Alternate Titles: Uchū Senkan Yamato 2199
Anime remake by Xebec/AIC

Premise: Humanity has finally made contact with alien life, but hopes for peace are dashed when the mysterious aliens declare war on humanity and obliterate much of planet Earth. With the planet now a desolate wasteland and humans forced to live in underground cities, humanity wages a losing war against the invaders with no hope in sight. However, a capsule is retrieved from another race of aliens interested in assisting humanity. With blueprints to build a new and more powerful ship than ever seen before, humanity puts their last hopes into the Space Battleship Yamato.

Gee’s Verdict: A Treat for all Fans of Space Opera

I should preface this by saying that I was not aware that Yamato 2199 had been available online for months until recently. It turns out that the anime aired in theaters last year in Japan and were subsequently released on BD and DVD, and only started airing on TV this season. So yes, I realize that anybody interested in watching this has likely already seen it. That said, if you’re like me and were expecting to start watching it this season, I have good news for you. Yamato 2199 is great and since it’s already available, you can easily marathon it if you wish. Having never watched the original beyond what bits and pieces I saw in the west when it was called Star Blazers, Yamato 2199 is already off to a great start. Humanity is in peril and the setup works great for a  space opera setting. The battle in this episode was exciting and if nothing else, watching a badass old man lead the fight against the aliens is going to be fun, no matter what. The addition of the countdown until humanity’s extinction adds to the sense of urgency and works well for a show like this.

In addition, Yamato 2199 looks gorgeous, and joins Attack on Titan and Gargantia as yet another immensely beautiful anime airing this season (well technically it aired last year in theaters, but whatever). The CGI ships are well done and feel natural, and the way the ships clash give them a great sense that they’re really there, blowing up and shooting lasers and all that good stuff. So if you’re like me and somehow didn’t know about Yamato 2199 until now, I can’t recommend it enough. I’m not sure if I’m going to continue to recap this series since it would be slightly redundant considering the circumstances, but I will definitely keep watching it. It’s been a while since I’ve watched a really good space opera and Yamato 2199 delivers.