The STAR BLAZERS thread

[censy]

I was obsessed with this show growing up. Maybe I still am : ) If I could green light any one line of new megos, it would be Star Blazers. Glad you are enjoying it Mike.

Chris

[johnmiic]

I love Star Blazers Mike! They never showed it at a decent time when I was a kid and I have bouight some of the DVD's but it's a damn fine example of Animation, Sci-Fi and very human drama.

I managed to buy the soundtrack a few years ago, ( 2001? or thereabouts). They have an official website. Maybe it's still available if you check with them. When I was young I didn't know what Anime and Manga were and thought the same people who made Battle of the Planets made Star Blazers.

[MicromanZone]

Dug this thread up since I just finished fully rewatching Star Blazers for the first time since I was 10 or 11 in 1979. Actually tried to watch it again as an adult, but found it too dour and watched some Gatchaman dubs instead. Now I somehow got back into Star Blazers again and wow: Really an amazing story. And part of the appeal to me is the somewhat clunky 1970s animation style. I really don’t like slick/modern anime. And I have fond memories of the “junky” simple stuff like this. The story truly holds up well and the aesthetics are just perfect.

I re-watched the first season U.S. dub, but for the second season I downloaded the “Star Blazers Remastered”*version where some group took the DVD rerelease of the original Japanese series and used the U.S. dub, BUT retained cut Japanese scenes adding in new sound effects or just leaving the Japanese in place since it’s basically a lot of death cries and such. Wow. Not only is the image quality top notch, but the story is so much more powerful. The end of the “Comet Empire” series is so much more adult than you can imagine: End credits as a memorial/funeral is held for dead crew members.

I’m not really into the 8 inch Mego figures, but would say some 8 inch figures devoted to “Star Blazers” would be a really nice thing to have out there.

[Bruce Banner]

Star Blazers has always been one of my favourite shows. I used to watch it avidly as a kid.

As with Battle of the Planets, the original Japanese versions contained more adult elements which were removed for the Westernized version.

[MicromanZone]

As with Battle of the Planets, the original Japanese versions contained more adult elements which were removed for the Westernized version.

Correct, but Battle of the Planets added 7-Zark-7 and 1-Rover-1 which really is unwatchable if you have seen any of the original “Gatchaman” episodes; that stuff is so pandering.

[ctc]

>Battle of the Planets added 7-Zark-7 and 1-Rover-1

I found out MUCH later in life that it was 'cos the cuts they made to a lot of the episodes shortened them. (There's an episode that only has 5 mkinutes of footage left; the rest is shots from other episodes, and these two.)

Don C.

[mirrorman]

If you like Star Blazers, an excellent anime series btw, you have to give VOLTES -V a go.

It pre-dates Star Blazers by a few years, but has that same sort of serious nature to the story line.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt8cHqmhWv4

[mirrorman]

>Battle of the Planets added 7-Zark-7 and 1-Rover-1

I found out MUCH later in life that it was 'cos the cuts they made to a lot of the episodes shortened them. (There's an episode that only has 5 mkinutes of footage left; the rest is shots from other episodes, and these two.)

Don C.

What they did to Gatchaman in it's Battle of The Planets guise was just criminal ... didn't know that back in the day ofcourse, but even then I remember thinking that 7 ZARK 7 just doesn't quite fit in.

One thing I always did like, and still do like, about BotP was the theme music.

[Riffster]

I watched the live action Starblazers that hit japanese theaters last year, it was awesome and some scenes gave me goosbumps, like when the breakfree of the earth, they did a great job, if you can fuind a copy i suggest watching it, it's subtitled in english and dutch

[ctc]

>has that same sort of serious nature to the story line

I think that statement covers durned near every Japanese cartoon made before 1990. Now that I got high speed, I"ve been watching a lot of really old stuff and it amazes me how heavy a lot of the old cartoons got.... even the kid ones. Then I feel sad 'cos we never had anything like that here.

>it was awesome and some scenes gave me goosbumps

I've been wondering if it was any good. I've only seen bits from it and it looked good.... although the Cosmo Zero/Gerwalk thing kinda threw me.

>One thing I always did like, and still do like, about BotP was the theme music.

I have a really bad habit of singing the Japanese theme song when I'm tired.... loudly.

Don C.

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

http://www.toplessrobot.com/2011/11/...rs_*****es.php

I'm lukewarm on this. I love the original, but don't think you really need to "fix" it in any capacity. On the up-side, it's a typically faithful redo (like the Japanese TEND to do. Usually....) and I don't have to guess who anybody is. The ships even look the same.... which is nice (and not stupid) since the ships are such a big part of the mythos.

....but I think the Japanese, like us are caught in a WAY deep rut. I'd MUCH prefer to see something truly new, rather than rehashes of old stuff. (Re:Cutey Honey excepted.) I know animation of this calibre is expensive, and the Japanese market is fickle, contracted and weird.... but it'd be great to see some of that poineering spirit that permeated cartoons back in the day.

....although it's nice that even the laziest of rehashes maintains a measure of technical quality. Even with the CGI pseudo-cell animation they get stuff that looks like this:

The Quasi-Triumphant Return of Cyborg 009 - Topless Robot

....whereas we get stuff like the new Green Lantern and Johnny Test.

*sigh*

....and even going for the rehash; there seems to be SO MANY old series' that they don't touch. No new UruseiYatsura? A****a no Joe? (Although Joe seems to be one of them things that's insanely popular with creators, maybe moreso than fans.) Lupin the 3rd?

....'course it's possible (and likely) they haven't gotten around to them yet. Even then, I'd love to see remakes of some of the important stuff I haven't seen the originals for. If I haven't seen it, it's as good as new....

Don C.

[BOTZWANA]

I wonder will they be released on DVD again. I missed them the first time out.

[Hector]

I hear the live action film will finally be released on DVD this December...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZY310o_AvA


I get infuriated by American film distributions that don't even attempt to show big epic foreign sci-fi flicks on movie theaters like this one.


I really, really wanna see this...the trailer looks friggin' awesome...the wave-motion gun scene at the end of the trailer gave me chills...lol.

Plus it co-stars Meisa Kuroki...that's one cute girl...




P.S. About the movie on Wiki:

Wikimedia Error

[deputypowell]

I watched Robotech as a boy growing up in Florida.

My wife watched Candy, Candy (anime) as a girl growing up in Puerto Rico.

When I feel the need to put a DVD in of Robotech and she says anything negative I just remind her about her Candy, Candy.

I wanted to purchase Starblazers on DVD a few years back but it was just too expensive. Anyone know if the prices have dropped?

DVD

Answered my own question. Still a little high in my book.

[Hedji]

Bumping this thread...

Back then, I didn't know it was Anime. I just knew I liked it. But if I'm honest, I've never been a big fan of most Anime.

Looking for feedback....

• Would the show I loved as a kid still hold up for a revisit today?
• Has anyone seen the new 2199 series or 2202 series?
• Has anyone seen the live action movie from 2010?
  

Just wondering if any of these are worth a buy.