SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199 (2012) Stunning 9-Minute Preview for Episode 3!

AHOY, MAJOR SPOILER WARNING: If you don't like Spoilers, then this link is definitely not for you — here are the first 9 minutes of Episode 3 of SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199, "Escape From Jupiter", featuring the Yamato's first Warp test from Mars to Jupiter, as streamed on the Bandai Channel (Japan only), starting on June 20th. This episode is one of four (Episodes 3-6) which form the second theatrical release under the title SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199 CHAPTER 2: DESPERATE STRUGGLE IN THE HELIOSPHERE, opening in ten select theaters in Japan on June 30th.

Episode 3 synopsis: After completing the Warp Test from Mars to Jupiter, the Yamato suffers an engine malfunction and is forced to make an emergency landing on a continent floating in the atmosphere of the giant planet. While repairs are being made, the Gamilas attack the crippled ship, and Captain Okita decides to use their new weapon, the Wave Motion Gun!

The awesome first-half of Episode 3 of YAMATO: 2199, a beautifully executed remake of the groundbreaking 1974 series, is — and I hate to over use this hyperbole — mind-blowing. The almost unanimous acclaim for the first two episodes is sent even higher by this clip, and has this author jonesing like an junkie before payday. Supervising Director Yutaka Izubuchi takes the extremely familiar material, has has not only given it the technical execution it deserves, but also makes it completely new for life-long fans, such as I.

And, as I said in an earlier entry, without exaggeration, this is the best possible remake I could have ever hoped for. For those lucky enough to see the film during it's two-week run in ten select theaters in Japan, early-bird moviegoers will have a chance to purchase a limited-edition, theater-exclusive Blu-ray of Vol. 2 containing the episode versions that comprise this film (and boasts English Subtitles and a complete storyboard booklet for Episode 3). The previous version, Vol. 1 (containing Episodes 1 & 2) sold out in record numbers, and I'm sure that lightning is going to strike twice.

For those of us not able to go to one of the ten Japanese theaters, the mass-market Blu-ray and DVD (the later of the twow does not contain English Subtitles), will go on sale July 27th.

Until then, watch this preview clip until your eyes bleed (or Bandai takes it down)!

STOP THE PRESSES! ADDED BONUS! Here's the full version of the new ending song for Episodes 3-6, "For Those Who Know the Beautiful Earth" by Aki Misato, which was previewed in a recent webcast of RunLANRadio, run by Lantis (a subsidiary of Namco Bandai, and the official label of YAMATO: 2199), which you can download, here.



Special thanks to Luis Cotovio!