The Yamato is free! After unraveling Shultz’s nefarious schemes, our intrepid crew launched a counterattack on the Gamalian base, saving not just their own ship, but the innocent citizens of earth as well. At last, no more bombs will fall from our celestial neighbors. Mankind has struck a crucial blow against our oppressors, and now our great hope has broken free of the solar system, its crew buoyed up by our collective dreams. Godspeed, Yamato – where you go, so go the aspirations of all humanity.
Gosh, Yamato is almost as fun to describe as it is to watch. Whether it’s the show’s bombastic style, imaginative narrative, or crisp execution, there’s plenty to enjoy about Yamato 2199, and I’m eager to see how the story develops now that we’re out in the far reaches of space. Let’s return to the bridge for another episode of Space Battleship Yamato 2199!
Episode 7
This OP is such a fun artifact. It opens by recalling actual marshal anthems of the early 20th century, then the beat drops, and it switches to a more pop-operatic style that is still around fifty years behind the times. Yamato was a throwback to earlier forms of adventure storytelling even upon its initial release, and now this song embodies the fact that 2199 is a throwback to a throwback – dime store adventure serial by way of ‘70s space opera by way of modern scifi drama
We open with the Yamato passing by some asteroids. Asteroids don’t really demonstrate this show’s CG at its best – it can’t effectively represent their uneven, organic surfaces, resulting in asteroids that look like they’re made of plastic. In general, CG is best suited to objects with the clean, even lines of human technology, like cars or spaceships
They get a message from Project Chief Todo as they reach the edge of the solar system
“Just knowing the Yamato is heading for Iscandar helps us keep going.” The Yamato is consistently framed as the vessel for all of humanity’s hopes, a ship that embodies our striving for continued existence
Tech officer Kaoru Niimi has a mug with a little bear face and “Kaoru” written on it. A surprisingly sentimental keepsake, quietly complicating our understanding of her character
The character art for Kaoru is consistently gorgeous. Detailed, beautiful linework for her eyes, precise shading that helps to balance the composition, a clear sense of depth created through the cascade of her hair. This production is clearly biased towards Kaoru’s face and Yuki’s butt
Speak of the devil. We catch up with Yuki and Kodai on an elevator, where Kodai is reflecting on how much Yuki looks like Sasha Iscandar
They hint at the other alien sister who came earlier, Yurisha. Did we not actually confirm her fate? Is Yuki actually Yurisha? I mean, I doubt they’d persistently raise this question if the answer was a flat no, so I guess Yuki’s an alien
The crew are allowed to send a final message to their families as they pass out of range. They’ll also be holding a line-crossing ceremony, like for sailors crossing the equator. What a dedicated work of seafaring nostalgia this production is
“But Ota said you wear costumes to a traditional line-crossing ceremony.” Some way, somehow, this show managed to sneak a maid costume into an interstellar military drama
Why do I even say that like it’s a surprise? There are likely fewer scifi anime that don’t possess maid costumes
Mako does get some great faces out of this gag, though. Yamato’s thick, detailed linework for character faces must be tough to animate, but makes for terrific still shots
“Once this is over, do not look back towards Earth!” This ceremony feels like a sort of end-of-act-one intermission, a point in between conflicts that allows the crew to mingle and reaffirm their various relationships
Akira is intrigued by Kodai now that they’ve shared a mission. Aw shit, we’ve got a love triangle brewing
“If anyone wants to contact home, they can switch with me.” With his brother gone, Kodai is fully aimed towards the future, and offers to let one of the repair crew members take his spot. He is swiftly followed by Akira, underlining the bond they share – left alone by the death of their heroic brothers, they both struggle to live in a way that would make their absent family proud
For those who actually have family waiting back home, finding the motivation to complete this mission is easy. I’m glad we’re focusing on these characters instead, people who are more emotionally rudderless, and thus must find their motivation either purely in the nobility of the cause, or through each other’s support
Speaking of which, the captain himself seems troubled, but doesn’t really have anyone he’s willing to unburden himself with. He awkwardly interrupts several of his officers, excusing himself before actually speaking his concerns
The chief engine officer’s own family has to scrounge on the black market to find food. A nice detail, emphasizing both the desperation and ethical complexity of the situation back home
“Earth’s fate rests with you young people.” A war story like this is a natural place for this sort of theme, as the prior generation is literally wiped out by battle. So many absent fathers and brothers
“Tell Mom that I’ll see the mission through, just like Dad would have wanted”
Daisuke just barely gets to see his mother’s face before his time is up. Effective use of the on-screen timer, a blunt mechanical instrument that bridges no argument
Akira’s parents are “Marsnoids,” people who grew up on Martian colonies. That apparently accounts for her red eyes
Interestingly, there was a war between the inner planets just around when Akira was born. So rather than Earth society being some sort of future utopia prior to the Gamilan invasion, it was basically just business as usual. Presumably it took the threat of the Gamilans to unite humanity’s interests
Akira’s family were all killed by the planet bombs
These last messages offer a natural opportunity to establish some of the motivations and larger contexts of the secondary crew, without resorting to any direct exposition. We learn Yasuo is being hounded by his parents to marry into some commercial or political dynasty, but that he’s already decided to marry someone else
It turns out Kaoru actually suggested the final messages, after receiving the suggestion from the security chief. The security chief’s a bit of a wildcard still, and I’m not sure why he chose to avoid credit for this idea. His design deviates more than most from Yamato’s generally consistent aesthetic; between his eyes and chin, he’s got an intentional fox-like look going, which generally indicates someone is a trickster in some way
“My dad will just tell me I have to take over the shrine.” “Mine died in the first wave of planet bombings.” That shuts up Katou real quick, and sends him off to speak with his father
Meanwhile, the whole repair team are enjoying Kodai and Akira’s space date
This episode is using a lot of clever transitions to smooth over a resolutely ensemble narrative, as we touch in with about twenty different characters. There’s lots of that classic trick where someone mentions a character and then we transition to their perspective, but also some more unique ones, like Akira and Kodai space-walking over the celebration’s windows, leading us to pan down into the party
Aw shit, Yuki noticed the space date. LOVE TRIANGLE INTENSIFIES
“I am very grateful to you for taking care of me over this past year.” Yuki’s message to this fleet officer seem to confirm that she’s an alien
After an episode of aimless, lonely rambling, the captain is at last rescued by Tokugawa
“Since then, how many young ones have died while we kept living?”
“All we survivors can do is ensure the young ones still have a hope for tomorrow.” Even as a remake, this production still maintains a tangible post-war fatigue. War has not been a glorious adventure for these survivors; though Yamato frames its warriors as great heroes, war itself is nothing but tragedy
The captain’s framed picture emphasizes this point further – he stands smiling between Kodai’s parents, a final reminder of a family entirely destroyed by war
Yuki has no memories of anything beyond the past year. Every member of this triangle is essentially an orphan of war
What’s this? A secret mission for Kaoru!?
And Done
At last, our journey has taken us beyond familiar waters, and into that vast celestial unknown. Taking a sharp but necessary turn from its usual model, Yamato offered us a relentlessly character-focused episode. Episode seven used its twin conceits of a line-crossing party and final message home to terrific effect, distributing a sprinkle of fresh characterization over basically every member of the team, while also setting up some new mysteries regarding Yuki and Kaoru. It was a generous and appropriately melancholy episode, counterbalancing the show’s frequently exhilarating theatrics with an acknowledgment of war’s actual toll. I’m looking forward to future developments among our main trio, but am perhaps even more excited to see what devious business Kaoru is up to. Either way, we’re only seven episodes in and known space is already behind us, so I’m eager to see what adventures await in the far reaches of the universe!
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