Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 – Episode Twenty Three – One Man’s War

One Man’s War is a rather interesting title for this episode, although ‘Desler’s Madness’ might be more apt, because the vast Gamilas Empire and its attempts to conquer all within reach was ultimately the wish of a single man.

Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 – Episode Twenty Two – The Planet that We Head For

This episode was the continuation of themes found in episode twenty-one, and represented a further chance to reflect on recent events, while also preparing for the inevitable final conflict with Desler.

Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 – Episode Twenty One – Prison Planet 17

While I adore Yamato 2199’s action scenes and episodes, and would argue that it offers some of the best examples of spaceship and plane combat in anime, I find the more reflective moments far more interesting. They present us with the opportunity to reflect on previous episodes, and watch as the crew of the Yamato deal with their current situation, and the ever present threat of destruction at the hands of Gamilas.

Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 – Episode Twenty – Under a Rainbow Sun

One of my favourite aspects of Yamato 2199 is the detail put into its battle sequences, and its depiction of space warfare as if it were taking place on water. This episode is perhaps the best example of this, as we are treated to a battle that is reminiscent of those found in classic WWII films, complete with fighter planes, bombers, and torpedo planes, all trying to take down the Yamato.

Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 – Episode Nineteen – They’re Coming

Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 has always done an excellent job of detailing some of the minutia of everyday life aboard a battleship. Many episodes have scenes showing apparently incidental little actions that ultimately help to create a a thoughtful, and fully realised representation of the characters and their lives in space. Furthermore, it is a series that revels in the stark beauty of the universe, coupled with its absolute loneliness.

Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 – Episode Eighteen – Over the Black Light

 

Often an anime with an extensive cast can forget side characters, or individuals, who, while important, aren’t given as much screen time as the main characters that drive the series narrative. At times it feels as if such a series introduces apparently important characters, but then forgets about them until the convenient moment where their past, and abilities are important to the story.

Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 – Episode Seventeen – Out of The Forest of Memory

Over the last few episodes we have seen a more complicated picture of Gamilas, and the Yamato appear. One that presents more nuanced visions of these two sides, and emphasises how easily a simple picture of good and bad can unfairly label entire people as one or the other. In fact, this is arguably one of Yamato 2199’s main themes, as it seeks to build a more complex picture of space, and the various societies that we as the audience come into contact with.

Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 – Episode Sixteen – A Choice For The Future

The Yamato’s journey so far has been informed by fear of the other, of alien races with immense power, and a technological advantage that has resulted in earths near destruction, alongside hope of a bright future. Throughout the series first half, these two themes have been continuously in conflict, with many using their anger, and hatred of Gamilas, the faceless evil that has come to destroy earth without warning.

Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 – Episode Fifteen – Point of No Return

This episode spends a lot of time setting up other plot points, often linking them with previous scenes, comments, and other little moments that have hinted at a more complicated galactic picture than we otherwise may have believed. While there is also a brilliantly choreographed space battle, with the Yamato barely surviving against and overwhelming force that looks set to utterly obliterate earths last hope, it is merely the background for nefarious schemes on both sides.

Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 – Episode Fourteen – The Whisper of the Witch

While a significant proportion of Yamato 2199 focusses on space battles, and the Yamato’s quest to free earth from the grasp of Gamilas, there are a number of particularly interesting episodes that act as moments of reflection. Episode Fourteen is one such moment, a chance for reflection, alongside the knowledge that space is far more complex than anybody on the Yamato initially realise.