I first saw this series as a kid in the early 80s. It was branded in the U.S. as "Star Blazers" and I would wake up extra early on Saturday mornings to watch it. Along with (but vastly superior to) Battle of the Planets and Speed Racer it was my intro to anime and it sparked several lines of interest in my life that have continued to the present. It basically brings the outline from the Jason and the Argonauts myth and updates it into a very entertaining space drama. This is a classic series and as such the artwork, music, and characters are not nearlyas well polished as something more modern. But taken for what it is it was an astonishingly good work for the time period. The recent "Space Battleship Yamato 2199" is a completely updated re-make for those of you who can't get past the dated nature of the original. There was also a recent live action film that was so-so. The original series spawned many sequels which range from excellent to terrible.

If you like space opera and military anime you can't really go wrong with this series.