Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Report 45

Excitement mounted as another month fell away before the release of Ark of the Stars on home video. Some very lucky fans in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto got to see the upgraded version of the film at special theatrical screenings of the “Blu-ray edition”, which by all accounts will be substantially enhanced and loaded with bonus features. Yamaket 5 brought fans together for a day of celebration, and other interesting news flashes pointed the way to the future.

Here’s everything that went down in April.



April 1: Ark of the Stars CD soundtrack announced

May 27 will be a significant day for fans with the release of both Ark on home video and its soundtrack on CD. As previously reported, the music came out on the new Blu-ray audio format back in February, and a track listing demonstrates that the content is identical. Those who despaired over not getting a more traditional version can embrace life again.

The disc can be ordered from either Amazon.co.jp or CD Japan.

April 6: Nobuteru Yuuki art

Character designer Nobuteru Yuuki posted the sketch above left to congratulate the post-production team on finishing the upgraded version of Ark of the Stars in advance of the Blu-ray release. Incidentally, the length of time required to perfect all the retakes meant that the third hardcover volume of Yamato 2199 Complete Works would be delayed. Since it covers Ark of the Stars, serious production of the book couldn’t begin until the movie was finally put to bed. Originally announced for late April, the book was pushed to May 27 (same date as the Blu-ray).

Above right is another Yuuki portrait that emerged later in the month. Actually drawn in March, it was posted on Twitter April 24 as a lottery prize for players of the Yamato 2199 mobile phone game from Yamada. Entries were accepted until May 6.

April 8: Ship’s Log #10

This 32-page issue of the Yamato Crew Premium Fun Club Magazine opened with a very nice surprise on the page shown above right: a new art book announcement.

Hyper Mechanical Detail Artworks Publication is decided!!

In early March, the first editorial meeting was held for Space Battleship Yamato 2199 – Hyper Mechanical Detail Artworks at Production IG. Chief Mechanical Director Masanori Nishii talked with the editor and designer to advance the overall configuration.

As you know, the mechanic scenes of Yamato 2199 added original hand-drawn detail over ships rendered in 3D. You can see transcendent detail in the close-ups of Yamato and the Garmillas warships everywhere in the footage, and it can be said that mecha scenes with special effects amounted to about five times that of normal animation. Until now, some parts have been shown in program books and the art exhibition, but it has been decided to sell a comprehensive book that covers these intricate scenes.

To present the process of these scenes in the book, the material will be shown in a “naked” state with the special effects removed. Not only will you be able to clearly confirm the painstaking detail, commentary by Mr. Nishii wil be included with every shot.

The chosen shots, included those selected by Mr. Nishii, are currently undergoing the process of removing the special effects from the completed screen image. It seems that the soonest it can arrive in bookstores is early summer. We at Ship’s Log are now following the production process of this book, so please look forward to it.

[End of article]

Yamato Crew subsequently announced a release date of July 31. See info and sample images here.

The other content in this issue included Ark of the Stars video news, an interview with Kodai’s voice actor Daisuke Ono, a report on Concert 2015, a preview of Yamato 2199 Complete Works vol. 3, a center spread by Masahiko Okura (above left) a gallery of vintage Glico candy products from 1980 (sample above right), and another installment of Yoshinobu Nishizaki’s biography.

The back cover was blank but for a single line of English text that should warm your heart.

April 9: Ark of the Stars video news

Pre-orders for the home video opened up on January 22 (see ordering details in Report 42 here), but the promo campaign began in a major way when the full, glorious package was revealed. As previously indicated, there will be a single disc DVD and Blu-ray for the casual fans, and a 2-disc Blu-ray for the rest of us. (Plus an exclusive Amazon.jp edition with a storage case for the entire series.)

The specs for the 2-disc edition are as follows:

Packaging
Sleeve art by Nobuteru Yuuki
Slipcase art by Naoyuki Katoh (first pressing only)
Interior booklet
Complete storyboard book, cover art by Nobuteru Yuuki (at right)

Disc 1: 159 minutes
Movie (111 min.) with optional English subtitles, enhanced and upgraded from theatrical version
Audio commentary
Opening day (December 6) stage greeting event
Ark of the Stars Launch TV special
Trailers and TV commercials

Disc 2: 229 minutes
December 14 stage greeting event
Ark of the Stars Big Hit Voyage TV special
Yamatalk Night events: music and art discussions
YRA Radio Yamato final live event
Music recording documentary
Yamato 2199 Hit Prayer event video
Picture Drama by Michio Murakawa

Most of these features were already known, but the last item was a new one – a side story told in slideshow format with over 30 art pieces by 2199 manga artist Michio Murakawa. Click here to see four sample images.

April 9: Yamato Shopping video

On the same day the above information was announced, a promo video popped up on youtube featuring TV/radio personality Hiroshi “Yanopan” Yano and Yuria Misaki’s voice actor Aya Uchida. For four minutes, they talked breathlessly about all the bonus features with clips and images.

See it on Youtube here.

Another, more eclectic question was also answered on this day. When the 2199 compilation movie came to video, the packaging established the official English title: A Voyage to Remember. Would it be the same for Ark of the Stars? Yes. The official English title is rendered as Odyssey of the Celestial Ark. But if it’s all the same to you, we’ll stick with the shorter/cooler version.


April 10: “I Want to Warp” Twitter campaign

The 2199 Production Committee put Twitter to work back in February to help promote Ark of the Stars with a prize campaign. Anyone who posted with the hashtag “I want to fire the Wave-Motion gun” was entered to win prizes. That campaign closed at the end of March, to be replaced by this one.

Fans were asked to tweet about a moment when they wished they could have warped (such as waking up late or missing a train) with the hashtag “I want to warp.” The prizes this time were Blu-ray sets of both 2199 movies, a bluetooth speaker signed by Mikage Kiryu’s voice actor Eriko Nakamura (right), Yamato shorts, bath salts, and gift certificates.

The “Want to Warp” campaign was scheduled to close June 15.

April 10 & 11: Ark of the Stars Blu-ray edition screenings

For these two days, fans had three opportunities to re-experience Ark of the Stars on the big screen AND be the first to witness the enhanced and upgraded Blu-ray version of the film. There was a single evening screening at Tokyo’s Shinjuku Piccadilly theater on the 10th (Friday), then one each at Osaka’s Namba Parks Cinema and Kyoto’s MOVIX Cinema on the 11th (Saturday). Each screening featured a stage greeting by the primary staff members, and several online sources published reports afterward.


Shinjuku: Fans who pre-ordered the Blu-ray could walk away with a free poster.

From Anime Anime:

General Director Izubuchi, Eriko Nakamura and others talk about their thoughts at a screening of the Ark of the Stars Blu-ray version

Reporter: Shigeyoshi Okimoto

On April 10, a special screening of the Blu-ray version of Ark of the Stars was held at the Shinjuku Piccadilly Theater. Prior to the screening, General Director Yutaka Izubuchi appeared in a stage greeting along with Chief Mechanical Director Masanori Nishii, Chief Director Makoto Bessho, and Mikage Kiryu’s voice actor Eriko Nakamura to talk about the highlights of this work.

Ms. Nakamura joyfully said, “Although I was allowed to attend several events in the past, I didn’t think I would return to the theater this time. I realized that Yamato is really loved.”

During an introduction and cross-talk, Director Izubuchi introduced the roles of Mr. Nishii and Mr. Bessho. About Mr. Nishii: “I put him in charge of overall mecha effects, and he became the linchpin of quality control.” As for Mr. Bessho, he said, “He was the general manager of the production, and played the role of a foreman.”

In response, Nakamura said, “Like Suke-san and Kaku-san!” inviting laughter from the audience with this exquisite parable.

[Translator’s note: these are the names of royal retainers in Japan’s long-running historical drama Mito Komon.]

At the beginning of production, Mr. Bessho looked at Director Izubuchi’s storyboard and was astonished. “There were a lot of calories in each shot. Could we make all of this in one year?”

On the other hand, Mr. Nishii said, “All the storyboard men are passionate about Yamato, so they expanded it from the script. Adjusting all of that into the whole was difficult.” Taking his cue from that, Mr. Bessho said, “We’d do a whole shot from an outsider’s perspective and then say, ‘Director, we can run with this, right?’ then get his confirmation and proceed.”

When asked what he liked about this work, Mr. Nishii said, “We used up all the weapons that are mounted on Yamato. I’m particularly happy with the rocket anchor, because I absolutely wanted to use it.”

On the other hand, whereas the battle of Yamato in the TV series was a solitary struggle, “The theme of this work was a united struggle, and we could do a fleet battle,” Mr. Izubuchi said with satisfaction.

When the topic shifted to the bonus audio commentary on the Blu-ray, Ms. Nakamura shared her impressions. “I didn’t notice [Susumu Kodai voice actor] Daisuke Ono’s passion for Yamato until now, and I listened happily as a Yamato fan.”

Meanwhile, Director Izubuchi explained in detail to keep it all from devolving into idle chatter. Hideaki Anno’s shot was discussed. Fans have been asking where it is, and it will be revealed in the commentary.

Finally, Ms. Nakamura commented, “Please enjoy the world of Yamato 2199 in the high-definition Blu-ray.”

Director Izubuchi concluded the stage greeting with an appeal; “There were some places where things didn’t work out in the [initial] screening, but we added thorough details to the characters in the Blu-ray. It’s worth seeing, so I hope you enjoy watching it.


Onstage at Shinjuku Piccadilly: Bessho, Izubuchi, Nishii, Nakamura.

From My Navi:

It was revealed that Hideaki Anno was in charge of a shot in the Ark of the Stars Blu-ray!?

A screening was held on the 10th at the Shinjuku Piccadilly Theater in Tokyo to commemorate the Blu-ray release of Ark of the Stars, which was released last December. On stage were General Director Yutaka Izubuchi, Chief Mechanical Director Masanori Nishii, Chief Director Makoto Bessho, and Kiryu Mikage’s voice actor Eriko Nakamura.

Ms. Nakamura thanked the fans by saying, “The screenings are the focal point, so it’s thanks to everyone’s love for Yamato that it could come back to the theater this time.”

She became one with the audience as a Yamato fan when General Director Izubuchi and the others were called in one by one.

“As the mechanical director of ships and aircraft,” Izubuchi said, “it was Mr. Nishii’s role to check the effects, and he was in charge of elevating the mecha depictions. But he also did other things. He was the linchpin of quality control. Mr. Bessho did checks as the general manager of the production. He was the foreman, so to speak.”

Ms. Nakamura got a laugh from the fans by saying, “Like Suke-san and Kaku-san!”

Mr. Nishii spoke from the heart about his troubles. “I also did checking of the epaulets. The people who were involved with storyboards were excessively fond of the work, and when the content became more and more expanded, I worried about how to put it all in.”

Mr. Bessho said, “Since Mr. Izubuchi himself was contemplating it, I wholesale simplified the shot from an outsider’s point of view, saying [Mr. Izubuchi] won’t mind.” (Laughs)

Speaking of his commitment to the work, Mr. Nishii said, “I think we used up all of Yamato‘s weapons. I was glad we could use the rocket anchor.”

Also, General Director Izubuchi was happy that they could have a fleet battle. Looking back, he said, “The theme this time is a joint struggle (many to many). In a one-to-many battle, a lot of brute-force ideas are needed.”

Ms. Nakamura commented on the audio commentary for the Blu-ray. “I can assure everyone that you will hear deep thoughts due to the fact that Mr. Ono [Kodai’s voice actor] has been involved with the work for two years and eight months.”

“The audio commentary is apt to become meticulous,” Mr. Izubuchi said. “The staff of the commentary says, ‘here is this person’s storyboard.’ We also talk about the two shots that Hideaki Anno was in charge of.”


Osaka: Welcome display for the guests at Namba Parks Cinema.

At the end of the greeting, Ms. Nakamura made an appeal. “Even for those who have seen it in a theater, there are a lot of places where the image quality of the Blu-ray is even better, so please carefully immerse yourself into the world of Yamato with the Blu-ray.”

“There are places where we improved it,” said Mr. Nishii, “so I think even those who have seen it many times will feel a difference.”

Mr. Bessho said, “I fixed a lot of expressions and parts in the drawing that we couldn’t quite do at the time of the movie. I’d like you to see it many times.”

Finally, Mr. Izubuchi concluded by saying, “There were some parts that didn’t work out for the initial screening, and [character designer] Nobuteru Yuuki put considerable improvements into the overall work. This included a lot of retakes, particularly in places you might not notice, so I hope you’ll enjoy it.”

Ark of the Stars will be released on Blu-ray and DVD May 27.

From News Lounge:

Voice actor Eriko Nakamura is moved by the audience’s love of Yamato!
When the names of other works appeared in the script, “It was a parody?” (Laughs)

A theatrical screening of the Ark of the Stars Blu-ray was held at Tokyo’s Shinjuku Piccadilly Theater on the 10th. General Director Yutaka Izubuchi, Chief Mechanical Director Masanori Nishii, Chief Director Makoto Bessho, and Mikage Kiryu’s voice actress Eriko Nakamura took the stage for a greeting.

The film depicts an unknown voyage of Space Battleship Yamato. After a journey of hardship, Yamato reaches its destination Iscandar and receives the Cosmo Reverse System, then begins the return voyage to Earth. Along the way, Yamato encounters the aggressive race Gatlantis and is attacked. Aiming to return to Earth as soon as possible, the crew escapes by warping, but is lost in a grey region of space where they find a mysterious planet. Garmillas commander Fomto Berger, who swore revenge on Yamato, appears there, and the story progresses in a chaotic direction…

Eriko Nakamura was the first to appear on stage, and was thrilled. “I never thought I’d be able to meet you all like this,” she said. “I haven’t had much chance to get to address you on stage during the movie screenings, until the very last screening. But with this timing, having all of you come to the theater like this tells me how much Yamato is loved.”

Next, the others came to the stage. When Director Izubuchi explained that Mr. Nishii was the key man in support of quality, and Mr. Bessho was like a foreman, Ms. Nakamura excited the audience by asking, “So, it was like Suke-san and Kaku-san from Mito Komon?”

Director Izubuchi answered, “It feels like the minister of the right and the minister of the left,” inviting more laughter.

Mr. Nishii then added, “What if he’d accidentally said Hachibei, instead?” (Laughs)


Onstage at Osaka: Host, Izubuchi, Nishii, Producer Mikio Gunji.

Jumping in on it, Nishimura said, “Then what does that make me, O-Gin?” to which Director Izubuchi laughed and replied, “In that case, you’d have to take off your clothes somewhere,” referring to a bathing scene in Mito Komon with actress Kaoru Yumi and warming up the atmosphere of the room.

Then it was on to the main topic of Yamato. When Ms. Nakamura first got the script, it was substantial. “I thought it was thick! (Laughs) When I had it in my hands at last, I realized how much I was looking forward to it, and as I turned the pages I wondered if I could read it all in one night.”

“There is a screenplay, and the storyboard is based on that,” Director Izubuchi explained. “In fact, we pick up the stage direction in the afreco (voice acting) script from the storyboards (lines and descriptions), not the screenplay.”

“So there is more of a feeling of momentum in the second half,” Nakamura said.

Smiling, Izubuchi revealed, “There were also jokes that I wrote that just happened to be printed in the afreco script by accident.”

“That’s why I saw parodies, and the names of other works?” Nakamura laughed. This is an inside story viewers don’t normally see.

Moving to another topic, Director Izubuchi talked about how the story had to be cut down for the sake of time, saying, “I had to cut some of it out with a single stroke. The parts I had to cut may also be included (on the Blu-ray and DVD).”

On the topic of his work with the mecha, Mr. Nishii said with satisfaction, “I think we used up all the weapons mounted on Yamato. I was glad we could finally use the rocket anchor as a weapon.”

“I lot of people like the rocket anchor,” Mr. Izubuchi laughed. “But I wanted to use it, too.”
 
Talking about one episode, Mr. Bessho said, “When the TV anime finished, Daisuke Ono’s line for Kodai was, ‘I was too late, Yuki! Yuki! Why didn’t I tell you?’ Since the spotlight is on Kodai this time, I thought Kodai could convey something to future generations.”

“Kodai inherits Juuzo Okita’s tactics, and makes them feel like Kodai tactics,” Director Izubuchi mused.

Also, it was said that two shots in the film were drawn by Hideaki Anno. Director Izubuchi said, “On the net, people wrote ‘Did he do it here?’ and every guess was wrong. One shot had Mr. Hashimoto contributing to it.” And it seems that shot will be revealed in the audio commentary.

With these in-depth stories in full swing, Mr. Nishii finally said, “Today, when you see the places we improved, I think you’ll say, ‘Ah, that’s different’ many times.”

Director Besho made this appeal: “We did considerable repair to drawings and expressions we couldn’t finish before the movie came out, so please enjoy watching it many times. Still, if possible, please don’t post comparison pictures of the movie on the net. (smile)”

Director Izubuchi said, “There were also sloppy places in the [original] screening where characters have been doctored, so I think it’s worth watching just for that. We also put a hand in on details you may not notice, and I hope you enjoy it, because it’s our job to be particular about things you don’t notice.”

Ark of the Stars will be released on Blu-ray and DVD May 27!


Osaka: merchandise for sale at Namba Parks Cinema.

From Yamato Crew:

Ark of the Stars Blu-ray version special screenings and stage greeting official report

On April 10 (Friday) and 11 (Saturday), special screenings for the Blu-ray version of Ark of the Stars (to be released May 27) were held at three locations: Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. In addition, stage greetings were done before and after the screenings in each location.

On Friday, April 10, General Director Yutaka Izubuchi, Chief Director Makoto Bessho, Chief Mechanical Director Masanori Nishii, and Mikage Kiryu’s voice actress Eriko Nakamura went on stage at the Shinjuku Piccadilly theater in Tokyo. On Saturday the 11th, General Director Yutaka Izubuchi, Chief Mechanical Director Masanori Nishii, and Producer Mikio Gunji appeared on stage at Namba Parks Cinema in Osaka and MOVIX theater in Kyoto.


Kyoto: display poster at MOVIX Cinema.

Along with the premiere of the upgraded picture for the Blu-ray, they became the first members of the main staff to share inside stories of Ark of the Stars‘ production in a stage greeting.

At the stage greeting in Shinjuku, Eriko Nakamura, who flew around the whole country for stage greetings last December was the first to appear.

“I was able to come back to the theater this time, and I think Yamato is really loved,” she said.

General Director Izubuchi and the others came to the stage to start the greeting. When the topic came up of the script Director Izubuchi worked on, Ms. Nakamura said, “When I received the afreco [voice recording] script, I was surprised by how thick it was, but I realized once again that I played an important role. As I turned the pages, I wondered if I could read the whole thing in one night.”

General Director Izubuchi commented that before the afreco script and the storyboards, the screenplay comes first. Apparently, it seems that the storyboard staff copied notes from the screenplay into the afreco script.

“I was in charge of the storyboard staff (8 people),” Mr. Nishii said, “and their passion for Yamato caused it to expand.” It was revealed that this added up to a significantly longer running time than the screenplay.

Mr. Bessho shared an inside story: “There were a lot of high-calorie shots, and to be frank I was at a loss to know if we could get them all done in one year. Therefore, we put every shot through an outsider’s point of view until ‘It’s fine with the General Director!’ then we could proceed with confirmation.”

Ms. Nakamura listened closely to this from the side.

Mentioning Episode 26, Mr. Bessho talked about how it lead to the theme of this work. “When the TV anime finished, Daisuke Ono’s line for Kodai was, ‘I was too late, Yuki! Yuki! Why didn’t I tell you?’ Since the spotlight is on Kodai this time, I thought Kodai could convey something to future generations.”

Referring to a highlight of this work, he added, “Kodai has a scene where he takes command, which he didn’t get in the series.”

Mr. Nishii chose a highlight unique to a Chief Mechanical Director. “We used up all the weapons mounted on Yamato, such as the depth charges. I was particularly pleased that we could use the rocket anchor as a weapon.”


Onstage at Kyoto: Izubuchi, Nishii, Gunji.

“I lot of people like the rocket anchor,” Mr. Izubuchi laughed. “But I wanted to use it, too.” Following up on Mr. Bessho’s earlier comment, he added, “Kodai inherits Juuzo Okita’s tactics, and makes them feel like Kodai tactics.”

He was also highly satisfied by the highlight scene in which Yamato forms a line with the Garmillas fleet.

“Yamato’s battle so far has been a solitary struggle, but it was good that the theme of this work was a united struggle with a fleet battle.”

Finally, Ms. Nakamura said, “Please enjoy Ark of the Stars again with the high-definition Blu-ray picture.”

Mr. Nishii said, “There were many places where we improved it.”

Touching upon the Blu-ray version that was screened, Mr. Bessho said, “We did considerable repair to drawings and expressions we couldn’t finish before the movie came out, so please enjoy watching it many times.”

Director Izubuchi said, “There were also sloppy places in the [original] screening where characters have been doctored, and we also improved details you may not notice. It’s our job to be particular about things you don’t notice, so please enjoy it again.”

We hope many more people will enjoy the film when it released on Blu-ray and DVD May 27.

Special thanks to Neil Nadelman for translation support.

April 12: Yamaket 5

Toriroji [Trilogy] is a Tokyo minicon that has taken place twice a year since September 2011, a smaller version of Comiket with doujinshi (fanzines) and cosplay. A subgroup of Yamato fan circles banded together there under the name “Yamaket” in March 2013 and have reunited there ever since. Thus, when Toriroji 8 was held this April, it was host to Yamaket 5. They set a record this year with 26 participants, each offering their own DIY Yamato merch. (Visit the Toriroji website here.)

Click here for a photo gallery of the event.

The organizer for Yamaket is an artist named Kiyo. Visit Kiyo’s Twitter page here and Pixiv page here.

April 17: Hobby Japan modeling special

This is the third of Hobby Japan‘s Yamato 2199 Fleet Model Collection books, specifically titled Garmillas Gathered Fleet Volume. It is a compendium of color photo features from the magazine totaling 112 pages. The first 80 are devoted entirely to Garmillas ships with the balance going to Yamato and other items. It closes with a record of all the Bandai kits released as of the month of publication.

Order it from Amazon.co.jp here.

April 25: Hobby magazines, June issues

Coverage was light in both magazines this month, but still interesting. Dengeki Hobby gave just one page to upcoming products, but Hobby Japan had six. Four were devoted to Garmillas kits, fresh material to tie in the with the new modeling special.

Of the forthcoming products, the newest on the block was the “Great Garmillas Empire carrier-based aircraft set,” a collection of the mecha-collection-size bonus kits (shown at right) that were previously included with 1/1000 ship models. See Premium Bandai’s web page for the set here. This five-piece compilation set will be released via the online-only Premium Bandai website in July.

Also pictured was Megahouse’s Cosmo Fleet miniature of the UX-01 Dimensional Submarine, but a release date was not given.

On this same date, Dengeki announced on its Hobby Web site that the magazine would cease publication after its next issue. As of July, it will be entirely digital. More news on this as it happens.

See all the pages here.

April 25: Mecha Collection model #16

The Garmillas multi-deck carrier Schderg was released in mini-kit form, completing the entire lineup of Domel’s task force at Mecha Collection scale.

Next in line is a Mecha Collection version of the Gallunt with drill missile. Meanwhile, see a gallery of Schderg photos here.

April 28: Manga chapter 34

After delivering only the first four pages of this chapter in February, Michio Murakawa had to take time off to work on the special “picture drama” feature for the Ark of the Stars Blu-ray. But he got back on the horse this month and filled out the rest for a 22-page installment that brings Domel to Planet Balun and sets up new drama between the Yamato Crew members.

See all the pages here.

April 29: 1/8 Mikage Kiryu figure

The lively cadet who played a major role in Ark of the Stars joined Megahouse’s Yamato Girls lineup on this day, equipped with headphones and captured doing some sort of zero-G disco move.

As usual, those who ordered their Kiryu figure from Yamato Crew got a special bonus pamphlet with background on the character.

See more photos at the Megahouse website here.

Also spotted in April

Kodai and Yuki pen set

Premium Bandai announced this unique product back in December, and it shipped out this month on schedule; a pair of high-end ink pens decorated in Kodai and Yuki motifs along with custom packaging.

Visit Premium Bandai’s product page for a better look here.




Concert 2015 CD and Blu-ray Audio news

As seen over the last two reports, Yamato 2199 Concert 2015 was an outstanding addition to the history of live Yamato music, and it won’t be long until we all get to hear it for ourselves.

The complete concert is scheduled for release June 10 on two formats, CD (2 discs) and Blu-ray audio. Based on the extensive track list, it looks like nothing will be left out.

Get your pre-order in at Amazon.co.jp here or CD Japan here.

Doujinshis

Due either to Yamaket 5 or other factors, a greater-than-usual number of 2199 doujinshi (fanzines) turned up in online auctions this month. Either way, it’s always fun to examine the wide range of passion and craftsmanship in Japanese fandom.

Above left is one dedicated to Jun Ichikawa, a new crew member designed for Ark of the Stars. The other two are dedicated to model kits.

Yamato ‘zines are also a favorite playground for DIY mecha designers to fill out the ranks of the EDF.

Fan Art by Masami K.

This individual has been a member of the Yamato fan art community for many years, belonging to a circle that publishes a long-running doujinshi series titled PS Story, illustrated novellas featuring original characters.

Masami K posts a lot of Yamato art every month, only a small percentage of which is shown here. See much more at Masami K’s Twitter page, under the online handle Umiushi 2201.

Fever Space Battleship Yamato website

Amid the fervor of all things 2199, something still occasionally emerges to revive the classic Yamato saga. That happened again on April 27 with the arrival of a shiny new website for the forthcoming Fever Yamato pachinko game from Sankyo. These games are a lively vehicle for new art and animation, which is always a visual treat for those of us with no access to the game itself.

Visit the site here.

Space Settlement model kit

We end with something NOT from Yamato, but which has a very interesting connection. Released by Wave Corporation in February, this kit bears a strong resemblance to the classic O’Neill type space colony which became a staple of science-fiction, particularly in Mobile Suit Gundam.

Such colonies are not seen in Yamato, but as it turns out the kit was designed from start to finish by Studio Nue’s Kazutaka Miyatake, a key member of the Yamato design team from the very beginning all the way through 2199. Lucky for us, the model comes with a 12-page booklet of his design work.

See it all here.

Visit Wave’s web page for the kit here.


Continue to Report 46

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