Released on DVD and Blu-Ray last June 24, 2011, I was able to grab a copy of the 2010 live action adaptation movie of Leiji Matsumoto's science fiction anime series, Space Battleship Yamato.
The movie is based from the first season of the anime Space Battleship Yamato (also known as Star Blazers or Space Cruiser Yamato to English speaking audiences) which was originally aired in 1974 and contained 26 episodes, following the Yamato's voyage out of the Milky Way Galaxy and back again.
Among the cast of Space Battleship Yamato are SMAP's Takuya Kimura as Susumu Kodai, Meisa Kuroki as Yuki Mori, Reiko Takashima as Dr. Sado, and Isao Sasaki as the narrator.
Plot:
The story starts off in year 2199, the Earth has been under radioactive attacks from extraterrestrials, known as the Gamilas, for the past five years. The Earth's defense forces have been decimated and any surviving humans have had to move underground to escape the radioactive bombardment. The last interstellar battleship of the exhausted Earth Defense Forces, the Yamato, sets out on a mission to Iscandar, a planet located in the Large Magellanic Cloud. There the humans hope to acquire a device that can heal the radiation damaged Earth, before the contamination wipes out the last of humanity. Susumu Kodai joins in on this expedition after the death of his brother Mamoru.
As the story progresses, it also focused on the declining health of Yamato's Captain Okita, how Susumu Kodai handled the pressure of being Yamato's acting captain, as well as his romance with female crew member Yuki Mori.
Overall:
I was not able to see all the episodes of the original anime version nor it's OVA's so I won't be able to completely compare it with the original series.
Space Battleship Yamato features 2 hours of drama and breathtaking sci-fi action. The special effects, designs and the locations looked nice. Yamato itself, the Cosmo fighters, the alien fighters and bases are realistically rendered in CGI. The characters are well portrayed as well, including their appearances. The only thing that seems off is when the characters had their helmets on, their faces kind of looks bigger.
Space Battleship Yamato is indeed worth checking out. It's good. Even for those who are new to the series, it can an enjoyable movie. Especially if you want to check out and understand the first season within lesser time.
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