mae@aplvax.UUCP (08/16/83)
Several other net people have responded with information on Thunderbirds and other Anderson shows so I'll just add that there is a new "Thunderbirds" series showing on HBO and Showtime. It is a Japanese animated series about International Rescue based on the original Anderson show. I have not seen the English version yet, which is being shown as several episodes combined into "movies", but I have seen about a dozen episodes in Japanese and it looks interesting. "Starblazers" is the American title of the Japanese animated series Space Cruiser Yamato. The first two serials were brought to U.S. TV around 1978, I think. The first 26 part serial was shown in Japan in 1974 and has the plot described in the original net article - Earth has been attacked by unknown aliens from beyond the solar system (one of the Magellanic Clouds actually), leaving the earth radioactive and soon uninhabitable. Friendly aliens offer help, but are unable to come to earth. The Yamato is built using the alien's instructions for a warp drive and weapon. After a year long voyage and may battles, the enemy is defeated and the earth restored. The second serial, also 26 parts, was shown in 1977 and deals with another invasion, this time by the Comet Empire. Starblazers stops here but Space Cruiser Yamato continued with a third serial (25 parts) and five movies. The animation quality increased greatly between the 1974 episodes and the 1977 series and get even better on the later things, especially the most recent theatrical films. Mary Anne Espenshade ...!umcp-cs!aplvax!mae