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May 9, 2005 On Sunday evening, October 6, 1974, television viewers in Japan saw the first episode of a new animated series called Space Battleship Yamato. The series, about a famed Japanese warship retrofitted as a spaceborne fighting vessel on a desperate mission to save an irradiated Earth, was not well received initially and disappeared after twenty-six episodes. But word of mouth and reruns on local television revived interest in Yamato, leading to two more TV series and five feature films. And in 1980, the first two Yamato adventures, The Quest for Iscandar and The Comet Empire, made their way to the United States under the name Star Blazers and the heroic ship renamed Argo for Western audience. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Space Battleship Yamato and the 25th anniversary of Star Blazers, Voyager Entertainment has released a fascinating retrospective on DVD, entitled Space Battleship Yamato: The Making of An Anime Legend. Narrated by Kenneth Meseroll, who provided the voice of the Argo’s chief combat officer, Derek Wildstar, in the first two Star Blazers series, the Yamato retrospective is a comprehensive history of the series—from the initial ideas for the central ship, through the peak of popularity, to the ill-fated third series, The Bolar Wars, all the way to the Yamato’s final farewell. English voice actors tell the story of the show from the point of view of the Japanese geniuses behind it, notably producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki and director Leiji Matsumoto. Star Blazers cast members Meseroll, Eddie Allen (the voice of Leader Desslok), Amy Howard Wilson (the voice of Nova) and Tom Tweedy (the voice of Mark Venture) are also on hand to reminisce about their own experiences in producing the series. The main feature packs a lot of information into the space just shy of two hours. But there’s even more awaiting beyond that. The original ten-minute pilot film that was used to sell Space Battleship Yamato is on the disc, with English subtitles. So, too, are several commercials for Yamato-related toys and games. And fans of the series will appreciate seeing the original opening and closing titles of Yamato as seen in Japan and Star Blazers as seen in the United States. Space Battleship Yamato: The Making of An Anime Legend isn’t just a celebration of anime. It’s a tribute to drive and determination born of creativity, of looking back to a tragedy in the past to ensure a triumph in the future. And it is, to the many fans who remember watching it way back when, a nostalgic look back to a less stressful time in life. Space Battleship Yamato: The Making of An Anime Legend is available for purchase directly from Voyager Entertainment’s website, http://www.starblazers.com ------------ About the author: Claxton Graham has written a number of articles for Useless Knowledge. He works as a business systems analyst. Email: scifiwriter8502@email.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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