If you are old like I am and were a kid in the late 1970s,
your first introduction to Japanese anime may have been Star Blazers. The first
season of the Star Blazers tv series was called The Quest for Iscandar and
aired weekday mornings. I remember the series very fondly as it was the gateway
drug for other shows like Voltron and, of course, Robotech.
The story of Star Blazers starts in 2199 with the Earth dying
from radioactive pollution caused by bombing by an alien race, the Gamilons.
Just as things seem most bleak for Earth, its last major space fleet defeated
by the Gamilons near Pluto, a message is received from another alien culture
from the planet Iscandar. The message states that if Earth can reach Iscandar,
they will provide a cure for Earth. To help humans reach Iscandar, the message
also provides details on a technologically advanced engine. Earth forces build
the engine and place it in a sunken battleship from World War II, the Yamato.
After rebuilding the Yamato for space, the newly formed Space Force takes off
for Iscandar with only 1 year to get there and back to save Earth.
A year ago, my wife bought all three seasons of Star Blazers
in DVD box sets and I hadn’t taken the plunge to watch them. However, the
addition of season 1 on Netflix instant watch made it silly to wait any longer.
The first season is split into six parts (DVDs) and the first part covers the
first five episodes of the series. You can find a plot synopsis of each episode
on Wikipedia or watch the shows on your own.
Star Blazers is an adaptation of a famous Japanese anime
called Space Battleship Yamato. I have never watched Space Battleship Yamato,
so I am unsure what, if anything, changed between the original anime and Star
Blazers. However, on this re-watch after over 30 years, what stood out for me
was how much more adult the show seems than most “children’s” shows. There are
deaths, though mostly from a distance, and the characters in the story deal
with those deaths emotionally. Characters have depth and everything isn’t just
great and easy, there is tension and a little suspense. Additionally, the theme
of a ravaged dying earth and some of the dialog seems more adult than Y-7
focused.
Watching the first five episodes, I noticed that some of the
animation is dated and some of the visual effects are jarring compared to what
we would find today. Overall, the plot and story are holding up and interesting
and I am looking forward to revisiting the rest of the series. If you have
Netflix instant watch, put it in the queue. If you don’t, the DVDs are a little
steep at ~$135 for season 1 on Amazon or you can get the full season through
Amazon instant video for ~$22. I give Part I of Star Blazers: The Quest for
Iscandar 3.5 Mick Happies for the great nostalgia, more adult themes and decent
plot. Only 361 days left for the Star Force to save Earth.
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