Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199

Add to My List

Add to Favorites

Alternative Titles

English: Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199

Japanese: 宇宙戦艦ヤマト2199

Information

Type: OVA

Episodes: 26

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: May 25, 2012 to Oct 25, 2013

Producers: Production I.G, Bandai Visual, OLM, Lantis, Shochiku, Bandai, Tohokushinsha Film Corporation, Bandai Namco Games, Voyager Entertainment

Licensors: Funimation

Studios: Xebec, AIC

Source: Original

Genres: Action, Military, Sci-Fi, Space, Drama

Duration: 25 min. per ep.

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Statistics

Score: 8.37¹ (scored by 30,872 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #170²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #1498

Members: 93,113

Favorites: 1,550

8.37

Ranked #170Popularity #1498Members 93,113

OVAXebec, AIC

Add to List

Episodes: /26

* Your list is public by default.

PV 7

play

Synopsis

In the year 2199, Earth faces its greatest crisis. Due to unrelenting bombings by the alien race known as "Gamilas," the planet can no longer sustain its inhabitants. In exactly one year, humanity is set to become extinct.

In desperation, the people of Earth establish the Earth Defense Force, their last defense against the power-hungry Gamilas Empire. However, humanity finds a glimmer of hope after receiving a message from the mysterious planet Iscandar, which offers them a device that would restore Earth to its former glory. With salvation in sight, the Earth Defense Force calls on the prolific Space Battleship Yamato and swiftly assembles a crew to make the 168,000 light-year trek to Iscandar and receive their aid.

Among the crew are young officers Susumu Kodai and Daisuke Shima, along with several other newly promoted leaders, all under the command of the distinguished Captain Juuzou Okita. Forced to learn how to handle the ship's innovative technology while dealing with the onslaught of Gamilas fleets, the inexperienced cast of Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 must summon every inch of their resolve to survive the many hardships aboard the Yamato and complete their mission: to save humanity before it's too late.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Edit

Background

The series will be sold in the same theaters that show the Yamato movies on the same days, i.e. a simultaneous release.

The first two episodes of the TV series (which is the same as the OVA series) were pre-aired on the Family Gekijou cable and satellite channel on 6th and 7th of April, 2012. The rest of the episodes was aired on MBS & TBS beginning April 7, 2013.

Edit

Related Anime

Adaptation:	Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199
Alternative version:	Uchuu Senkan Yamato
Side story:	Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199: Hoshimeguru Hakobune
Summary:	Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199: Tsuioku no Koukai
Sequel:	Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2202: Ai no Senshi-tachi, "Uchuu Senkan Yamato" to Iu Jidai: Seireki 2202-nen no Sentaku

Cho
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Izubuchi, Yutaka

Director, Script, Storyboard, Layout, Mechanical Design, Series Composition

Enomoto, Akihiro

Director, Episode Director, Storyboard, Key Animation

Yoshida, Tomohiro

Sound Director

Egami, Kiyoshi

Episode Director

Edit

Opening Theme

#1 (OVA): "Uchuu Senkan Yamato (宇宙戦艦ヤマト)" by Isao Sasaki
#R1 (TV): "Uchuu Senkan Yamato (宇宙戦艦ヤマト)" by Project Yamato 2199 (Eir Aoi, Natsuko Aso, Chaiki Ishikawa, Yoko Ishida, Shuhei Kita, CooRie, GRANRODEO, Minami Kuribayashi, Maon Kurosaki, Isao Sasaki, Sayaka Sasaki, Hiromi Sato, ZAQ, JAM Projec
#R2 (TV): "Fight For Liberty" by UVERworld

Edit

Ending Theme

#1: "Hoshi ga Eien wo Terashiteru (星が永遠を照らしてる)" by Aira Yuuki (eps 1-2)
#2: "Utsukushii Chikyuu wo Shiru Mono yo (美しい地球を知る者よ)" by Aki Misato (eps 3-6)
#3: "Makka na Scarf (真赤なスカーフ)" by Isao Sasaki (eps 7-10)
#4: "Kioku no Hikari (記憶の光)" by KOKIA (eps 11-14)
#5: "Yosoro ~Hoshi no Umi wo Koete~ (ヨーソロー～星の海を越えて～)" by Hironobu Kageyama (eps 15-18)
#6: "R.I.P~Tomo yo Shizuka ni Nemure~ (R.I.P～友よ静かに眠れ～)" by JAM Project (eps 19-22)
#7: "Ai no Hoshi (愛の星)" by Nana Mizuki
#R1: "Ai Kotoba (愛詞)" by Mika Nakashima (TV)
#R2: "Best of my Love" by Rei Yasuda (安田レイ) (TV)
#R3: "Distance" by JUJU (TV)

More reviews

Reviews

Nov 23, 2013

26 of 26 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 10

rtil (All reviews)

256 people found this review helpful

Most of you may know that Space Battleship Yamato 2199 is a remake of the 1970's space opera by the same name (bar the 2199). If one were to make a comparison of its significance to its importance of the genre, it is basically the Star Wars of Japan - the series that one would point to as a culturally significant moment in entertainment and the rise of the genre itself.

In recent times, one becomes wary when they hear the word 'remake' or 'reboot'. Audiences have reluctantly witnessed so many beloved series, stories and characters get butchered in misguided and unnecessary attempts to be recreated.

Thankfully, I am happy to say that Yamato's 21st century rebirth is done faithfully, respectfully, and masterfully.

First, there is the story (9/10). Yamato's story is timeless - the people of Earth are fighting back against an alien threat to bring their planet to slavery or extinction. Humanity's last hope lies in the battleship Yamato, its crew, and a mysterious technology brought to mankind from a distant alien race of people called Iscandarians. Their destination - lightyears away, on the planet of Iscandar. In their path lie many obstacles, and every one a piece of the story and the puzzle. In this respect, Yamato's story is not difficult to understand, and is something you can appreciate at any age in any time. There are many developments and nuances that shape the story beyond its simple premise as the show develops, however. For the most part, it faithfully follows the original plot, and while I can't comment on specifics, I know enough to say that with confidence. It is not overly complex - there are also many things that are left to the imagination for the sake of not boring the audience. If you accept them for what they are and don't convolute them, it is, for the most part, flawless. This is, after all, a fictional universe.

Now for the art (10/10). There has been some fuss over the stylistic changes from the original Leiji style of Yamato to the remake. However, I find them to be a perfect blend of the retro style and modern style - which still brings an incredibly refreshing artistic flair to Yamato that isn't seen anywhere today. Even if one were to miss the original style, I think it would be impossible to truly recreate it exactly unless you had all the original animation staff, and that is too much to ask for a 40-year old series. Nobuteru did an excellent job of revisiting the style of Leiji and bringing it to a modern audience.

The animation is absolutely stunning. It's quite obvious there was a high budget for the series, and they use it in all the right places. Let's be honest - in the 70's, many of the technical challenges that came with animating epic, large-scale space battles were difficult to tackle with the technology of the time. While many are impressive, it's easy to see where they struggled to achieve their true vision. In 2199, the ships are 3D models, and CGI comes heavily into play during battle scenes. There was a time that this spelled bad news for mixing with 2D animation, when CGI suffered from a "video game cutscene" syndrome. But with today's technology, 2199's CGI is absolutely stunning, and blends beautifully with the show and the backgrounds. Every ship is masterfully crafted and detailed, and every nuance of the ships and the weaponry is nothing short of perfection. The excitement of every battle scene leaves you speechless. Fans of spaceships, fighter jets and miscellaneous mechanical things will be filled with nothing but glee.

The character and 2D animation is equally as important, and is treated that way. There's a lot of expressiveness in every character, and it shows. There's a bit of fanservice and moe here and there, but nothing overdone. Yamato takes itself seriously when it has to, but it also has a bit of fun when it's appropriate.

The music and sfx (10/10) adds another layer of immersion to the world of Yamato. The soundtrack is a lot of re-recordings of original Yamato tracks, with that 1970's sci-fi trumpets and backing vocals that many may remember fondly. If not, it's something that you hear very rarely these days, and is absolutely perfect for this series. It's enough that the opening is one of those songs you just can't skip - the rest of the soundtrack is equally inspiring.

The sound effects, voices and ambiance is also well done. My favorite bits are definitely the sounds of the ships and the weapons during battle. There's nothing quite like hearing a flurry of lasers, rockets and explosions - and of course, the awe-inspiring Wave Motion Gun.

The characters (9/10) of Yamato are stunning examples of common archetypes. There are brave heroes, loyal comrades, tragic villains, and everything in between. There is a very large cast of Yamato, so I won't dive into every character, but while many characters may seem stereotypical at first glance, Yamato never attempts to clearly define the difference between good and evil - at times, you will sympathize with the enemy, and you will question the motives of the heroes. It's one of those important aspects that helps separate the wheat from the chaff in this aspect. Still, there is a very classical story at hand, and with it come classic characters. But they are not as hollow and predictable as one more cynical may come to believe.

Overall, there is not much more to say. I gave enjoyment a 10/10 because I always found myself looking forward to the next episode of Yamato - and when they came (the waits were quite long for those following the series release), they were over so soon because I enjoyed every moment.

It is quite clear that the creators of Yamato 2199 had great respect for the source material and made every effort to craft a remake worthy of the name Uchuu Senkan Yamato. And in every aspect I would say they succeeded, and brought a story that deserves to be retold to a new era, taking advantage of the tools they have today that its original creators did not to remake Yamato in its full glory. And although the eye-candy visuals of space warfare are a spectacle in their own right, Yamato 2199 never loses sight of the story it is trying to tell and the cast that we want to root for, which is where many remakes of this era falter.

This is a very rare and important piece of animation history - one that I believe deserves to be viewed and appreciated by everyone. I would recommend this series to absolutely anyone, even if they are not fans of sci-fi. If you want an example of a remake done right - this is it.

Helpful

permalink | report

Apr 28, 2016

26 of 26 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 5

raegazel (All reviews)

155 people found this review helpful

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!

Overall this show was an enjoyable watch, and one can sense that a lot of love and care was put into it. For those reasons, this is a very painful and disappointing review to write, but I feel it might be necessary to "warn" potential viewers about some elements of this series that are problematic. Specifically, the plot.

I understand that this is an extremely popular and influential franchise, especially in Japan, and I also do agree that this is a very well-done remake.

However - there are SEVERE issues with the plot of this series, issues that I feel are glossed over because of its "sacred cow" status in anime circles.

SPOILERS BEGIN HERE - do not continue reading unless you're fine with that.

- We are expected to believe, and major elements of the plot revolve around, the fact that Yuki, a human born on earth, looks virtually identical to the royal princesses of Iscandar, a planet more than 100,000 light years away, to the point of being mistaken IN PERSON by those familiar with the princesses, to be one of them; that she coincidentally was involved in an accident one year ago that wiped her memory, and coincidentally makes it appear that she may be an alien that appeared one year ago on Earth; and that there is no proof that she is an Earthling because both her parents are dead and there are apparently no individuals who knew her on Earth well enough, except her parents, to confirm that she was in fact living on Earth for more than a year. This entire subplot, which groan-inducingly becomes a MAJOR plot device later in the show, is one of the most suspension of disbelief shattering things I've ever seen. I am at a complete loss as to how anybody can swallow this and call this particular subplot anything more than contrived.

- At one point, certain crew members stage a coup/mutiny in order to enact a plan to move humanity to a habitable planet that the Yamato finds. Not only is this illogical in the long-term - what prevents the Garmillans from simply subjugating that planet as well? - but they stage this insurrection before the planet is even scouted. Perhaps these crew members, one of whom is considered one of the more intelligent individuals on the ship, should've waited for more detailed reports on the feasibility of human habitation before initiating a violent mutiny. Bonus points: this plot point could've been interesting if the planet was indeed fit for habitation. It is not - it is apparently currently home to massive killer insects.

- Once the Yamato reaches Garmillas, the main antagonist, Desler, executes his secret plan: he flees the capital of Garmilas and then drops part of a colony on it. The problem with this plan is that there is no conceivable reason to do this. What POSSIBLE benefit does he gain from performing a colony drop and destroying the Garmillas capital? One could say "to destroy the Yamato" - is his plan then predicated on the Yamato deciding to dock at the Garmillas capital? In fact - *why* did the Yamato ram into the capital palace in the first place? Why not use the Wave Motion Gun to destroy Desler's Wave Motion Gun instead? Is Okita's plan to storm the center of a galactic empire with a strike team of, at most, a few dozen men led by Kodai, and somehow emerge victorious?

- Desler is killed when the Wave Motion Gun backfires and his space fortress is destroyed. However, he later turns up to ambush the Yamato in his flagship that is powered by another Wave Motion Gun. How did he survive the WMG's explosion? Where did his new flagship come from? Why did nobody notice it? How did it reach the Gate before the Yamato? None of this is ever explained. Bonus Points: Yuki, who was ejected from an airlock and is mere METERS away from the exploding fortress, survives - though the blast not only clearly destroys the fortress, but completely incinerates a nearby battleship that is presumably more than a few meters away. Never explained. Forget about these little details when Kodai and Yuki get a great, emotional, romantic reunion scene in space.

- The Yamato reaches Iscandar and discovers Mamoru had made it there after a ship carrying him back to Garmillas crash landed there instead. Again, there are too many plot contrivances to even discuss them all. Why Mamoru specifically? Why not a human presumably captured in the MANY skirmishes the Garmillans have already had with humans? In a journey of more than 150,000 light years, the ship happens to crash literally one planet over from Garmillas? Why did the Garmillans need human samples? Having transported those samples over such a vast distance, only to have them crash land one planet away, did they then respond by saying "Well, that's a bummer. No need to investigate and see if there were any survivors."

- The timeline for Mamoru, the core of the Cosmo Reverser, arriving at Iscandar is at most later than the Yamato setting sail. Meaning that Starsha was challenging the Yamato to make an unprecedented journey across galaxies for something that doesn't actually exist yet.

- Iscandar apparently has a population of three (one after the other two sisters leave for Earth). Why this advanced civilization of superior beings would expend 66% of their population on the off-chance that the planet Earth, which at that point was no different from the countless other planets subjugated by the Garmillans, could potentially reach them, is never explained. Having invested 66% of their population (No, I'm not going to get over that), Starsha is then unsure if she wants to give them the Cosmo Reverser. She then gives it to them though, despite the fact that those in power back on Earth are shown to be corrupt politicians who initiated conflict with the Garmillans, and will presumably abuse the godlike power they now possess because humanity as a whole has not improved in any significant way to warrant giving them this power. Oops.

- The infighting between the Garmillans is drummed up to eventually become a major plot element. Too bad we never hear anything about it again or get any kind of meaningful resolution.

There are more (unfortunately, *many* more) plot points/devices that could be discussed, but I think the overarching point is clear: this may be a remake of an anime legend, great animation, great soundtrack, but there are major issues with the plot that simply cannot be ignored or dismissed.

Is it a fun watch, and an interesting talking point for discussing the history of anime? Yes. But the illogical, contrived, and occasionally frustrating plot prevents it from being a great watching experience in its own right. Viewer beware.

Helpful

permalink | report

Nov 19, 2013

26 of 26 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 9

RedgraveGilver (All reviews)

89 people found this review helpful

Note: This is a remake of the classic Battle Ship Yamato by Leiji Matsumoto which is one of the most revolutionary anime.

Space Operas are very rare now a days in the anime industry. Just as the quality of mecha anime and it's audience has been downgrading and declining in favor of slice-of-life, ecchi and harem genres, space operas were always being overlooked at. After almost at least 40 years, one of the space opera classic during the 70's was given a chance to have a remake in order to introduce the series and gain a wider audience in today's anime community. But does the show read more

permalink | report

Dec 7, 2013

26 of 26 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 9

Raptor1221 (All reviews)

50 people found this review helpful

To be called “The Star Wars of Japan” you must be doing something oh so right. “Space Battleship Yamato (1974- 1975) was labeled as such. It’s a show so imbedded in popular culture that I had even heard of it. This was long before even watching my very first anime (To me known as “Star Blazers” for US). It was truly the show of an age. Now fast forward to April, 7th, 2012, an OVA remake of the beloved classic begins its air time. The final question of fans was. Will it live up to the original? Or disappoint us as much as the 2010 live action movie? Fans were treading carefully, hoping with all their hearts for a good adaptation (unlike many other shows of late). They looked for a great modern re- vamp; both in the visual and sound departments….. and that my friends is just what we got.

The premise of “Space Battleship Yamato 2199” is a simple one.” An interstellar war against a mysterious Alien race known as “Gamilians” (who btw toooottaaallly aren’t alluding to Romans) has Humanity near extinction and the earth nearly uninhabitable in the course of 8 years. Humanity has given a valiant effort, but is not on par with their enemy. Who by the way has shielding technology and interstellar flight. But, there is hope, another alien race known as Iscanderians (the totally not alluding to Greeks people) give them the power to arm one ship with their ultra advanced technology. They must now seek out Iscander and gain a device know as the cosmos reverse system to save the Earth. This mission is then dubbed “The Yamato Project” and our noble crew heads out. The Majority of the show is the crew of the aforementioned super ship “Yamato” heading out to Iscander, while encountering harsh resistance by their Gamilian foes. The show does develop as it goes on. There are a few twists and we get to learn all the races motives and reasons. Still it’s not a very complicated show; which in a way is where its charm lies. It’s very much akin to well “Star Wars”. It’s an enjoyable show with very stereotypical, but well developed characters. Its key level of enjoyment comes from the premise. The one ship vs the galaxy, and wits win the battles. It feels during these times much like an episode of “Star Trek”. There are great moments of tactical fun in almost every battle. They usually survive by using some tactical hat trick. It’s the quick thinking, and patch work of the crew that make this show truly a gem. Its great scale, its fun battles, its tense moments make for an overall fun and well written plot that eventually ends in satisfaction; it’s just a treat to enjoy. (9/10)

The animation was handled by “Xebec” studios, which is a sub division of production I.G. I really cannot say anything bad about the animation. It just seems neigh perfect. Great effort was put into recreating the feel of the show. It did not use the original style, but went for a modern approach. It used CGI for ship battles, and normal safe, but detailed animation for everything else. All is just great. The CGI is some of the best I’ve seen in anime (though not U.S Tier CGI, cus America loves the stuff). It provides some AMMMMAZZZZZINNNG space battles. The animation is well done and details from the original show are kept correct. Not really many flaws in sight (that is unless you don’t like CGI) (9/10)

Music was Handled by Miyagawa, Akira, who’s probably most well know work is… Kirby Right Back at Ya. What I will say he brought in the right people for the job (as the compositions were handled by various artists). The openings were both well done. The first is a rescored/ revamped version of the original. The 2nd a modern original Op made by “UVER world” dubbed, “Fight for Liberty”. Both the ending themes were also done well, and both present a classic and gentle tune to the show. The Osts though truly shine. Every Ost fits the moment, from sad, to happy and just plain epic. One of my personal favorites of the Ost’s in the show is the main theme. The main theme is a sea shanty rehash of the 1st opening that sets the tone for most of the battles. It’s simply called “Space Battleship Yamato 2199” (srlsy I want to take on the Garmilian armada right now…. Come at me bro). The other end we have the “Garmilian National anthem” it perfectly fits the nation and its proud people. It’s epic and proud; it creates some of the greatest moments in the show. Such as when you seen their fleet rise up and this anthem plays …. simply wonderful. What the show does lack in sound is the variance. The Osts pretty much are the same group played over and over again. They are no doubt excellent, but after 26 episodes it can try one’s patience. The Osts in Space Battle ship Yamato are simply great when they need to be. Yet, they are used over and over. All in all it does install a feeling of “retroness” that few can match with its sound track. Thus sound gets a (8/10).

With a great ship, you need a great crew. That is what the crew of the Yamato delivers in full. They are really are just archetypes, the main character with loss, his best friends, the staunch captain, and the super logical science officer. Yet, somehow these characters remain somewhat interesting; this is due to the excellent development. Each is stereotypical, but each learns, gains, and looses throughout the show. It’s the crew with there well written interactions goes about the marry task of 1 VS all. With great heroes you got to have some great villain’s, right? Yes, and in many ways the villains outshine the heroes in both motivation, and in charisma. They are in my opinion much akin to Kligons (though much better dressed). The Garmilians also get their development; they are humanized, but not enough that you root for them instead. They have families, and reasons to try to keep the peace within their empire. It adds some very interesting clashes in ideals between the apposing races. The characters in Yamato each get their time and development. The reasons for their actions are clear to the viewer; though their characters are extremely stereotypical. This in its own way adds to the retro vibe that Yamato installs, but also somewhat hurts it (but hey they are the originals)….. (8/10)

“Space battleship Yamato 2199” is truly a treat. Its simply fun, and installs a sense of “retro” upon you. It uses well developed archetypes, fun and interesting plot twists, and great art /sound, to create an excellent remake of a timely classic. Very few shows recently have matched Yamato in overall enjoyment and quality. Yamato, is no perfect show, but is damn well better than most things right now. It is an anime not to be missed for both its fun and charm.
Raptor-(9/10)

Helpful

permalink | report

More news

Recent News

North American Anime & Manga Releases for February

Here are the North American anime & manga releases for February Week 1: February 4 - 10 Anime Releases A.D. Police (TV) Complete Collection Blu-ray Bai She: Yuan...read more

Feb 3, 2020 1:24 PM by Sakana-san | Discuss (2 comments)

North American Anime & Manga Releases for November

Here are the North American anime & manga releases for November Week 1: November 6 - 12 Anime Releases Black Clover Part 2 Blu-ray & DVD Combo Galaxy Angel Z...read more

Nov 5, 2018 2:27 PM by Sakana-san | Discuss (9 comments)

More discussions

Recent Forum Discussion

	Poll: Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 (OVA) Episode 4 Discussion 27CansOfTuna - Aug 3, 2012	30 replies	by epidemia78 »» Mar 2, 10:57 AM
	Having seen LoGH, is this something I can enjoy? kuwangpa - Feb 22	0 replies	by kuwangpa »» Feb 22, 4:39 PM

Recent Featured Articles

Top 16 Best Space Anime of All Time [Updated]

We all enjoy looking up at the night sky, and watching the stars. And quite often we wonder what exactly is going on...out there in deep space. Fortunately, there's a ton of excellent space anime which will clue us in and make our imaginations run wild!

by MisterD98

347,010 views

Collection

Top 20 Series With The Most Beautiful Anime Art

It is easy to say that the most beautiful anime are those produced by Studio Ghibli. For sure, Ghibli’s films set the bar for what is anime art. However, although five of their films populate this list of the 20 most beautiful anime, other examples from the past four decades are just as impressive.

by tokaicentral85

360,963 views

Recommendation Collection Art Ghibli

More recommendations