さらば宇宙戦艦ヤマト 愛の戦士たち

さらばうちゅうせんかんヤマト あいのせんしたち

Aired: 1978

A theatrical anime produced by Office Academy, the film sequel to the TV series Space Battleship Yamato. On an Earth rebuilt after the war with Gamilas, a new threat looms in the form of the White Comet Empire. Answering a cry for help from the planet Telezart, Susumu Kodai and the crew take the Yamato into a decisive battle against an overwhelming enemy. Fleet battles on a grander scale than the original, a weighty story themed on self-sacrifice, and the lyricism of its theme song combined to produce a social-phenomenon hit, becoming one of the starting points of the subsequent anime boom and the flourishing of theatrical animation. It also left a major mark on anime history by establishing the practice of casting popular singers for theme songs.