Top right headline: Celebrating the 16th anniversary of the first issue
Summer Vacation Special: Space Battleship Yamato on air August 4 at 8:00pm
An anime with love and beautiful dreams
Film Critic Masako Suganuma
This is a masterpiece of animation and an epochal work that triggered the SF movie boom. It was broadcast [as a series] on Japanese TV in 1974, and fan clubs sprang up all over the country.
In 1977, the movie premiered at 7:00 in the morning, which was unprecedented. The legend of the film has continued to grow. Prior to the release of Part 2, highlight scenes from Part 1 will be introduced in this broadcast.
Earth is contaminated by an attack from the planet Gamilas, which is plotting an invasion, and there is only one year left before the human race is annihilated. The modified Space Battleship Yamato appears on the scene. Captain Okita, Susumu Kodai, Yuki Mori and others board the ship. They depart on a journey of 300,000 light-years to retrieve a radioactivity removal device.
The concept design by Leiji Matsumoto is outstanding, and the grandeur of Hiroshi Miyagawa’s music makes this work even better.