September 2018 came in like a lamb and went out like a lion. It was one of the slowest months for 2202 activity since the series began, but the countdown to Chapter 6 and the approach of 2202 on TV ramped things up nicely. It was an especially good month for modelers with two dedicated events and a fresh new release.
In the tumultuous wake of Yamato 2202 Chapter 5, writer Harutoshi Fukui sat down for an interview with Hobby Japan magazine (issue #593) to discuss the approach of Chapter 6. In addition to intriguing hints of things to come, he offered new insights into the different versions of this penetrating story.
From Star Blazers/Yamato Magazine: for Yamato 2199 and Yamato 2202, it was Junichiro Tamamori who took charge of the mechanical design for the Earth Federation. Mr. Tamamori, who has continued to love and study Yamato from his childhood, shares his thoughts about Andromeda and the Cosmo Tiger II.
Yamato 2202 Newspaper 3 came out just before Chapter 5 on May 25, 2018. Among its stellar features was a new interview with Klaus Kiman’s voice actor Hiroshi Kamiya. Since it was still a no-spoiler zone, discussion treaded lightly around Chapter 5, but Kamiya was entirely willing to talk about the evolution of his performance.
When publisher Seven Seas picked up the original Space Battleship Yamato manga, they hired lifetime Star Blazers fan Zack Davisson to do the translation honors, after which Cosmo DNA editor Tim Eldred talked with him at length about it. Here is their conversation in full.
Despite the 40th anniversary of Farewell to Yamato passing without commemoration on August 5, there was enough 2202 news to keep everyone alert, especially with the arrival of the first Chapter 6 teaser, another round of summer conventions, and news on both sides of the world. Here’s everything that went down in August 2018.
Gigazine is an entertainment website that stands out for its lengthy, in-depth interviews with anime production staff members. On May 23, 2018, they sat down with 2202 producer Hiroki Komatsu to hear inside stories no one else could tell.
Mikage Kiryu only appears briefly in Yamato 2202, but her voice actor Eriko Nakamura has been a prominent advocate for all things Yamato the entire time. Akiba Souken talked with her about her role and her fandom just before the premiere of Chapter 5.
One of the things that made Space Battleship Yamato unique was a fan base so dedicated that they obtained copies of production materials to share in fanzines. It is thanks to them that a presentation like this one is now possible: a complete scene-by-scene examination of a single TV episode. [4 pages]
Doujinshi publishing in the early years laid the groundwork for Yamato‘s explosive comeback in 1977, which in turn laid the groundwork for an entire industry. It all began with the ‘zines in this archive, which can be seen from cover to cover. New entries added September 2018.
With Chapter 5 now in the rear view mirror, July 2018 was a month when quantity went down but quality stayed as high as ever with some exceptional product announcements, a major hobby show, and plenty of fan activity. Here’s everything that provided a distraction from the summer boiler…
From the Yamato 2202 Chapter 5 program book: in his second interview for the series, Tamamori discusses his process for redesigning the Earth mecha and his earliest contact with Farewell to Yamato in 1978.
Voice actors Hideaki Tezuka (Zordar) and Yuko Kaida (Sabera) finally joined the Yamato 2202 publicity party with the release of Chapter 5 in May, 2018. This interview was published in volume 3 of the Yamato 2202 Newspaper from Sankei Sports, and also features Director Nobuyoshi Habara.
The day before Yamato 2202 Chapter 5 was released in theaters, this brief but insightful interview with Series Writer Harutoshi Fukui was published on Otonanswer. Also included here is his introduction from the theatrical program book.
On June 26 2018, voice actors Eriko Nakamura (Mikage Kiryu) and Kenji Akabane (Yasuo Nanbu) participated in an online talk show called D Studio with host Hisanori Yoshida for a light-hearted conversation. Nico Nico News published a transcript of their discussion, which made this translation possible.
Chapter 5 festivities spread all the way through the month of June with stage greetings, products, announcements and live events to accompany the film, culminating in its home video release the day after it closed in theaters. It was a big month with big news on multiple fronts.
Purgatory Chapter was released May 25, 2018. Kiman and Dessler finally meet on Telezart, and their mutual history unfolds. Earth goes to war against Gatlantis in the epic battle of Saturn. Read all the highlights of Episodes 15-18 here!
Chapter 5 was released May 25, 2018 with multiple stage greeting events to commemorate its first and second weekends in theaters. Transcripts for two of those events are featured here.
In this widely-circulated interview, Voice Actor Hiroshi Kamiya and 2202 Director Nobuyoshi Habara discussed the evolution of Klaus Kiman from both an acting and an artistic perspective as new ground was broken in Chapter 5.
From the Yamato Crew Premium fan club magazine Ship’s Log #21, May 2018. Interviewed for the first time, Yoshio Tanioka discusses his responsibilities as Art Director: fleshing out concepts, building cities, and creating the detailed world of 2202 from the ground up.
Explosive! That’s the best word to sum up May 2018, when a whole new wave of Yamato fever burst out into the world during the final runup to Chapter 5. Live events, product releases, promo videos, our first glance at Chapter 6, and a lot more filled the month. [3 pages]
During the promotional phase of Yamato 2202 Chapter 5, we finally got to hear from two very significant voice actors: Hideaki Tezuka (Zordar) and Yuko Kaida (Sabera). What does it take to perform the two most evil roles in the entire Yamato saga? V-Storage got the answers in this special interview!
From Akiba Souken: Animation Producer Hiroki Komatsu discusses what it’s like to work in the trenches on Yamato 2202, the unique pressures of going beyond expectations at every step, and working for members of the original Yamato generation.
From Anime Anime: for Yamato 2202 Chapter 5, this interview was conducted with voice actor Hiroshi Kamiya and Director Nobuyoshi Habara to examine new steps taken in the development of Klaus Kiman on both a performance and a production level, from the energy of acting to the subtlety of camera angles.
April 2018 was one of the slowest months on record for 2202 activity since the series began, but it was one of those calm-before-the-storm months with important moments in the runup to Chapter 5. Here’s everything that went down…
In this meeting of the minds, 2202 Director Nobuyoshi Habara compares and contrasts his work with that of Megalobox Director You Moriyama. Both tasked with reviving classic anime of the 1970s, they have much to say on many levels.
As the voice of Susumu Kodai, Daisuke Ono is always a part of Yamato 2202 promotion. He participated in the Chapter 4 promo campaign in January 2018, which lead to the publication of these interviews.
In this excerpted interview with Akiba Souken, Sound Director Tomohiro Yoshida expands on information in other interviews, notably the conceptual and technical processes of matching music to images in Yamato 2202.
These two interviews were conducted during the runup to Yamato 2202 Chapter 4. Included here is a single session with Akira Miyagawa and a conversation with Miyagawa and vocalist Isao Sasaki that focused entirely on the famous Yamato theme.
