Space Battleship Yamato III: The Appeal and Evaluation of Leiji Matsumoto's Masterpiece Series

Space Battleship Yamato III: An Epic Journey and New Challenges

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Broadcast period

October 11, 1980 - April 4, 1981 Every Saturday 7:00pm - 7:30pm

■Broadcasting station

Nippon Television

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 25

■Original Story

Reiji Matsumoto

■ Director

Eiichi Yamamoto

■ Production

Yomiuri TV, Tokyo Video

■ Story

In the early 23rd century, a great war for galactic supremacy breaks out between the interstellar nation of the Bolar Federation and the emerging Garmillan Empire. A planet-destroying proton missile used in the battle over the planet Birth by the Bolar Federation hit the sun as a stray bullet, stimulating an abnormal increase in nuclear fusion. Professor Simon of Earth Federation University warns that this phenomenon could wipe out the human race on Earth within a year, and that the solar system could be destroyed in three years. Commander-in-Chief of the Earth Defense Force, Todo Heikurou, takes this warning seriously and dispatches Yamato as a special ship to find a place for the human race on Earth to emigrate to. Susumu Kodai is officially appointed as the new captain, and sets off on a long journey with veteran warriors and new crew members.

■Explanation

This is the third and final TV anime in the "Space Battleship Yamato" series. It is a direct sequel that continues the world view and characters from the previous series. It focuses more on life on the ship and human relationships than the previous series, and is characterized by the addition of many new characters to various departments on the ship.

■Cast

・Susumu Kodai/Takayoshi Toyama/Daisuke Shima/Hideo Nakamura/Takeshi Ageha/Toshio Furukawa/Ryusuke Domon/Hideyuki Tanaka/Yuki Mori/Yoko Asagami/Heiji Bando/Kaneto Shiozawa/Tasuke Tokugawa/Toru Furuya/Sado Shuzo/Ichiro Nagai/Shiro Sanada/Takeshi Aono/Akiko Todo/Kazuko Sugiyama

■ Main staff

Planning, production, and executive direction: Yoshinobu Nishizaki・Director, general setting: Leiji Matsumoto・Director: Eiichi Yamamoto・Animation director: Ittoku Tanahashi・Chief animation director: Kenzo Koizumi・SF setting cooperation: Aritsugu Toyoda, Takashi Hoshi, Yutaka Izubuchi・Mecha design: Katsumi Itabashi, Submarine・Art director: Kazue Ito, Geki Katsumata・Director of photography: Nobuyuki Sugaya・Sound director: Toshiki Toriumi・Music: Yasushi Miyagawa・Key drawings: Yoshinori Kaneda, Green Box, Shiro Murata and others・Production: Yomiuri TV, Tokyo Doga

Theme song

OP
"Space Battleship Yamato"
Lyrics by Yu Aku, Composition and Arrangement by Tai Miyagawa, Sung by Isao Sasaki, Royal Knights

ED1
"Galaxy Legend"
Lyrics by Yu Aku, music by Yasushi Miyagawa, arrangement by Maka Kawaguchi, and Hiromi Iwasaki

ED2
"separation"
Lyrics: Junko Wada, Yoko Yamaguchi Composition and Arrangement: Taika Miyagawa, Mitsuko Horie

ED3
"Yamato Forever"
Lyrics by Arisa Ando, ​​Composition and Arrangement by Tai Miyagawa, Sung by Isao Sasaki

■ Main Characters

Susumu Kodai is a veteran warrior who has been through many fierce battles as the acting captain of the Yamato. He is appointed as the new captain of the Yamato for the planet exploration mission.

A comrade who supports Kodai. At first, he was not happy that Kodai, who was in the same class as him, was now the captain, but he gradually began to accept it.

A promising rookie of the Aviation Squadron who graduated from Agehabu Training School with excellent grades. He is good friends with Domon, who was in the same year as him.

Ryusuke Domon is a rookie crew member of the Yamato who graduated at the top of his class from the training academy. He is hotheaded, perhaps due to his youth, and sometimes gets into a fight with the captain, Kodai.

■Subtitle

Episode 1: The Destruction of the Solar SystemEpisode 2: The Great Galactic WarEpisode 3: Yamato's Dawn DepartureEpisode 4: Shoot That MarsEpisode 5: SOS! The RajendraEpisode 6: Fierce Battle! The 11th Planet AirspaceEpisode 7: Rising Waves on Alpha StarEpisode 8: The Last PioneerEpisode 9: Duel on Bernard StarEpisode 10: Dagon's New Fleet CounterattackEpisode 11: Yamato in Danger! The Evil Cygnus Star RegionEpisode 12: Space ExileEpisode 13: The Fearsome Bolar FederationEpisode 14: Dimensional Submarine Garman WolfEpisode 15: Yamato Captured!!
Episode 16: Desler's HolidayEpisode 17: The Desler Empire's Closest JourneyEpisode 18: The Angry SunEpisode 19: The Road to Planet PhantomEpisode 20: The Phantom PlanetEpisode 21: Shattered HopeEpisode 22: Farewell, Planet of DreamsEpisode 23: Fierce Battle! The Skalagek Strait Star ClusterEpisode 24: The Secret of Planet SharbartEpisode 25: Yamato: Shoot That Sun!

■ Related works

・Theatrical release "Space Battleship Yamato: The Final Chapter"

Review

"Space Battleship Yamato III" is the third and final installment of the "Space Battleship Yamato" series, which aired from 1980 to 1981. This work depicts new challenges and an epic journey while retaining the worldview and characters from the previous series. Below, we will take a closer look at the appeal and characteristics of this work, as well as its evaluation.

Story Development

The story of Space Battleship Yamato III is set in the galaxy in the early 23rd century. A great war breaks out between the Bolar Federation and the Garmillan Empire, which will have an impact on Earth. A planet-destroying proton missile used in the battle over the planet Birth by the Bolar Federation hits the sun as a stray bullet, causing an abnormal increase in nuclear fusion, creating a crisis. The Earth Defense Force takes this situation seriously and decides to dispatch Yamato as a special ship to find an immigration site for Earth's human population. Susumu Kodai is appointed as the new captain, and sets off into the unknown universe with veteran warriors and new crew members.

This story continues the battles and adventures of Yamato from the previous film, and depicts an epic journey to explore the future of humanity on Earth through encounters with new enemies and unknown planets. In particular, the tension of the crisis in the solar system intersects with the desire to explore the unknown universe, which has the power to draw viewers in. The human relationships and growth of the Yamato crew are also depicted, adding depth to the story.

Character Appeal

In Space Battleship Yamato III, characters from the previous series continue to play an active role. In particular, the growth and leadership of Susumu Kodai is one of the major attractions of this work. Susumu Kodai is depicted as fulfilling his responsibilities as a new captain while making use of the experience he gained in the previous work. In addition, new characters such as Daisuke Shima, Takeru Ageha, and Ryusuke Domon also appear, breathing new life into the story by depicting the relationships and growth of the Yamato crew.

Susumu Kodai's growth is particularly evident in episodes 1 to 3. With the solar system facing a crisis, Susumu Kodai feels the pressure of being the new captain, but is determined to lead the Yamato together with his crew. In the process, Susumu Kodai hones his leadership skills and wins the trust of his crew. The story is also enriched by his friendship with Daisuke Shima and the youthful energy of Takeru Ageha and Ryusuke Domon.

Visuals and Music

The visuals of "Space Battleship Yamato III" continue the beautiful space backgrounds and mecha designs of the previous work, but also add new planet and enemy ship designs. In particular, the ship designs of the Bolar Federation and the Garmillan Empire are both powerful and beautiful, making them highly visually appealing. In addition, the interior of Yamato and the crew's daily lives are carefully depicted, enhancing the realism of the story.

In terms of music, the spectacular background music by Tai Miyagawa enhances the entire work. In particular, the opening theme "Space Battleship Yamato", together with the powerful singing voices of Isao Sasaki and the Royal Knights, is a song that symbolizes Yamato's adventures and battles. Additionally, the ending themes "Galaxy Legend", "Separation", and "Forever Yamato" are also important elements that express the emotion and sorrow of the story. These pieces of music play a role in stirring the viewer's emotions and increasing their immersion in the story.

Evaluation and impact

While Space Battleship Yamato III was highly praised by fans of the previous series, it was also widely accepted by new audiences. In particular, the story development, character growth, and beautiful visuals and music were highly praised, and it gained support from many viewers. This work is also positioned as the final TV anime series of the Space Battleship Yamato series, and can be said to be the culmination of the entire series.

The influence of this work continues to extend to the subsequent "Space Battleship Yamato" series and other science fiction anime. In particular, the way in which the human relationships and growth of the Yamato crew are depicted has been adopted by subsequent science fiction anime, and is highly regarded as an element that deeply moves viewers. In addition, the spectacular space backgrounds and mecha designs have also influenced many science fiction anime, contributing to the development of the genre.

Recommended

"Space Battleship Yamato III" depicts an epic space journey and new challenges, and is a must-see for fans of science fiction anime and the "Space Battleship Yamato" series. In particular, this work, which depicts the growth of Susumu Kodai, the human relationships of the crew, and its beautiful images and music, is sure to deeply move and excite viewers. In addition, this work is positioned as the final TV anime series in the series, and can be said to be the culmination of the entire series. Be sure to experience this epic journey and new challenges.