English Dub Review: Star Blazers 2199 “Messenger of Iscandar”

Look to the stars.

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Star Blazers 2199 is a story that takes place in the year 2199 on a Planet Earth that is pretty much in ruins after an alien invasion, so the people that are left must live underground, but even that seems to be a short-sighted solution. We open up the show with a huge space battle with the end game being Juzo Okita needing to escape the battle with a Wave Motion Activation Core that will hopefully save Earth. Captain Momaru Kodai attempts to get the messenger ship clear aka the Amaratsu, but it crashes on Mars so Momaru’s brother Susumu and his friend Daisuke Shima have to team up to investigate the crash. Once there, they discover a lifeless body holding an item that was meant to be delivered to Earth, but what is it?

Susumu and Daisuke return to Earth and it isn’t long before Susumu learns about the passing of his brother. Once home, Susume confronts Okita about his brother’s death.

Our Take

Christ, they just don’t make ’em like this anymore, do they? The Star Blazers remake was originally produced half a decade ago…a series remake of a property from the mid-70s, so from a visual standpoint,  not only does the series hold up but might be in a class of its own on Funimation in terms of aesthetic. The premise is compelling sci-fi at its best and features excellent English dub performances by Chris Wehkamp and Ricco Fajardo, the latter of whom is starting to show up everywhere on Funimation including the recent English dub release of Genocidal Organ. 

Clearly, the premiere episode sets the table for the crazy arcs that are about to unfold over the course of 26 episodes, but Funimation has a gem that should be required viewing by even the most casual of anime fans.