Uchu Senkan Yamato

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Uchu Senkan Yamato
Original title 宇宙 戦 艦 ヤ マ ト
genre Space Opera
Anime television series
Country of production JapanJapan Japan
original language Japanese
Year (s) 1974-1981
Studio Academy Productions
length 25 minutes
Episodes 77 in 3 seasons
Director Leiji Matsumoto , Noboru Ishiguro
idea Leiji Matsumoto
production Yoshinobu Nishizaki
music Hiroshi Miyagawa
First broadcast October 6, 1974 on Yomiuri TV
synchronization
Manga
country JapanJapan Japan
author Leiji Matsumoto
publishing company Akita Shoten
magazine Bōken Ō
First publication November 1974 - April 1975
expenditure 3
Movies
► Saraba Uchū Senkan Yamato - Ai no Senshitachi (1978)
► Yamato Shin Tanaru Tabidachi (1979)
► Yamato yo Eien ni (1980)
► Uchū Senkan Yamato - Kanketsuhe (1983)
► Uchū Senkan Yamato Fukkatsu-hen (2009)

Uchū Senkan Yamato ( Japanese 宇宙 戦 艦 ヤ マ ト ; in German " Kriegsraumschiff Yamato "), also known as Space Battleship Yamato , is an anime series from 1974. The series consists of a total of 77 episodes in three seasons. In addition, the material was implemented several times in films and original video animations .

The work is considered one of the most important in the history of anime , as it opened up a new audience for the genre in Japan and the USA and established a new genre with serious science fiction and space opera .

action

In 2199, during a long war against the Gamilonians ( Gamilons ), humanity was almost driven to the brink of extinction. The fleet bravely holds a defensive position on the Mars - Pluto line. But that can't stop the Gamilonians from bombing Earth with giant asteroids . The radioactive isotopes it contained drove the survivors to underground bunker cities. Supplies are scarce, radioactivity is penetrating everywhere and the prognoses are bad. Life in these enclaves should only be possible for one more year.

Then the Gamilonians start a major attack against the Earth fleet, many ships overrun the defenders in a coup. The command to withdraw from the Commander-in-Chief Admiral Juzo Okita comes too late and is ignored by many skippers. Not only does his only son die in the battle, but also Susumu Kodai's brother. Only the commander-in-chief's frigate manages to return to earth, to the disappointment of the bereaved. Because of the sacrifice, it is initially impossible for the Gamilonians to land directly on earth. The aim of these attacks is probably to depopulate the earth and to create a new home planet for the Gamilonians, who themselves are on the run.

Now unexpected news arrives from the equal archenemies of the Gamilonians, the Iscandarians. Queen Starsha offers mankind a possibility of saving, namely bio-converters ( Cosmo Cleaner D ), which could make the earth habitable again. Captain Okita just needs to equip a ship with the propulsion system called a wave motion engine and fly it to the Iscandarians. Fortunately, the military leadership began a few months ago to equip a battleship for this task: a spaceship built from the Japanese Yamato . This is accessible because the seas have dried up due to the attacks of the Gamilonians.

Admiral Jūzō Okita and Susumu Kodai take command of the Yamato and are supposed to fly through the enemy lines to Iscandar. The crew also includes Daisuke Shima, the ship's doctor Dr. Sado and the navigator Yuki Mori, who is good friends with Kodai. The mechanic robot Sandor is also on the ship.

Years later, after the earth was saved, the Yamato is due to be decommissioned. But when the even more powerful Comet Empire attacks Earth, the newer ships prove useless and the Yamato has to be used again.

Stylistic means

The series uses less of the cinematic means typical of American productions of fast action scenes and medium-range shots. Instead, slow "camera" drives, close-ups of the characters and the actors' angles are often used. The establishing shots are long lasting and often include unexpected camera pans.

Production and publication

Japanese series

The first season of the 26-episode series was produced by Academy Productions in 1974, directed by Leiji Matsumoto and Noboru Ishiguro . The mecha design was done by Studio Nue . The character design comes from Nobuhiro Okasako and Tsunehiro Okasako. Originally a 39-part series was planned, but only 26 episodes were produced due to over budget and later decreasing audience numbers.

The series aired on Yomiuri TV in Japan from October 6, 1974 to March 30, 1975 . After the success of Star Wars 1977 the series was shown again and with great success at prime time and a second season with also 26 episodes followed from October 14, 1978 to April 7, 1979. The third season with 25 episodes was from October 11th First broadcast from 1980 to April 4, 1981.

American processing

Westchester Films acquired the rights to Yamato for the United States after Star Wars was a huge hit and science fiction in space promised a large audience. The series was edited by Claster Studios to be suitable for US children's programming and was broadcast on regional networks under the title Star Blazers in 1979. During the editing, the Japanese names were replaced by English ones and some characters were changed, so a transvestite was mostly cut out of the series and presented as an agent in disguise during his few appearances. The origin of the Yamato, as a Japanese warship from the Second World War , is no longer mentioned. The death of characters was written out of the plot, the soundtrack changed and emotional, calm scenes shortened.

The series has also been translated into Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.

Voice actor

role Japanese speaker ( seiyū )
Jūzō Okita Goro Naya
Susumu Kodai Kei Tomiyama
Daisuke Shima Shūsei Nakamura
Yuki Mori Yōko Asagami

music

The music in the series was composed by Hiroshi Miyagawa. The opening credits of the first season are Uchū Senkan Yamato ( 宇宙 戦 艦 ヤ マ ト ), the closing title Makka na Scarf ( 真 赤 な ス カ ー フ Makka na Sukāfu ), both by Isao Sasaki.

Adaptations

Manga

Leiji Matsumoto drew a manga -Adaption the series, from November 1974 to April 1975 in the magazine Boken Ō of Akita Shoten published and was also summarized in three anthologies.

Anime series

Three other series of the franchise have been released since 1978. In 1978, the story of the earth's fight against the Comet Empire was retold in 26 episodes in the 1978 film as Uchū Senkan Yamato 2 , and in 1980 Uchū Senkan Yamato III was broadcasted with the Bolan Empire, a third 26-episode series.

In 2012, Uchū Senkan Yamato 2199, a new anime version of the slightly modified original story, was initially released as eight feature films before the series was broadcast on Japanese television in July 2013. KSM Anime publishes the series in Germany.

Anime films

In 1977 an anime film of the same name was also made, which tells the story as a compilation of the series in 130 minutes. This was followed in 1978 by the film Saraba Uchū Senkan Yamato - Ai no Senshitachi . Two more were produced with Yamato yo Eien ni ( ヤ マ ト よ 永遠 に ) in 1980 and Uchū Senkan Yamato - Kanketsu-hen ( 宇宙 戦 艦 ヤ マ ト ・ 完結 編 ) in 1983. The second and third films tell their own story based on the story and characters of the series. While the 1980s film ushered in the third season, the 1983 film represented a deliberate conclusion with the renewed sinking of Yamato.

In 2009 a new film from Studio Enagio followed under the title Uchū Senkan Yamato Fukkatsu-hen . This film takes place after the third season (borrowing from the 1983 movie) and has since marked the end of the series' original timeline.

The series Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 , broadcast in 2013 , had previously premiered in 8 parts in Japanese cinemas from August 2012, this series represents the beginning of a new adaptation of the franchise.

OVAs

The four-part OVA Yamato 2520 was released in Japan from 1994 to 1996 . The five-part OVA Dai Yamato Zero-go followed from 2004 to 2007 .

Real film

In December 2010, a real-life version of the series was released in Japanese cinemas (see Space Battleship Yamato ). Starring Takuya Kimura , who plays tactical officer Susumu Kodai. The Tokyo Broadcasting System- produced film is being directed by Takashi Yamazaki .

Reception and analysis

The series was the most popular series on Japanese television in its day. The new seasons were also always successful. The success came unexpectedly because a serious science fiction anime was not given much chance with the general public. So the anime changed expectations of anime in Japan. Yamato was Leiji Matsumoto's first major success and brought him great fame. This was followed by series that also acted in space, such as The Adventures of the Fantastic Space Pirate Captain Harlock and Ginga Tetsudō 999 .

The US-American version Star Blazers was one of the first anime that came to the US, which was reworked, but its Japanese origin was not denied. The fans of the series in the USA helped establish the anime fan scene there. The American Star Blazer Fan Club, founded in 1980, was one of the first anime fan clubs in the USA. The first parodying anime music video according to Fred Patten was performed in 1982 with scenes from Yamato . Other fan clubs and magazines were founded around the Star Blazer fan community and later expanded to include other animes. The series contributed so significantly to the fame and popularity of anime in America.

According to Marvin Gleicher of Manga Entertainment , Star Blazer showed for the first time that an anime series with a continuous storyline over many episodes could also be successful in the USA. Patrick Drazen called this a "revelation" for the time. Fred Patten describes Yamato as a "retelling of the Second World War as a future space war with spaceships such as warships and exciting political intrigues" .

According to Antonia Levi, the series' plot was simple, but the character development was varied. Despite the early morning broadcast in the children's program, the series was also seen by young people in the USA. According to Levi, the plot follows a typical pattern from animes: the team that has been thrown together gets to know each other through various adventures and comes together. This creates close relationships in which the protagonists are also ready to sacrifice themselves for the other. The Japanese ideals of a sense of duty and loyalty are also a constant theme for Yamato . As a specialty, Levi points out how the series dealt with death. A person's death is taken into account and not only grief follows, but also false suspicions and revenge. Sudden, unexpected, and senseless deaths also occur. This is in contrast to all other series in the USA at the time, in which the topic of death was avoided.

Alexander Zahlten emphasizes that the series also shows a “questionable way of dealing with national consciousness and culture of remembrance” , as Japanese go to war on the safe Yamato. Lawrence Eng ascribes a "visionary narrative style" to the series that inspired a whole generation and established the anime fan base in Japan.

The German magazine AnimaniA describes the series as one of the milestones in anime history, which has opened up a completely new audience in Japan and the USA. Despite many weaknesses from today's perspective, such as relatively poor animation and often exaggerated drama, the series can still inspire. For the time it was created, however, the animation quality is particularly remarkable.

Douglas Coupland has one of the main characters speak about Space Battleship Yamato in his novel Generation A.

Aum sect

The founder and former leader of the Aum sect, Shōkō Asahara , drew many of his ideas from Uchū Senkan Yamato.

literature

  • Fred Patten: Watching Anime, Reading Manga - 25 Years of Essays and Reviews . Stone Bridge Press, 2004.
  • Trish Ledoux and Doug Ranney: The Complete Anime Guide . Tiger Mountain Press, Issaquah (Washington), 1995. (English)
  • Antonia Levi: Samurai from Outer Space - Understanding Japanese Animation . Carus Publishing, 1996. (English)

Web links

Commons : Space Battleship Yamato  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Anime Guide, 1995, p. 3.
  2. ↑ a b Animania 4/99, p. 40 ff.
  3. ↑ a b c Patten, 2004, p. 224.
  4. ↑ a b Anime Guide, 1995, p. 21 f.
  5. ↑ a b c Patten, 2004, p. 57.
  6. ↑ a b Levi, 1996, p. 7 f.
  7. ↑ Star Blazers 2199 - Space Battleship Yamato release date announced. In: Sumikai.com. November 23, 2017. Retrieved July 23, 2018 .
  8. ↑ Space Battleship Yamato in the Internet Movie Database (English)
  9. ↑ Patten, 2004, pp. 27-32.
  10. ↑ Patten, 2004, p. 129.
  11. ↑ Patrick Drazen: Anime Explosion! - The What? Why? & Wow! of Japanese Animation , p. 8. Stone Bridge Press, 2003.
  12. ↑ Patten, 2004, p. 272.
  13. ↑ Levi, 1996, p. 75 f.
  14. ↑ Levi, 1996, pp. 97 f.
  15. ↑ Alexander Zahlten: Something for Everyone - Anime and Politics in ga-netchû! The Manga Anime Syndrome p. 78 f. Henschel Verlag, 2008.
  16. ↑ Lawrence Eng : The Fans who became Kings - Gainax and the otaku culture in ga-netchû! The Manga Anime Syndrome p. 89. Henschel Verlag, 2008.
  17. ↑ Sublime Truth . In: Der Spiegel . No. 17 , 1996, pp. 167-170 ( Online - Apr. 22, 1996 ).