Space Battleship Yamato

Unlike the American and Japanese viewers I never grew up with this in its anime form so for me it was a first taste of the franchise, and I have to say that I loved every minute of it.

I don't see any Star Trek riffs, what I see is a story about honour, loyalty to loved ones and home and a damned good tale of adventure. I saw this in Matsudo over New Year with my lady friend and we both loved it. From the stirring opening battle to the dramatic climax I was gripped.

This is light years from the cold war posturing of Star Trek, it's all about the Japanese and their ties to an iconic WW2 warship, and what it means to them. It was built to protect them from the Americans in WW2, and in space it is sent to protect mankind. (Star Trek was a rip off of Forbidden Planet anyway, so we won't dwell too much on that shall we?)

The effects are stunning. I have since seen a few episodes of the anime on You Tube and everything is spot on... the Yamato herself has to be one of the most striking spacecraft ever to set sail for the stars.

I love it... 10/10