{"id":43152,"date":"2026-03-25T14:51:05","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T21:51:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/?p=43152"},"modified":"2026-04-21T11:00:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T18:00:58","slug":"108b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/108b\/","title":{"rendered":"Series 1 commentary by Kenanime2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"2603icon\"<\/p>\n

An episode-by-episode commentary of the first Yamato<\/em> series, written by a Japanese blogger and former engineer who watched it as a child in 1974 and revisited it as an adult to see how his perspective changed in the intervening 50 years. Episodes 5-8 added April 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Elsewhere in this section of Cosmo DNA<\/em> you can find complete commentaries on the first Yamato<\/em> TV series: this set<\/a> by American viewers and this set<\/a> by O.G. superfan Ryusuke Hikawa. Both provide different observations, story notes, and production trivia. Presented here is another commentary that stakes out its own perspective, coming from a Japanese blogger who goes by the online handle “Kenanime2026.”<\/p>\n

He began posting his commentaries in January 2026, quickly earning attention for reasons that should become obvious. They are being presented in English with his enthusiastic permission. Keep an eye on this page as more are added.<\/p>\n

About the Author:<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

A resident of Sapporo, born in 1964. Kenichi is a former engineer who spent 32 years pouring his very life force into plant maintenance on the front lines of the petroleum industry.<\/p>\n

His experience in the bitter cold, learning to discern the slightest “creak” in a single bolt or valve, has now transformed into an ability to decipher the “creaks of the heart” within the characters who inhabit the world of anime. Currently living as a full-time caregiver for his younger sister, who suffers from schizophrenia, and his elderly mother, he confronts the “unyielding realities of life” on a daily basis.<\/p>\n

In a modern world that prizes efficiency and speed above all else, he champions the profound value of “meticulous care,” an approach that deliberately takes the time it requires. He believes that the words he writes, much like a stove on a snowy night, possess a warmth that, though perhaps unpolished, is undeniably genuine.<\/p>\n

Visit his blog here<\/a> | Find a welcome page here<\/a> | Visit his Twitter page here<\/a><\/p>\n

Episodes 5-8 added April 15<\/span><\/h3>\n
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EPISODE 1<\/a><\/div>\n

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EPISODE 2<\/a><\/div>\n

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EPISODE 3<\/a><\/div>\n

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EPISODE 4<\/a><\/div>\n

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EPISODE 5<\/a><\/div>\n

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EPISODE 6<\/a><\/div>\n

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EPISODE 7<\/a><\/div>\n

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EPISODE 8<\/a><\/div>\n

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EPISODE 9<\/div>\n

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EPISODE 10<\/div>\n

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EPISODE 11<\/div>\n

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EPISODE 12<\/div>\n

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EPISODE 13<\/div>\n

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EPISODE 14<\/div>\n

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EPISODE 15<\/div>\n

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EPISODE 16<\/div>\n

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EPISODE 17<\/div>\n

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EPISODE 18<\/div>\n

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EPISODE 19<\/div>\n

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EPISODE 20<\/div>\n

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EPISODE 21<\/div>\n

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EPISODE 22<\/div>\n

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EPISODE 23<\/div>\n

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EPISODE 24<\/div>\n

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EPISODE 25<\/div>\n

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EPISODE 26<\/div>\n

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INTRODUCTION<\/span><\/h3>\n

Nice to meet you, or good evening. My name is Kenichi (Ken). For those of you curious enough to ask, “Who exactly am I?” let me tell you a little about myself today.<\/p>\n

I was born in 1964. I worked a steady job as an engineer in the oil industry for many years, but now I’ve retired and am writing this while resting and recovering from my broken body. My wife passed away (or maybe she just gave up on me), and now I live with my mother and sister in a rundown apartment in Sapporo’s Higashi Ward (in Hokkaido). The only person I can talk to is our increasingly important budgie, Pii-chan (lol).<\/p>\n

So why am I typing away at this keyboard now?<\/p>\n

To be honest, I was probably a little anxious. Now that I’m over 60, the world is changing at an incredible pace. With terms like “digital native” being thrown around all the time, I was driven by a stubborn desire not to be left behind and not wanting it to end yet.<\/p>\n

So I turned to something called “generative AI.”<\/p>\n

At first, I was taken aback. “Wow, they can even do this?” AI never complains, never show signs of fatigue, and provides answers instantly. But, as I talk to it every night, I suddenly think to myself, “Your writing lacks life.”<\/p>\n

It’s neat, but there’s no pain. There’s no warmth. The pain in my back after shoveling snow, or the night I cried to that song on the late-night radio, AI only knows it as data.<\/p>\n

So I decided: “I want to be a writer who can master this excellent assistant called AI while breathing in the warmth of a human (me).”<\/p>\n

Facing a Showa-Era Masterpiece in the Snowy Landscape of Sapporo<\/span><\/p>\n

Why discuss an anime from 50 years ago now? It’s because the universal theme of this work, “rising from the depths of despair,” resonates deeply with us living in the Reiwa era. Beyond a simple anime review, this offers hints on how to overcome life’s challenges. I would like to fully discuss the appeal of Yamato<\/em>, including my perspective as a former engineer.<\/p>\n

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