What is Star Blazers?
Star Blazers is the American adaptation of the immensely popular Japanese cel animation programme, Space Cruiser Yamato.
Japanese animation, unlike American cartoons, sprang to popularity in the 1970s targeted for an adult audience (children too). The Japanese treat their animation like any other live action production. Consequently, the Japanese put much more care and attention to detail in both story lines and the quality of their artistry. After more than 10 years, American animation companies are beginning to copy the artistic style of the Japanese.
Despite a few animation productions that preceded it, Space Cruiser Yamato is known as THE epitome of Japanese animation, and is what ushered in its popularity.
What set Star Blazers apart from American cartoons, and also from other imported Japanese animation, was the superb job that was done in writing the original Japanese Yamato storyline, and in translating it to English and "Americanizing" it. Westchester Films, through Griffin-Bacall, the company which did the translation, was faced with the usual problems of editing out the more graphic violence. They managed to do this in a very subtle manner, enough to satisfy American TV censorship. This allowed the viewers to watch the show without being insultingly told that battles involved no casualties. Westchester hired very talented voice actors that were non-union (or at least did not claim to be union). In combination with sophisticated script translations and consistent characterisations, this gave Star Blazers a warmth and humanity not seen in other cartoons. It became a show that adults could appreciate.
(For more on the adaptation process, please see the Star Blazers history page.)
Nevertheless, when Yamato was imported to the West, it was initially aimed at the younger audiences, aired on TV in typical after-school cartoon time slots. Inevitably, children watched it, and many remained intrigued by the show as they grew up. As all American cartoons, Star Blazers disappeared from the air after a few years of syndication. Yet, the appeal remained. To this day, when I show someone a picture from Star Blazers, they respond, "Hey, I remember that show! I used to watch it every day. It was a long story, wasn't it? What ever happened to it?"
What happened to it? Yamato continued to increase in popularity in Japan, spawning several movies and new TV seasons. They brought the story to a close in 1983. But today, plans are under way to begin a new series of movies and/or TV seasons.
This document is designed to inform Star Blazers|Yamato fans of the latest developments with respect to both the old Yamato series and the new Yamato 2520 OVAs. It also provides the newcomer with all she needs to know to start enjoying the story.
It is a living document that will grow and change with time. I have compiled this document from information gleaned over the years from my following of the Yamato production, as well as from documents that others have produced. Credit is given where credit is due. "Star Blazers" and "Space Cruiser Yamato" are registered trademarks of Voyager Entertainment, Inc, (formerly Yoshinobu Nishizaki's Westcape Corporation, in Japan). This document is provided free of charge, and is an amateur, fan-generated production. It is not intended to infringe on any of the rights held by the producers of Yamato or its subsidiary companies, but is intended as a tribute to them.
The Yamato saga is composed of several TV series and motion pictures. The following codes apply to the stated Yamato productions:
Key: YTV1 = Season 1 "The Quest for Iscandar"
YTV2 = Season 2,
YTV3 = Season 3,
SCY = Movie "Space Cruiser Yamato",
AY = Movie "Arrivederci Yamato",
BFY = Movie "Be Forever Yamato",
FY = Movie "Final Yamato",
YNJ = TV Film "Yamato, New Voyage"
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