Space Battleship Yamato 24
Uchuu Senkan Yamato Episode 24
宇宙戦艦ヤマト Ep. 24 (TV, Anime)

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

The bases at the roof of the subterranean area are dropping bombs down to attempt to force Yamato into the ocean of acid. Acting Captain Kodai consults with the ailing Captain Okita, who tells Susumu to submerge Yamato into the ocean and look for the stream of acid coming from the volcanoes. At that point, the Wave Motion Gun will destroy that point, causing massive eruptions. However, they’ll only have 10-minutes to do this before the hull of Yamato is destroyed.

Susumu orders the plan be carried out and Analyzer immediately begins looking for the source. After five minutes and some damage to Yamato, Analyzer finds the spot and Yamato fires. The subterranean volcanoes all begin erupting as Delser is stunned and begins losing his mind. Hiss pleads with Delser to make peace with the humans after hearing Desler’s order for the bases and city to fire missiles at Yamato, which will likely destroy everything. Desler shoots Hiss for his suggestion, killing him.

The missiles begin firing and while Yamato‘s defenses help, some missiles strike the weakened ship. Susumu orders Daisuke to increase speed. At the same time, he orders the main turrets to target the bases on the roof of the subterranean area. As such, Yamato begins taking out these bases. The ordinance these bases contain (bombs and missiles) rain down below, destroying Gamilus settlements on the floor. Desler witnesses the destruction of everything around him just before he’s killed by falling debris.

The battle over, Yuki and Susumu are on the deck of Yamato, which is heavily damaged, including its gun turrets. Yuki cries because they killed the people of Gamilus. Susumu also cries because they had to fight, saying they aren’t born to fight. After much weeping and gnashing of teeth, the two return to normal and re-enter Yamato. Captain Okita thanks the crew from his bed as they leave Gamilus and make their final approach to Iscandar.

Thoughts/Review:

Um, if you came through a giant hole in the surface of the planet to the subterranean area, why not turn around and go back? OK, the magnetic beam emitters are there, but you’ve lost all the metallic cloud and they aren’t effective at a certain level close to the surface. I guess that makes too much sense and wouldn’t cause enough tension for the episode.

The hideous preaching about and crying that they won by destroying the Gamilus cities and bases made me want to wretch. Seriously, what was the point of coming all this way if you weren’t prepared to take it to the end? After all, Gamilus was quite prepared to wipe out every human on Earth in order to take over the planet. They tried to destroy Yamato and thus Earth’s only hope countless times and now Yuki and Susumu are going to weep over having had to fight at all? Bah! You should have surrendered long ago and just died if that’s how you feel.

I’m sure the writers, World War II very much on their minds, wanted to say that war is evil. That may be but you know what? Sometimes, war is inevitable when one is attacked without warning or just cause. Since they had decided to exterminate you, it was them or you. You kill them, you save how many humans?

Ugh. Better get me another bucket!

Well so far, it seems that my thoughts on how the final three episodes are proceeding as expected. Now, will the people of Iscandar have a cure for Captain Okita?