Star Blazers: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark, known in Japan as , is a 2014 film based on the Space Battleship Yamato 2199 anime series. The movie is set during the events of the series, primarily as the eponymous spaceship Yamato makes its way back to Earth after a long voyage to the planet Iscandar.
Marketing Prior to advertising of the home video release of the movie, writers had used the English translations Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Star-Voyaging Ark and Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Ark of the Stars. Home video packaging announced in April 2015 revealed Xebec's choice of Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark as the official English title.
Reception The film grossed ¥68.8 million at the Japanese box office in its first week of release, and ¥269 million in total.『キネマ旬報 2016年3月下旬号』キネマ旬報社、2016年3月、p. 55
Writing for the Kotaku blog, reviewer Richard Eisenbeis generally praised the movie, particularly the debut of Gatlantis as a potent threat, the portrayal of the Garmillon characters, the focus on two Yamato crew members who had received only minimal attention in the Yamato 2199 series, and Kodai's growth as a leader. However, the reviewer was less impressed with what felt "more like the first arc of a new series" rather than a completely self-contained story.Richard Eisenbeis (12 December 2014). "Yamato 2199's Movie Feels like a Second Season Pilot." Kotaku. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
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