*Erata:* LeijI Matsumotow was published at 15, not 16. Matsumoto's neighbor was actually on a ship that escorted the Musashi, not the Musashi, itself. The Musashi did, at one point, escort the Yamato, but it sank prior to the Yamato's final voyage. Get the original Star Blazers (Space Battleship Yamato) on DVD on Amazon.com here: Series 1 ow.ly/6rG950AOjIF Series 2 ow.ly/Ea8650AOjIH Series 3 ow.ly/wv3G50AOjIG You can pick up the "Space Battleship Yamato" Movie collection on @Amazon.com! amzn.to/4dh48VF The first two episodes of "Space Battleship Yamato: Star Blazers REBEL 3199" are now streaming on Crunchyroll! crunchyrollstore.sjv.io/R5v0V2 Enjoy "2199" and "2202" on Crunchyroll if you haven't already! crunchyrollstore.sjv.io/21vxGz Using these affiliate links to make a purchase compensates the project so it can keep sharing the Leijiverse! I do not apologize for my pronunciation. Syllabic emphasis doesn't survive romanization. Deal, weebs.
School for the older kids let out at 3:30pm; the same time Star Blazers started. My older brother ran the entire mile home and I would fill him in during commercials. - Texas 1979
I grew up with Star Blazers and it actually pushed me into space science's once I went to high school and once I graduated I knew I wanted to become an astronomer and that's what I am today. Haven't found it yet but maybe one day I'll find Iscandar.
@@Leijiverse we've discovered many exoplanets that have characteristics of being a water planet, so maybe there's one with a continent that looks like Japan and I hope who ever discovers it names it Iscandar. After all, we found Vulcan but unfortunately it's way too hostile so very doubtful we'll find any pointy ear, green blooded hobgoblins 😆
@@danlabok7117 It was called The Quest For Iscandar, Captain Avatar said Titan is similar to Earth, Wildstar was on top of Alex's Missile Ship 17 and yelling out for his brother as the Argo closed in from the clouds, it was a cool scene.
This was the show that started my life long love of Japanese animation. I remember getting up early before school to watch it. It will always remain my favorite anime series. Thank you from r all the great memories and helping my imagination fly with the crew of the Yamato, or Argo as I first experienced it.
After school, at 3:30 every weekday, on Channel 46 in Atlanta. Without. Fail. I was obsessed, and it completely changed my understanding of what animation could accomplish as a true storytelling medium. Right now, in 2024 I'm re-framing the original Yamato posters I collected in the 80s to hang in my new studio. Yamato: hasshin! o7
Thank you, this is my favorite anime of all time, I loved it as a child before I even knew what anime was. I never missed an episode of Star Blazers, even when I was sick,
At 72 I remember watching the STARBLAZERS anime weekday mornings with my young son before he went to school and I went to work ! As the years went on I found sources in the U.S.A. where I could buy models of the YAMATO and the other spaceships from the series. I even bought a nearly 3 ft. long model of the original YAMATO battleship by LIFELIKE models. Being an artist myself I have always admired how much effort went into the series. I also think that early anime paved the way in the states for the later success of movies like AKIRA and PRINCESS MONONOKE ! Both of these among my favorites ! Thanks for your review and for all the original artwork that was displayed in sci-fi film magazines of that era ! Go STARFORCE !
Thanks for this video. Star Blazers is a cherished part of my childhood. It was also my first introduction to sci-fi starting to enter more mature themes. I also deeply lived Robotech so nice to know there was a bit of a connection.
I use to run home from school each day to watch the show. It was my favorite show. Between Star Blazers and Star Wars, the early 80's was a great time to be sci fi fantasy fan.
Loved the show immensely! Taught me as a young kid that it's not just a single person that typically makes the difference, but all of us as one team. "We must be strong and brave!" Thank you, Yamato!
Star Blazers aired at 8:30 am and school started at 9:00. Each episode would conclude at 8:55 followed by commercials and a preview of the next episode. Luckily, I lived ACROSS THE STREET from my school. By skipping the commercials and the preview, thirteen year old me was able to watch every episode and still make it to my seat just before the last bell....9 times out of 10.
I watched the Star Blazers series when it was first shown in the US. I had grown up with Japanese content like Astro Boy, Speed Racer and Ultraman. I remember being confused by the animation style as a kid and thinking, "Well, they don't look Japanese to me". I suspect that it was years later (post internet) before I knew that this was the Battleship Yamato.
I first encountered Yamato in man-hwa form (I'm Korean) back in 1976 in Korea. I loved it. As the Yamato journeyed through the solar system, the man-hwa contained little breakout panels introducing the various planets and other things the Yamato was passing on its way to Iscandar. Imagine my surprise a few years later at seeing Star Blazers on the TV in the US in 1980. Despite my love for Yamato and Mazinger Z (the first anime that I grew up with), my interest drifted to video games and computers. I didn't watch anime until much later in life. The biggest reason is probably the fact that I did not grow up with cable TV, and my local stations did not carry anime. Thanks for making this production retrospective. I know very little about the series outside the story itself. This was very informative.
2199 remake is amazing. The respect and care they show for the original is touching, with even the original music being re-recorded almost note for note, while still adding to and changing the story somewhat. It’s beautiful.
When I lived in Japan, I rented the entire Uchusenkan Yamato on VHS and watched it. It's nothing like Starblazers. You said it, it was violent and dealt with human themes. I had the theme song as my ringtone on my phone and I still have the Yamato die cast model I bought. Best model I own. You can say I'm a fan.
I first learned about this series as a little kid at my grandfather's house in Boston (they were broadcasting the Comet Empire series at the time). Later, as I grew up, I got into the series and movies as a whole (my first watching of series 1 was with no dubbing nor subtitles, so it was like seeing an opera... but I managed to follow along) and am a proud owner of 2 sketchbooks, plus one cell book, several soundtracks, and models. You get extra bonus points from me for including my favorite bit of the SCY soundtrack (the one with the little oboe solos and the "wakajawaka' guitar) 😀
Great video! thank you for bringing back these memories. I tried to share this groundbreaking series to this generation with no success. Their loss. Can you do Gatchaman next?
I wasnt even born til a month later and discovered Star Blazers in 1979. I have this print framed from one of the Roman book collections of the Yamato facing the Comet empire Dreadnaught ship in my office. Just reminds me of facing your challenges head on
@@SpacebattleshipAlex also, I love there voices of everyone, Sgt Knox, the voice character died not to long ago and I was upset about that, Derek, Nova, Sandor, Eger, Mark Venture, every voice over did so well, it makes the show worth watching just listening to them.
I'm 63 love the series when i was a kid. Bought the dvd box set years ago can't find it, i have a feeling my 34 year old daughter took it with her when she moved to Minnesota last year she loved the series as well when she was a kid.
I still have my boxed set. I also bought the remake (region 2- had to watch it on my computer.) went on to find all the movies (even the ones with English subtitles.) What a great show. I wish I had my own Yamato in real life.
My first exposure to Star Blazers 2199 was when I played Super Robot Wars V on my Nintendo Switch. The Space Battleship Yamato was on the front cover of the game. Meaning it's one of several playable ship units in SRW V. Seeing the battle animations for the Yamato were astounding. They were staying faithful to the original series, or at least the remake.
16:22 - the thing is? I like the spring water. It's something special to Avatar, that "this bottle right here is what this entire voyage is about. This is what we are fighting for." It works thematically with the show overall.
I remember when I first saw the Space Cruiser Yamato compilation film on KTLA 5's 'Family Film Festival' (hosted by Tom Hatten) in the summer of 1978. I was still in Jr. High School and had figured it was a new take of STAR WARS (yeah, I know...) I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by it. Growing up I had watched other Anime series (The Amazing 3, Gigantor, Speed Racer and Kimba the White Lion are the ones I really remember) without knowing they were from, and what was known as Anime in Japan. That all changed when I saw the Space Cruiser Yamato film; and Tom Hatten explained some of the production history and the fact it was an entertainment form called 'Anime' in Japan, and I now knew where some of the 'other' cartoons I enjoyed growing up looked the way they did, and why the stories were different (read Not like any Hana Barbera cartoon), from the other US cartoons I saw. It started my real interest in Anime and I LOVED Star Blazers and ran home to see it every afternoon - yes VCRs existed, but they were VERY expensive until a few years later and I didn't have access to one or I would have taped every episode - (and yes, Anime was both harder to find in the US until after Robotech was a huge hit in the US circa 1984, - of which I did tape every episode😉 - although yeah, it was obvious how much was changed after the MACROSS saga, and I was annoyed when I found that Carl Macek made some major changes to the MACROSS part and used two disparate and unconnected Anime series to pad 'ROBOTECH' to the needed 65 for syndication in the U.S. - but that's a whole other story - and what Anime did make it over was wholly changed even worse than ROBOTECH.) In the late 1980s they started showing a lot more Anime at Science Fiction and other conventions, (I also found a local Anime club that showed original stuff on Laserdisc in the original Japanese that met monthly) and by the 90s enough had made it over that you would occasionally see a 'better' (but still not without changes for the US audience) dubbed and subbed Anime. It wasn't until the early 2000s that you had a few companies trying to do more faithful subs and dubs that eventually grew into the situation we have today. For all the recent drama regarding some translating localizers adding the occasional political message with a line here and there - only those who tried to find clubs and other venues to actually watch Anime know how truly improved the current situation is compared to the subs and dubs of the 70s, 80s and early 90s. There were plenty of times I watched something in Japanese with no clue what the dialog was beyond a phrase I picked up here and there; or at best had a hastily typed synopsis that someone who knew Japanese took the time to create for something shown at a Convention or Anime club. You U.S./English speaking Anime fans today have no real idea how good you have it, compared to those of us who were addicted to it in the 1970s & 80s. But yeah, times change. (Now, get the f**k off my lawn! 😉)
When I returned to Boston in 1984, the first thing I asked was “Is Star Blazers is still on TV?” And cousin replied “Yep!” I was so happy! Since then, I’ve had the good fortune of getting the iconic Star Blazers anime comics, the Roman Albums and models, thanks to Mr. Big Toyland in Waltham, MA! Sadly, it went out of business. Thank you Mr. Big for the memories.
It's already 50 years? Damn, I love Yamato, mainly for it's music and it sadens me how unwknown this series is in Europe, I really wish I could have grow up with it.
I did grow up with Star Blazers and Albator, here in Canada. (Captain Harlock was only available in French at that time as Albator) What I remember most was endless attempts to build the space ships out of lego, and trying to imitate the art style in drawings. Did the show's message and meaning reach me as a kid, maybe not. But it sure had an impact on my sense of style.
@@themercer4972 Reminds me that the only close thing we had here was Nadia, secret of Blue Water, with czech dub. It aired on local kids channel, and I regret that I never saw it as a kid, that would influence my sense of style for sure.
As a child, I was so thoroughly inspired by Matsumoto's work, the very first character you meet in my series of books ("Diamond Dragons") is none other than "Leijimoto". :) Sadly, not a single reader has made the connection yet, and I published DD1 over 2021's solstices. DD4's print versions are about to launch as well (winter solstice). Finally, if you look on this channel (my own), my Star Wars style geek name was always "Novastar". Hmmm, gee, I wonder why THAT is? ;) No one ever caught THAT, either. Which is sad, but hey, I haven't met a ton of intelligent folks throughout the course of my 30+ years of work. It do be what it do be.
Happy Anniversary SBY. I salute you. I enjoy this sci-fi series. I watched this series in America under the title Star Blazers. I also watched the documentary SBY The Making of an Anime Legend. Yoshinobu Nishizaki originally called it "Asteroid Ship Icuras". Same plot, except it focused on a giant rock w/sub light engine, heat ray gun and nuclear bazooka. The enemy was called Legendera. However, Leji Matsumoto suggested to ditch the rock and replace it w/battleship Yamato. In the movie Be Forever Yamato did use the Yamato hidden in Asteroid Icuras. Also, George Lucas' Star Wars came out three years after SBY. Simular characters, different plot.
3:00 and he wrote 'Fall of Japan: Through the Tunnel of Hell' as his autobiography narrating the End of Empire and the day he left Kyushi for Tokyo on a midnight express train hauled by C62 locomotive. and how he 'met' Maetel riding the same train there. 3:07 This is Natasha. Pre-Maetel character. in a forest glade, with several squirrels, two of which later became Millennium 1000 conductors.
Great video a fun fact: Satoru Ozawa creator of various submarine manga and anime like blue submarine no.6, submarine 707 and tide line blue, was originally asked by Nishizaki to do it, his idea the ship would not make it back within a single generation. So the ship would launch with babies on board in cryogenic suspension. And the crew of the ship would have to raise the children as the voyage progressed and the cast would be all male Nishizaki obviously did not want this so Ozawa declined Nishizaki exclaimed “who else could do this if you won’t?” To which Ozawa replied “How about Leiji Matsumoto? He draws ships too you know.” And the rest is history!
@@elijahguest1885 this makes a lot of sense, especially because Matsumoto has his own Submarine Super 99 manga, which undoubtedly references Blue Submarine. Blue Noah is another obvious reference.
Undoubtedly and if you go look at his two sequels Sumbarine 707 F, and Blue submarine A06 he references Matsumoto with the different alien empires and sci fi elements he adds. Goes to show how great artists inspire each other over and over
Yeah, jumbled up that information. They did fight together at some point, though, but it turns out the neighbor was on yet another ship that escorted the Musashi. ourstarblazers.com/vault/002a/
I first saw SBY as "Star Blazers" in the '80s on AFN (Armed Forces Network) in Germany, which after watching his, gives me a bit of a chuckle. Before my father's job brought us there, the only anime I had really been exposed to was Speed Racer (okay)* and Battle of the Planets - which I had enjoyed enough to follow even with it's increasingly difficult time slot shift. AFN was, at the time, the only English speaking channel for the American soldiers and their families, so choice was limited, and closely scrutinized by the network's producers. They had brought in a few other anime series, but most were frankly forgetable (and not just to me - I couldn't find them later anywhere). They'd play for a few months - if that long - then swap out for another equally uninspiring series. Then... StarBlazers. I was hooked, and the series was stable playing all the way through the Battle for Iscandar and the Comet Empire. In fact, the day we left to go back to the States for my father's next assignment, one of the key episodes was playing, and it was a very sulky teenager who had to be practically shoved into the plane... whining that there was "only ten minutes left, can't we delay that little bit?" I don't think I've seen all of the various series, movies, and other media, I have enjoyed what I have managed to get to. Even the live action movie, which a school friend from that time frame was eager to point out to me when it was first available. While it took some liberties with the storyline itself, I think it kept the spirit. And withholding the robot's existence until the point that it did - fantastic. I also enjoyed the 2199 series, which did a good job of expanding the cast in a meaningful and functional way (yay for Yuri not being stuffed into multiple roles!). Happy Anniversary, Yamato. May you continue to inspire.
Probably part of what sunk the 1977 movie dub at Cannes is the fact that the sound mixing was very subpar. Added to the fact that over 30 minutes had been cut from the film and it shows in the loss of character moments (such as when Kodai and Yuki express guilt at the destruction of Gamilas). Also, having watched it again, unlike in the original Japanese version, we are not explicitly told in the dub that Starsha is actually dead, hence why she only appears as a vague hologram with only one line of dialogue. So it makes it Starsha seem less like a character and more of a plot device. The original Japanese version (if my VHS and DVDs are to be believed) apparently used the original plot element of finding Mamoru alive and staying behind to be with Starsha. I'm not sure about the entire story behind that alternate Iscandar sequence.
I have a laptop with Linux Mint, MATE Edition on it... That distro comes with a video downloader preinstalled... I want to grab this and archive it for posterity. If this video gets taken down for any reason, I'll still have it.
I feel Neon is really about what happens when we play God, and sadly, the youth have to deal with the consequences. Yamato Forever! Found a hardcover of the manga.
This is likely true, though it's hard to argue the prevalence of derivative works that were similarly unconcerned with deeper narratives for the intended audience at the time, allowing Yamato to stand out.
Fifty years? I was in kindergarten at the time. I watched the original, unedited Japanese version and compared it to the English-dubbed "Star Blazers" and I think that the original was much better. "Star Blazers" English dialog sounded way too cheesy.
By the way, since you seem to be a fan of Reiji Matsumoto, I will explain his "blonde woman complex." In the West, there is a misconception that Japanese people are arrogant and racist, but in reality, the inferiority complex of the Japanese people was huge for a quarter century after the end of the war. 64 Japanese cities had been reduced to ashes by the war, and then the US military came in large numbers. In order to make the Japanese people "pro-America," GHQ showed them a flood of American movies and dramas. As a result, Japanese people (children, boys and girls) who were just in the process of forming their ego at the end of the war came to have a strong admiration for America and the opposite, self-loathing. It's like an entire generation of Japanese people were brainwashed by America. All Japanese people of this generation worship American actresses and have some kind of special feelings towards blonde women. When you wonder, "Why is the goddess = blonde woman in Matsumoto's works?", remember the above, although it is just one reference.
@@takaakiyamada5451 matsumoto's primary female inspirations include a German actress, a Japanese singer, and many of his female ancestors. His integrative approach to society never read to me as self-loathing. The ability to humorously denigrate oneself is admirable, though I understand how you perceive it as a pathology. There is no complex, but an obvious desire to integrate European (not necessarily American) ideals that put individual life over society into the storytelling of Japan. It's a resonance that Matsumoto will forever be attributed to.
@@Leijiverse Thank you. I'll tell you one more thing that might be helpful. Space Battleship Yamato had Japanese children crazy about it until part 2. But by part 3, it was completely abandoned. By that time, children's enthusiasm had shifted to "Gundam." I was one of those people who experienced that. The first Gundam is very highly regarded in Japan. But it is not generally known in the West or America. When Westerners mention the name "Akira" as a representative of sci-fi anime, Japanese people shrug their shoulders.
Is there a reason why the video's narrator IS YELLING HIS WAY ALL THE WAY THROUGH THIS THING ? And why does he mispronounce every Japanese proper name ?
@@Leijiverse kudos on what you’re doing on your channel content-wise but yah.. your mispronunciations on many names and terms is pretty distracting. Hopefully, you can befriend some native/bilingual speakers to help you with future vids.
Really need to learn how to pronounce Ya ma toe and Gam a lon correctly. Seems likely you didn't either watch or listen to how those were pronounced in the episodes.
I have a couple of comments, before Star Wars look out, there was Derek Wildstar and Mark Venture. And I had the VHS but that is gone, I have the DVD movie collection but I was the DVD series as well, and one more comment, in the first series when the Argo made it to Iscandar Derek Nova and Sandor met Starsha of Iscandar, she said, "I have someone here that should be taken back to Earth," Derek sees his brother Alex and is happy, Nova turns to look at Starsha as she walking away, Nova follows Starsha and asks her, "Do you want us to take him with us," Starsha wells up and walks away, and I well up every every time I watch that, Alex is looking at Starsha and "saying goodbye dear Starsha," Starsha just looks up at him and says, "I love you Alex, I love you", I'm crying now writing this, they went on to be together on Iscandar, Alex stayed, amazing love story. She nursed him back to health and fell in love with him in the process. One more thing, My cousin was injured and the nurse that was treated him fell in love with him and they got married and still together today.
*Erata:*
LeijI Matsumotow was published at 15, not 16.
Matsumoto's neighbor was actually on a ship that escorted the Musashi, not the Musashi, itself.
The Musashi did, at one point, escort the Yamato, but it sank prior to the Yamato's final voyage.
Get the original Star Blazers (Space Battleship Yamato) on DVD on Amazon.com here:
Series 1 ow.ly/6rG950AOjIF
Series 2 ow.ly/Ea8650AOjIH
Series 3 ow.ly/wv3G50AOjIG
You can pick up the "Space Battleship Yamato" Movie collection on @Amazon.com!
amzn.to/4dh48VF
The first two episodes of "Space Battleship Yamato: Star Blazers REBEL 3199" are now streaming on Crunchyroll!
crunchyrollstore.sjv.io/R5v0V2
Enjoy "2199" and "2202" on Crunchyroll if you haven't already!
crunchyrollstore.sjv.io/21vxGz
Using these affiliate links to make a purchase compensates the project so it can keep sharing the Leijiverse!
I do not apologize for my pronunciation. Syllabic emphasis doesn't survive romanization. Deal, weebs.
School for the older kids let out at 3:30pm; the same time Star Blazers started. My older brother ran the entire mile home and I would fill him in during commercials. - Texas 1979
I'm 54 and I think Starblazers was the best animation EVER.
Truly a classic. Thanks for watching!
Battle of the Planets was my favorite growing up.
Same here, after school
I'm 55. Ran home after school every day to catch this! Greatest cartoon ever! The different "Force Five" giant robot series was a close 2nd. 👍🏻
Makes me want to watch it again, I'm 70 and still enjoy watching it ......again.😊
A timeless tale. Thanks for watching!
I'm 57 and it's the show that kicked the door down for my love of Anime, Thank for a timeless classic
I grew up with Star Blazers and it actually pushed me into space science's once I went to high school and once I graduated I knew I wanted to become an astronomer and that's what I am today. Haven't found it yet but maybe one day I'll find Iscandar.
@@danlabok7117 it's basically a water planet with Japan in the middle
@@Leijiverse we've discovered many exoplanets that have characteristics of being a water planet, so maybe there's one with a continent that looks like Japan and I hope who ever discovers it names it Iscandar. After all, we found Vulcan but unfortunately it's way too hostile so very doubtful we'll find any pointy ear, green blooded hobgoblins 😆
@@danlabok7117 I liked when they landed on Titan. That was a good show, Alex ship crashed landed there.
@@JohnValhouli thought it was on Pluto?? Have to go look it up
@@danlabok7117 It was called The Quest For Iscandar, Captain Avatar said Titan is similar to Earth, Wildstar was on top of Alex's Missile Ship 17 and yelling out for his brother as the Argo closed in from the clouds, it was a cool scene.
Star Blazers aired at 6:30am CST on WGN back in 1979. I was 7 and my dad would wake me up before he went to work so I could watch it. Great memories.
Great dad! Did he like it?
I do remember seeing Star Blazers on WGN-TV in Chicago back then. That & Speed Racer were the first series that got me into anime years later.
I don't remember being on at 6 :30. I remember it being on in the afternoon 4'00 or something
6:30, 6, 5:30 over the three seasons on WGN, watched it with my Uncle.
This was the show that started my life long love of Japanese animation. I remember getting up early before school to watch it. It will always remain my favorite anime series. Thank you from r all the great memories and helping my imagination fly with the crew of the Yamato, or Argo as I first experienced it.
Yamato Forever!
After school, at 3:30 every weekday, on Channel 46 in Atlanta. Without. Fail.
I was obsessed, and it completely changed my understanding of what animation could accomplish as a true storytelling medium. Right now, in 2024 I'm re-framing the original Yamato posters I collected in the 80s to hang in my new studio. Yamato: hasshin! o7
It was definitely a revelation given the content at the time. Thanks for sharing your memories!
Thank you, this is my favorite anime of all time, I loved it as a child before I even knew what anime was. I never missed an episode of Star Blazers, even when I was sick,
Sick is the best time to watch cartoons. Glad you enjoyed it!
At 72 I remember watching the STARBLAZERS anime weekday mornings with my young son before he went to school and I went to work ! As the years went on I found sources in the U.S.A. where I could buy models of the YAMATO and the other spaceships from the series. I even bought a nearly 3 ft. long model of the original YAMATO battleship by LIFELIKE models. Being an artist myself I have always admired how much effort went into the series. I also think that early anime paved the way in the states for the later success of movies like AKIRA and PRINCESS MONONOKE ! Both of these among my favorites ! Thanks for your review and for all the original artwork that was displayed in sci-fi film magazines of that era ! Go STARFORCE !
Great memories of early anime fandom! Glad you were able to indulge in Yamato collectibles. I'm sure the investments all paid off.
Thanks for this video. Star Blazers is a cherished part of my childhood. It was also my first introduction to sci-fi starting to enter more mature themes.
I also deeply lived Robotech so nice to know there was a bit of a connection.
@@OneCatholicSpeaks absolutely! Anime has a very clear lineage, which makes it fascinating to study
I use to run home from school each day to watch the show. It was my favorite show. Between Star Blazers and Star Wars, the early 80's was a great time to be sci fi fantasy fan.
Loved the show immensely! Taught me as a young kid that it's not just a single person that typically makes the difference, but all of us as one team. "We must be strong and brave!" Thank you, Yamato!
Star Blazers aired at 8:30 am and school started at 9:00. Each episode would conclude at 8:55 followed by commercials and a preview of the next episode. Luckily, I lived ACROSS THE STREET from my school. By skipping the commercials and the preview, thirteen year old me was able to watch every episode and still make it to my seat just before the last bell....9 times out of 10.
I watched the Star Blazers series when it was first shown in the US. I had grown up with Japanese content like Astro Boy, Speed Racer and Ultraman. I remember being confused by the animation style as a kid and thinking, "Well, they don't look Japanese to me". I suspect that it was years later (post internet) before I knew that this was the Battleship Yamato.
Matsumoto also has a very unique hand in the world of manga. Thanks for watching!
I first encountered Yamato in man-hwa form (I'm Korean) back in 1976 in Korea. I loved it. As the Yamato journeyed through the solar system, the man-hwa contained little breakout panels introducing the various planets and other things the Yamato was passing on its way to Iscandar. Imagine my surprise a few years later at seeing Star Blazers on the TV in the US in 1980.
Despite my love for Yamato and Mazinger Z (the first anime that I grew up with), my interest drifted to video games and computers. I didn't watch anime until much later in life. The biggest reason is probably the fact that I did not grow up with cable TV, and my local stations did not carry anime.
Thanks for making this production retrospective. I know very little about the series outside the story itself. This was very informative.
@@socrates0603 was it Matsumoto's manga?
My childhood right there along with Battle of the planets (Gacheman)
Great childhood!
2199 remake is amazing. The respect and care they show for the original is touching, with even the original music being re-recorded almost note for note, while still adding to and changing the story somewhat. It’s beautiful.
When I lived in Japan, I rented the entire Uchusenkan Yamato on VHS and watched it. It's nothing like Starblazers. You said it, it was violent and dealt with human themes. I had the theme song as my ringtone on my phone and I still have the Yamato die cast model I bought. Best model I own. You can say I'm a fan.
Yamato got real! Thanks for watching.
I watched this show up here in Vancouver b.c. in the late 70's. I watched two seasons and as a young teen I found it very entertaining.
A wonderful story for young men! Thanks for sharing.
I have them all on DVD, including the live action movie and the newer anime production. I watched this every Sunday morning when I was a kid. ❤
Do you have the Star Blazers VHS rips or Japanese DVDs?
@Leijiverse I don't have any of the VHS versions, and the only one I have in Japanese is the live action movie. It has English sub-titles.
Watched every morning before school via rabbit ears antenna! One of the greatest cartoons of all time.
I first learned about this series as a little kid at my grandfather's house in Boston (they were broadcasting the Comet Empire series at the time). Later, as I grew up, I got into the series and movies as a whole (my first watching of series 1 was with no dubbing nor subtitles, so it was like seeing an opera... but I managed to follow along) and am a proud owner of 2 sketchbooks, plus one cell book, several soundtracks, and models. You get extra bonus points from me for including my favorite bit of the SCY soundtrack (the one with the little oboe solos and the "wakajawaka' guitar) 😀
Thanks for sharing those memories! It was funny cutting up the soundtrack for this.
Oh hell yeah. This was my vibe as a teenager.
Follow that vibe! Did you ever go on to other Matsumoto works?
It's awesome one of my favorites. I grownup watching it and still do.
As you should!
Great video! thank you for bringing back these memories. I tried to share this groundbreaking series to this generation with no success. Their loss. Can you do Gatchaman next?
This channel is dedicated to Leiji Matsumoto. I may do video essays on other topics on my personal account, cpthardluck. Thanks for watching!
I wasnt even born til a month later and discovered Star Blazers in 1979. I have this print framed from one of the Roman book collections of the Yamato facing the Comet empire Dreadnaught ship in my office. Just reminds me of facing your challenges head on
Absolutely something Matsumoto would want you to take away from the series. Thanks for watchign!
This was my absolute favorite anime/cartoon. Brilliantly done (even the edited US version). An amazing piece of science fiction that is timeless…
@@SpacebattleshipAlex I am glad the legend persists. Excited to see what Anno does.
@@SpacebattleshipAlex also, I love there voices of everyone, Sgt Knox, the voice character died not to long ago and I was upset about that, Derek, Nova, Sandor, Eger, Mark Venture, every voice over did so well, it makes the show worth watching just listening to them.
The OG space anime, without it we wouldn’t have had classics like gundam, macross or many more
Considering those two are directly inspired, I'd have to agree. Thanks for watching.
I'm 63 love the series when i was a kid. Bought the dvd box set years ago can't find it, i have a feeling my 34 year old daughter took it with her when she moved to Minnesota last year she loved the series as well when she was a kid.
I still have my boxed set. I also bought the remake (region 2- had to watch it on my computer.) went on to find all the movies (even the ones with English subtitles.) What a great show. I wish I had my own Yamato in real life.
A family tradition!
50 years…wow. Time flies. That’s a good excuse to look through my old Matsumoto production material! Always a blast
@@otakulife3278 sounds awesome!
50th? This cartoon made me want to draw! Damn I’m old!
We're all getting there one year at a time!
My first exposure to Star Blazers 2199 was when I played Super Robot Wars V on my Nintendo Switch. The Space Battleship Yamato was on the front cover of the game. Meaning it's one of several playable ship units in SRW V. Seeing the battle animations for the Yamato were astounding. They were staying faithful to the original series, or at least the remake.
I would love to do some SRW playthroughs with the games that feature Matsumoto characters.
Yes more Leijiverse video essays!!!!
Mo Matsumoto, No problems
16:22 - the thing is? I like the spring water. It's something special to Avatar, that "this bottle right here is what this entire voyage is about. This is what we are fighting for." It works thematically with the show overall.
Works either way! Just depends how much you like sake.
Late, but happy 50th to a fantastic franchise!
We've got all year. :) Thanks for watching.
It is amazing the lasting effect this show has had on more than one nation, more than one generation.
@@Malbeefance a very human message
I’m thankful for this animation that led to Voltron’s…especially the land, air and sea version!!!
Damn it!! You did a beautiful job on this!
@@pablodecena4260 thank you so much 🙏
I never forget this old great anime I was watching it when I was child.
I remember when I first saw the Space Cruiser Yamato compilation film on KTLA 5's 'Family Film Festival' (hosted by Tom Hatten) in the summer of 1978. I was still in Jr. High School and had figured it was a new take of STAR WARS (yeah, I know...) I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by it.
Growing up I had watched other Anime series (The Amazing 3, Gigantor, Speed Racer and Kimba the White Lion are the ones I really remember) without knowing they were from, and what was known as Anime in Japan. That all changed when I saw the Space Cruiser Yamato film; and Tom Hatten explained some of the production history and the fact it was an entertainment form called 'Anime' in Japan, and I now knew where some of the 'other' cartoons I enjoyed growing up looked the way they did, and why the stories were different (read Not like any Hana Barbera cartoon), from the other US cartoons I saw.
It started my real interest in Anime and I LOVED Star Blazers and ran home to see it every afternoon - yes VCRs existed, but they were VERY expensive until a few years later and I didn't have access to one or I would have taped every episode - (and yes, Anime was both harder to find in the US until after Robotech was a huge hit in the US circa 1984, - of which I did tape every episode😉 - although yeah, it was obvious how much was changed after the MACROSS saga, and I was annoyed when I found that Carl Macek made some major changes to the MACROSS part and used two disparate and unconnected Anime series to pad 'ROBOTECH' to the needed 65 for syndication in the U.S. - but that's a whole other story - and what Anime did make it over was wholly changed even worse than ROBOTECH.)
In the late 1980s they started showing a lot more Anime at Science Fiction and other conventions, (I also found a local Anime club that showed original stuff on Laserdisc in the original Japanese that met monthly) and by the 90s enough had made it over that you would occasionally see a 'better' (but still not without changes for the US audience) dubbed and subbed Anime. It wasn't until the early 2000s that you had a few companies trying to do more faithful subs and dubs that eventually grew into the situation we have today.
For all the recent drama regarding some translating localizers adding the occasional political message with a line here and there - only those who tried to find clubs and other venues to actually watch Anime know how truly improved the current situation is compared to the subs and dubs of the 70s, 80s and early 90s. There were plenty of times I watched something in Japanese with no clue what the dialog was beyond a phrase I picked up here and there; or at best had a hastily typed synopsis that someone who knew Japanese took the time to create for something shown at a Convention or Anime club.
You U.S./English speaking Anime fans today have no real idea how good you have it, compared to those of us who were addicted to it in the 1970s & 80s. But yeah, times change. (Now, get the f**k off my lawn! 😉)
@@armsman5322 thanks for sharing those memories!
When I returned to Boston in 1984, the first thing I asked was “Is Star Blazers is still on TV?” And cousin replied “Yep!” I was so happy! Since then, I’ve had the good fortune of getting the iconic Star Blazers anime comics, the Roman Albums and models, thanks to Mr. Big Toyland in Waltham, MA! Sadly, it went out of business. Thank you Mr. Big for the memories.
@@Ljordan093 great pieces and memories!
It's already 50 years? Damn, I love Yamato, mainly for it's music and it sadens me how unwknown this series is in Europe, I really wish I could have grow up with it.
That's 50 trips to and from Iscandar!
I did grow up with Star Blazers and Albator, here in Canada. (Captain Harlock was only available in French at that time as Albator) What I remember most was endless attempts to build the space ships out of lego, and trying to imitate the art style in drawings. Did the show's message and meaning reach me as a kid, maybe not. But it sure had an impact on my sense of style.
@@themercer4972 Reminds me that the only close thing we had here was Nadia, secret of Blue Water, with czech dub. It aired on local kids channel, and I regret that I never saw it as a kid, that would influence my sense of style for sure.
@@Peter22055 I remember seeing Nadia, but only after watching Roboteck. What struck me most was the resemblance between Captain Gloval & Captain Nemo.
@@themercer4972 Well that's simple, both Captain Global and Nemo (who is also quite similar to Jule Vern's version ) are inspired by Captain Okita
As a child, I was so thoroughly inspired by Matsumoto's work, the very first character you meet in my series of books ("Diamond Dragons") is none other than "Leijimoto". :) Sadly, not a single reader has made the connection yet, and I published DD1 over 2021's solstices. DD4's print versions are about to launch as well (winter solstice).
Finally, if you look on this channel (my own), my Star Wars style geek name was always "Novastar". Hmmm, gee, I wonder why THAT is? ;) No one ever caught THAT, either. Which is sad, but hey, I haven't met a ton of intelligent folks throughout the course of my 30+ years of work. It do be what it do be.
Happy Anniversary SBY. I salute you. I enjoy this sci-fi series. I watched this series in America under the title Star Blazers. I also watched the documentary SBY The Making of an Anime Legend. Yoshinobu Nishizaki originally called it "Asteroid Ship Icuras". Same plot, except it focused on a giant rock w/sub light engine, heat ray gun and nuclear bazooka. The enemy was called Legendera. However, Leji Matsumoto suggested to ditch the rock and replace it w/battleship Yamato. In the movie Be Forever Yamato did use the Yamato hidden in Asteroid Icuras. Also, George Lucas' Star Wars came out three years after SBY. Simular characters, different plot.
@@scotthintze5901 yes, many Star wars fans still get that confused
Wonderful video! Lots of interesting background info to the series. 😁
@@Gothy_Senpai thank you, Gothy! So glad you enjoyed it
@@Gothy_Senpai it was.
I remember watching this on canadian television in 1979-1980. I had never seen anything like it but unfortunately it was taken off after a short time.
What a shame. At least you guys got French broadcasts of Harlock.
Thank you! This was great.
@@Darkuni you're great! Be great!
The series that inspired me to become an animator. Yamato forever!
@@demoskunk awesome!
Haha. I remembered Heidi. It was a very good anime. Love Yamato too
A worthy foe for the Yamato
3:00 and he wrote 'Fall of Japan: Through the Tunnel of Hell' as his autobiography narrating the End of Empire and the day he left Kyushi for Tokyo on a midnight express train hauled by C62 locomotive. and how he 'met' Maetel riding the same train there.
3:07 This is Natasha. Pre-Maetel character. in a forest glade, with several squirrels, two of which later became Millennium 1000 conductors.
Yup! Thanks for sharing.
Great.
A very researched and intelligent video.
Thank you so much! Very glad you enjoyed it.
Great video a fun fact: Satoru Ozawa creator of various submarine manga and anime like blue submarine no.6, submarine 707 and tide line blue, was originally asked by Nishizaki to do it, his idea the ship would not make it back within a single generation. So the ship would launch with babies on board in cryogenic suspension. And the crew of the ship would have to raise the children as the voyage progressed and the cast would be all male Nishizaki obviously did not want this so Ozawa declined Nishizaki exclaimed “who else could do this if you won’t?”
To which Ozawa replied “How about Leiji Matsumoto? He draws ships too you know.” And the rest is history!
@@elijahguest1885 this makes a lot of sense, especially because Matsumoto has his own Submarine Super 99 manga, which undoubtedly references Blue Submarine. Blue Noah is another obvious reference.
Undoubtedly and if you go look at his two sequels Sumbarine 707 F, and Blue submarine A06 he references Matsumoto with the different alien empires and sci fi elements he adds. Goes to show how great artists inspire each other over and over
@@elijahguest1885 btw, way to rep that otoko oidon scan!
My favorite series as a kid
This and Exo Squad were my go to shows back in the day.
A fine review! Sub earned!
Much appreciated!
Hey everyone!
The Musashi did not escort Yamato to its final resting place......
Enjoyed the video none the less, my Favorite Japanime
Yeah, jumbled up that information. They did fight together at some point, though, but it turns out the neighbor was on yet another ship that escorted the Musashi.
ourstarblazers.com/vault/002a/
I first saw SBY as "Star Blazers" in the '80s on AFN (Armed Forces Network) in Germany, which after watching his, gives me a bit of a chuckle. Before my father's job brought us there, the only anime I had really been exposed to was Speed Racer (okay)* and Battle of the Planets - which I had enjoyed enough to follow even with it's increasingly difficult time slot shift.
AFN was, at the time, the only English speaking channel for the American soldiers and their families, so choice was limited, and closely scrutinized by the network's producers. They had brought in a few other anime series, but most were frankly forgetable (and not just to me - I couldn't find them later anywhere). They'd play for a few months - if that long - then swap out for another equally uninspiring series. Then... StarBlazers. I was hooked, and the series was stable playing all the way through the Battle for Iscandar and the Comet Empire. In fact, the day we left to go back to the States for my father's next assignment, one of the key episodes was playing, and it was a very sulky teenager who had to be practically shoved into the plane... whining that there was "only ten minutes left, can't we delay that little bit?"
I don't think I've seen all of the various series, movies, and other media, I have enjoyed what I have managed to get to. Even the live action movie, which a school friend from that time frame was eager to point out to me when it was first available. While it took some liberties with the storyline itself, I think it kept the spirit. And withholding the robot's existence until the point that it did - fantastic.
I also enjoyed the 2199 series, which did a good job of expanding the cast in a meaningful and functional way (yay for Yuri not being stuffed into multiple roles!).
Happy Anniversary, Yamato. May you continue to inspire.
Thanks for sharing your memories!
I remember that too my father was in the U.S. Army we lived in Hanau, Germany 82-84. Me and my brother loved watching star blazers and robotech.
The number of times I was late for school because of this show. Came just after Robotech.
Wow. I didn't know about Nishizaki's history with embezzlement(?) 😮
@@PeterHamiltonz it's not well documented.
Probably part of what sunk the 1977 movie dub at Cannes is the fact that the sound mixing was very subpar. Added to the fact that over 30 minutes had been cut from the film and it shows in the loss of character moments (such as when Kodai and Yuki express guilt at the destruction of Gamilas). Also, having watched it again, unlike in the original Japanese version, we are not explicitly told in the dub that Starsha is actually dead, hence why she only appears as a vague hologram with only one line of dialogue. So it makes it Starsha seem less like a character and more of a plot device. The original Japanese version (if my VHS and DVDs are to be believed) apparently used the original plot element of finding Mamoru alive and staying behind to be with Starsha. I'm not sure about the entire story behind that alternate Iscandar sequence.
I have a laptop with Linux Mint, MATE Edition on it... That distro comes with a video downloader preinstalled... I want to grab this and archive it for posterity. If this video gets taken down for any reason, I'll still have it.
I have no idea what this means, but great!
WE NEED A PS 5 GAME. LOVE THIS SHOW BACK IN THE DAY
I feel Neon is really about what happens when we play God, and sadly, the youth have to deal with the consequences. Yamato Forever! Found a hardcover of the manga.
I wouldn't disagree, although the themes of neuroticism are just as present. Anno is stuck between Tomino and Matsumoto and I don't envy his position.
LeijiLeijiLeiji!!!
Don't wear it out!
Did anyone see the live action movie? It's great. I almost teared-up when Yamato lifted off.
Loved that theme somg
Matsumoto had a big part in the OST. His influences defined Yamato's sound.
In japan merchandise equals a series success. That's why gundam was popular lots of toys.
Before Star Wars....this was my Scfi along with Star Trek
Matsumoto almost did a Gene Roddenberry script with Stan Lee!
Watched it on channel 47 in Toronto.
I have both the original (English Dubbed) and the modern versions on DVD.
7:39 WHERE DID U FIND THIS IMAGE
I use Pinterest and Google Images search to find most things.
I loved Star Blazers but there is nothing wrong with Scooby Doo
This is likely true, though it's hard to argue the prevalence of derivative works that were similarly unconcerned with deeper narratives for the intended audience at the time, allowing Yamato to stand out.
@ you are correct it did stand out I remember rushing home from school to see the latest episode.
Good video.
@@patrickmoreau7592 thanks for watching!
Fifty years? I was in kindergarten at the time.
I watched the original, unedited Japanese version and compared it to the English-dubbed "Star Blazers" and I think that the original was much better. "Star Blazers" English dialog sounded way too cheesy.
Localization has come a long way...though it may still have further to go.
I love the original space battleship Ya-ma-to ⚓ the remake not so much & the live action movie is garbage 👎 this video was very informative thanks 👍
To each their own! Glad you enjoyed the video.
I want that model @1:40 ....
An impressive classic! Thanks for watching.
I watched season 1,2 on tv and have all 3 seasons on dvd, and your mispronounced Yamato
"Awesome-o"! = Osamu = "oh SA mu"
I would never pronounce a long O for Osamu Tezuka. No one does.
By the way, since you seem to be a fan of Reiji Matsumoto, I will explain his "blonde woman complex."
In the West, there is a misconception that Japanese people are arrogant and racist, but in reality, the inferiority complex of the Japanese people was huge for a quarter century after the end of the war.
64 Japanese cities had been reduced to ashes by the war, and then the US military came in large numbers. In order to make the Japanese people "pro-America," GHQ showed them a flood of American movies and dramas.
As a result, Japanese people (children, boys and girls) who were just in the process of forming their ego at the end of the war came to have a strong admiration for America and the opposite, self-loathing.
It's like an entire generation of Japanese people were brainwashed by America.
All Japanese people of this generation worship American actresses and have some kind of special feelings towards blonde women.
When you wonder, "Why is the goddess = blonde woman in Matsumoto's works?", remember the above, although it is just one reference.
@@takaakiyamada5451 matsumoto's primary female inspirations include a German actress, a Japanese singer, and many of his female ancestors. His integrative approach to society never read to me as self-loathing. The ability to humorously denigrate oneself is admirable, though I understand how you perceive it as a pathology.
There is no complex, but an obvious desire to integrate European (not necessarily American) ideals that put individual life over society into the storytelling of Japan. It's a resonance that Matsumoto will forever be attributed to.
@@Leijiverse Thank you.
I'll tell you one more thing that might be helpful.
Space Battleship Yamato had Japanese children crazy about it until part 2.
But by part 3, it was completely abandoned.
By that time, children's enthusiasm had shifted to "Gundam."
I was one of those people who experienced that.
The first Gundam is very highly regarded in Japan.
But it is not generally known in the West or America.
When Westerners mention the name "Akira" as a representative of sci-fi anime, Japanese people shrug their shoulders.
Is there a reason why the video's narrator IS YELLING HIS WAY ALL THE WAY THROUGH THIS THING ? And why does he mispronounce every Japanese proper name ?
@@east103W I guess you don't know what yelling is. I literally soft spoke this whole thing into my mic. I did not mispronounce every name.
@@Leijiverse kudos on what you’re doing on your channel content-wise but yah.. your mispronunciations on many names and terms is pretty distracting. Hopefully, you can befriend some native/bilingual speakers to help you with future vids.
@@mrbeggar76 what names?
Ya MA to-. You're pronouncing it wrong.
Nah, it's a fine Romanized pronunciation.
Good information, but the mispronunciation of both English words and Japanese is grating. Yamato hashin!
@@thex-philethackery4330 to you
Really need to learn how to pronounce Ya ma toe and Gam a lon correctly. Seems likely you didn't either watch or listen to how those were pronounced in the episodes.
@@FurryNutz740iL nah it's fine
@Leijiverse would be more interesting and interested if you did. Knowing that just says it lazy put together. I'll avoid your content. Good day
@FurryNutz740iL I make the best Matsumoto content on the internet. Your objectively wrong.
I have a couple of comments, before Star Wars look out, there was Derek Wildstar and Mark Venture. And I had the VHS but that is gone, I have the DVD movie collection but I was the DVD series as well, and one more comment, in the first series when the Argo made it to Iscandar Derek Nova and Sandor met Starsha of Iscandar, she said, "I have someone here that should be taken back to Earth," Derek sees his brother Alex and is happy, Nova turns to look at Starsha as she walking away, Nova follows Starsha and asks her, "Do you want us to take him with us," Starsha wells up and walks away, and I well up every every time I watch that, Alex is looking at Starsha and "saying goodbye dear Starsha," Starsha just looks up at him and says, "I love you Alex, I love you", I'm crying now writing this, they went on to be together on Iscandar, Alex stayed, amazing love story. She nursed him back to health and fell in love with him in the process. One more thing, My cousin was injured and the nurse that was treated him fell in love with him and they got married and still together today.
@@JohnValhouli great memories! Thanks for watching
素晴らしい！
My replies back to you are being deleted..? Sent you a message on x when you have a chance.
I see this one? Sometimes TH-cam will just not allow you to comment. I've noticed this on my other account. Thanks for letting me know on Twitter.