Continuing the movie meta

I don’t have as much to discuss in this section compared to the posts on the other fans. Though there is a whole meta kind of where it stands in the Yamato movie space. This film is the third Space Battleship Yamato film, but it wasn’t a theatrical film. Instead, it was released on television to move the Space Battleship Yamato story in a different direction. Be Forever Yamato, the one after this, is the actual third theatrical film. So it’s interesting to see where the world of tv Yamato and movie Yamato meet up because this one feels like the link. 

I say that because the second film’s ending is pretty conclusive. The second tv series changed the ending so the series can keep going to the next season. The beginning even has the pervy tv series Analyzer in the beginning. Something the movies never had because they are more serious. After that, it was back to the usual Space Battleship Yamato movie stuff. You know, war drama and space opera insanity with an alien race we haven’t seen before that is suddenly a threat to the entire galaxy. Just another day in the office for the Yamato crew. 

The general plot of The New Voyage

This film starts with two plot lines that eventually join together. The first one is the Earth side with getting the Yamato crew back in motion after the ending of the second television series. 96 crew members died fighting the Comet empire and the Yamato needs a full crew. It’s time for the surviving crew members to come back from the hospital, repair the Yamato, and get some fresh crew on board. So it was pretty great seeing Kodai and the crew teach these new crew members how to fly on the Yamato because they do screw up and/or make mistakes. They aren’t ready for it yet, but that’s what the training is for.

On the other end, Dessler is alive and still leading his Gamilians in a fleet to find a new home. (He died in the second movie, but not in the tv series) That does revolve around seeing Gamilus’ home planet for the last time before making the journey. Though, what they see is an alien race mining their old planet for ore. Suddenly, Gamilus is completely destroyed and Iscander starts flying off into space due to the gravity imbalance. So there is a mad chase between Dessler and his Gamilians and the new alien race going after it then Space Battleship Yamato saving Dessler in the end.

So clearly, this is the first part of a longer story which the next film concludes. It does have a very satisfying fight for the new Yamato crew coming into their own. Same with Dessler forming a complex bond with the Yamato crew. This was Dessler’s movie though because his full motivations were made bare when Iscander just flew off into space. The reveal of the new race, the Dark Nebula Empire who are mining the original planet the Yamato went to in order save their world, Iscander, to further their own wars. This was only their opening act and now the Dark Nebula knows where Earth is. Such a  Fantastic cliffhanger that makes you want to know more.

Old Meets New

This is clearly the entire point of the film, right? Let’s continue Yamato after a lot of the iconic crew died. The series must go on, so let’s get a newer cast that doesn’t know what they are doing yet. I really enjoyed it because the Yamato crew until then was flawless because they knew how to do their jobs. It gives the crew an arc as Susumu Kodai grows as a leader from teaching his crew. In the end, the new Yamato crew members were proficient with room to improve. You know the crew is able to handle serious situations with room to improve.

The rest changes the setting from the original series/film so much. Ignoring Dessler, who I am going to talk about the next section a lot more, reacting to his destroyed home planet he left and then chasing after Iscander. Everything about Iscander is about old meeting new. Mamoru Kodai and Starsha having a child to unite the Earth and Iscander in one being is a sign of that old meeting new. An old race and a new race carries a lot of meaning. It’s a massive push for more hope and peace in the galaxy.

As a whole, the Dark Nebula empire is that biggest factor here. They are literally mining the planets from the original adventure. Space Battleship Yamato is a space series that has war as its main topic. There could have been a peace between the Earth and Gamilus in the original tv series/film. There is no more pride between the two of them so they can have open conversations. But the Dark Nebula Empire is bringing back the war by using the original twin planets’ ore to continue fighting in space. The old has died to carry on new conflict in space. 

It’s all about Dessler

The Space Battleship Yamato crew is there and they do have an arc and have grown quite a bit. They are even there because the film itself is named after the Space Battleship Yamato and its crew has to be there. At the same time, this is Dessler’s story. This is his time to find a place for the Gamilians to live without having to destroy the Earth again. Something they should have done at the height of their powers. That is still a huge stain on him, but  he can make peace with the Earth despite the wrongs he has done. This story is about Dessler visiting his roots and discovering they aren’t the same anymore. 

Then there is Dessler seeing everything that was dear to him disrupted and falling apart due to the appearance of the Dark Nebula Empire. His home planet is gone and the only person he ever loved, Starsha, is on Iscander that started to fly away into space. As insane a concept as it is, it really does show how much things have changed for everything he knows. Insane that the one woman he ever loved, Starsha, is on that planet and he wants to protect her even at the cost of his own life. It’s those lingering feelings love story that already ended but he can’t let go. How does a man face tragedy but charge ahead? That is the character of Dessler who keeps going no matter what. 

Some Quick Final Thoughts

Visually, Space Battleship Yamato: The New Voyage is pretty great. There are a lot of visual short cuts as you would expect from a television movie from 1979. But those short cuts are shown throughout the rest of the Yamato films. LIke the shortcut of the bridge or the characters sitting in their spots on the bridge and being talking heads. But the fight attack scenes in this show are amazing. Same with the shot of the Iscander flying through space, the tension from the amazing space battles, and the enemy ship in the end was a stunning bit of mechanical animation. It’s simply gorgeous when the show wants to express itself at the highest level. 

I think you already guys know my general thoughts on The New Voyage because it’s like my thoughts with the second Yamato film. This one kind of rocks. It does have the constant problem of simplifying a lot of the Yamato crew in terms of characterization because it’s a movie and not a television show, but this one had so many more character beats and arcs as well as the great and sad intergalactic space opera story. This one also combines the new and the old to bring out the next story against the Dark Nebula army in the next film. So yeah, it’s a solid film. See you again in Be Forever Yamato.