Uchuu Senkan Yamato Episode 26
宇宙戦艦ヤマト Ep. 26 (TV, Anime, final)

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

The Yamato crew finishes building the Cosmo Cleaner-D and re-establish communications with Earth to bring them the good news. Little do they know that Supreme Leader Desler (who managed to escape the destruction of Gamilus) and a crew are in a ship known as Desler Hou (meaning “Desler’s Cannon”). Desler Hou fires at Yamato, but unfortunately Yamato goes into warp before the beam can hit. Desler orders the crew to follow, so they make their best estimate and warp as well, only to arrive so close to Yamato that they collide with the battleship.

Though this wasn’t part of the plan, Desler orders his troops to enter through the hull breach on Yamato, where they begin pumping radioactive gas (which is was the people of Gamilus breathe) inside. The gas begins killing crew and forces Yamato‘s troops to retreat, allowing Desler and his men to make advances in. Despite the general quarters alarm, Yuki races out of her quarters and learning what is going on, she races to the production facility where the Cosmo Cleaner-D sits at the ready. As gas floods the room, Sanada instructs her on how to use it from an upper-level observation post. She turns the machine on and cleanses the air, but dies in the process.

Desler and his men cannot survive in Yamato’s normal atmosphere and so are forced to retreat. Desler Hou pulls away from Yamato and Desler prepares to fire the ship’s main beam cannon. Daisuke performs evasive maneuvers, but it won’t be enough. Sanada flips a switch at his station which activates a reflective substance on Yamato‘s entire hull (including gun turrets). When the beam hits Yamato, it reflects back to the source, destroying Desler Hou. The crew is stunned to be alive and Sanada explains that he borrowed the concept from the Gamilus Pluto base, having worked on it in secret during the voyage home.

Susumu hears that Yuki is dead and mourns for her (filled with regret over not confessing to her) as Yamato makes its final approach to Earth. He takes her body from the morgue and carries her to the bridge to her old workstation so that she can see Earth once more. Captain Okita, in his cabin, sends Sado-sensei away and looks at Earth one last time before looking at a picture of himself, Mamoru, and a woman before he dies. Back on the bridge, Susumu is carrying Yuki’s body away to be alone with her when she suddenly comes to life, not sure how she got there but happy Susumu is alive. The crew celebrates her miraculous recovery and Earth is returned to what it once was.

Thoughts/Review:

Whoa! Yuki dies? I completely didn’t see that coming at all. Oh wait, we have a magical, mysterious recovery, much like what happens to the ship whenever it gets beaten to heck. Happy, happy, joy, joy, eh? Good thing too. Susumu carrying around Yuki’s body had definite creep factor in it if she’d actually been dead. So, can we add “death defeater” to her resume? I’m telling you, Yuki should be captain, not Susumu.

I did see Captain Okita dying though since he’d been ill for so long and his passing did affect me a little. However, if Yuki can come back, why not Okita? I guess he had to die since they’d been hinting at him dying for so long. Unfortunately, only Sado-sensei appeared to mourn for him. I found that rather unfortunate.

I didn’t expect to see Desler return either when he appeared to have died. When the crew of Yamato were acting all relaxed, I wondered if we might see some left over Gamilus force attack but not like what happened. However, if Susumu’s brother can survive, why not Desler, eh? Still, I guess that since this was the final episode, the writers couldn’t have Desler attack Yamato anywhere along the 122-day journey back to Earth from Iscandar. Just because Sanada’s deus ex machina “oh, I’ve been secretly working on some new reflective armor for Yamato” appeared to have killed Desler this time doesn’t mean he’s dead. Part of me thinks he’ll show up again to be a pain in the butt for Space Battleship Yamato 2 (which I will now start watching).

I would have liked to have seen Yamato actually land on Earth, the the machinery set up, and shown life returning to normal for the humans (rebuilding on the surface, rebuilding a military, etc.), even if only during the credits. Instead, we just see Earth from space turn from wasteland to normal. Oh well.

I’ll write some final thoughts later but for now, I have to say that I enjoyed this old school romp for the most part.