n the late '70s and early '80s, a war raged in the
imaginations of American and Japanese children. It was an epic war
pitting a small group of heroes against an evil empire bent on their
destruction. And no, it wasn't Star Wars.
It was Star Blazers, and it ruled the television airwaves for
two seasons in the United States as its story unfolded before a rapt
audience of grade-school students. The series originated in Japan under
the name Space Battleship Yamato, and it featured the adventures of the crew of the Argo, Earth's last space battleship and its final
hope for victory against the planet's powerful enemies. Over the last
two decades, the Argo's adventures have faded from America's public eye,
but its mission continues on the Web. Dozens, if not hundreds, of Web
sites dedicated to the series in all of its forms have been created, and
one of the more extensive is the Wave Motion Web Page.
The site includes extensive series guides that span all three of
the television series and most of the movies. Each guide provides an
overview of its topic and, in the case of the television series, a
breakdown and summary of each episode.
Those confused by the series' large cast can find help in the
character guides, which are broken into Earther, Gamilon and other
categories. It includes summaries of each of the main and secondary
characters, from Derek Wildstar down to Mimi the cat.
Techheads should enjoy the starship stats section, which details
Earther, Gamilon and Comet Empire crafts. There's also a technical
musing session that tackles such tough questions as what things like wave motion and subspace are.
Those hoping to find information about Star Blazers'
reincarnation on videotape won't be disappointed: the site tells
visitors what tapes are available and, just as importantly, how good the tapes are. The site also holds notes, reviews and track
lists for a number of Star Blazers music compact discs.
Nitpicking and other past times
The Wave Motion Web Page provides Star Blazers fans with a
strong overview of the franchise, from the first television series right
up to current rumors of its resurrection by Disney. The series guides are equal parts episode summaries and nitpicker's guide. They provide
excellent commentary on the differences between the Japanese and
American versions of the series, as well as specific notes about
bloopers and near-bloopers found throughout the series.
For casual fans of the series in the United States, the true value of
the site can be found in the guides for material that didn't air in
America. The write-ups on the movies and series let visitors discover
what happened to the Argo after the Comet Empire's defeat--it's
similar to going to a reunion and discovering what happened to
high school friends.
The site uses the standard navigation and content frames and is
generally easy to explore. There are a few spelling mistakes, and the
layout is average, but the site's liabilities don't cripple its overall
presentation. The most impressive part of the site is its dedication to
what made the series great in the first place: the characters, the
stories and the art. For example, the villain Desslock is quoted
extensively, and his words remind fans just how civilized, yet
diabolical, the Star Forces' most memorable foe was.
Old-time fans of the series, who can remember scrambling home from
grade school to catch the latest episode, can sharpen their fuzzy
memories of Captain Avatar, Derek Wildstar and the rest of the Argo's
crew. Those who never forgot the series can find a variety of jumping-off points to other Star Blazers sites, as well as a few tidbits they
might not have come across before.
