heroineworshipper
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.
iamvindell
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!
arch29
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.
Pro Jury
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.