OCTOBER 5
REBEL 3199 Chapter 4 Opening 7 Minutes Impressions
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Today I’ll write my impressions after watching the opening 7 minutes of Chapter 4.
There was a line: “The witch’s breath that freezes all at the galaxy’s center, the light of Uralia.” I’ll write down my prediction based on that line.
I believe Dezarium exists in a separate universe, distinct from ours. Could it be that Dezarium, existing in this separate universe, invaded our universe in 3199, destroyed future Earth, and acquired the Wave-Motion Gun? As Dezarium relentlessly used the Wave-Motion Gun to advance their invasion war, the backlash contaminated their own universe, causing it to begin cooling. The Dezarians’ physical bodies could no longer withstand the cooling, leading them to become cyborgs.
To reclaim their own universe, the Dezarians once again made contact with our universe in 2205 through the spacetime node.
Their primary objective was to obtain the Cosmo Reverse and regenerate their own universe. If that failed, their Plan B was likely to acquire human bodies. And each time the Dezarians invade through the spacetime node, the substance causing the cooling flows in from their universe, likely causing our universe to cool as well.
The planet Berth may have originally been an independent nation, but unable to handle this cooling alone, it likely joined the Bolar Federation to survive it. The Bolar Federation, through the Kokudal Agency (is that what it’s called?), is slowing the progression of the cooling, but it seems only a matter of time before Berth becomes uninhabitable. Even so, Berth likely has no choice but to rely on the Bolar Federation, needing things like relocation assistance.
Sasha suddenly turning 18 follows the original series, but I wonder if 3199 will stick with the setting that Iscandar people physically mature to 18 in one year, or if it’s like Major Alphon, where they just transferred the mind into an 18-year-old body. The fact that 2-year-old Sasha gained the intelligence of an 18-year-old is probably because she inherited the memories of the Iscandar royal family.
But the more I think about it, the more despicable Dezarium becomes. Since Dezarium is the greatest enemy for both the Galman-Garmillas Empire and the Bolar Federation, shouldn’t they ally to fight Dezarium? At the very least, shouldn’t they declare a temporary truce to fight their common enemy? Otherwise, won’t Dezarium just reap the benefits?
Thinking about it that way, Dezarium is also skillfully deceiving Earthlings. They might be the most diplomatically strategic interstellar nation in Yamato history. But this kind of underhandedness just makes me dislike Dezarium even more. I wish the entire Dezarium race would just die from a Hyper Dessler Cannon blast.
Plus, in 3199, even Major Alphon reeks of being a small-time player trying to act like a big shot, and I just can’t stand him. I did like Lieutenant Alphon in Be Forever, though.
Kazan became even more disgusting in 3199, physically repulsive.
But unlike Be Forever, which was full of contradictions and plot holes, 3199 seems to have a solidly thought-out concept. I’m really looking forward to it!!
Only five days until the screening. The wait feels so long!! Everyone, please watch Chapter 4!!
OCTOBER 12
Chapter 4 Review Part 1: Prince Ra-Jendora Ram
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Since a full Chapter 4 review would be massive, I’ll write bit by bit about what catches my interest.
Chapter 4 had Sasha’s impact, but Prince Ra-Jendora Ram’s overwhelming presence was so strong he could almost be called the protagonist of Chapter 4. Thanks to Ram’s episode, Chapter 4 became a far more wonderful work than I ever expected.
To be honest, I absolutely hated 2199. It cut out every single moving scene from the original series and crammed in nothing but unnecessary scenes. My rating for it was zero points. I thought 2202 was passable up until the middle, but the finale was such a mess and boring to watch. However, since it didn’t destroy the core story like 2199 did, I gave it a passing grade of 60 points.
I thought 2205 was the ultimate remake, skillfully utilizing the original while adding logical new elements, so it earned 100 points.
3199 builds on the strengths of the original while adding even more exciting elements. So far, it’s not just 100 points – it’s so incredibly thrilling it deserves 200 points! I thought the original was the best anime of the 20th century, but 3199 is poised to become the best of the 21st. I never dreamed it would get this good!!
The original Captain Ram was a manly, brave soldier, but despite dedicating himself so much to Planet Berth and the Bolar Federation, he was an unrewarded character whose homeworld was destroyed by Prime Minister Bemlayze’s planetary annihilation missile.
In the Chapter 4 preview, Ram is seen talking face-to-face with Kodai. Even in the opening 7-minute video, he refers to the Galman-Garmillas forces as a “strong and capable army,” showing respect. I thought he was being treated well in 3199.
In Chapter 4’s main story, Ram became a prisoner of Galman-Garmillas. Seeing the Galman-Garmillas populace, he likely realized they were human beings just like himself. Ram reconsidered his stance, not just as a citizen of Berth, but as a human being, determined to save the people of Galman-Garmillas. And so, he prevented the Ra-Jendora‘s self-destruction.
That resolve must have reached Dessler too. Dessler explicitly stated he would save not only the homeworld of Galman-Garmillas, but also the planet Berth. The words “Please call me Ram” likely signify his resolve to fight alongside Dessler and liberate Berth. Seeing Ram, Dessler, Talan, and the Yamato crew all gathered together in one scene truly moved me deeply.
I deeply respect General de Gaulle; I even named a cat I once owned “Charles.” De Gaulle left France after its occupation by Germany, organized the Free French in Britain, and liberated his homeland. I hope Ram can liberate Berth like de Gaulle did.
Also, as I wrote in a previous article, for the Garmillas (who lost 70% of their population and can’t survive on other planets) to win the war, I think their only option is to liberate nations oppressed by the Bolar Federation and become a multi-ethnic state. The Garmillas population has likely plummeted to 2-3 billion, and adding just 50 million Galman people would be a drop in the bucket. If Garmillas people can only survive about five years on other planets, this is even more critical.
Furthermore, since Garmillas people stated they could survive on other planets if they interbred with other races, I think they should promote interbreeding and adopt an assimilation policy. If they adopted a Spartan-like pureblood ideology, their population wouldn’t grow, preventing them from becoming a great empire. Moreover, if they became convinced of their own superiority, they’d be unable to absorb the strengths of other ethnic groups.
They should have absorbed the defeated, like the Roman Republic, advancing assimilation policies. They should have incorporated the strengths of other ethnic groups, just as they adopted heavy infantry from Etruria and tactics from Samnium.
Had they adopted a pure-blood policy, they could never have incorporated capable military leaders like Ram. Rather than annexing the planet Berth and forcing Berthians to fight in brutal battles, treating them like disposable tools, I believe Garmillas should accept them as citizens equal to their own people. As a result, even if pure-blood Garmillans became a minority and a Berthian became the second Supreme Leader, that would be acceptable.
Demonstrating that capable individuals like Ram can become Chancellor regardless of their ethnic background would likely inspire even non-Garmillas people to fight for the Galman-Garmillas Empire with their lives. In fact, 70% of CEOs who succeeded in the IT revolution were immigrants or second-generation immigrants. America’s success stems from embracing that reality. I think the Galman-Garmillas Empire should also become a multi-ethnic nation like America.
When I watched the original series, I was just an elementary school kid, so I only had a simple view like, “The Galman-Gamilas Empire is strong, so they defeated the Bolar Federation.” But seeing Ram agonizing over saving the planet Berth, and Dessler reaching out to him, trying to fight together…that really touches my heart.
In that sense, I think 3199 has become a truly wonderful work worthy of adult appreciation.
OCTOBER 19
REBEL 3199 Chapter 4 Review Part 2: Sasha
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This time, I’ll write about Sasha in Chapter 4. I don’t blindly praise the Yamato series; my style is to write honestly about what was good and what was bad.
So, I’ll do the same this time.
I first saw Be Forever Yamato when I was in third grade. Back then, I watched it without any sense of dissonance, but seeing it as an adult, it was a pretty sloppy production.
First off, Sasha turning 17 in just one year was a completely ridiculous setting. The amount a human learns over 17 years is enormous; mastering it all in a single year is inherently impossible. Moreover, it’s questionable whether someone could become a decent human being after rushing through the highly impressionable period up to age 17, a time that profoundly shapes your personality, in just one year.
And above all, I felt uneasy about Starsha demanding that the daughter she risked my life to save sacrifice herself for the sake of Earth. Isn’t it a mother’s duty to wish for her own daughter’s happiness first? And this is a daughter who’s only lived for a single year!
I wonder if Mamoru really had to die, leaving his daughter behind. After the farewell scene where crew members died one after another, eliciting tears of emotion, did they get a taste for it? It felt like a sloppy scenario where they thought, “If we just kill someone off, people will be moved.”
This time, the preview for Chapter 4 showed Sasha at age 17. I thought they’d add a concept like: even though her body aged to 17 in one year, she gained 17-year-old abilities because she inherited the memories of the royal family of Iscandar. But instead, the concept was that she was abducted, escaped 15 years later, and returned to Earth. This seemed reasonable and avoided an implausible setup.
Yet Sasha stubbornly insisted on heading to Dezarium’s homeworld without listening to others’ opinions, which felt unpleasant to watch. However, once I understood it was to save Kaoru, who sacrificed himself for her, I thought this setup was clever.
I also thought it was a good scenario that only Kodai believed in the special ability passed down through the Iscandar royal family, and that this deepened his bond with her. Well, since Be Forever is only a 2-hour-25-minute movie, it’s inevitable that some things feel underdeveloped. But in 3199, you could see the effort to carefully fill in the gaps that Be Forever couldn’t cover.
Also, as I’ve written many times before, I want Sasha to survive and find happiness. Captain Ram, who wasn’t rewarded in Yamato III, surviving and rising up alongside Dessler to liberate the planet Berth is a brilliant setting unique to the remake.
Remakes should preserve the parts of the original that mustn’t be changed, while altering the parts that need changing.
2199 altered parts of the original that shouldn’t have been changed, which is why I consider it a failure. But 2205 is an ideal remake, preserving what should be kept and changing what needed changing. 3199 is becoming an even more outstanding work than 2205.
I haven’t seen the finale yet, but so far, I think it’s the best anime of the 21st century. I’m really looking forward to Chapter 5 too!!
OCTOBER 26
REBEL 3199 Chapter 4 Review Part 3: About Dezarium
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The Dark Nebula Empire from the original series was by far the most despicable enemy Yamato ever faced (or rather, I don’t think there’s any other enemy besides them that I find truly hateful), but Dezarium in 3199 is even more underhanded and hateful than them.
In Chapter 3, they faked the Garmillas terrorist attack, but I never expected them to fake the Nanbu terrorist attack in Chapter 4 too. They announced Sada’s death, but she’s probably still alive. It seems they’re doing this to divide Earth’s people, but considering their advanced science, their methods are so petty it’s laughable.
As I wrote in a past blog post, Dezarium’s primary goal is likely acquiring the Cosmo Reverse. They probably want to use the Iscandar-made Cosmo Reverse to restore their polluted universe and regain human bodies.
Plan B if that fails is probably acquiring human bodies. They’ll likely use the Grand Reverse to reset human brains, implant Dezarium memories into them, and live as humans. But in this case, wouldn’t the children born be Earthlings?
They might intend to write Dezarium children’s memories into those children too.
My prediction is that Dezarium are not future Earthlings. After all, if they were future Earthlings, it would be unnatural for them not to know about Garmillas.
Dezarium likely came into contact with (or destroyed) future Earthlings and acquired the Wave-Motion Gun. Then, getting carried away, they overused the Wave-Motion Gun, and I think the side effects caused the universe to freeze over. And because they couldn’t endure the frozen universe anymore, the Dezarians’ bodies became cyborgs. As Dezarians, they want to use the Cosmo Reverse to reclaim their universe and their bodies. But if that’s impossible, they probably want to acquire human bodies.
It’s comical how the Dezarians think their civilization is superior, yet they can’t even come close to Iscandar. Also, it’s baffling why the Dezarians choose to adopt hideous faces like Skaldart or Kazan when they can swap bodies as they grow. Mother Dezarium acts all high and mighty, but worshiping such a petty being as a god? The Dezarians are just too shallow.
Also, Kaoru Niimi seems to have endured brutal torture at the hands of the Dezarians. Since she was a rare, unmodified human female to them, she probably suffered that kind of humiliation too. Even after being put through that, Kaoru endured and created the rewriting program for Mother Dezarium, but didn’t she ever consider destroying Mother Dezarium herself?
Without Mother Dezarium, Dezarium could potentially run even more amok, but to prevent that, they could just wipe out all the Dezarium people with the Hyper Dessler Cannon. I absolutely hate Dezarium so much that I really want them to include a scene where they annihilate Goruba with the Hyper Dessler Cannon.