User reviews

The animation is a bit crude by today's standards, but only on the surface. Its style and heart are still unique and compelling, and clearly each frame is lovingly crafted. The music is phenomenal and moving, especially given that it was probably taken from the original 1974 film. The SF ideas presented (e.g. holography room, space/time warps, etc.) are borrowed by many films and series that have followed. The plots, though overly dramatic sometimes, are poignant and epic nonetheless. Overall, the series is rough on the edges, with many minor flaws such as character inconsistencies and scientific factual blunders, not to mention the gross inefficiency of using a seagoing battleship design for a space cruiser. However, the core of it is pure genius and I'm held in rapt admiration of it.

The references to World War II are obvious: fighting an almost hopeless war against an evil, corrupt empire. The enemy leader, Desslok, even looks like a Nazi with the uniform he wears. The story is emotionally driven: fraught with patriotism, sacrifice, and the desperation to save Earth. The writers employ healthy doses of characterization and detail, something sadly lacking in most other series. Lots of morality and spiritualism are brandished effectively such as (paraphrased) "don't destroy other worlds in desperation, even though Earth will die in less than a year", "with great power comes great responsibility", "take pains not to harm indigenous life on other worlds", "take the blame for your actions and move on", "in spite of all the Capt has lost, he goes on, indomitable", and "your brother survives in you."

Part of the series' attraction is the epic space battles. The see the animators craft the ships and their weaponry, and put them into action, is a sight to behold. "Space planes" soar in formation around the enemy and bristle with missiles and torpedoes. Weapons of mass destruction are brought into play to save the day. And the battleship Argo itself is such a work of art. Its splendor is shown off in a vast array of combat attitudes. They couldn't resist having the ship land in on an ocean, so that its seagoing superstructure and profile could be admired (powerfully reminiscent of the sea battles in our history). Overall, the heroic spirit personified by ship and her crew is exploited to the hilt, and it's hard to resist cheering for them in spite of the melodrama.

If they follow through and really do make a live-action version as planned, it could well be one of the greatest movies of all time. I'd rather a TV series, though, because there's too much for just one movie. (Let's pray they don't get Power Rangers actors for the roles.)

As a child (3 or 4 when it premiered in English), I couldn't fully appreciate the plot, character development and music. "One so young" can't perceive how Desslok is insane, not merely cruel, and how his evil has been seen in many Earth tyrants. There are further historical implications, like about radiation bombing, that you won't notice until after learning some world history. In one of the most dramatic episodes, Derek Wildstar's family discusses the Gamilon's radiation bombing (nuking). As Derek is just out of range while on the train, his parents along with their city are destroyed in another attack.

Voice acting is actually good for a "kids" show. There are scenes of pure human drama, and the voice cast pulled through so well. Certainly it's not Olivier, but it beats the pants off most movies and TV today. The characters actually grew, especially Derek Wildstar in his friendship with Venture and his coming to love Nova.

A lot of their technology was already present in science fiction. I'm not sure about a hologram room, though, which they had 13 *years* before Star Trek TNG. The parallels between the two space operas is uncanny, and I say this as a big Trek fan. The second Star Blazers season's mutinous escape is very similar to Star Trek III. And dare I point this out: Derek blamed the Captain for his brother's death, and Wesley blamed Picard for his father's death. The angry young men grow up to realize the captain is not such a bad guy, and that their loved ones died to save others.

I have a friend who dislikes anime, but he had to admit the music is superb. WHO is the woman singing the Argo cruising theme, and the male chorus for the theme song? One of my favorite clips is when Derek and the Captain shout to the Earth, "We will return!" The male chorus hums and sings "We will return, we WILL return" like something from Henry Mancini.

Voyager Entertainment didn't remaster (or minimally did) the video and sound, but the nostalgia is worth it (Amazon.com has a good price for the first season DVD box set). There are some bonus features, including a cut scene detailing the Argo's WWII history, when it was the Yamato. History repeats itself in the first season's largest battle, the denoument of Gamilon, where their entire fleet pounds the Argo.

If you enjoyed it as a child, you'll feel 20 years younger to watch it again. I know I do. I must be sappy, but I don't mind: three times I watched the penultimate episode, where one of the crew reunites with someone from the past (I don't want to spoil it too much), and three times I cried. How the tough guy's face softens as he starts to cry, and later when the person asks him, "Forgive me!" and runs off.

At 12 years old, i WORSHIPPED this show. The plot was deep and interesting. I can, to this day, still sing the theme song. Very few of my friends recall this show. But, it was wonderful. I long for the day someone revives it. There was no greater excitement than when they finally reached Iscandar to save the earth.

I spent hours drawing my own battleship based space ships. This show was inspiring and beautiful. The characters were three dimensional and you cared what happened to them. I loved the discovery of the wrecked battleship and the process of turning it into a space ship. The love story was fun as well. I was truly upset by the result when they finally reached their goal. I wish this series had carried on. Sadly, at 13, it just seemed to disappear. I have never seen it broadcast since. But, Star Blazers was the highlight of my afternoons when i was a kid. A great TV show, that I would love to see released on DVD. If you own this show, PLEASE RELEASE IT ON DVD!!! There are a LOT of closet fans out there. We are ready to pay $39.95 for the complete collection.

If you can get hold of a copy, WATCH IT! (and tell me where you found it!) This is "Japan-imation" at it's best.

Enthralled, simply enthralled watching this TV series for the first time 20 years ago. I have seen a fair number of Japanese cartoon series and no characters remain as vivid and real as the crew of the Argo.

The story, the music, the space battles, the animation... the two words to describe Star Blazers is PURE FUN!

Recently the original two hour SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO movie was shown at a local university. Watching it offered more questions than answers in pondering how the 120 minute movie was edited into the first STAR BLAZERS series. What stands to memory is that STAR BLAZERS had its storyline given more detail and enrichment. STAR BLAZERS is the version to watch.

The first bit I saw of this was a scene where Wildstar & Venture were trying to open an underground door by inserting some weird rectangles in a comb device. It looked pretty boring. That opinion soon changed when the wave motion engine blasted and the hand drawn masterpiece of guns, engines, & steel smoothly glided away from camera. The animation was more ambitious and realistic than any of the Jetsons, Scoobie Doo, or cat shows of the time, loaded with original cell sequences of very detailed objects which were only used once.

The most rewarding sequences were when the Argo would get more and more damaged as a battle waged. Every detail of the damage from gun turrets flying off the deck to steel plates bursting was meticulously animated and retained in the next shot. The end of the episode would consist of completely new cells of the Argo looking like a disaster. Other cartoons would rarely bother updating for continuity like that but produce the battle sequences with a pristine looking spaceship to save on animation.

Then there was the attention to the physical mechanics of how things work. It's a rare show in which the props actually look like they can do what they do. Engines looked like real engines. Seats & elevators looked like they could really work. Guns looked like real guns.

The obsession with Starblazers lasted 5 years, then Robotech came out, but Starblazers remained the bible of animation.

When i was stationed in hawaii.1981-84.I saw "Star Blazers"on NGN for the first time,and was blown away by everything.The graphics,storyline,emotions.Other TV series of the time just did not compare to this type of animation.Cartoons of America were a joke(i hate to say),and still are.If this series were to come out now,it would be in the top 5.This is the Raw animation that we are looking for,high emotion,action,adventure,love and dare i say it!!People getting killed. I wish all three episodes were on DVD.To say that you have a favorite part is down playing all three series. I was amazed at the time.Starting with the pilot movie.The Wave Motion Gun,Replicators to replace damaged parts,traveling in space,all the guns and that gravity generator.That used space rocks to fend off an attack.Unforgettable

I remember watching this show and I couldn't wait until the next episode. It totally rocked ,had the coolest music and of course the Argo(AKA the old Japanese battleship Yamato). My favorite character was Captain Avatar, those eyes and that white beard and ragged voice always got me pumped up. I started finding episodes on youtube and I got to see the original uncut Japanese version of some episodes which were more violent and actually showed some horrific scenes of death. It was interesting to see the original Japanese intro's too and how the dialog was watered down for American audiences. I think today kids could handle it in its uncut form.

I wonder what this live action version is going to be like. The special effects would have to be top notch and hopefully get good actors. Casting Capt Avatar would be interesting too??? Hmm ..Go StarBlazers

I, too, watched this show when I was 10 or 12 or so. I never missed an episode. I agree that some of the ideas were taken and used in other sci-fi endeavors, such as Star Trek. For example, in the first scene in Star Trek, The Motion Picture, notice how, when the Klingon Battlecruiser gets ready to shoot its torpedoes at the intruder, the area where it fires from starts to glow, and small, lit particles tend to drift towards the same area. This is the same as when the Wave Motion gun first starts to fire. Same thing with Star Trek III, and the chasing of the Enterprise by the Excelsior. Same as the Andromeda and the Argo. But all that aside, this was the best anime ever sent to us. I, too, spent many a day drawing my versions of battleships like the Argo and Andromeda, even, at one time, making my own personal comic books about adventures with the Star Force. (yes, my original ideas, not copying the show) :-) I have seen the full three seasons online for over $100., and if indeed I had the extra money, I would buy them in a heartbeat. his was running around the same time as another great one called Force Five. Those of you who know about Star Blazers, I am sure you know about Force Five. Two of the best to come out of Japan before the Accord!

This was the best animated series of its time. Star Blazers was made at a time when American cartoons were trite junk like "The Super Friends" and "The Brady Kids." When Star Blazers hit syndicated TV in America in the early 1980s, it was still categorically more engrossing than any American cartoon, any American science fiction... heck, it was better than 90% of American TV period.

In case you missed the plot summary: hostile Aliens (the Gammalons) attack Earth and defeat all of her military might. The Gammalons then proceed to launch a years-long nuclear attack against Earth which renders the entire surface unfit for life. Cowering in caves, humanity awaits its final extinction...

Until a message is received from the Planet Iscandar, offering aid. Iscander can provide "Cosmo DNA," which can resuscitate the Earth's entire ecosphere. Iscander also provides the blueprints for a powerful interstellar propulsion system: the wave motion drive. Desperate beyond measure, Earth refits one single starship, the Argo, with the wave motion drive, and sends her and her brave crew to cross 100,000 light years of Gammalon territory to reach Iscandar.

Right away, one can see that this cartoon has a much more intelligent plot than any shows intended for kids and adolescents. It is also notable that this series is a serial: each episode is part of a larger, evolving story. It would be decades before any American shows that are not "soap operas" would develop this format (like Buffy the Vampire Slayer). The plot is also dead serious: the world is ending, and ending in a way that was plausibly frightening to Japanese kids in the wake of Hiroshima and American kids in the wake of Three Mile Island. This didn't so much scare me as a kid, but it made the show totally riveting.

On top of the smart and emotional plot, the series had some other virtues. The "cinematography" was great, with good drawing and well-composed scenes. The lessons of the episodes were more serious and adult than typical kids shows, focusing on duty, loyalty, teamwork, and honor. The episodes themselves got a bit formulaic in the middle of the first season, usually ending in a desperate battle with Gammalon ships which can be won only be use of the wave-motion gun.

Sorry to be so long winded. If you like anime and you like sci-fi, you should watch at least the first season. Its better than a lot of anime than came after, and much more original than most anime. The second season was very good, too, although it was even more serious.

I have been reading some of the comments and I too can still remember the opening song and other major elements of the series story even though its been 25 some years since I have seen any episodes. This series made going to school great because it helped pass the hours until the next episode. During the summer months, no matter how nice the weather was, we were always in front of the TV at 3:00 pm sharp for our daily dose. When I first went looking to re-watch and buy the show, I could find nothing but expensive and shoddy bootleg VHS versions of individual episodes however as I understand it, all 3 seasons have been out on DVD for a few years. I will buy them eventually, the lowest price I have seen has been on a famous internet auction site for $80 per season. For now I will be renting them because, guess what, they ARE available for rental at both major online movie rental houses. "will I get my copies of the best show on TV and enjoy them for a lifetime, tune in tomorrow and find out. Remember there are only 213 Earth days left.

"We're off to outer space We're leaving mother Earth To save, the human race Our Star Blazers"

When I heard that theme song come on the TV, I knew it was time to be part of the Space Force and try to save Mother Earth! This is the best space adventure anima of all time. From the moment the Yamato erupts out of the ground to her journey through space, and fighting Desslok and the Gamilons the days are numbered and the count down begins. Our heroes: Captain Avatar, Wildstar, Mark Venture, Nova and Doctor Sane just to name a few of the best crew that ever sail the Milky Way to save Mother Earth! Get ready because we only have a year to save Mother Earth--

"Fighting with the Gamalons We won't stop until we've won Then we'll return and when we arrive The Earth will survive with our Star Blazers"

This show arrived on cable when I was 13 years old in 1979. My sister and I would battle for the tv at 8am. She wanted Captain Kangaroo and I wanted Star Blazers. There were 2 seasons at the time and it filled that gap waiting for the next Star Wars to arrive!!! (ESB). I was shocked to learn recently that this show premiered in Japan in 1975...2 years before Star Wars. I figured it was Japan's answer to SW. whatever, a great story that was ahead of its time!!!!!!

I'm really suprised this anime doesn't have a stronger following, this is one the first animes that was brought to the US that had an actual ongoing storyline. It also is the anime that upped my expectations of cartoons, after this series I was much more skeptical and demanding of how cartoons where done. Unlike Superfriends, characters ability's didn't change with the demand of the situation in each episode of Starblazers, I really recommend anybody who wants to see a good ongoing anime series to go out and try to rent this series, you won't regret it.

I remember this series only too well. It was only slightly cut for American audiences, leaving out only the actual deaths of characters (Mostly redshirt types, excepting Captain Avatar) when they were shot, blown up, or other. The characters were exceedingly well realized with backstories and CHANGES to the characters as their characters developed. Compared to the pitifully slaughtered 'Battle of the Planets' (Gatchaman, later re-translated into G-Force which managed to be better) or anything American animated series were planning on doing (He-Man, Bravestarr, etc ad nauseum), this series really shone. Only the 'Robotech' series came close, and that one suffered from trying to combine 3 Japanime series into one.

Looking at the coming attraction scenes made me realize that some editing was done in the last episode of the 1st season. In it, a Gamilon was rushing into the cargo bay where Nova was trying to activate the CosmoDNA (The Gamilon boarding party was using a radioactive gas) Starsha had given them and Sandor was protesting that it might not be safe. In the actual ep, Sandor and Nova both turn to see the Gamilon enter, but we never actually see him, and Nova ends up wounded for no readily apparant reason other than the aforementioned gas. I am certain that Sandor shot the encroaching Gamilon, but too late to prevent Nova from being hit.

There were several episodes where bodies were seen, if not the causes for their deaths. This marked it apart from anything else being shown 'for children' at this point. Considering that American animation seemed to be following the same rules that American comics were following (No death, sex, excessive violence, excitement, things of interest, plot development, etc) it isn't really a surprise that so many of us rushed home to watch it. (While at a meeting for my high school band, I came across several of the 'cool kids' singing the theme song together.)

In my area only the first 2 seasons were shown, but my wife reports that she not only got just the first, but it didn't include the final episode where they return to Earth, never mind the whole Comet Empire season. After hearing that, I didn't feel so bad about missing the 3rd season.

Just as a clarifying point for my faithful readers, though one of the crewmembers reported that Sgt. Knox had returned in another fighter, it was dubbed in. He died destroying the power center on the Comet Ship (In fact, none of the Marines they brought aboard survived the season). According to a later movie, Orion the engineer also died in the final ep of the 2nd season (Much to my sadness, I liked him). Also the chief pilot, Conroy died fighting the Comet Empire, but was replaced by his identical younger brother in the 3rd Japanese series, though the American series considered him to be the same character. (Nevermind that he was using a urinal when he spotted the Andremeda coming after them in the 2nd season's 5th episode. I wouldn't expect American TV to show that).

I hope that the various petitions are successful in returning Star Blazers to television. While there are several interesting animated shows, with the exception of Roughnecks; the Starship Troopers Chronicles, that are merely interesting, Star Blazers was actually engrossing.

I think another (maybe the first) reviewer said it best: "I can't believe there aren't more reviews here!" The original Japanese title for this show is "Uchuu Senkan Yamato" (Space Battleship Yamato). I believe it came out in 1974 in Japan, but was Americanized and released in the US in 1979. Be that as it may, this is, has been, and probably will be my favorite anime series of all time. Not only do I like it because it brings back great after-school memories of congregations of neighborhood kids, but it has a very believable and emotional storyline. Not many series I know of devote an ENTIRE episode to having an emotional goodbye to families before the Argo (Yamato) leaves the Solar System. There are so many well-developed sub-plots...you'll just have to see for yourself if you've never heard of this. It is a GEM, and if you like sci-fi at all, you will not be disappointed. Of the 3 series, my personal favorite is the "Quest for Iscandar." Rent it, buy it, or borrow it if you can. With VHS tapes becoming obsolete, you can get them cheaply on e-bay. I own all the VHS tapes, and the American DVDs recently put out by Voyager Entertainment. But I must say to the purists who aren't aware of this: get the 9-DVD set from www.sundevildvd.com. I am not affiliated with them in any way, but they offer a "Star Blazers DVD Bundle." It is the ENTIRE 78-episode series (Quest for Iscandar, The Comet Empire, and The Bolar Wars) for less than $100. One catch: the language is Japanese, but if you can bear the not-perfect-but-acceptable English subtitles, that's the way to go. All of these episodes are COMPLETELY UNCUT, and you'll see just how much footage was cut from the American versions! Desslok with his original Japanese voice sounds as cool as Mr. Eddie Allen doing his voice in English.

They just don't make 'em like this anymore. Watch one, and you'll be hooked.....I can just about guarantee it. Enjoy.

I've got to say that this is a spectacular show. The animation may seem trite now, but 20 years ago, it was incredible. I do have to say that it absolutely kills today's Dragonball Z... (what a waste). What really sets this show apart is the realism. During the first movie/series, the original Captain dies, but the series goes on AND references their dead leader throughout the show. Well done. This happens throughout the series, causing the viewers to feel the remorse of what is happening on screen.

Being young and impressionable, I suppose I was sucked in by the glamour of being in outer space, fighting aliens and saving the day. But, as I look back, the drama was good enough that I would want to see it all again, nearly 20 years later. And, in the spirit of that, I've found that you can currently watch the 2nd season of Star Blazers on Cartoon Network under the Toonami/Reactor section.

It's just as good as I remembered...

With the exception of bell-bottoms on their uniforms, Star Blazers is one of the greatest, most eclectic stargazing sagas of all time. In an era when animation depicting technological advances was still in its infantile stages (late 1970s), the producers of Star Blazers have done such an excellent job of keeping the viewer fixed on the characters, dialogue, story plots, and vivid battles scenes. I remember watching the series when I was 10 years old, and I am still watching videos today. I would love to see a remake of the series, with clean, crisper episodes; in reality, if the episodes are ever shown again on prime time, little changes need to be made to the original series. It is just that good.

I can still sing the theme song...."We're offfffffffff to outer spaaaaaaaace. We're leaving mother eaaaaaarth. To save the human raaaaaaaace........" My friends and I watched this show everyDAY before 7th grade and after that also. It came on right after Speed Racer and before Rodger Ramjet. We continually followed the plights of Mark Venture, Derek Wildstar, Nova, the Captain and all the others. I believe that I was actually very, very sad when the Captain died. It seemed that there was ALWAYS a reason to fire off the "wave-motion" gun in each episode.....but oh well. I loved the series....hope it comes back on cable!

The show was a refreshing break from all cartoons about critters dropping pounds of TNT on one another and assorted silliness. It rode the heels of the popularity of Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica, despite the fact that, in Japan, it preceded them.

The greatest flaw was that it was not properly marketed, and has been confined to a niche category.

Disney made an attempt a few years ago to resurrect and modernize the property, but it seems to be stuck in dev-hell. From what I understand about the script, it should stay there until a better script makes its way through the bowels of Hollywood.

Along with Robotech, this series was one of those that shaped my childhood (I know, pathetic). Incorporating a love interest, David-vs.-Goliath theme, and some of the best in Japanese animation, this series is one that any adult could easily love as much as any child.

This series shaped my childhood as well. I would love watching them after or before school. It was a breath of fresh air from all the corny other cartoons on TV in that it had a real plot and REAL drama.

I have bought the entire six-DVD set of the first series on Gamalon. I hope they come out with the second and third series on DVD as well.

...this was my first exposure to a real violent science fiction cartoon series, and I didn't miss it for the world when it aired weekday afternoons 20 years ago (geez it's been that long?!!) and turning on the TV the moment I got home from school.

Probably the series that started the whole Japanese anime craze, I spent day and night drawing the different kinds of spacecraft from the series, and in every episode you knew when the good guys were in trouble, that it was time for the wave-motion gun to be fired. I hope the series will be shown on TV again.

I have not seen this show in a number of years but my memories of it are quite fond. It introduced a realism in animation that you didn't often see before. I.E. People really die and stay dead, and also it presented a real story line. I would love to see this series return to T.V. I would definitely be a viewer.