I got one of those funny urges last night so I watched only the last half of 宇宙戦艦ヤマト２. (Star Blazers, to the IME-handicapped.) Absolutely brilliant. The drama between the main players, the rousing music as they make their final assault on the Comet Empire, the tears in Kodai/Wildstar's eyes as he bum-rushes the guards to escape before the place blows. You never saw the GIJoe guys cry. Not to stifle the creative spirit in any way, but I've always wondered why people bother to try and follow up something that good with the clearly predictably not. I remember first having that thought seeing Highlander 2 in the theater months after Terminator 2. Or do sequels, homages, derivative work, subsequent generations in the genre, whether they be true products of inspiration or just junky attempts to cash-in, serve a worthy purpose to confirm the original impression? I can't tell if I'm grasping, to justify my conservative pessimism or being an old retro fart.