Vintage Yamato doujinshi archive

The importance of doujinshi (fanzines) in the early years of Space Battleship Yamato cannot be underestimated. Thanks to a handful of fans who visited the Office Academy animation studio while Series 1 was in production, an enormous amount of material was rescued from the vault. Since there was no anime media to speak of in those early years, those fans shared their treasure the only way possible – D.I.Y. publishing.

This created a focal point for private fan clubs to rally around. They laid the vital groundwork for Yamato to return as a blockbuster feature film in 1977 and, in turn, lay the vital groundwork for an entire industry.

The history of early fandom is full of interesting twists and turns, which can be read in detail here.
A round-table discussion between those who got it started can be read here.
A gallery of early doujinshi can be seen here.

The purpose of this archive is to provide complete cover-to-cover access of the doujinshis themselves. Visit this page as the collection grows!

Click on the publication title to see it in full.


Added November 2023

Neo Negal #1

Space Battleship Yamato Fan Club II
June 1, 1977

20 pages, analysis, fanfic, and convention report

Phantom II Vol. 1

Yamato Fan Club F4 Phantom II
February 16, 1978

36 pages, production art, fan art, and mecha analysis

Phantom II Vol. 2

Yamato Fan Club F4 Phantom II
April 9, 1978

30 pages, production art, fan art, and mecha analysis


Previous entries

Phantom II Vol. 3

Yamato Fan Club F4 Phantom II
September 15, 1978

38 pages, art and analysis

Phantom II Vol. 4

Yamato Fan Club F4 Phantom II
March 16, 1979

38 pages, art and analysis

Phantom II Vol. 5

Yamato Fan Club F4 Phantom II
June 1, 1981

40 pages, art and analysis

Yamato Land newsletters

Cosmo Battleship Yamato Laboratory
1975-1977

News bulletins, commentary and fan art

Cosmo Battleship Yamato
No. 1

Cosmo Battleship Yamato Laboratory,
March 1975

16 pages, reproductions of Yamato picture stories from children’s
magazine Fourth Grader
(published by Shogakukan).

Magellan 1•2

Universe Battleship Yamato Family
January 1976

14 pages, photography tips

Magellan 4•5

Universe Battleship Yamato Family
February 1976

40 pages, commentary, production art, sheet music

Space Battleship Yamato

Tokiwa Action Comics 1
February 1977

50 pages, parody manga

Lana 001

Group Lana, August 1978

60 pages, production art and fan art

Astronaut #1

Cosmo Battleship Yamato Laboratory,
May 1975

20 pages, commentary and fan art

Astronaut #2

Cosmo Battleship Yamato Laboratory,
June 1975

12 pages, commentary and fan art

Astronaut #3

Cosmo Battleship Yamato Laboratory,
July 1975

12 pages, commentary and fan art

Astronaut #4

Cosmo Battleship Yamato Laboratory,
October 1975

28 pages, commentary, parody, fan art

Astronaut #5

(number incorrect on cover)
Cosmo Battleship Yamato Laboratory,
December 1975

24 pages, commentary and fan art

Astronaut #6

Cosmo Battleship Yamato Laboratory
December 1975

42 pages, production art & Episode 10 script

Space Battleship Yamato
Data Collection

Nova Animation Books No. 1, 1976

36 pages, model sheets and
storyboards from Series 1.

Space Battleship Yamato
Data Collection Part II

Nova Animation Books No. 8, 1977

20 pages, model sheets and
storyboards from Series 1.

Yamato No. 1

Yamato Association, January 1977

62 pages, compilation of previous material created by Cosmo Battleship Yamato Laboratory.

Read an excerpt:
interview with director Noboru Ishiguro

Yamato No. 2

Yamato Association
March 1, 1977

68 pages, Episode 1 script and designs

Balanodon No. 1

Yamato Fan Club
1977

20 pages, news and fan art

Balanodon No. 2

Yamato Fan Club
1977

20 pages, news and fan art

Yamato No. 3

Yamato Association, July 1977

92 pages, model sheets, scripts and commentary for Episode 18

Mechanic Analysis No. 1

UBYF [Uchu Battleship Yamato Fans], December 1977

16 pages, overview of Okita’s battleship

Mechanic Analysis No. 2

UBYF [Uchu Battleship Yamato Fans], February 1978

12 pages, overview of Yukikaze

Cosmo Battleship Yamato Technical Manual

Group Zero
September, 1977

152 pages, production art

Cosmonaut No. 1

Yamato Association
April 10, 1978

64 pages, news and cartoons

VerSus Hifi

Author unknown
August 19, 1984

48 pages, crossover parody comics

Iscandar Vol. 1

Cosmo Battleship Yamato Connection,
January 1977

28 pages, Series 1 analysis

Iscandar Vol. 2

Cosmo Battleship Yamato Connection,
March 1977

38 pages, Series 1 analysis

Iscandar Vol. 3

Cosmo Battleship Yamato Connection,
May 1977

24 pages, Series 1 analysis

Iscandar Vol. 4

Cosmo Battleship Yamato Connection,
August 1977

44 pages, model sheets and commentary

Iscandar Vol. 5

Cosmo Battleship Yamato Connection,
Oct/Nov 1977

52 pages, model sheets and commentary
Recording script for Episode 26

Iscandar Vol. 6

Cosmo Battleship Yamato Connection,
January 1978

54 pages, model sheets and commentary

Iscandar Vol. 7

Cosmo Battleship Yamato Connection,
April 1978

42 pages, model sheets and commentary, Ep 26 script excerpt

Iscandar Vol. 8

Cosmo Battleship Yamato Connection,
April 1979

38 pages, commentary, fanfic, parody manga

Iscandar Vol. 9

Cosmo Battleship Yamato Connection,
September 1979

46 pages, commentary, fanfic, parody manga (pure text pages not included)

Iscandar Vol. 10

Cosmo Battleship Yamato Connection,
December 1979

42 pages, commentary, fanfic, parody manga (pure text pages not included)

2001 My Dream

TV Anime Club (TAC), September 1977

16 pages, production art and analysis.

Valelus Vol. 1

Editor: Yuuto Onomura, March 1978

24 pages, development art and notes from Leiji Matsumoto’s story treatment.

Iscandar Vol. 11

Cosmo Battleship Yamato Connection,
April 1980

38 pages, commentary, fanfic, parody manga (pure text pages not included)

Iscandar Vol. 12/13

Cosmo Battleship Yamato Connection,
August 1980

68 pages, commentary, fanfic, parody manga (pure text pages not included)

Space Cruiser Kamato

Creative Workshop,
September 1983

80 pages, parody manga

Parody Edition Space Battleship Yamato No. 1

Character Class Lab, October 1977

56 pages, parody manga

Parody Edition Space Battleship Yamato No. 2

Character Class Lab, October 1977

88 pages, parody manga

EGG Vol. 2

1979

32 pages, variety of coverage

Hero No. 1:
Space Battleship Yamato

Editor: Yuuto Onomura, 1978

36 pages, production art and pages from Leiji Matsumoto’s story treatment.

Hero Special: Main Regular Character Guide

Editor: Yuuto Onomura, August 1978

72 pages, extensive production art and analysis.

Hero Special No. 2: Sub & Guest Character Guide

Editor: Yuuto Onomura, March 1979

100 pages, extensive production art and analysis.

Negal #9

Yamato Fan Club, March 1976

20 pages, art and commentary.

Neo Negal #3

Yamato Fan Club II, December 1977

24 pages, art and commentary.

Neo Negal #5

Yamato Fan Club II, April 1978

24 pages, production art and analysis.

Neo Negal #6

Yamato Fan Club II, August 1978

32 pages, art and commentary.

Neo Negal #11

Yamato Fan Club II, February 1980

24 pages, art and commentary.

Speace Star

Yamato Fan Club, April 1980

20 pages, unaffiliated with the authors of Neo Negal. This was more of a low-end “vanity press” ‘zine, probably intended for a small readership.

Anyway, Space Battleship Yamato, Soldiers of Love

Parody Studio Yamato, November 1978

60 pages, Farewell to Yamato parody manga

Parody Version Space Battleship Yamato 2, Vol. 1

by Shima Asuka
Sigma Section Comics No. 1, July 1979

34 pages, Farewell to Yamato parody manga

Wave-Motion Vol. 4

Yamato Fan Club Wave-Motion,
April 1978

20 pages, art and commentary

Wave-Motion Vol. 7

Yamato Fan Club Wave-Motion,
February 1979

24 pages, variety of coverage

Wave-Motion Vol. 8

Yamato Fan Club Wave-Motion, September 1979

32 pages, variety of coverage

Wave-Motion Vol. 9

Yamato Fan Club Wave-Motion,
March 1980

32 pages, variety of coverage

Wave-Motion Vol. 10

Yamato Fan Club Wave-Motion,
September 1980

20 pages, variety of coverage

Wave-Motion Vol. 12

Yamato Fan Club Wave-Motion,
April 1981

24 pages, variety of coverage

Wave-Motion Vol. 13

Yamato Fan Club Wave-Motion,
August 1981

24 pages, variety of coverage

Wave-Motion Vol. 14

Yamato Fan Club Wave-Motion,
December 1981

24 pages, variety of coverage

Wave-Motion Vol. 15

Yamato Fan Club Wave-Motion,
May 1982

24 pages, variety of coverage

Wave-Motion Vol. 16

Yamato Fan Club Wave-Motion,
November 1982

24 pages, variety of coverage

Wave-Motion Vol. 17

Yamato Fan Club Wave-Motion,
April 1984

24 pages, variety of coverage

Wave-Motion Vol. 18

Yamato Fan Club Wave-Motion,
July 1985

24 pages, variety of coverage

Wave-Motion Vol. 19

Yamato Fan Club Wave-Motion,
July 1986

24 pages, variety of coverage

Galaxy Tradition Vol. 29-30

Yamato Fan Club Galaxy Tradition,
August 1987

34 pages, fan art and commentary

Galaxy Tradition Vol. 31-32

Yamato Fan Club Galaxy Tradition,
1987

36 pages, fan art and commentary

Galaxy Tradition Vol. 33-34

Yamato Fan Club Galaxy Tradition,
April 1988

24 pages, fan art and commentary

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