Brett's Blog Yamato, the Movie Mar 23, 2010 | 6:11 am I watched Space Battleship Yamato over the weekend. This is one fantastic movie. If you're not aware of it, Yamato is the original Japanese version of Star Blazers. This movie from 1974 is a condensed version of the TV series. While it does jump between battles since it's condensed, adding a little discontinuity, the movie itself is a masterpiece. The animation is clearly from the 70s (still better than a lot of modern anime), but the story and editing of the movie is on par with any good live-action film. In fact, there is a live-action film in the works, due out later this year in Japan (trailer). When people talk about epic films, this really MUST be included. Not other animated film can come close to this in scale. Indeed, not many regular movies can either. If you can't stand animation, particularly 1970's animation, this is not for you. If you're willing to overlook the animation and occasional oddity, there are some really good space action scenes and storytelling. 2 Comments | Add Comment | Permanent Link | Return to Overview trekfanatic Commented: Mar 23, 2010 | 5:21 pm As a related aside, Harlock Saga, done by the same guys, and set in the same universe (I think), is excellent as well. I did not know they had done a Yamato movie, though. I'll definitely have to see that. Brett Commented: Mar 23, 2010 | 5:39 pm They actually did 4 movies. Whereas the first movie started as a series, the second (with the Comet Empire) started as a movie. It was so popular that they created a series out of it, changing the ending. They released a new anime in 2009 which takes place about 20 years later and is supposed to be spectacular. The live action comes out this year in Japan. Add Comment