Remember STAR BLAZERS? Here is the first teaser for the upcoming live action/CGI feature film directed by Takashi Yamazaki (ALWAYS: SUNSET ON THIRD STREET) now in production. This teaser debuted across Japan on January 1, 2010, and the finished film will be opening in Japanese cinemas on December 1, 2010!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBu1cZm4Gqg

No.

Looks like someone in Japan was watching the new Battlestar Galactica.

In the words of C3PO: "How rude." Happy New Year to you, too!



YAMATO is to Japan what STAR WARS is to the US -- it's part of the pop culture. The original SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO was launched in 1974 and pre-dates BSG and SW. Japan's biggest academy-award winning director, Takashi Yamazaki, is helming the live action film, hot on the heels of the new animated feature currently playing in Japan, entitled SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: REBIRTH. When the first two seasons of YAMATO was imported in the US in 1979, it was retitled STAR BLAZERS, and became a hit, which helped to set the foundations for Anime Fandom in the US, because of its character interplay, story arcs, and faithful translation. YAMATO is considered a milestone in anime, because of its adult approach, and launched a franchise that is still going strong almost 40 years later.

Some SB YAMATO history:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Battleship_Yamato

The official STAR BLAZERS website:
http://www.starblazers.com/home.php

Sorry, double posting.

Looks good. The military of the future is definately more lax with the hair. Talk about modified grooming standards.

I remember Star Blazers! I use to race home from middle school to watch it every afternoon. Comet Empire series with the huge space battle by Saturn was great but the first series with Deslock was the best. Wow I would defintely see this.

Hm. Captain Avatar's beard is not nearly fluffy enough, nor is his collar tall enough. I think this film is going to miss some key details of the original.

Captain Cosmic had Starblazers on lock in the bay area. We had a star blazers club in school and I was the guy with the bionic arm... what was his name again? We even had membership cards...

Some details cannot be translated from cartoon art to live action, because they just look... stupid. Like the spandex costumes of the American Comic Book Superheroes. Besides, you're getting hung up on minutia and missing the forrest for the trees -- will you be shocked that Dr. Sado/Sane and Aihara/Homer are now beautiful women? Or that Nova/Yuki is a Black Tiger pilot? Still, the movie isn't even finished (they just started production in October) -- so let's reserve judgement until we can see the whole film, where it can stand or fall on its own merits. Just as a side note, I've been a fan of YAMATO since before STAR BLAZERS aired on KTVU-2 in 1979, so I'm a pretty hardcore fan, and I'll willing to give everything the benefit of the doubt, and I'm really looking forward to enjoying it. BTW, Captain Okita is played by Japanese Academy Award-winning actor Tsutomu Yamazaki, so that might be a concession of some kind.

If you don't like this, you can always look forward to the new animated feature film, SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: REBIRTH, which opened in Japanese cinemas on December 12, 2009.



Nice! The guy with the bionic arm(s and legs) was Chief Science Officer Shiro Sanada or Sandor in the US version.

Sorry, double posting.

Hey James Cameron!! Space battles are a good idea! Blue people are not... Your Welcome, Jay


(can't wait, thanks for posting!)

Gotta say, this trailer looks great! But when I was sick and stuck at home a few years ago, I decided to revive a "sick and at home" memory from childhood and watch Star Blazers again... Wow, that story is just depressing upon depressing. Fun action and well made, but I nowadays Gatchaman rings as more fun and great.

Heck, remake that as a live action film!

I hope there weren't any blue people in the original Space Cruiser Yamato because that would guarantee a shitty movie.

I have it on good authority that comedian and star of GIRARA NO YUAKUSHU: TOYA-KO SAMITTO KIKIIPPATSU, Nabe Yakan, who shares a birthday with me, will be providing the voice for the CGI version of the Analyzer robot. Wonder what that's going to look like.

...that...

...I....

...it...

[THUD] [passes out]

--
jJ

I remember lining up to see the movie when I was growing up. So maybe the characters are not the same as the anime, I'm still pretty excited to see this....unlike GI Joe. I hope they don't change up the theme song too much. It's one of the best.

He's also an obsessive collector who has an insane stash of original toys and movie props, including one of the original Godzilla heads from GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER (1966) and the Kong puppet head from KING KONG ESCAPES (1967). He published a book entitled "Monster Toys Illustrated" (Kaiju Gangu Daigahou, Kadokawa) about ten years ago, and has appeared as a guest star in most of Minoru Kawasaki's films, such as THE CALAMARI WRESTLER.

Blue Furries may make shitty movies. But, Blue People make music. Or drop Planet Bombs.



They were going to, starring Takuya Kimura as well, and the whole thing was dropped to allow Imagi make their CGI prequel.

Hey, August...any idea which company is doing the effects work for the film?

--
jJ

You neglected to mention that M1GO founder Yuji Nishimura also contributed material to the book, and that there's a section featuring the two of them sitting on the floor playing with toys.

The ISBN of the book is 4-07-310440-3

Nabe Yakan is also an amateur weight lifter.

I didn't know I was supposed to post a complete review of his book (which is OOP) or a biography on his life and career...

Here's a much larger-sized version of the teaser in HD:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnUba6pp7pA

Thanks for posting that! Isao Sasaki rules the planet!!

The official website has been overhauled and updated, complete with an English version (check out the English subtitled trailer, too)!

http://yamato-movie.net/en/

It's so crazy...I wouldn't understand a word of it yet I still want to be in Tokyo to see it on opening weekend.

Can't wait for this.