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Well, as stated in my previous review, the first season of Space Battleship Yamato was excellent to me. I kinda wanted to have more of it. Luckily, the second season, the Comet Empire, appeared as I googled it. I had my doubts though, since Leiji Matsumoto could have blown the soul of the anime with a weird / not fitting sequel of what the great Quest for Iscandar was (somethig that is very common in movies /tv shows nowadays). Anyways, I decided to give it a try, so after 6 days and something of downloading (and me praying for seeders that never seemed to come!), ... I managed to watch all of the 26 episodes.

The story:

The Comet Empire? What the... ok, I was kinda skeptical when I heard about it. But the storymakers made it good. The new enemy of planet Earth is even more cruel and powerful than Gamilus and Desler were, much more I would dare to say. Lord Desler, a character I liked a lot in the first season, reappeared here (don't whine for this spoiler, he is present from very early on anyways!), which made things interesting. His revival was also credible to some point. Earth is then in danger again, but this time, it has somewhat of a force to defend against the White Comet. The Yamato needs to travel this time, but not to visit Starsha in Iscandar, but Teresa in Teresart! Although this might sound boring to you readers, it is not! The plot is very different from the first season. Many new characters appear, new ships, Yamato abilities and so and so on. I did also really like the fact, that this season presented battles ans scenarios in a much more tactical way than the presquel did, which someone like me, who likes strategy games or MMOs like Ogame or EVE, made me very happy. Another good thing about these chapters is the lack of cheesy and cliche romance between Kodai and Yuki that you would expect after the end of last season. They asume their roles in a very professional way and don't tend to occupy a lot of the plot with tears, kisses or other romantic bla bla. Violence/guns/explosions > romance! (at least regarding this anime). The ending did disappoint me, but just a very little tiny bit. Although good enough, I wanted jussssst a bit more action from the Yamato... Well I am not going to tell what happened!
So, I think story deserves a good 9.

Note: I think Star Wars, movies which appeared 2+ years after this anime, could have actually taken ideas and concepts out of it. One hint, the Death Star!(Don't get me wrong, I love Star Wars, i'm not critizicing any aspect of it, in any way!)

Art:

Although art was already very OK to me in the first season, I think the art department did really improve in this season. More vivid explosions, gun firing... Everything was better done this time. The battle scenes did also look very good to me, again, better than in Quest for Iscandar. I cannot forget about the new ships and features that were created for this season. The Andromeda looks very cool and stylish, the new enemy battleships did also improve and you can't forget a WOW at the end with the mega battleship from... Ok, no spoiler. Teresa was also well achieved, she looked pretty much as good as Starsha, so no complaints there. Well, as I said in my last review, it is a very old anime, you can't compare the artwork with today's one.
Leaving that aspect aside, art deserves a 10.

Sound:

Yes! The original opening from Isao Sasaki is also present in this season. His song was way to epic to be replaced by another one. Although the song about Teresa in the credits is not as good as Makka na scarf, it is good enough to make the credits be bearable :). Much of the good sound effects and ambience music were also included in this season. I think they did good, since most of the sounds were good enough to be replaced in just one year. Many new effects and atmosphere music were included though, most of them very good.
Can't say much more about this topic, so I'll just give it a good 9 for now.

Characters:

Well, without Okita, Kodai endeavours as the acting captain of the Yamato. He is much more mature than in the first season, and his decisions as a captain are also good in 95% of the cases. I have to say, he is much more likeable in this sequel. Shima also evolves in this season, I can't say why, because it would spoil the story. Sanada, intelligent as always, saves the Yamato from more than one situation, just as like last season. Definitively one of the best characters. Yuki, although a bit annoying regarding her love for Kodai, stays calm for pretty much the whole chapters. She is also a bit more mature now. One character I forgot last review was Analyzer, a robot that is also vital for the Yamato and it's crew. Hijikata, altough more tough than Okita, is as honorable as him, maybe a bit less intelligent, but his personality and actions are also cool. Well, the villains, Lord Zorder lacks the honor and intelligence that Desler had, but it suits his role. Desler, intelligent and also honorable as always, did not let me down this season. Genitz and the other guys, are also similar to other Gamilus generals. But Sabera, that stupid woman annoyed me a bit. But her foolish actions did save the Yamato a couple of times, luckily...
I can say that I liked Starsha more than Teresa. Teresa comes to be annoying to a certain point (i.e Watashi wa Teresa! (My name is Teresa) was probably transmitted 20 times to the Yamato crew, argh). Well, I forgive her, for her key role in the series and the power she has. I almost forgot Saito. He is also very annoying in the beginning, but you learn to appreciate his efforts in the end.
One thing I have to say is, that some crewmembers are not appearing in the third season :) (well, I think so at least, I need to watch it first). Anyways, characters, although some with tiny flaws, deserve a 10.

Enjoyment:

Oh my lord... I enjoyed every single second of this great sequel. The plot was so epic, the battles, the strategies, the drama,... Everything was very well achieved. I had to bite my nails in some cases, and watching only one episode at a time was not always possible ;). That Earth had somewhat of a defense made the battles more interesting (not only the poor Yamato needs to take the shots). Pew pew with the Wave Motion Gun(s!), planets been turned to dust... Things were so creative in this season, that the story planners need some kind of reward. Really. I think they do! Well, this season was without a doubt full with action and interesting scenarios. I am glad about it. Enjoyment has a 10!

Overall:

Who said that every sequel sucks / is worse than the first season / movie? The Comet Empire, although a rare exception, deserves to be one. I enjoyed every single aspect of it, every second. That I had to wait 6 days for its download... it was worth it! Well, the Quest for Iscandar fans might want to locate me and kill me. Chill guys, the Quest for Iscandar is still very good to me. But I think Matsumoto and his people improved with this season.
I recommend this sequel to everyone who liked Quest for Iscandar. In my opinion, the Comet Empire will not let you down... Be Forever Yamato!
(Btw, a 10 overall).

Well, this is my first review, so please go easy on me.

I came to be interested in the anime, since I like naval-related stuff, therefore, the name Space Battleship Yamato made me think about the very well known Battleship Yamato, the Imperial Navy's pride during WW2. I did not know ANYTHING about the anime before deciding to watch it. Now I know about it's well renowned reputation as a pioneer in the science fiction genre. It was also one of the first (if not first!) anime being broadcasted in the US (with a LOT of modifications). Luckily, I watched the original Japanese version. So ... here is what I think of it:

Story:

The Journey to Iscandar? I really asked myself what that could mean before I watched the anime. Well, I am not going to ruin the story, so all I am going to say is that the plot is pretty convincing (although there were some mistakes and WTF moments that were mentioned at the credits after each episode, provided by the subtitle company). Earth in danger of extinction and the revival of a WW2 battleship to help her survive? I wanted to see that! The bla bla part and the good action scenes are very well balanced and the actual bla bla parts are actually pretty interesting and (sometimes!) heart moving. The ending, although a little bit too fast I would say, makes you want to watch more of the anime and (thank God) many movies and 2 other seasons were made for it. I give the story a well deserved 9.

Art:

I had (still have) watched few animes before this one, but the first thing that shocked me when I started to watch is the artwork. It is so different from what anime is today! I could not stop laughing about the funky-retro-70s pants that the crew used and the relative simplicity of the artwork in general. But oh well, this was just in the first episode. I got used to that. In fact, the way Queen Starsha was first presented, for example, gave her an aura of mystery, which really suits her. The most amazing thing though is the design of the Yamato and the battle effects. Although pretty simple at first sight, they are good enough to give you a feeling of YAY VIOLENCE, EXPLOSIONS PEW PEW, which (despite the fact that I wasn't even born in those days) could have been very difficult and innovative in those years (it was 1974 after all, no Star Wars, no Gundam Wing, no nothing!). The exterior and interior design of the Yamato is also very very interesting and creative. I give art also a 9.

Sound:

The sound... just one word: WOW. The opening already pumps you up and is already a good intro to the anime's epicness. The lyrics are perfectly suitable for the anime and we can't just forget the amazing voice of Isao Sasaki, an artist totally unknown to me before this anime. I watched many videos of him performing the Yamato theme (still today! he is almost 70 years old!) with the same enthusiasm everytime. I read that the opening theme became so popular, that it was informally taken as an anthem for the real Japanese Yamato. Anyways, back to the anime. The ending song (Makka na scarf) is as good as it's opening. Again, performed by Sasaki. Regarding the ambience music in the anime, it could not be better. They did a great job creating a space atmosphere around the Yamato. Battle themes, drama, happiness,... I really recommend to look for the whole Soundtrack CD. It is simply amazing! Sound deserves a perfect 10

Characters:

The ship cannot navigate itself, obviously. The Yamato's crew is as epic as it's ship. The swiss-clock-precise Shima, the rebellious Kodai, the intelligent Sanada... Every crew member shows a complete different personality and talents, which leads to a very rich environment in the bridge of the Yamato and also in the rest of the ship. Yuki is not the common tv show girl. She is the only one aboard the Yamato, but she is responsible for Life Support and also the Medical Bay (together with the funny doctor Sado). She is not the regular woman that falls in love instantaneously with the main character, but she evolves together with him to actually reach that point. Queen Starsha's mysterious personality and history is something that makes her very intersting, even atractive to some point (her beauty is very different to how anime women are presented today). She is obviously very important, since the Yamato actually travels to hear her advice. Lord Desler is also very different from today's villian. Although cruel, he is extremely intelligent. He also sees the Yamato with respect and holds to a certain point a clean fight with the ship. A very interesting character indeed. Last but not least, Captain Okita. Without a doubt, the most misterious character. Always calm and even more intelligent than Lord Desler, he is in charge of leading the Yamato and it's crew. His unorthodox methods scare sometimes scare Kodai or Shima, but his authority is never questionated. Will he succeed? Ok, character gets a 9 from me.

Enjoyment

From start to end, the anime made me laugh, be anxious, angry (Captain Okita's decisions and other stuff). I enjoyed every second of it. Whether Desler planned his strategy, the Yamato just blew everything up with the Wave Motion Gun or Analyzer teased Yuki, everything made the anime be watchable and worthy of my time. I did not toally like the ending though. Although it was good, it had a very WTF moment (which I shall not spoil) and I think the final parts were also a bit short. Anyways, enjoyment also gets a 9.

Overall

Retro anime, funky clothes, aliens attacking humanity, space battleships, guns and explosions? Hell yes! The anime, although it may look boring for today's anime fans, is still enjoyable and worth of watching. The depth of the story is also pretty astonishing, in my case at least. I recommend any sci fi or navy fan to watch this great time joy. I do strongly say you should watch the Japanese version, since the US one (known as Star Blazers) cut a lot of "inapropiate" scenes in that time (today, Space BB Yamato could be a good PG-13 as hardest measure, PG-7 I would say). The thing that makes me mad though is, that they renamed the Yamato as "Argo" which drops the epicness of the ship. Anyways, a must see!

(Note: English is not my native language. I'm sorry for any grammar / spelling errors).