Uchuu Senkan Yamato Episode 09
宇宙戦艦ヤマト Ep. 09 (TV, Anime)

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis: Yamato attempts to make emergency repairs but are found by the Gamilas fleet. The Gamilas fleet begins to pursue the damaged Yamato, the latter fleeing to a nearby asteroid belt to hide. Yamato succeeds in losing their radar signature. Sanada proposes a defense for Yamato using the nearby asteroids. Okita approves and Sanada makes it happen. Susumu fires one of the main turrets which sends a rain of small probes into the nearby asteroids, which have receivers. Sanada causes these asteroids to form a new shell around Yamato, making it look kinda like a giant asteroid.

Meanwhile, Shultz is frustrated by the loss of Yamato. When Gantz reports this to Gamilas, Supreme Leader Desler smiles and suggests sending the Royal Guard to Shultz — a death threat. Shultz is now desperate. Meanwhile, under the cover of the asteroids, Yamato begins making repairs as Sado-sensei decides to have some drunken fun outside the ship (though attached to a tether and a worried Analyzer). The Yamato is soon detected after Shultz determines that Yamato must be hiding. Analyzer ropes in the drunk Sado-sensei as the Gamilon fleet approaches.

Shultz orders the fleet to fire, but the asteroids surrounding Yamato provide defense but not enough. Okita orders the repair crews inside and Sanada has the remaining asteroids form a defensive ring around Yamato that can be moved to deflect any incoming attack. Shultz is desperate and plans a suicide attack on Yamato. However, the asteroid defense of Yamato is turned into an offensive weapon, with the remaining asteroids sent at the incoming fleet of ships. This causes damage among the Gamilas ships, which also crash into each other, destroying each other. Only Shultz ship is left, so Okita orders the Yamato‘s anchor be fired at the incoming ship. The anchor hits, knocking Shultz ship off course so that it grazes Yamato. The anchor chain breaks and Shultz ship crashes into an asteroid. With no more enemy around, Yamato can finally make repairs.

Thoughts/Review: I wondered if the writers would deal with the fact that the Yamato had not been able to make any repairs and had in fact come out of their most recent fight even more damaged than before. Previously, Yamato has seemingly been magically and instantly repaired. This time, the attempts to make repairs to the ship became the central focus for the Yamato crew while destroying Yamato became the Gamilon’s central focus.

Things are a lot more of a stretch this episode. The asteroid defense as a disguise was a bit more buyable for me. However, using the asteroids as defense ring, which sounded very video-game-ish, was less believable in its presentation. I will attribute this to limitations with animation budgets and will move on though.

The tactics are also a bit more of a stretch. As Yamato entered the asteroid field, I again thought of a Star Wars reference from Princess Leah from Empire Strikes Back. I felt that the Gamilas fleet attack on Yamato was given up too quickly for a suicide run. The ease with which Yamato caused all of the bumbling Gamilas captains to crash their ships into each other was laughable. The ease with which Yamato‘s anchor chain broke to allow Shultz battleship to crash into a giant asteroid made me think, “Good thing your anchor chain is so strong!”

Oh well. ^_^