Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Star Blazers 2199: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

A reboot of an iconic classic.

Star Blazers 2199 is a reboot of the beloved anime classic. The revitalized anime is produced by Atsushi Ariyoshi, Fumi Teranishi, Hideaki Matsumoto, Mikio Gunji, Norihiko Fujisawa, Shinobu Suzuki, Tetsuya Matsubara, and Toshihiro Maeda. The new rendition of the story features animation produced by AIC (Tenchi Universe, Tenchi in Tokyo) and Xebec (BanG Dream!, Broken Blade). The adaptation is based around the original manga created by Leiji Matsumoto and Yoshinobu Nishizaki.

Susumu Kodai (Daisuke Ono), Yuki Mori (Houko Kuwashima), Daisuke Shima (Kenichi Suzumura), Captain Jūzō Okita (Takayuki Sugo), and the other Yamato crew members are on a new mission. The Earth could soon be vanquished. The threat is significant and the stakes are enormously high and everyone on the ship fights for tomorrow. The crew is left with only one chance for salvation: a special device which ultimately has the ability to save them all. Yet there is only one year to find it. Can the Star Blazers survive annihilation?

The cast of characters are part of the charm of the anime. Given how beloved the original series and story is to audiences, it’s no surprise that the characters are one of the essential foundations of Star Blazers 2199. Traversing across outer space with Kodai, Mori, Shima, and Okita is a joy for space adventurers. The heroes of the tale are determined to fight for the universe – heroes everyone fundamentally needs.

The animation is impressive for a reboot. The art direction is handled by Minoru Maeda (Majestic Prince, Samurai Harem). The new version of Star Blazers uses newer CG enhanced animation to bring viewers something sleeker. While the new version can’t even hold a candle to the original cell-based anime, viewers will still find it an admirable effort.

The art style reflects the same iconic character designs from the original series. The designs for the series are handled by Nobuteru Yuki (Heat Guy J, The Five Star Stories). The characters still appear close to the original designs. While these designs have been updated on some respects, it is still relatively true to the original source. Perhaps not as artistic as the original but given this is a modest reboot, it shows a good effort.

The journey begins... again.

The CG direction by Takashi Imanishi (Dinosaur King, Battle Spirits: Brave) is one of the elements which might be more divisive with anime fans. I prefer the traditional hand-drawn style without any CGI elements for the outer-space sequences. The art is more organic looking and feels authentic in a personal way: something that simply can’t be duplicated so easily with computers. Nonetheless, audiences might hope for the CG to enhance the story and make it seem fresh. It does seem that utilizing the CGI does add some new elements to the experience. It just might not win one over completely.

The cinematography by Takashi Aoki (Lagrange - The Flower of Rin-ne, The Seven Deadly Sins: Imperial Wrath of The Gods) showcases the realm of the production with an interesting visual landscape. The cinematography is surprisingly bright for an outer- space drama: some anime series would present a darker aesthetic but the reboot of Star Blazers attempts a more optimistic visual style. A bleaker style might have made the series grittier.

The score composed by Akira Miyagawa (Space Battleship Yamato 2199, Mazinger Edition Z: The Impact!) doesn’t stand out that much. The music can’t compare to the original anime. While it’s modestly enjoyable and fits the production, Star Blazers 2199 lacks the same creative spark. A somewhat disappointing score.

Written by Yutaka Izubuchi (RahXephon: Pluralitas Concentio, The Skull Man), Star Blazers 2199 has a nice story – which is no surprise. The original story is outstanding and the new adaptation brings the classic and iconic anime to new audiences. While the original is still superior, Izubuchi made a decent effort here.

Directed by Akihiro Enomoto (Space Battleship Yamato 2199, Tokyo Mew Mew) and Yutaka Izubuchi (Space Battleship Yamato 2199, RahXephon: Pluralitas Concentio), Star Blazers 2199 is modestly entertaining and it brings the classic to new viewers (who might enjoy it even more than those accustomed to the original). Yet the question still remains: despite being a decent series, why even reboot a beloved classic?

Star Blazers 2199: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Funimation, Star Blazers 2199 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The series certainly looks wonderful. The presentation has bright colors and the color reproduction is truly stunning. The CG animation shines on the release. The encoding does a solid job of showcasing everything put in to the production. The action is capably handled by the presentation as well.

Star Blazers 2199: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of audio options: Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles) and English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound. The original Japanese language audio is certainly preferable for purists who wish to enjoy the original vision. Nonetheless, the English presentation is worthwhile for dub fans. The audio sounds crisp, clear, and dynamic. Dialogue is certainly well reproduced. The score is integrated in to the sound mix well.

Star Blazers 2199: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc 2:

The Newest Frontier: Star Blazers – Space Battleship Yamato 2199 (HD, 18:14)

Episode 09 Audio Commentary

Promo Videos (HD, 9:38)

Trailers (HD, 8:13)

Disc 3:

Episode 16 Audio Commentary

Disc 4:

The Newest Frontier Continued: Star Blazers – Space Battleship Yamato 2199 (HD, 18:58)

Illustrating Space Battleship Yamato (HD, 1:38)

Promo Videos (HD, 5:55)

Textless Opening Song Version 1 (HD, 1:32)

Textless Opening Song Version 2 (HD, 1:32)

Trailers (HD, 10:18)

Star Blazers 2199: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Star Blazers 2199 is a so-so reboot of the beloved classic. It is technically entertaining to a degree and the production values are decent. Nonetheless, Star Blazers 2199 doesn't hold a candle to the iconic classic. The Funimation Blu-ray release features a worthwhile presentation and a better-than-expected selection of bonus features. Fans of the reboot will certainly consider is a worthwhile package.