The year is 2199. The human race has been crushed in their war with the Gamilos, driven into underground cities by the invader's assault. Scientists estimate they have only a year left. The young officers Susumu Kodai and Daisuke Shima receive a mysterious capsule from a ship that made an emergency landing on Mars and return with it to Earth. It contains humanity's last hope: the planet Iscandar on the other side of the Magellan Galaxy has the technology to defeat the Gamilos and restore the planet. The space battleship Yamato is entrusted with this task, but they have only one year before humanity ends.
A fairly interesting and more adult update of the classic space operate anime fare out of Japan. Unlike the original TV show which was ostensibly aimed at pre-teen boys and younger, this show has a kind of post teen target audience in mind with lots of introspection, some romantic and sexual tension, and overall a more reflective film making style that brings a kind of depth and artistry that the first series from decades earlier did not have.
As an adult American male I think I can safely say that I have enjoyed watching this series without feeling too nostalgic about for the series that I liked as a young boy. But, on that same note I think I can safely say that I understand both TV series as being a kind of wish fulfillment for a segment of Japanese youth whose parents or family as a whole have conservative or martial reflections and leanings for what used to be the Empire of Japan. Even so, in spite of some flagrant jingoism in the first episode, the series does try to convey a message of brotherhood among mankind and alien adversaries bent on Earth's destruction. And it seems that the attempt here is to acknowledge military spirit of conservative Japan, but also to help educate and steer younger generations with impressionable minds to a more reasoned outlook.
The real high here are the very high production values for the series. The new animation combines CGI with traditional cel animation and excellent artwork to update the original series with a very pristine and clean look that has a strong artistic appeal.
Still, it is an animated show regarding a "space battleship", and the updated production values somehow seem at odds with the show's plausibility. Still, it's pretty entertaining for what it is. If you're an older viewer who remembers the original Japanese import with any fondness, then maybe give this series a shot. The blurays have the benefit of having English subtitles for overseas viewers.
Enjoy.