From the Back Cover
The epic SF adventure that created a generation of anime fans begins here, with the first 5 episodes of the first Star Blazers series! Planet Earth is counting down its final days, suffering from the deadly radiation of Gamilon Planet Bombs. From the depths of space, a message of hope arrives from Queen Starsha of Iscandar, who offers the Cosmo DNA which can cleanse Earth of its radioactive pollution and save humanity. But Iscandar is 148,000 light years away, farther than any human has ever traveled. Struggling against time, the people of Earth rebuild the ancient battleship Yamato into the mightiest space vessel ever seen. The Star Force is assembled to make the journey, and the future of Earth itself is in their hands!
2.0 out of 5 stars
4 Stars for the anime, 2 Stars for the DVD
I’m still not sure what the Rating systems is for, the content or the product. I think it should be for the product since that’s what’s being sold.
The legendary Star Blazers TV series (the Americanized version of Japan’s “Space Battleship Yamato”) has finally arrived on DVD! …But don’t get too excited yet, fans, because this DVD edition (which includes the first 5 episodes of Star Blazers) comes to us NOT from a major anime studio, but from a little company called Voyager Entertainment. It seems that Voyager holds exclusive rights to all things Yamato, and that is very bad news for the millions of rabid Star Blazers enthusiasts in this country (and the world). Why? Because it appears that the folks at Voyager know about as much about how to make a DVD as my cousin Bubba does! If you can manage to wrest this disc away from its fancy case (complete with typos on the back cover!) without breaking it in half (and that’s a big IF, `cause this bad boy is constructed like a plastic bear trap!) and pop it into your player, you will immediately be struck by the obvious shoddiness of this production. Even the obligatory FBI warning looks cheesy! Then there’s the menu design: nothing but a solid gray screen with two little pictures at the bottom left (one for PLAY and one for CHAPTERS)! Select PLAY to start the feature, and step back in time to the year 1979 – long before DVDs were even thought of. In 1979, the audio and video quality of this disc would have seemed good. Keep that in mind, and you won’t be quite so disappointed. Now you can sing along to the inspiring theme song, marvel at the stylish animation, and savor the sophisticated storyline. Remember that an inferior Star Blazers disc is a whole lot better than nothing…and nothing is what we’ve had for far too long. And unfortunately, since Voyager OWNS the Star Force, a properly restored version of this excellent animated program may not be available for many years…if ever. For that reason alone, I will (reluctantly) recommend this disc. The picture is a bit grainy and the sound warbles in places, but it’s still _Our_ _Star_ _Blazers_! Keep your digital expectations low and let your imagination soar with this blast from the past! …1 star for the DVD, 5 stars for the show.
NOTE: I read on the Web that Voyager is waiting for the little consumer response cards (included with the DVD) to come back before starting on a Volume 2 disc, so if you want more Star Blazers, make sure you fill the card out and send it in (YOU provide the stamp, of course).
4.0 out of 5 stars
starblazers goood
i just picked up the dvd of the first 5 episodes and must say that the vhs version {by jupiter} was much smoother and cleaner than this {dvd} version.
Star Blazers: The Quest for Iscandar Part I, contains the first five episodes (of 26) of the first season of the cult-favorite Americanized Japanese Anime series from the early 1980′s.
For the uninitiated, here’s a rundown of the plot. In 2199 Earth was under attack by an “evil” alien race called the Gamilons. The Gamilons bombed earth with “planet bombs” which destroyed the planet and emitted high levels of radiation, thus driving mankind into underground cities. In one Earth year the planet would become uninhabitable. Queen Starsha of Iscandar offers mankind hope in the form of the Cosmic DNA which would cure all mankind from the radiation sickness. She sends Earth a message along with powerful technology that will allow mankind to travel to Iscandar to get the Cosmic DNA. The Star Force is formed to travel to Iscandar to fetch the Cosmic DNA. Their faithful battleship is the Argo, a renovated WWII era navy battleship remade into a Starship. There is just one minor problem though, Iscandar is 148,000 Light Years away. No one has ever traveled that far before. More importantly, the Star Force only has one year to travel there and back for a total of 296,000 Light Years.
Here is a summary of the first five episodes included on this DVD:
Episode 1: Introduction to the Earth-Gamilon war, The Battle of Pluto and the bravery of Alex Wildstar. Also, the mysterious spaceship from deep space and its offer of hope to mankind and a dogfight over the Yamato.
Episode 2: Raise the Yamato!!! Converting the Yamato to Space Battleship Argo. Argo’s first attack.
Episode 3: Assemble the Star Force!!! The Gamilon’s try to take out the Argo before it takes off. The Argo launches. Plus, take a tour of the Argo.
Episode 4: In order to travel to Iscandar (296,000 light years) within one year the Argo must travel beyond the speed of light. The crew prepares for a Space Warp while avoiding a Gamilon attack. Plus, snow on Mars.
Episode 5: The Argo gets pulled into Jupiter and comes across a Floating Continent which holds a Gamilon base. Plus, the Argo tests out its greatest weapon – The Wave Motion Gun.
Overall, I can’t be any happier that Voyager has released the series on DVD. Star Blazers was one of my all-time favorite childhood cartoon series (along with Transformers, Robotech, GI Joe, He-man and Thundercats). However, you must admit that the production work of this DVD was VERY bush league. The navigation is laughable and the chapter breaks are almost non-sensical (about 5 minutes before the end of each episode).
Here’s my rundown:
Great: Star Blazers on DVD
Good: The episodes
Bad: No DVD exclusive features???
Ugly: Pitiful navigation.
Summed up, if you were ever a Star Blazers fan, give this a watch. It’s great for a trip down memory lane. If you’ve NEVER seen Star Blazers, give it a try, it’s a cult classic from the 80′s (along with other Americanized anime greats like Robotech, Voltron, Transor Z, etc). The animation may look a little dated, but the storyline still holds its own very well against anything out there today. This series has stood the test of time. Due to limited distribution this show may have slipped by the radar of a lot of people but it caught on like a fire with those who did catch it. Try it, you WON’T be disappointed.
Overall assessment: 5 stars for Star Blazers, 1 star for Voyager’s production.
Recommended
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another version?
Not sure what DVD the other reviewers were looking at, but the one I bought had a slideshow tour of the Yamato on it, so it isn’t quite exactly right to say there are *no* extras…
4.0 out of 5 stars
Star Blazers — The Quest for Iscandar — Series 1, Part I
I was first introduced to Star Blazers as a 12-year-old in the fall of 1979. I only caught the second half of this series, but I loved it, and I love it as much today.
but buy it anyways. It’s the only way you are going to get to relive your childhood cartoon afternoons.
The first 5 episodes stay true to what I remember and end with the first use of the wave motion gun and their escape from Jupiter. It was great to see it again and the fact that Voyager might not finish the series greatly disturbs me. Please do fill out the reply card if you purchase this DVD. =)
4.0 out of 5 stars
Woohooo
One day I was discussing anime with some people at work and it made me think of the Star Blazers tune back from when I was 7 or 8 years old.
4.0 out of 5 stars
The nostalgia alone makes it worth it
The Star Blazers series was the first Japanese cartoon I really liked. It captured my young imagination.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great show, lousy disc
I remember when growing up in the U.S., I would get up a little early to get ready, then watch the latest episode of Star Blazers, then rush outside so I wouldn’t miss the school…
4.0 out of 5 stars
5 Star Series, 1 Star DVD
I loved this series as a child and still find the plot interesting. However, the science is a bad, snow on Mars etc. If you can overlook this the story is great.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Series
I remember watching this and some of the other older anime series. I still enjoy it. Humans have to be saved from extinction, and aliens provide the potential means to save the…
4.0 out of 5 stars
Starblazers for the uninitiated…
The Starblazers series (originally Space Cruiser Yamato) was translated and aired on low end TV channels in the latest seventies and early eighties in America.