From symbol of fascism to symbol of hope?!

I found the movie itself very well made especially for only 12 Mio Dollars but I found a little bit disturbing the part with the "history" of the Space Battleship Yamato because it looks like that the movie (I never saw the anime, so I presume that the origin of the name must be the same) wants to promote the transition of the "symbol of fascism" which the mighty imperial Japanese battleship Yamato represented to a "symbol of hope" for all the mankind. I understand this as an attempt of falsification of the history.

It is something of a strange alternate universe with many parallels, which actually don't bother me. I think it is interesting that the Japanese in this movie and series acquire a weapon "The Wave Motion Gun" which has obvious similarities to "the bomb". It's a nice touch how they put on shades to protect their eyes during the testing of the weapon.

On one hand the Earth has been irradiated by interstellar bombs to the point of no hope, but on the other hand the heroes seem very gleeful about using this new technology to wipe out fleets, and in the end perform genocide, all be it in self-defense. All of this is made easier by the fact that the enemy are all CGI bug monsters who really don't have a lot of dimension or redeeming qualities. I won't say more on that. Just that while the film makers go out of their way to show the sacrifices and tough decisions of war, they don't do much to make the enemy very human. It could be that the lack of individuality could have parallels with the perception many have of communists or the following orders aspect of the fascists, but I think this weakens the movie for me...or I'm just reading into it.

I forget exactly how the cartoon progresses, just that at least the Gamalons were humanoid.

I think it's interesting, though I'm not sure if it's possible or necessary to make it all fit exactly with history.

I think the op's problem is that he is looking at a Japanese symbol from an American standpoint. All the responses seems to indicate that Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor was some sort of unwarranted act of aggression that could only be carried out by an evil, corrupt government. Not to say Japan was blameless, but the United States' total embargo of oil to Japan was basically an act of war in itself. In that regard, with alittle bit of reality and a alittle bit of propaganda the Yamato was a symbol of hope against a seemingly invincible enemy hellbent on choking the life out of Japan. That symbol endures to this day because if you were in their shoes you would appreciate how the brave Yamato and it's crew fought battle after battle in a desperate attempt to stop an enemy they knew they couldn't beat.

The simple fact of the matter is - as un-Politically Correct as it may be to say it, it is still true - the Japanese are so proud (to the point of arrogance) a people as to simply deny all the truly terrible things they did during WWII, and still to this day see themselves as victims of external aggression.


To hate another simply for proving you to be in the wrong is the lowest form of cowardice...

First, to understand the japanese paradigm in the WW2 as fascism is as good as to understand american paradigm as plain imperialism. Japan fought a war and wars are a dirty thing, but they had they reasons and if you visit the Yasukuni war museum you will understand that, on the contrary with germans, they respect their history and they seems to be in peace with it (in a general view). The fought bravely and there is no shame in to lose the way they lose, under the menace of fully anihilation of their country and people under nuclear fire. And they where close to choose to fight until the bitter end... A devastated country, spoiled under massive bombardment with nukes, and with just a few survivors living underground... Got some deja vu? Also, you have the story of the Kamikaze, the wind of the gods... When Japan was close to be defeated by the momgols, the strong Kamikaze, as a real deux ex machina, save the day for the shogunate... if not again Japan had been a devastated country. So, in my opinion, more than your hipothesis, that this movie's motivation is to transform the symbolic charge of the Yamato battleship, I think that is the expression of deeper nightmares and hopes of the japanese culture.

For the japanese the Battlecruiser Yamato represents all the virtues of the Yamato people: honour, courage, self denial, sure it's not a symbol of Fascism.

The original series showed the Yamato rising from Earth and it was a strong symbolic meaning of a people who rised from the ashes of the war to challenge the future and there's nothing wrong with that, we aren't talking about Unit 733 but a Battleship with a crew of people who were fighting for their own country, like the Bismark or the Roma.

Juliet Parrish: You can't win a war if you're extinct!

Newsflash: The Japanese were imperialists, not fascists. Subtle point, but considering most American's don't know the difference between Communism and Socialism, it's not surprising.

More accurately, Imperialism.