and its armed forces during the Second Sino-Japanese War and WW2. Fortunately, this scene is absent in this remake. However, the ambient nationalism didn’t vanish, as the Earth is saved by the Yamato – a symbol of Japanese military supremacy – and an all-Japanese crew. The space fighters are also named after WW2 Japanese fighters, such as the Zero. Why are the crew members all Japanese? Other countries were not eradicated yet, and Japan is not supposed to be the most advanced country in space exploration or space technology, so it doesn’t make sense. This remake added new characters, including relevant female characters to get rid of the sexism, so there was an opportunity to add American, European, Russian or Chinese characters, but they didn’t do it. Instead, Martians and Iskandarians get more representation in the crew than non-Japanese earthlings! But there’s more. Let us look at the premise of this series again. The Gamilas Empire bombs Earth with weapons of mass destruction, and humanity sends a single space battleship, the Yamato, to fight back against the entire Empire and save their homeland from eradication. This situation looks awfully similar to how the historical Yamato was sunk: it was sent to fight an uneven battle against an overwhelmingly stronger enemy, at the time where Japan was being bombed to hell (the bombing of Tokyo is one example) by said enemy. In short, this series is yet another attempt for Japanese nationalists to play the victim, when it was Japan that started the war and killed (directly or indirectly) dozens of millions of people, mostly Chinese. It is yet another attempt for Japanese nationalists to portray themselves as the good guys, in a fantasy where their heaviest ship bravely faces a Nazi-like empire and saves the people whom they oppress. Who contributed the most to the defeat of the Nazis, again? It was the USSR, with the help of the US and the UK. It was certainly not Japan, which was allied with Nazi Germany. So perhaps the series should have been called Space Tank T-34 instead? This doesn’t prevent the series from being excellent nevertheless. It is good that this OVA removed the scene mentioned earlier, and that some plot points were added to make it less nationalistic, but the nationalistic undertones remain. They will surely make a lot of people uncomfortable, myself included, and for good reasons. --- The animation is still very good Despite its old age, the animation of the 1974 series is very good and one of its strong points. Is the animation of this remake on par with the original? It definitely is! The animation is clean and smooth, the space battles look particularly awesome. The backgrounds look very good and are very detailed. The Gamilas cities and buildings are well done and original, they really look like alien cities. Their design is mostly the same as in the 1974 series, but with much more detail. Iskandar also has very cool Utopian-looking buildings. The somewhat archaic art-style is replaced by a more familiar one, making it easier for today’s anime fans to watch the series. The downside is that it looks generic. Despite that, the character designs are well done and easy to recognize, without using extravagant hairstyles that would feel out of place in a series like this. Vehicles and spaceships are CGI, including the Yamato. I will always say this: good 2D animation looks better than good CGI. I would have preferred to see the Yamato in 2D again, but the CGI in this anime is of high quality, and the Yamato is still so goddamn sexy. There are however a few things that look ugly, for example the rare CGI crowds, a huge CGI bug on some planet, and also some special effects like explosions and smoke which sometimes don’t look very good. --- Great music The sound is another strong point of both the 1974 series and this remake. The soundtrack is awesome. It definitely fits the series as it sounds military, with drums, trumpets and such. Most of it is the same as the 1974 series, but there are also a few new tracks in the same style, which are made by Miyagawa Akira, the son of Miyagawa Hiroshi, who composed the music of the 1974 series. The opening is an updated version of the original opening with modern animation and sound, which is good since it is such an incredible and memorable opening. The sound in general is very good. The sound effects, like the alarms or the sound the Wave Motion Gun makes before firing are just so cool. It is sad however, that the sound effects for the laser fires were not updated. The voice-acting is also very good, with well-known seiyus such as Ono Daisuke (Erwin in Attack on Titan, Jotaro in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure) voicing Kodai Susumu, or Ootsuka Akio (Rider in Fate/Zero, Wham in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Batou in Ghost in the Shell) voicing Elk Domel. --- Verdict Overall Space Battleship Yamato 2199 is an excellent OVA, and a good remake of the original series. Many things were improved and made more up-to-date to modern day standards, which makes it more accessible to modern audiences, while keeping the elements that made it a legendary series. Though I would have loved to see the Yamato animated in 2D again, the animation is top-notch, and so is the soundtrack. So I would strongly recommend it to most anime fans, but you have to be aware of its nationalistic undertones.
_cjessop19_
04/24/2020, 09:16 PM
Remakes or reboots often get a bad rap in the anime community as many beloved series often get messed up and butchered in an attempt to add a more modern spin on an already old and classic series. Space Battleship Yamato 2199, however, is a remake of the classic series that is not only able to catch the spirit of the original, but is able to expand further and vastly improve and succeed on what the 1974 version couldn’t do in terms of production values. This OVA remake has become the pinnacle of what a modern space opera should be, and I’ll explain why thisis a series you should definitely be invested in. Space Battleship Yamato, or Star Blazers as it’s known to us westerners, is one of the most influential and important series to have come out of Japan, and if you’re old enough, you might have seen it when it originally aired in the US in the early 80’s. The show’s themes and story influenced more serious works and series such as Mobile Suit Gundam, Evangelion and Macross; it’s the equivalent of Star Wars here in the west. The story of the show is orientated on the journey rather than the destination. Earth is under attack from an authoritarian space-conquering race called the Gamillas that threatens Earth to either be destroyed or enslaved. Humanity receives help from another alien race and are told to travel to a nearby galaxy to receive an item that can cleanse the Earth of radiation and make it habitable again. Humanity receives a capsule that allows for interstellar travel and a means to protect themselves from the Gamillas. We follow the journey of the crew that set out on a massive spaceship called Yamato (based on the famous WW2 Japanese warship) and the epic fights, hardships, and drama that the characters experience and overcome on their journey towards preventing humanity’s extinction. Even if the story is simple, what makes a simple story and it’s premise so engageable and thrilling are the different plot twists in each situation. As humanity’s existence is dependent on the success of the journey, each event has a great sense of weight and importance and can greatly influence the outcome of the story if anything goes wrong. One thing that the remake blows away the original series at is the artwork and animation, I can only praise at how fantastic it is. The original series is an unfortunate victim of old age and limited and outdated technology, meaning the animators were limited to what methods and techniques they had available during the production of the show, which shows as the show hasn’t aged all that well artwork and animation-wise. Luckily, technology has advanced far enough since then for the producers to use what is available today to its fullest extent. Being produced by Xebec and AIC, this series is some of the best works of art and animation to have come out within the last decade or so, especially from studios that aren’t as well known for their animation, or just in general, compared to studios such as Bones, Ufotable and Wit. It’s clear to see that they had a large budget to spend; the animation was fluid and the use of CG is some of the best, dare I say, in all of anime, that’s probably where most of the budget went to; that also allowed the series to have some awesome space fights. Most of the fights were in CG, but you can definitely tell that a lot of care and attention were put into each fight, since each ship and when they’re destroyed and each projectile being fired has a great amount of detail put into them. The producers were able to successfully add a more sleek and more modern touch to the art style, everything looks amazing, and I would go as far as to call it a visual masterpiece. Nothing fits perfectly with a space adventure series than an orchestral soundtrack, as the soundtrack for this show is another one of its high points. A lot of the OSTs for this show are re-recordings from the 1974 version, and if you’ve seen the original series before watching the remake, you’ll definitely be reminiscent of the old music. Each soundtrack is used perfectly to evoke and amplify different emotions for the viewer, whether it be intense music for the fights, the upbeat and cheerful music for the crew’s accomplishments, or the mellow and relaxing music in the background as the characters interact with each other and as the ship floats peacefully through space. The OP and ED are good as well. The OP is a revamped version of the 1974 version, which the lyrics sing about battleship Yamato; it makes you feel hyped up and it gives you a sense of nostalgia as well. The show has 7 different endings, and as usual with most anime endings, they are more slow-paced and mellow compared to the opening; the best ending song in my opinion is “Utsukushii Chikyuu wo Shiru Mono yo” by Aki Misato. Overall, the soundtracks for the show are very fitting and are used very well. One of the main differences compared to the original series are the number of characters, especially female characters. In the original series, Mori Yuki was the only female character out of the main cast of characters in the crew. However, we are introduced to other characters such as Akira, Niimi and Melda (and many more side characters), making the female cast for this show much stronger. The characters are created from common character archetypes, though it was executed quite well, we see them ranging from the brave heroes to the evil villains and everything in between, the cast is large and full of life. Most of the characters are likeable, well-written and developed, which makes the journey more interesting and fresh. We are often presented with the image of good vs evil in most series, we follow the main cast of characters who are the “good guys” who fend off and achieve their goals against the “bad guys”. This series takes a slightly different approach with that notion, different characters have different motives which can affect the outcome of the crew’s mission, whether it be their desire to achieve the mission or to rather resettle humanity on another planet, or to rule the galaxy with an iron fist or to fight off and defend oneself from a tyrannical dynasty, there are both good and bad guys on both sides and we get to see many characters who fit those descriptions. The character dynamics are well thought out and feel natural, and alongside their motives, the characters in this show are likeable and interesting and are overall very good. As a fan of sci-fi series and space operas, and that I’m studying astrophysics as a career choice, I found this show amazing and a joy to watch. This show has everything I hoped for a space opera to have; be it epic space fights, amazing music, great characters, fantastic animation, and a satisfying ending. This show is an example of what a modern space opera should be. I would highly recommend this show if you’ve seen the likes of LotGH or any other sci-fi/space anime. Overall, I thought this is a fantastic show, I might even boost this up to a 10/10 if I’m feeling generous enough. Overall score: 9/10
Bananandoreasu
04/15/2020, 11:25 AM
Considering the very high rating, I'm a bit disappointed. Sad to say, because it certainly had potential to be better. Characters are not very good. It's debateable whether this is sci-fi or not. If it is, then it's ultra-soft sci-fi, seems more like fantasy in space to me. Several underdeveloped and unresolved side-plots, even a few plot holes. In 26 episodes, It's amazing how little character development they've managed to fit into such a simple story, considering other shows with way more complex stories does considerable more in half as many episodes. I think this show would be better off if it had spent more time on the characters aboardthe Yamato and elaborated on the main plot. Instead it attempts to build an intergalactic universe it ends up not knowing what to do with. The visuals and music, however, that's what this show has going for it. The space battles are as pleasing and spectacular as fireworks on New Year's Eve. Also, it was cool watching an old WWII ship in space.
mouthpiece
10/29/2019, 04:44 PM
Review up to OVA 10. This is the remake of the first anime space opera, made back in 1974. Since I have already made a review for the original version, I will only mention the differences and how they compare. PROPER MINDSET First of all, I am not against remakes if they are at least two decades apart and if they have something new to offer without taking out the magic of the original. In this case there were four decades since the first version but this anime was made at the same time the live action movie was out. Why did they make two versions so closeto each other? Weird. Not that the movie was bad in any way but it sure changed a lot of elements to the point it felt like a different story altogether. This anime on the other hand kept things almost the same and only tempered with minor details and aesthetics, so it manages not to annoy any fans of the original. THE STAFF - The animation is a collaboration of two studios, AIC and Xebec. They are notorious for their bad production values and below average shows, yet in this case we have a very weird exception where they did a splendid job. It looks brilliant! This was such a surprise for me. - The direction is done by Izubuchi Yutaka, who was an assistant to dozens of famous sci-fi titles over the years, including the third season of the older Yamato. His only previous directing work as in Rahxephon, which had an amazing concept but was otherwise completely boring and badly presented. I was expecting a lousy job but again I was amazed to find it he actually did pretty well this time. I guess it was studio Bones at fault and not his talent at fault. PRODUCTION VALUES The first thing everybody will notice is how the faces are not Leiji-like. It can sort of disappoint some retro fans but to be honest most new viewers would simply hate that style. Also, Ozma was completely Leiji-styled and we all saw what a waste of time that was, so leave the style to be modern. I got used to it after only half an hour. Character faces aside, everything else is left the same in terms of artwork; ship, uniforms, robots all look the same. They have also been upgraded to include ten times more details instead of leaving all minor characters like blobs in the background. It also corrected the color mistakes the older version had. Remember how they forgot to draw the aliens with blue skin in the first episodes? Aesthetics aside, it looks plain gorgeous in everything from environments, to explosions, to smooth animation. This is how perfection is supposed to look like. It really matters when you have ten times more time and budget to make an episode, than just one week and a few pennies. The soundtrack is basically an upgrade of the original, still ballads with more flavors in musical BGM. Unless you expect new songs in a remake, you will love the new more dynamic versions of the classic themes. SCRIPT Ok, sure, it’s the age-old classic story of an alien invasion. The Earth people create a super spaceship and go to beat the aliens and find a way to rebuild their planet. As simple as it sounds, it has a lot more things to it, from taking the time to flesh out all the major characters, as well as to expand into other themes, such as patriotism, honor, and propaganda. Those themes were present in the original as well but definitely were undermined in favor of space exploration and rather dull dialogues. So although the main plot is as basic as it sounds, each episode usually branches out to include various interesting side stories of human drama. Also, you now feel that there are far more planets with civilizations out there, from colonized human planets, to systems the aliens conquered. This of course can work negatively, since in the older version it was jusy Earth and Gamilas the only planets which could support human life. Now we are just a backwater planet, and a minor conquest instead of a vital area that will help the aliens to survive by migrating from their dying planet. In a similar way, there are many areas on the planet which don’t feel like they are under immediate threat by the aliens, as they all were in the older version. I mean there were families which were discussing the heirs of their busyness and the global bombings felt like minor set backs to them instead of horrifying mass extinction of life. So the scope of the story has spread to include far more planets, which is good, but at the same time degraded a lot the importance of the main two warring factions. The results of the war just don’t feel like they will signal the death of a whole race; the losing side can just migrate to a different planet for all we care. But aside from this minor degrading, everything else is pure gold and no episodes were useless so far. CAST While everybody still has the same roles as before, they feel far more fleshed out here, with more elaborate backdrops and characterization. A major plus is how you now feel that several secondary characters are important to the plot as well, besides the main five. Especially when it comes to the female characters, you now get a handful of dynamic women in various key positions, such as pilots, announcers, and enemy representatives. The older version was also supposed to have had many women on board the ship but from a point on they removed them completely and replaced them with genderless blobs, so they will save time in drawing. All you were left were a couple women in the roles of platonic girlfriends and deus ex machinas. So once again, a major improvement was done. What may seem a bit off though is ho cute all the girls are. Not oversexualized and indecent or anything but surely they are all so perky, with skin tight uniforms and innocent looks. Ok, all Leiji omen were treated as such too, but they ere few and major. Over here every girl is like it popped out of a non-erotic dating sim. Nothing particularly bad but it feels like fish out of water in a grim setting where entire solar systems are enslaved and planets are wiped out. Just saying. LEGACY As far as remakes go, this is amongst the best I have seen in my whole life. Although it doesn’t feel as grim and serious as the older version, it does a much better job in improving visuals, story complexity, and character depth. It is rather saddening to see how unnoticed it is by the fandom, as everybody was deifying complete trash shows like Sword Art Online, and didn’t give a damn for a much superior show such as this. Proves once again how we are full of tasteless retards. We haven’t had a good space opera for over a decade and it easily ranks as one of the better anime that were made in recent years. I just hope they are not going to remake the later seasons or movies. They were just inferior rehashes of the first season and any improvements they had over the first season have already been present in the remake. They have absolutely nothing to offer besides weird weaponry and Desler changing moods like he doesn’t know what he wants. Maybe the Black Nebula part would be fine to remake but everything else is completely passable. And now for some excused scorings. ART SECTION: 9/10 General Artwork 2/2 (looks great) Character Figures 1/2 (generic) Backgrounds 2/2 (detailed) Animation 2/2 (overall very good) Visual Effects 2/2 (overall very good) SOUND SECTION: 9/10 Voice Acting 3/3 (fitting with the feeling of the series) Music Themes 4/4 (great) Sound Effects 2/3 (ok I guess) STORY SECTION: 7/10 Premise 1/2 (typical) Pacing 2/2 (fine) Complexity 2/2 (many good side stories) Plausibility 1/2 (so-so) Conclusion 1/2 (I suspect cheesy) CHARACTER SECTION: 6/10 Presence 1/2 (generic) Personality 2/2 (rather cheesy but well founded) Backdrop 1/2 (generic and simplistic but it’s there) Development 1/2 (overblown but it’s there) Catharsis 1/2 (overblown but it’s there) VALUE SECTION: 8/10 Historical Value 3/3 (all-known) Rewatchability 2/3 (high if you like its style) Memorability 3/4 (a very well made remake) ENJOYMENT SECTION: 7/10 Art 1/1 (looks splendid) Sound 1/2 (great songs) Story 2/3 (feels generic but plays out nicely) Characters 3/4 (they are generic but play their parts nicely) VERDICT: 7.5/10
DANGER_ONEECHAN
02/25/2018, 05:18 AM
Space Battleship Yamato 2199 or Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 is a refreshed envisioning of the retro space epic Space Battleship Yamato. It takes place in the year 2199 and follows the epic tale of the Space Battleship "Yamato" as it engages on a solitary Intergalactic journey to save the whole of humanity. Earth and its sister nation of Mars have been laid to waste by the alien civilization known as Garmillas, with the aforementioned Nation sending massive Planet bombs down towards the surface of Earth. These bombs have raided the once fertile and healthy Earth and transformed it into a oceanless and toxic brown huskof what it once was. But there lies hope in the form of assistance from Iskandar, a planet whose people provide a means of perhaps solving earth's crisis. Therefore, the Yamato departs from its own Galaxy on a year-long voyage into the depths of space in desperate attempt to ensure a future for the human race. But the plot itself can't carry a show, and what really makes this show work is in its fully fleshed out characters. Over a diverse cast of many different characters who all have their own separate stories contained within the show, Yamato 2199 expertly manages to weave the plot intricately within the plights, dreams, struggles, and desires of each character. For only having 26 episodes to work with, every individual character from the ships' Nurse to the enemy Admiral charged with preventing the Yamato's success feels fully fleshed-out, and you are drawn to them and their own plights. Those who could be just as easily portrayed as one dimensional enemies, are all the same nuanced and complex with their own agendas and own feelings that can and do shine through. But that is not the only area in which Yamato 2199 is worthy of credit. Yet in addition to its compelling plot, the developments of all cast members over the duration of the show was a true pleasure to watch. It is very rare that you are able to see characters grow and change as clear as you can see within Yamato 2199. Relationships are brought to bloom, friendships form, struggle and then are rekindled. Diplomacy occurs and new ground is made. Tackling all these interpersonal plot lines and developments is undoubtedly a hefty challenge for director Akihiro Enomoto or so one might expect, but if it is, he does not show it. Assisting in this challenge is the voice cast of 2199, with whom great acting is done. Still, even in addition to all, that the art portrayed in the show is beautiful and doesn’t use an excess of CGI or other computer aided art in order to placate budget concerns, as is a pitfall of many other competing Space Opera anime such as Knights of Sidonia. Things like the ships, the planets, and the settings are all meticulously designed and executed, but even when it comes down to the appearance of weapons such as lasers and space torpedoes, it's just as believable as any other show of 2012. Not to be mistaken, CGI is certainly used and this can be considered a knock against the show, but it’s well advised for audiences to look over that fact thanks to the tasteful way that it was blended in with lush environments and fast paced, engaging action scenes. Because even if you consider that, all characters in the show are drawn lovingly and not rendered, with eye catching character designs that just further add to the relatability of the characters. You feel a part of their own struggles as an audience to Yamato 2199, and that’s a particular finesse that is very hard for most shows to capture. 2199 is not most shows. And here in the end, that is the greatest point of Space Battleship Yamato. It isn't like other shows because it captures a different type of humans- Yamato 2199 paints an exceedingly human depiction of real, adult struggle against the odds, people holding fast together to accomplish something that seems unthinkable. It mirrors us in our own struggles against any number of trials, and that's great. Amidst the washing sea of countless seasonal anime depicting Japanese high schoolers do any number of miraculous things, here presented by Studio AIC is a refreshing take of regular, heroic people taking up the mantle of humans just trying to survive. And in Yamato is all the accompanies of that very mantle-- the excitement, discovery, disappointment, the failures of people doing what they think is right, love, hate, camaraderie, and hard won success. It's all there, and that is what makes Space Battleship Yamato 2199 a great watch. Thank you for reading.
Tsugan
02/16/2018, 03:30 AM
Three days ago I had no idea what Space Battleship Yamato 2199 was; I had no idea about the original series made back in the 1970s; I had no idea of the cultural significance it has in Japan, on par with Star Wars in the West; but I have corrected my woeful ignorance and it was one of the best decisions I've made. Story: A space opera for the ages, Yamato 2199 reaches for the stars, and takes them all for itself, leaving later sci-fi anime to fight over the scraps. I have never seen an anime so skillfully manage so many characters without leaving any looseends, it's an achievement that even the most grizzled anime fan can appreciate. I cannot believe such a legendary story slipped past me for this long. Art: This remake's art looks stellar to me, it keeps the spirit of how anime was done back in the 70s and applies a careful modernizing touch to the effects and character design. Sound: Explosions sound great, as does everything else, not a single complaint. Character: Susumu Kodai is a one dimensional main character that feels covered in diamond plot armor no matter what happens. At the very least, his motivations are exceedingly empathetic, and he doesn't do anything radically out of character ever. Captain Okita, Yuki, Shima, Akira, and all the other named crew members really carry the show - by the end you truly care for each and every one of them. However, the real reason that Yamato 2199 stands head and shoulders above all other space-themed anime is its thoroughly developed antagonists headed by the ever mysterious Lord Desler. He is Machiavellian in nature, and his exact desires aren't made clear until the very end. The largest hole in the story, in my opinion, is the lack of explanation regarding Desler's willingness to commit terrible acts - I do not feel the minimal excuse given in the story is enough to justify some of the things he did. Enjoyment: A classic amongst classics, Yamato 2199 inspired the entire genre of space opera anime that went on to spawn things like Mobile Suit Gundam. Anyone claiming to be a connoisseur of anime MUST watch this.
ArtyWolve
12/08/2017, 06:54 PM
I was originally going to rate this a 7, because while I enjoyed it, I didn't think the story was all that remarkable - heroes go out into space, defeat the universe, and save the planet - you've seen it all before right? But then I considered how much I like the characters, and the little things that must have been thought about to make everything flow; there was nothing in the series that dragged on or rushed through, or that didn't somehow contribute to the plot or the characters, and it results in a very wholesome feeling anime. I'm watching this as a person whois new to the series, so I can't really comment on comparisons to the original, but even so I could clearly see how it paid homage to the 1970's version, especially in the OP and sound effects, but also in the design of the characters, which had a modern polish, but still a recognizable retro feel to them. While it may be a little lost on people new to the genre, I'm sure those who've watched the original series will fully appreciate it. I was also surprised by how well CGI was integrated into this anime. Usually CGI in anime is enough to make a lot of people turn around and walk away right then, but, although it is still obvious when CGI is used, I didn't find it to be painfully so like in most anime. When working with complex moving forms like battleships - and then fleets of battleships - it's understandable why CGI was used, and although there are a few odd moments with water and explosions being overly detailed, generally it blends really well, although it probably helps that it's never applied to living forms. Overall, I felt the characters were all likable, and I really enjoyed the progression of their relationships, in spite of a few cheesy moments that were probably unavoidable being a remake from the 70's! Although the story may not be that original, when it first came out it probably was, and I think this anime, being well-made and well-rounded, truly deserves flagship status in this genre.
Lady_Day
11/13/2017, 07:45 PM
So in the beginning I was super hesitant to give this a shot due to the low-ish ratings. OMFG I am so freaking happy that I forged ahead anyways. Seriously, this show is SO damn underrated ... It has a superbly woven mastery to it that you just do not find in a lot of shows, and I love a good sci-fi. Did I mention ACTION PACKED TO THE HILT?!! I know it is a remake so this opinion is based solely on this reboot. Are there a few corny moments that happen... yes. Will all be forgiven considering you will be hanging offthe edge of your seat more than once? Hell yes. I so respect a well thought out, cohesive story with believable characters more than I detest any other flaws I came across. The musical scores were simply amazing and so well timed, seriously bravo. It gave me a James Bond-esque vibe and I watched every single James Bond movie as a kid, so perhaps I am slightly biased. The character designs/set/costume were different and intriguing. Best part? As an adult, I didn't feel like my senses were being dulled with fluffy filler or immature moments that I couldn't relate to. Cons: The ship designs could have been a bit more "futuristic", but then again I believe the original story was written in the 70's/80's - (it was so much action that after a while I didn't even care). The alien races were all a bit too "humanoid" and they could have done better than just changing skin color, although the creativity with the worldbuilding (to me) offsets this. I wont spoil it, but the "miracle" that happens at the end might make you do an epic eyeroll. I give this a 10 due to the fact I was literally drawn into the story like I haven't been in ages, and for someone who is not easily impressed that is priceless.
ImRingo
05/16/2017, 08:59 PM
***THIS IS A SPOILER FREE REVIEW*** My anime quest has finally led me to the path of space operas and with this quest I find myself finishing 26 episodes of absolutely masterful scenes. This remake of a cult classic seems to have surpassed anything I could of imagined. Story: 7/10 This is a remake of the original anime Space Battleship Yamato: The Quest for Iscandar. From what I have read online the remake does an amazing job of keeping the feel and core concepts of the original in tact while offering a fresh look and take on the series. At its core, Space Battleship Yamato 2199 has onevery simple plot device; get to the target planet and destroy everything in its path. That's really it. You will spend 26 episodes getting from Earth to the target planet and back. What keeps things together is of course the scenes between the Earthlings and the enemy. While other space opera shows rely on multi-faceted levels of politics and alliances, Space Battleship Yamato 2199 is very simple to understand and follow. It kind of is like what Fate/Zero is to UBW. To sum everything up, it is one long escort quest that provides many episodes filled with battles, drama, and a little bit of space love. Animation: 8/10 If you look at who is responsible for managing and creating the animation for this show you might get a little worried. AIC and Xebec do not have the greatest track record but they somehow pull together such an amazing display of semi-moe character models and absolutely gorgeous fight scenes. The scenes revolving around the Battleship Yamato going into warp are simply outstanding. The only thing dragging the visuals down are a couple of lazy looking scenes. Sound: 9.8/10 By far the most outstanding element of the show is its overall sound design. Everything comes together in such a cohesive way that it is pretty overwhelming. The music that plays behind the action, behind the drama, behind the slower parts is just 100% spot on. Even when you hear recycled music bits it still fits into the scene. The more impressive part of the sound design though is by far the sound effects. 10/10 on the sounds that Battleship Yamato makes as it speeds up, slows down, fires on enemies, and warps light-years ahead. Lastly the voices actors did a very good matching their on-screen counterparts. I personally loved Makoto's, Yuria's, Saburo's, Yuki's, Susumu, Akira's, and Juzo's voice actors. They did an amazing job relaying emotion to the viewer. Characters: 8/10 There are a lot of characters in the show. The crew on the Battleship Yamato is numerous but they all serve a purpose and receive quite a lot of screen time. The enemy also has many characters that come into the spotlight in order to give the Battleship Yamato a hellish time. I was very impressed by the element one Enemy general (Elk) provided for the show. He was a character that you couldn't necessarily hate due to the way he carried out his actions. As the show progresses you do start to see a sort of love triangle form but thankfully the show doesn't make it the main focus. This element however does allow the characters room to grow which I liked. The show definitely favors the interactions between Susumu and Yuki but not to the point where other characters lose out on possible character development time. Overall: 8.2/10 On a technical level I feel pretty ok with giving Space Battleship Yamato 2199 an 8.2/10. However in my opinion this show is one of the best shows I have ever seen regardless of genre and medium. It sets the goal of the show within the first episode and delivers on said goal within 26 action/adventure filled episodes. I was never bored and I never thought about skipping parts; I was too enthralled with what I was seeing on-screen. You absolutely need to go watch this now. No exceptions. Enjoyment: ∞/10 Thanks for reading my review! If you liked my writing style, would like to see some other reviews, or just want to talk, please stop by my page! Sincerely, Awesome Drummer
KapengBarako
04/28/2016, 02:54 PM
A journey; a trek; a voyage, that's how watching Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 feels like. You know an anime is good, REALLY good, when 26 episodes completed in 4 days feels like 26 episodes completed in a year. This anime just drags you in. Now let's get to the review! Story:10 The story of Uchuu Senkan Yamato is a simple one: A story of trials for salvation, just like those legends of the ancients. Though simple, it's executed well and remains entertaining throughout. There are no annoying sub-plots that detract the story, everything that happens is related to the main premise that is to reach Iscandar, which is greatand makes it epic. Art:8 The art is matches well and is good, that's all. It remains consistent; no quirks or anything. and he art is attractive and conventional; not too flashy nor shabby which is great as it fits the more adult oriented nature of the series. Sound:9 This score is mostly because of the main theme. UCHUUUUUUU SENKAAN YAAMAAAAAAATOOOOOOOOO. Instrumental or not I loved it. The voice acting was great too, and lively, many characters spoke uniquely such as Sado,Katou and Kodai Mamoru. The sound effects were fine too, nothing too unrealistic or crude. Character:9 There were interesting characters from all the sides(Terron,Gamillian.Iscandarian,Zaltzi etc.) and none of them felt empty, you will give a damn about most of them. The only thing I didn't like and the reason I deducted one point was the lack of romance , I mean romance obviously played a part in the plot but there was not much of it. We get to see the outcome of the romance but not much of the buildup nor the transition. Enjoyment:10 Why would you watch a series that you cannot enjoy? As said earlier, Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 is a journey and it's a very entertaining one. Dull moments are few and are quickly forgotten. I highly recommend this anime, like you should watch it now, like right now, what are you waiting for? Go!
katamuro
02/05/2016, 10:45 AM
This anime is great for many reasons, the story, the art, the music, the battles. All really good. Want an anime with ship battles that do not seem contrived? Watch this. Want an anime with epic story, lots of characters and a bit of romance? Watch this. Want a good space opera that is not ashamed of being seen as "soft" scifi and uses it to all it can? Watch this. Really, there is just so many reasons to watch it even if you have never heard of Leiji or have seen anything made by him. I can honestly say that even the slower episodes provide greatworld building and character building. Honestly they could have easily released the second season and a third season, there is just so much of possible stories there.
luhter
01/08/2016, 05:27 AM
I have not seen the original Yamato, so this review has not "old-new" hate or nostalgia. It's about Yamato 2199 as a singular anime series. Story 6: The story starts strong. The first 8-10 episodes were 10 story-wise, the next maybe an 8 , and around episode 18 and after 4-5 . I've included a spoiler section at the bottom of the post. There I will tell you why such a low score but I advise you not to read it unless your 4-5 episodes deep into the anime. Art 10: It's beautiful. The backgrounds are great and vivid, the visual effects and animations are awesome and some caneven make you re-watch the scene. I think this is this series strongest point. Sound 9: A great soundtrack, is one you don't notice. An epic soundtrack is one you notice in a memorable way. Yamato has just a great soundtrack. Nothing really memorable, but it fits great. I can't tell you about voice acting and stuff, because I don't know Japanese, the characters sounded convincing. Character 9: I really liked them. It's great the major characters have a backstory, a different motivation and inner conflicts. Also what I liked is that most of them stayed true to their character traits. They didn't over romanced it and that's good, because I hate that trend in animes. What I didn't liked though was some of the villains and that security leader officer, which felt a little too bleak and just put there so the story can have traction Enjoyment 8: Since the story is getting annoying towards the end, it drags down the enjoyment. At first I was: I need to watch the next episode! but slowly it faded into: Just 6 episode left, I should watch them to finish the series already -------- Overall 8: It's an enjoyable anime. It has a great premise and stunning visuals, and I really hope in the future they would take the main ideas and make a new one with a greater story and more compelling villains. If you liked Battlestar Galactica,Star Wars or any other space opera then watch this anime. ---------------------------- !! SPOILER SECTION !! ---------------------------- Story: The good: The story telling is interesting. I loved the fact they didn't started with Yamato, and they built up the tension and hardship earthlings face. I liked the idea of a superior technology embedded into a lower technology ship and how it takes everybody by surprise. Also the story shines when it doesn't take the obvious twists: like the fact Mori is not an alien or when they built up to an unnecessary and predictable XO selfsacrifice, then we realise it was just a bluff Another thing I liked it in the first part of the anime, is that there are shades of grey: the alien leader on Pluto doesn't really like war and all he wants is a better life for his family, humans actually started the war, Susumu is sometimes a dick etc The bad: The fact all aliens are too much alike humans even if they come from another galaxy. And even if we overlook this, because there really are some plausible explanations, there is 0 biodiversity even if the empire spans across 2 galaxies full of unique alien worlds Yamato is taking so many hits in battle, just to be as fresh as ever in the next battle which is then even more destructible, and still packs a heavy punch. It's stupid how in impossible situations there is always a lucky deus ex machina part... The last part of the anime is going full retard. Iscandar is so lame and barren and the princess living there is dumb like a brick. The fact humans reach there do nothing there, just get some boxes and then come back is dumb, because all they wanted was an 1 shot device that restores the earth, and there was no need for them there. Also is stupid to request for a ship to go the twin planet of the net superior enemy and on top of that then complain why you used a powerful weapon. The only way even the writers saw this plausible was from a plot device where they force the main fleet to be 2 month away. I mean what where the odds of that happen when that princess made her genius plan? The fact they reach there and on top of that solve the whole galactic problem with the dictator, destroyed a quarter of its fleet and war and so on . Why on earth they have to save everyone ? Couldn't they just leave this be without turning Yamato in Goku 2.0 ? Dumb plot devices and motivations towards the end: the terraforming devices is wait for it ... the main characters long dead brother. Yep. The prince of Gamillans after his presumed death, tries to take over Yamato, fails and then said: "Lets suicide and stuff just because", or lets kill Mori just to revive hear 1 episode away because were out of ideas and we need some dramatic shit The list can go on.
conformityrules
08/09/2015, 10:51 AM
About two years ago, I watched through the original Star Blazers/Yamato series, as well as the sequel and inter-quel movies that accompanied them. While they each had significant flaws (under-developed characters, lack of world building, and short-changed arcs in the case of season 3), I enjoyed following the adventures of the Space Battleship Yamato from series to series thanks to its well-animated fight scenes for the time, thought-provoking (if heavy-handed), exploration of moral grey areas, and the inspirational message that no matter what happens, good will triumph over evil. I was ecstatic when I discovered the series was being re-made in the form of Space BattleshipYamato 2199. With contemporary, more detailed character designs, smoother animation, gorgeous CGI fight scenes, everything seemed to be in place for an show that takes all of the good things about its foundation series and makes it better. For the most part in the first half of the series, this was true. But once the series had approached and reached its climax, I realized the show had short-changed many of the plot and character arcs that looked so interesting at the start of the series; almost as if the writers took the easy route and created moral compromises that were simpler for the audience to resolve and understand. Story (6/10): Yamato 2199 (or Star Blazers 2199 as it's called on the DVD releases from Voyager Entertainment) follows the same basic plot as its predecessor. However, several subplots are added that give the series much more depth and nuance than its predecessor. A botched attempt to deal with the invasion of the Gammilas is established, developed, and comes full-front about half-way through the show, relationships and conflict are established among members of the Gamilas staff (who now have distinct personalities), and Dessler is planning some sort of conspiracy he hasn't seemed to make any of his staff aware of. I have to go out and say that this series does an EXCEPTIONAL job of developing these plots bit by bit, giving them just enough time in each episode to give new info about them without giving away anything. This series kept me hooked week-to-week thanks to how much promising plot material was surely going to be explored late in the series. In addition, an plot thread following main heroine, Yuki, implies she's actually an Iscandarian Princess. Very intriguing stuff. But . . . Well . . . On the plus side, the series does bother resolving these plot threads. It just does so in a very unsatisfactory manner. Project Izumo's plan is dealt with in the course of just one episode (No. 16) and derails the sympathy and morality of the plan and one of its key members in the process. The intrigue of the Gamilas staff is dealt with when one, obviously evil member goes rogue, and no dissent and political backstabs are ever heard from again. Dessler's 'conspiracy' turns out to be one of the most fool-hardy, and gratuitous turns since Prince Schiezel and Dewey Novak. And Yuki . . . don't get me started . . . But they resolved the arc in the worst way possible, simultaneously insulting their audience for thinking their conclusion on what she was was right. As opposed to leaving opportunities for audience interpretation and debates over whether certain actions or right or wrong, the series insists on telling us who the guys we're supposed to feel bad for our, and who we're supposed to despise. It's an uninteresting, linear way to conclude these arcs when it would have been much more effective to leave some ambiguity as to who is right. There is an arc I can't really go into detail on without spoiling the resolution, but it's yet another unnecessary turn that would've made more of an impact if they had gone with a simple solution. Sometimes, it feels like the series just goes out of its way to make sure every questionable moral decision is either justified or downright wrong. There is only one episode completely segregated from the main plot, and its a story featuring the red robot, Analyzer, who is (thankfully), nowhere near as annoying in this show. The plot could've been deep, but like much of the series, it was far too heavy-handed, and without reasonable rhetorical discussion to be worthwhile. Honestly, the backstory in the episode that was basically created for the sole purpose of providing paralells would have been a better way to spend an episode than what they decided. To its credit, though, the last few episodes of the show are okay. They wrap up the series well, and the deux ex machina ending of the orignal now has some explanation here. It wraps the series up well for the most part, but a crippling lack of explanation of a key background element where a huge leap in logic is made is never explained. Art (9/10): Yamato 2199 excels in the presentation department, particularly in its visuals. The traditional animation is smooth, each body movement serving a purpose in illustrating character. The updated character designs are much nicer and distinct looking than the ones in the classic show, and help give personality to the Yamato crew, as well as the Gamilas characters. There are a couple of off-model episodes (such as 11 and 12 when Xebec first took over animation duties from AIC), but otherwise, it's definitely solid. The CGI, meanwhile, is drop-dead gorgeous. Fights are rendered with far more sophisticaed animation than most TV computer generation. The models of the ships are extremely accurate to the ones used in the old show, with some additional designs and alterations to add distinctiveness. Explosions and particle effects are powerful and breath-taking to the point I eagerly anticipated each fight scene even more than I did in the old show. Sound (8/10): The scoring for the show is done by Akira Miyagawa, son of the composer of the original series. As a result, the majority of the tunes are snazzy remixes of the father's exceptional work, so it sounds very polished. It gives the series a retro feel that meshes with the setting very well, as well as the themes of sentimentality. A couple of the tunes haven't aged well, and sound a bit too old, but the tunes work well for the most part. The opening is a remix of the old one, and is just as grand in scale as it has always been. The thing that stands out the most about this series' sound, however, is the choice in ending themes. They're changed up every four episodes, and they each compliment the arc stories/themes exceptionally well. The first one, in particular, by Aira Yuhki, has become one of my favorite ending themes of all time. Character (6/10): Much like the resolutions to the plots, some of the character arcs are rather disappointing. You know it's bad when I believe the Yuki from the old series had more character than the one in this remake. In the first four episodes, Yuki is established as awkwardly polite with people she doesn't know, but abrasive towards the enthusiastic attitude some of her comrades have towards war. She's respectful to her superiors but feel people are too quick to assume war is the only option. Thus, her relationship with Kodai is tense, lessened when she realizes he's more human then he appears. After episode 5, though, the writers decided they didn't like the direction they decided to take her character, so they stopped her development. Suddenly, she turns into THE most generic main heroine I have seen in any anime I've watched up until now. The writers never decided what new character traits to give her, so they never gave her a personality to fill in the void. As a result, the prominence she gets is very irritating and distracts from a much more colorful supporting cast. Dessler is the second big disappointment. Set up as an enigmatic ruler with his own goals who, nevertheless, is surprisingly kind an lenient with conquered species, turns out to be not nearly as complex as he's seem. Worse, he could've easily enacted his plan because of how loyal his staff and people were to him, so his plot wasn't even practical in the least. I can't go into much more detail than that, but there is virtually no foreshadowing for it, and very little explanation as to why he'd go to such great lengths. Other than that, though, the characters are pretty strong. Okita is as likeable an captain as he was in the original series, Kodai is more strong and confident in himself, making his inevitable rise to Captain more understandable, and his relationship with Shima is more genuine since the latter has a more vivid, friendly, enthusiastic personality. There are many, many more characters who I could talk about, but most of them are pretty solid. There's the witty scientist, Niimi, radio announcer Yuria, cocky gunman Nanbu, old engineer Tokugawa, there are a plethora of colorful personalites that sadly, only have the time to be somewhat revealed during the course of series time. However, each of them get enough development that you feel like you know them, and ultimately, you grow to care about them. In addition, there are a number of female characters added here (a quality severely lacking from the previous series), who all stand out in their own way. Pilot Akira Yamamoto, in particular, is an excellent character, and was teased as a possible romantic interest for Kodai, only for Yuki to take center stage with no explanation. Had she been the main heroine, this series would gain back points in its favor. The one other significant character who was interesting until, unfortunately, he wasn't, is the slimy security chief, Shinya Itou. He has an interesting dynamic with Niimi and oozes with so much evil, he's actually rather charming. Unfortunately, he goes insane half-way through when his plan starts failing, and boringly loses his composure (again, way too easy to tell who the bad guys are). He actually somewhat redeems himself later on, but it's not quite enough to sell me on the character. Then there's the Gamilas General Domel, who steals the show whenever he's on screen. He's easily in my top three for most favorite character in the series thanks to how straight he's played as a principled, sympathetic character who's, nevertheless, bound to Gamilas due to his code of honor. Enjoyment (7/10): For all of the execution issues this series has (particularly when it comes to climaxes and resolutions), I enjoyed Space Battleship Yamato 2199 through and through. Sure, the first half was a lot better than the second, but the supporting cast and some of the main characters remained colorful, the visuals were top-notch, and the music was great. And even if the ideas were poorly-handled, the new concepts were great potential ways to improve on the original series. And, some of the new ideas, do work pretty well. The aforementioned fair treatment of races the Gammilas encounter? That was really cool, and it made the now justified pale-skinned Schultz a more compelling character. Even if a lot of the nuance is lost, there's still depth to much of what happened, and being a fan of the original series, all of the fanservice for super fans of the original series was great and helped me enjoy the cast even more than I would've otherwise. Overall (7/10): It's littered with character flaws, and anti-climaxes, but I can still earnestly recommend this series. It does have a good supporting cast, solid visuals, and a good main character. Sure, it fails to realize a good bit of its potential nearly as much as it should, but fans of the original series and newcomers will still enjoy this series, issues and all.
dustinator1991
01/22/2015, 05:22 PM
For those that wonder about this anime, you might not partially like space-related anime. But I warn you, give this anime an chance. I wasn't too keen on watching this show but I gave it an chance. And guess what? I was surprised that I actually liked it. People praise this anime saying that this remake was made from an classic of an old anime. Now I see what they were talking about. I agree with them. This anime is awesome! When many people, hear remake or "reboot," they get turned away but I assure you that this anime will meet your expectations and then leave youwanting more. Story: 10 There is a strong story here. The planet Earth is fighting for it's survival, against an alien threat. Either extinction or slavery. But hope isn't gone for humanity. Battleship Yamato was built, in order, to travel across the universe to the aliens, Iscandarians, who brought a mysterious technology. They made it possible for the humans to build the Yamato. Obstacles are presented throughout their journey, expiring more bits of the story and the puzzle. The story isn't hard to understand but it is nonetheless enjoyable to watch. There are many developments and annoyances that help shape into something more than the simple premise of the story. For the most part, it follows the original plot, I cannot say what but I can say it follows it confidently though. It is not overly confusing or complex - there are also many things that is left for the audience to ponder and wonder so the they are boring them. If you expect more out of the anime and come in with a clear mind, you will be happy and see a flawless anime. Art: 10 The art was beautiful. Visuals were amazing. It was like a breath of fresh air when compared to other anime. Originality. Sound: 10 I have no complaints with the sound. It was on point. Character: 10 There is a big cast of characters in this anime. Sometimes when that happens, it can ruin shows. But this isn't the cast. You see the brave heros, loyal comrades, tragic villains, and whatever else in between. Some characters may seem stereotypical but it soon changes as you watch more. At times, Yamoto, doesn't define the difference and you can sympathize with the enemy, questioning the motives of the heros. It's important that it separates the wheat from the chaff in this aspect. Still, there is a classic story at hand and classic characters. But they are not as hollow and calculable as one more suspicious may come to believe. Enjoyment: 10 This anime has a lot going for it. The story was awesome. A lot of the music was from the original, which was nice. Characters were awesome and I loved seeing the characters change and grow. There were different types of emotions being experienced. Overall: 10 I thoroughly enjoyed this anime. I am happy to say I recommend this to anyone because it is that AMAZING. It's an awesome remake of an classic anime. It is very much re-watchable. It deserves the praise that it gets. I hope everyone else enjoys this anime as much as I did.
skarabox
12/27/2014, 10:06 PM
THIS COULD BE AN EPIC ANIME... but it falls short. Therefore only 7/10. You will enjoy it at first and then you will get disappointed, wishing it could be perfect. I hate anime like that. The story and characters have an epic potential but I don't know whether it is because it is an old anime or what, but the story has many holes, characters behave really shallowly a lot of times and the anime create really artificial moments in order to evoke a certain emotional reaction in the viewer. All of this makes you feel like the authors treat you as a dumb, notdemanding or 12 years old viewer who can't catch all those obvious flaws. For example the crew needs to go asap to one place, but they debate whether to go to 2 other places before hand and they decide not to go to not waste time. But 10 seconds later the ship's engine melt and they have to go to one of those places and after fixing the engine they suddenly decide to go to the other 2nd place. Or in a big fight in a really intense moment they portray a main character like he died from a heart attack and then 10 seconds later he is standing next to them completely fine with a doctor confirming everything is fine. There is a lot of stuff in this anime like this that turns you off even though you really wish everything would be polished, because the story and characters have an epic potential if made right. The sound/music in this anime really suck ass, they are simple and like from 1960 but because you think the story and characters will develop so well you don't care about the sound, until you realize the story and cast falls short and they you feel disappointed even by the sounds and soundtracks.
Raptor1221
12/07/2013, 08:28 AM
To be called “The Star Wars of Japan” you must be doing something oh so right. “Space Battleship Yamato (1974- 1975) was labeled as such. It’s a show so imbedded in popular culture that I had even heard of it. This was long before even watching my very first anime (To me known as “Star Blazers” for US). It was truly the show of an age. Now fast forward to April, 7th, 2012, an OVA remake of the beloved classic begins its air time. The final question of fans was. Will it live up to the original? Or disappoint usas much as the 2010 live action movie? Fans were treading carefully, hoping with all their hearts for a good adaptation (unlike many other shows of late). They looked for a great modern re- vamp; both in the visual and sound departments….. and that my friends is just what we got. The premise of “Space Battleship Yamato 2199” is a simple one.” An interstellar war against a mysterious Alien race known as “Gamilians” (who btw toooottaaallly aren’t alluding to Romans) has Humanity near extinction and the earth nearly uninhabitable in the course of 8 years. Humanity has given a valiant effort, but is not on par with their enemy. Who by the way has shielding technology and interstellar flight. But, there is hope, another alien race known as Iscanderians (the totally not alluding to Greeks people) give them the power to arm one ship with their ultra advanced technology. They must now seek out Iscander and gain a device know as the cosmos reverse system to save the Earth. This mission is then dubbed “The Yamato Project” and our noble crew heads out. The Majority of the show is the crew of the aforementioned super ship “Yamato” heading out to Iscander, while encountering harsh resistance by their Gamilian foes. The show does develop as it goes on. There are a few twists and we get to learn all the races motives and reasons. Still it’s not a very complicated show; which in a way is where its charm lies. It’s very much akin to well “Star Wars”. It’s an enjoyable show with very stereotypical, but well developed characters. Its key level of enjoyment comes from the premise. The one ship vs the galaxy, and wits win the battles. It feels during these times much like an episode of “Star Trek”. There are great moments of tactical fun in almost every battle. They usually survive by using some tactical hat trick. It’s the quick thinking, and patch work of the crew that make this show truly a gem. Its great scale, its fun battles, its tense moments make for an overall fun and well written plot that eventually ends in satisfaction; it’s just a treat to enjoy. (9/10) The animation was handled by “Xebec” studios, which is a sub division of production I.G. I really cannot say anything bad about the animation. It just seems neigh perfect. Great effort was put into recreating the feel of the show. It did not use the original style, but went for a modern approach. It used CGI for ship battles, and normal safe, but detailed animation for everything else. All is just great. The CGI is some of the best I’ve seen in anime (though not U.S Tier CGI, cus America loves the stuff). It provides some AMMMMAZZZZZINNNG space battles. The animation is well done and details from the original show are kept correct. Not really many flaws in sight (that is unless you don’t like CGI) (9/10) Music was Handled by Miyagawa, Akira, who’s probably most well know work is… Kirby Right Back at Ya. What I will say he brought in the right people for the job (as the compositions were handled by various artists). The openings were both well done. The first is a rescored/ revamped version of the original. The 2nd a modern original Op made by “UVER world” dubbed, “Fight for Liberty”. Both the ending themes were also done well, and both present a classic and gentle tune to the show. The Osts though truly shine. Every Ost fits the moment, from sad, to happy and just plain epic. One of my personal favorites of the Ost’s in the show is the main theme. The main theme is a sea shanty rehash of the 1st opening that sets the tone for most of the battles. It’s simply called “Space Battleship Yamato 2199” (srlsy I want to take on the Garmilian armada right now…. Come at me bro). The other end we have the “Garmilian National anthem” it perfectly fits the nation and its proud people. It’s epic and proud; it creates some of the greatest moments in the show. Such as when you seen their fleet rise up and this anthem plays …. simply wonderful. What the show does lack in sound is the variance. The Osts pretty much are the same group played over and over again. They are no doubt excellent, but after 26 episodes it can try one’s patience. The Osts in Space Battle ship Yamato are simply great when they need to be. Yet, they are used over and over. All in all it does install a feeling of “retroness” that few can match with its sound track. Thus sound gets a (8/10). With a great ship, you need a great crew. That is what the crew of the Yamato delivers in full. They are really are just archetypes, the main character with loss, his best friends, the staunch captain, and the super logical science officer. Yet, somehow these characters remain somewhat interesting; this is due to the excellent development. Each is stereotypical, but each learns, gains, and looses throughout the show. It’s the crew with there well written interactions goes about the marry task of 1 VS all. With great heroes you got to have some great villain’s, right? Yes, and in many ways the villains outshine the heroes in both motivation, and in charisma. They are in my opinion much akin to Kligons (though much better dressed). The Garmilians also get their development; they are humanized, but not enough that you root for them instead. They have families, and reasons to try to keep the peace within their empire. It adds some very interesting clashes in ideals between the apposing races. The characters in Yamato each get their time and development. The reasons for their actions are clear to the viewer; though their characters are extremely stereotypical. This in its own way adds to the retro vibe that Yamato installs, but also somewhat hurts it (but hey they are the originals)….. (8/10) “Space battleship Yamato 2199” is truly a treat. Its simply fun, and installs a sense of “retro” upon you. It uses well developed archetypes, fun and interesting plot twists, and great art /sound, to create an excellent remake of a timely classic. Very few shows recently have matched Yamato in overall enjoyment and quality. Yamato, is no perfect show, but is damn well better than most things right now. It is an anime not to be missed for both its fun and charm. Raptor-(9/10)
rtil
11/23/2013, 11:14 PM
Most of you may know that Space Battleship Yamato 2199 is a remake of the 1970's space opera by the same name (bar the 2199). If one were to make a comparison of its significance to its importance of the genre, it is basically the Star Wars of Japan - the series that one would point to as a culturally significant moment in entertainment and the rise of the genre itself. In recent times, one becomes wary when they hear the word 'remake' or 'reboot'. Audiences have reluctantly witnessed so many beloved series, stories and characters get butchered in misguided and unnecessary attempts to be recreated. Thankfully,I am happy to say that Yamato's 21st century rebirth is done faithfully, respectfully, and masterfully. First, there is the story (9/10). Yamato's story is timeless - the people of Earth are fighting back against an alien threat to bring their planet to slavery or extinction. Humanity's last hope lies in the battleship Yamato, its crew, and a mysterious technology brought to mankind from a distant alien race of people called Iscandarians. Their destination - lightyears away, on the planet of Iscandar. In their path lie many obstacles, and every one a piece of the story and the puzzle. In this respect, Yamato's story is not difficult to understand, and is something you can appreciate at any age in any time. There are many developments and nuances that shape the story beyond its simple premise as the show develops, however. For the most part, it faithfully follows the original plot, and while I can't comment on specifics, I know enough to say that with confidence. It is not overly complex - there are also many things that are left to the imagination for the sake of not boring the audience. If you accept them for what they are and don't convolute them, it is, for the most part, flawless. This is, after all, a fictional universe. Now for the art (10/10). There has been some fuss over the stylistic changes from the original Leiji style of Yamato to the remake. However, I find them to be a perfect blend of the retro style and modern style - which still brings an incredibly refreshing artistic flair to Yamato that isn't seen anywhere today. Even if one were to miss the original style, I think it would be impossible to truly recreate it exactly unless you had all the original animation staff, and that is too much to ask for a 40-year old series. Nobuteru did an excellent job of revisiting the style of Leiji and bringing it to a modern audience. The animation is absolutely stunning. It's quite obvious there was a high budget for the series, and they use it in all the right places. Let's be honest - in the 70's, many of the technical challenges that came with animating epic, large-scale space battles were difficult to tackle with the technology of the time. While many are impressive, it's easy to see where they struggled to achieve their true vision. In 2199, the ships are 3D models, and CGI comes heavily into play during battle scenes. There was a time that this spelled bad news for mixing with 2D animation, when CGI suffered from a "video game cutscene" syndrome. But with today's technology, 2199's CGI is absolutely stunning, and blends beautifully with the show and the backgrounds. Every ship is masterfully crafted and detailed, and every nuance of the ships and the weaponry is nothing short of perfection. The excitement of every battle scene leaves you speechless. Fans of spaceships, fighter jets and miscellaneous mechanical things will be filled with nothing but glee. The character and 2D animation is equally as important, and is treated that way. There's a lot of expressiveness in every character, and it shows. There's a bit of fanservice and moe here and there, but nothing overdone. Yamato takes itself seriously when it has to, but it also has a bit of fun when it's appropriate. The music and sfx (10/10) adds another layer of immersion to the world of Yamato. The soundtrack is a lot of re-recordings of original Yamato tracks, with that 1970's sci-fi trumpets and backing vocals that many may remember fondly. If not, it's something that you hear very rarely these days, and is absolutely perfect for this series. It's enough that the opening is one of those songs you just can't skip - the rest of the soundtrack is equally inspiring. The sound effects, voices and ambiance is also well done. My favorite bits are definitely the sounds of the ships and the weapons during battle. There's nothing quite like hearing a flurry of lasers, rockets and explosions - and of course, the awe-inspiring Wave Motion Gun. The characters (9/10) of Yamato are stunning examples of common archetypes. There are brave heroes, loyal comrades, tragic villains, and everything in between. There is a very large cast of Yamato, so I won't dive into every character, but while many characters may seem stereotypical at first glance, Yamato never attempts to clearly define the difference between good and evil - at times, you will sympathize with the enemy, and you will question the motives of the heroes. It's one of those important aspects that helps separate the wheat from the chaff in this aspect. Still, there is a very classical story at hand, and with it come classic characters. But they are not as hollow and predictable as one more cynical may come to believe. Overall, there is not much more to say. I gave enjoyment a 10/10 because I always found myself looking forward to the next episode of Yamato - and when they came (the waits were quite long for those following the series release), they were over so soon because I enjoyed every moment. It is quite clear that the creators of Yamato 2199 had great respect for the source material and made every effort to craft a remake worthy of the name Uchuu Senkan Yamato. And in every aspect I would say they succeeded, and brought a story that deserves to be retold to a new era, taking advantage of the tools they have today that its original creators did not to remake Yamato in its full glory. And although the eye-candy visuals of space warfare are a spectacle in their own right, Yamato 2199 never loses sight of the story it is trying to tell and the cast that we want to root for, which is where many remakes of this era falter. This is a very rare and important piece of animation history - one that I believe deserves to be viewed and appreciated by everyone. I would recommend this series to absolutely anyone, even if they are not fans of sci-fi. If you want an example of a remake done right - this is it.
RedgraveGilver
11/19/2013, 04:16 AM
Note: This is a remake of the classic Battle Ship Yamato by Leiji Matsumoto which is one of the most revolutionary anime. Space Operas are very rare now a days in the anime industry. Just as the quality of mecha anime and it's audience has been downgrading and declining in favor of slice-of-life, ecchi and harem genres, space operas were always being overlooked at. After almost at least 40 years, one of the space opera classic during the 70's was given a chance to have a remake in order to introduce the series and gain a wider audience in today's anime community. But does the showitself succeed? Let's check it out: Story/Characters: Just as the title implies, the show is set during year 2199 and the once blue, green and thriving with life planet earth has been reduced to a radioactive wasteland because of the Garmillas aliens which forced the remaining population to hide underground. However, a friendly alien race from the planet Iscandar contacts the human race and gives them blue prints to build a powerful space battleship capable of retrieving a device to clean planet earth before humanity disappears. As they resurrect the long sunken ship yamato, they then applies the alien technology that they got from a messenger that came from Iscandar, transforming it into one of the most epic and greatest ship that will venture through the sea of stars to save their home planet. Enter Space Battle Ship Yamato. Now i know most of you will think that the premise is pretty similar to Macross but the latter was aired during the 80's specifically after the success of an another behemoth called Gundam while the original Yamato was aired during the 70's. So therefore Yamato was the one who influence Macross. As i already said from the synopsis, this is a light years journey to Iscandar from planet earth and it will take a year in order to get through Iscandar and they also must retrieve the device in immediately before planet earth is forever doomed. As such we will encounter many kinds of phenomenon and typical issues from this long journeys such as trust issues, food shortage and of course battling their enemies, the Garmillans as they opposed the ship to reach Iscandar. Tactics to fend off enemies were heavily used and while the tactics many not be that good as LoGH, it still managed to give the feeling of unpredictability of the battles, plausibility of the tactics that were used and you will always be in the edge of your seat with the epic space batles that were occurring in your screen and backing it by great animation and intense old school soundtrack. The series also dealt with mature themes such as racism, genocide and politics. There is also fanservice in this series. Oh, i didn't mention that? But don't worry the fanservice in this series is not like in your ecchi show where it's distracting. The fanservice actually have some subtility. For the most part. The characters were no slouch either. They were interesting and likable for the most part and the character interactions were well-written and probably the main forte of the characterization of the show. The way the Yamato crew interact is just fun to watch. Oh sure there are some characters like our main protagonist, Susumu Kodai who sometimes acts like an angsty teen and some characters do too but they don't exaggerate to the point that it become annoying. They still act accordingly to the situation and maturely to many situations. Many of the stuff that happens throughout their journey have challenged the Yamato's crew beliefs about the war and this anime is also not entirely black and white where humans are automatically good, and the garmillians are automatically bad. There are both good and bad people from each side and some good and bad decisions and deeds that both the Humans and Garmillians have made. Okay, maybe i'm saying the obvious but it's still worth pointing that out. The female cast are also strong individuals for the most part so don't worry about some very useless ass female characters that you mostly see. Overall, the story is great and the characters were interesting, likable and fun to watch to. If there are criticisms that i would give is that there are some more potential that the series overlooked. With a good world building that the show created, that show could have last in more than just 26 episodes and that is why some scenes in the series felt rushed, some characters are really lacking for being fleshed out and development, and there are some very questionable decisions during the end BUT it didn't really detract for my own personal enjoyment. The original Yamato is also only 26 episodes and most people would rage quit to a series which is over 30+ episodes anyway so 26 episodes is still fine as it's still be able to tell a great story in a series which the scale and world building is pretty big. Animation: The studios that brought to us the animation are studio Xebec and AIC. The animation, the crisp of the characters and design, heck even the CGI are just fucking stunning and beautiful. Although some might say differ about the CGI but i didn't really find any problem with it as it really works perfectly to the scenery of the series and the CGI only made the battles more epic and engaging. The director is Yutaka Izubuchi who is known for directing and creating RahXephon. He was also responsible for the character designs of Gundam Wing. Hideaki Anno worked on the story board. If you didn't know who he is then you're probably living in a cave. Akihiro Enomoto whom have worked as the key animator in Char's counterattack also worked on this anime. Anybody here whom have watched Char's counterattack knows that the battles there were simply one of the best mecha battle and the animation was just absolutely gorgeous. Akihiro also brought his forte into this series as the key animator in most episodes so therefore the battle scenes, as i mentioned before, were engaging, terrific and epic like Char's counterattack. It feels like real space ships are really battling it out. As most of the budget were used in the CGI and the battles, the character movements felt really poor in many episodes but you know what? Most of the episodes they spend were sitting in the ship anyway. Just trying to point that out. Sound: Catchy and old school. Seriously, the opening song and the first ending song were retro songs during anime of 70's but it really fits perfectly well during the series(There are several different versions of the opening. The first opening is the classic version while the other version is still the same only much more modernized). I really appreciate how they decided to bring a retro song as an opening to a modern remake now it's stuck to my head and i can't stop humming it whenever i'm taking a shit or taking a shower. The OSTs that was used were also very catchy and old school but still felt intense during the battle scenes. The voice acting is also very well done. Ono Daisuke as the voice of Susumu Kodai who also voiced Sebastian from Black Butler, Kuwashima Houko as the main heroine, Mori Yuki who also voiced Tomoyo Sakagami(Clannad) and Clare(Claymore), Yamadera Kouchi as the main antagonist, Lord Desler who also voiced Spike Spiegel from Cowboy bebop, Otsuka Houchuu as Shiro Sanda who also voiced Jiraiya from Naruto and other famous VA's. Aside from the the opening songs, the OST's while catchy doesn't really warrant to be listen on it's own which kinda of a shame. Enjoyment: After watching LoGH and this, i am now craving for more space operas. This anime has many things that i could hope for. Engaging story, fun and interesting characters, beautiful ladies, epic and compelling space battles with great animation and a satisfying ending. It's really a shame that despite being a remake of a classic with great animation, anime like these is still being overlooked at the anime community today. Hopefully in the future, more anime fans would be able to watch this series and this is one of the primary reasons why i'm doing this review right now. Whether you think this anime is great or not is still up to you of course but if you find this review helpful(which i doubt) and decided to watch the anime and think the anime is good, then please do recommend this to your friends. Then maybe there is hope for more space operas in the anime industry and for this sub-genre to completely not die in the anime realm. Well, it really won't because of LoGH(Although there is also only a handful of people who have watched this) but you get my point anyway. Verdict Story: 9/10 - Epic and engaging journey to save planet earth. Characters: 8/10 - A great cast and fun characters to watch to. Character development is there but lacking a bit due to the length of the show but characterization is solid. Animation: 9/10 - It's Fluid in the battles and the CGI is good. Sound: 8/10 - Nostalgic old school music and soundtrack. Enjoyment: 10/10 - Never failed to entertain me and didn't make me bored while marathoning the whole thing. Final Verdict: 9/10 - Amazing anime and a great space opera.

Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 宇宙戦艦ヤマト2199

North American Anime & Manga Releases for February

North American Anime & Manga Releases for November

North American Anime & Manga Releases for July

North American Anime & Manga Releases for August

North American Anime & Manga Releases for April

New Anime Movie of 'Yamato 2199' Due 2014

Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 宇宙戦艦ヤマト2199

North American Anime & Manga Releases for February

North American Anime & Manga Releases for November

North American Anime & Manga Releases for July

North American Anime & Manga Releases for August

North American Anime & Manga Releases for April

New Anime Movie of 'Yamato 2199' Due 2014