![]() ![]() Story note: Right off the bat, one of the toughest details to reconcile in Series 3 is its exact time frame. It is promised that Earth is no exception to this rule. The narration takes a dark turn, explaining that each planet has an “inescapable destiny” of destruction. The Milky Way is attributed with having “more than 1 billion fixed stars,” and while that is technically true, it is well below the actual tally of 200-400 billion. Similar introductions opened previous Yamato stories, making this the equivalent of “once upon a time.” The Japanese term for the Milky Way Galaxy is mistranslated to a mere “nebula in the great galaxy” in the Star Blazers script. This story opens with the narrator explaining the wonders and vastness of the galaxy. If they were ever to make Yamato IV, maybe they could continue the trend by having the ship fly out of a tornado. The first shot features the ship haloed by the swollen red sun in the background. A third element is prominent in the Yamato III opening: fire. In Yamato 2, it’s shown rising out of water. In Space Battleship Yamato Series 1, the theme starts with the ship breaking out of the earth. There is an interesting (and perhaps unintentional) thread running through the Japanese versions of the opening credits. Voyager Entertainment felt that such concessions were no longer needed. However, by the early 2000s the notion of “Americanizing” anime was seen as a relic of a bygone decade. The Bolar Wars is already something of an odd duck due to its delayed release and cast changes, so a more standard theme would create a sense of unity with the first two series. ![]() Frankly, I would have preferred to see the series clips/ending theme idea used. When Series 3 was remastered for DVD in 2002, the Star Blazers opening was removed and the original Space Battleship Yamato III credit roll was put in its place, complete with Isao Sasaki and the Royal Knights singing the theme song in Japanese. ![]() They wouldn’t even need to record new lyrics, they could use the storyline-neutral Star Blazers ending theme. I thought, surely splicing together clips from the series wouldn’t have been difficult. Years later, when I watched the first episode on videotape, I was disappointed that the American producers reused the Comet Empire opening instead of creating a new one. I was not in one of the TV markets that broadcast Series 3. The mission to Iscandar had ended and a brand new saga, The Comet Empire, had begun. After 26 episodes of the familiar Series 1 opening title, there was even more cause for excitement–the 27th episode’s main title featured the same song, but it played under a new animation sequence and with different lyrics. Then I would hear that opening fanfare, which marked the start of another half-hour glued to my TV. When Star Blazers was airing on TV every weekday afternoon, there was always a moment of anticipation while waiting for the show to begin. Watch this episode now at these sources: Star Blazers on Hulu | Star Blazers on YouTube | Original version subtitled By Arthur Painter (with notes from Tim Eldred) ![]()
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