June 2016 saw a slight rise in Yamato 2199 activity, owing to a two-week revival of the 2014 art exhibition, the usual drumbeat of Battlefield Infinity mobile game campaigns, continuing fan activity, and some interesting news of things to come. Here’s everything that happened in Yamato world during the month of June.
June 1 – 13: Art Exhibition revival
2016 felt a little bit like the action-packed 2014 with the return of the 2199 Art Exhibition. Rather than traveling from city to city, it was limited to two weeks in a single Sanseido Bookstore in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, but there’s no denying the draw of that gorgeous 1/100 model. There were no genga (original production drawings) on display, but color paintings by Kia Asamiya and others more than made up for their absence.
Then there were signing events. Chief Mechanical Director Masanori Niishi turned up to autograph his second volume of Hyper Detail Mechanic Artworks on June 5, and the great Naoyuki Katoh (pictured above) arrived to sign his own 2199 art book on June 12.
Fans shared photos aplenty on Twitter. Get a sampling of them here.
See another photoset of the model here.
June 4: Super Robot Wars announcement
Since these reports started, their mission has been to summarize everything going on in Japan for the sake of simple knowledge. But there’s no denying that they’ve also been a constant tease – and probably a source of exasperation – over all the things we outside Japan don’t have access to. But the law of averages has to pay off once in a while.
That happened on June 4 with the seismic announcement of the Bandai Namco video game Super Robot Taisen [Wars] V, arriving next year for Playstation 4 and Playstation Vita. As with previous installmetns of the SRW series, it brings different anime worlds together in dream-team scenarios (Gundam meets Evangelion, for example).
With this edition, Yamato 2199 joins the fray – and brings English subtitles into the gameplay for truly international excitement. Read additional news and see promotional trailers at these links:
Anime News Network | Dengeki Online | Nico Nico | Siliconera | Official site
June 6: Game news
The Battlefield Infinity mobile game picked up where it left off with a wedding-themed campaign that began in May (as seen in the last report).
Kodai and Dessler appear as grooms as the Wish upon a bouquet: Groom edition is held!
On June 6, the second half of the Wish upon a bouquet: Groom edition begins! Collect bouquets during the event stage to earn ranking points and aim for an exclusive higher rank reward in the latter half of the event! During the Groom edition, the limited ranking rewards are limited wedding versions of Kodai and Dessler!
Of course, limited units obtained as ranking rewards are powerful on their own, but this reward is something special! Combining them with the brides from the first half of the event, wedding versions of Yuki Mori or Celestella, their skills become mutually strengthened! Demonstrate the power of strong love between a bride and a groom in the battlefield!
New, limited elite units also appear during rare buildup during the Groom edition! Ultra rare clergy versions of Tokugawa and Shulz! Aim for high ranking points with these elites!
When using the elite skills of Tokugawa and Shulz, acquisition of ranking points is different from the Bride edition in the first half! When using these ultra-rare units, acquisition of ranking points goes up 8 times!! Organizing your fleet with the Misaki and Hilde units from the Bride edition makes the event stage easier to clear! Use two kinds of elite units and obtain a higher ranking reward!
Limited reward unit details
UN Cosmo Navy
Yakumo (Susumu Kodai, wedding version)
Special skill: Wedding cruise
Continuously affects motion. When within 3 squares of Yuki Mori, firepower, armor and mobility increase by 50%
Garmillas Empire forces
Destria-class (Dessler, wedding version)
Special skill: Royal wedding
When using this skill, the firepower, armor, and mobility of Mizela Celestella and the fleet increase by 50% for three turns.
Event period: June 6 – 13
Ticket buildup period: May 30 – June 15
New elites! Clergy versions of Tokugawa and Shulz appear!
In the Wish upon a bouquet: Groom edition event held from June 6, new limited elite units can be used which appear in rare buildup! Aim for the top ranking with elite skills that differ from those of the Bride edition!
The new elite units are limited to rare buildup! Ultra rare Clergy versions of Tokugawa and Shulz can be built! The effect of their new elite skill is to increase ranking point acquisition! Using them allows you to obtain eight times more ranking points than usual!
The new elite Clergy versions of Tokugawa and Shulz are ultra rare! Get these elite units and aim fast for the top ranking! In addition, you can also continue to build the elite Misaki and Hilde units from the Bride edition! Take advantage of their mobility to collect bouquets, and improve ranking points with Tokugawa and Shulz!
Also! Until June 8, the buildup probability of all ultra rare units is doubled!! Use two kinds of elite units to aim for the top ranking!
Elite units
UN Cosmo Navy
Kirishima (Hikozaemon Tokugawa, Clergy version)
Elite skill: Increase points, level 4
Continuously affects motion. Acquire 8 times the ranking points in the Wish upon a bouquet event area
Garmillas Empire forces
Chevalier (Shulz, Clergy version)
Elite skill: Increase points, level 4
Continuously affects motion. Acquire 8 times the ranking points in the Wish upon a bouquet event area
Elite unit buildup period: June 6 – 13
Ultra rare buildup increased probability: until June 8
Collect tickets by search, get simple dress versions of Mori and Celestella!
Separate from the event battle stage, a limited search stage appears to get exclusive Ring tickets for use in the event! Collect tickets in a Ring ticket buildup search to get simple dress versions of Mori and Celestella!
In addition, Ring tickets are available during the event period by login alone! Together with ranking from the event, try to get Mori and Celestella in both wedding dresses and simple dresses! Getting the top ranking is tough…aim high and get a high reward!
Event search stage period: until June 6
Ticket buildup period: until June 15
June 13: Game news
Obtain limited ranking units Niimi and Mirenel dripping with water
In the Maiden in the Rain competition, collect ranking points according to results in a search stage! Search ranking Maiden in the Rain competition to be held! Get rain versions of Niimi and Mirenel as limited ranking rewards!
Work hard for a lot of exclusive rewards! If you build up and make full use of rare, elite units, getting a high ranking is not a dream! Get elite units and aim for the top rank!
Don’t miss the bonus stage that appears during the event period…when this bonus stage suddenly appears, try to earn a large amount of tickets and ranking points! When a game news, push notification, or Twitter announcement appears the day before the bonus stage, check it and scramble!
Event period: June 13 – 24 (First half until June 20)
Aim for high ranking with elite units!
In the Maiden in the Rain competition Shower edition search event, use elite units that appear in rare and normal buildup! Elite units that appear in the first half of the Shower edition will not be available in the second half, so don’t miss this opportunity!
Rain versions of Akira Yamamoto and Melda are added to rare fighter buildup! Elite skills will make for big success by boosting the search success rate! With an ultra rare elite unit, the probability of success is 100%! Use these elite units to aim for a high rank and get rain versions of Niimi and Mirenel as ranking rewards!
The chance of acquiring an elite unit expands just after the event starts! The probability of buildup with an ultra-rare unit is double until June 15!
Elite unit buildup probability period: June 13 – 20
Ultra rare buildup expanded probability period: June 13 – 15
Collect tickets and get different ranking rewards!
In the Maiden in the Rain competition search event, Umbrella ticket buildup appears! Collect Umbrella tickets in the Umbrella ticket buildup event search stage and obtain limited ultra-rare umbrella versions of Niimi and Mirenel!
There are two different kinds of buildup depending on the number of tickets: Umbrella ticket buildup and Probability Rise umbrella ticket buildup. If you build up a lot, the probability of building up limited ultra-rare umbrella versions is high!
Also! During the event period, get Umbrella tickets just by logging in every day! Ticket buildup can be performed even at login! While collecting ranking points, collect Umbrella tickets and clear the event search stage!
Umbrella ticket buildup period: June 13 – 26
“Development” feature upgrade!
The “development” feature upgrade creates new items from surplus items! 64 new decals, including scenes and illustrations, come up for development! Get new decals from surplus items!
June 17: Game news
Large-scale update decision! Battlefield Infinity Chapter 2 takes the war to a new dimension!
A large-scale update to Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Battlefield Infinity has been decided!! Saved data and some items from version 1.5.1 will also be available in version 2.0.0!
The Battlefield Infinity direction and operation system has evolved for various new strategies and pleasures! Don’t miss the planned update in July!
Your ideal cosplay character appears in Limited rarity!
To celebrate the large-scale update decision, your ideal cosplay of a Yamato character is wanted! A Version 2.0 update! Twitter application campaign will be held!
During the campaign period, dress as your favorite Yamato character on Twitter with the designated hashtag “Costume” when you tweet!! After the application period, applicants for “character” and “costume” will be chosen, one each for the Cosmo Navy and Garmillas army, then added to the game as a rare Limited unit in the version 2.0 update! A chance for your dream to become reality!
Participate in the Twitter application campaign and get an ideal character! See more information in the app!
Hashtag: #BFIupdate (it will become invalid if the hashtag is not included)
Application period: June 17 – 27
Results announced June 29
Official Twitter page: yamato2199bfi
June 20: Game news
Obtain limited rain versions of Niimi and Mirenel, dripping with water
The second half of the ranking game begins! Organization of high firepower is recommended in the search stage for the second half of the event, the Rain edition! Take the challenge of the search stage and try to get ranking points depending on the results!
Good news for commanders who could not get ranking rewards in the Shower edition! Rain versions of Kaoru Niimi and Mirenel have appeared again as limited ranking rewards! Your last chance to get a rain version of these characters!
Clear the event search stage and aim for a high rank to win limited rain versions of Niimi and Mirenel as ranking rewards! Make full use of rare, elite units to clear the event search stage and aim for the top rank!
Don’t miss the bonus stage that appears during the event period…when it suddenly comes up, get tickets and ranking points in large quantities! When a game news, push notification, or Twitter announcement appears the day before the bonus stage, check it and scramble!
Event period: June 20 – 24
Limited Rain edition elite units! Rain versions of Harada and Elisa appear!
New limited elite units appear during the Maiden in the Rain: Rain edition event! Aim for the top ranking with these elites, which are different from the Shower edition!
Rain versions of Makoto Harada and Elisa appear only in rare fighter buildup in the Rain edition! Like the Shower edition, their special elite skills improve the search success rate! With these ultra-rare elite units, the probability of success is 100%! With the search success rate of these elite units and the defeat of your rivals, earn rain versions of Niimi and Mirenel as ranking rewards!
Get the chance of acquiring an elite unit right after the event starts! The probability doubles until June 22! Double your chance of getting an elite unit during the buildup period and dash to the start!
Elite unit buildup period: June 20 – 24
Ultra-rare buildup probability rise period: June 20 – 22
Collect tickets and get limited units!
Umbrella ticket buildup appears in the Maiden in the Rain competition search event! After you collect Umbrella tickets in the event search stage, upgrade them with development to obtain limited ultra-rare umbrella versions of Niimi and Mirenel!
There are two different kinds of buildup depending on the number of tickets: Umbrella ticket buildup and Probability Rise umbrella ticket buildup. If you build up a lot, the probability of building up limited ultra-rare umbrella versions is high! While collecting ranking points, collect Umbrella tickets and clear the event search stage!
Also! During the event period, get Umbrella tickets just by logging in every day! Ticket buildup can be performed even at login!
Umbrella ticket buildup period: June 13 – 26
Large-scale update decision! Battlefield Infinity Version 2 takes the war to a new dimension!
A large-scale update to Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Battlefield Infinity has been decided!! The Battlefield Infinity battle system has greatly evolved to charge through the galactic ocean!
Saved data and some items from version 1.5.1 will also be available in version 2.0.0! The Battlefield Infinity direction and operation system has evolved for various new strategies and pleasures! Don’t miss the planned update in July!
June 23: New game announcement
Apparently infinity isn’t big enough. On June 23, Yamato Crew announced that Tenda Development and Management Co., Ltd. is working on its own social media game for iOS and Android. Titled Yamato 2199 ~ Journey to Iscandar, it appears to cover the same ground as the other games we’ve seen and even includes new character art, but details are very sketchy at this point. The only preview can be found at the official site of the distributor, Mobcast. More news to follow, presumably.
June 24: Game news
Newly-drawn characters appear for the first time in rare, limited buildup!
Two new characters appear in rare buildup!! A fierce attack is coming in the Bewitching white! Sabera’s advent Event starting June 26! In preparation for this, Yoshino from the UN Cosmo Navy and Mirangal from the Garmillas forces appear as elite units in rare buildup!
Newly-drawn characters Hajime Saito and Berger appear for the first time!
Also! The buildup probability of limited and ultra-rare units is doubled! Get limited elite units in rare buildup to reinforce and prepare for Sabera’s advent!
Limited elite units
UN Cosmo Navy
Yoshino (Hajime Saito)
Parameters:
Maximum durability: 2100
Maximum fuel: 3654
Maximum firepower: 755
Maximum armor: 457
Maximum mobility: 200
Unit skill
Action delay: Level 5
Continuously affects motion. Action count +1 with 75% probability of attack
Fleet skill
All-ship assault
Continuously affects motion. Improves firepower of all fleet units 100% in the event area
Garmillas Empire Forces
Mirangal (Fomt Berger)
Parameters:
Maximum durability: 6493
Maximum fuel: 6902
Maximum firepower: 765
Maximum armor: 515
Maximum mobility: 215
Unit skill
Action delay: Level 5
Continuously affects motion. Action count +1 with 75% probability of attack
Fleet skill
All-ship assault
Continuously affects motion. Improves firepower of all fleet units 100% in the event area
Elite unit buildup period: June 24 – 27
Limited and ultra-rare probability up period: June 24 – 25
Reinforcement campaign Reinforcement request form search begins!
In preparation for a powerful enemy attack, a limited search stage appears with lots of Reinforcement request forms! Search for Reinforcement request forms and get three kinds of reinforcement to strengthen your fleet!
Low vigilance and performance
Medium vigilance and performance
High vigilance and performance
Low vigilance and firepower
Medium vigilance and firepower
High vigilance and firepower
Low vigilance, mobility and armor
Medium vigilance, mobility and armor
High vigilance, mobility and armor
They are released in order of low to high in the stage
Reinforcement campaign period: June 24 – 25
June 25: Makoto Kobayashi interview
Do you recognize this face? You should by now – it’s artist/painter/designer/modeler Makoto Kobayashi, who has been an active participant in Space Battleship Yamato projects since the late 80s, and is now hard at work on Yamato 2202. (Click here to read the Cosmo DNA interview with him that took place prior to the release of Yamato 2199.)
On June 25, the number of Kobayashi interviews in English doubled when a new one appeared on the Forbes website. His conversation with writer Ollie Barder was equally candid and brought a few more nuggets out of the Yamato vault, one of which inspired the title of the article itself.
Read it here.
June 27: Game news
One-time only limited unit! “First Revival event”
A popular event from the past appears again. Escape from the dimensional fault in the “First Revival event!” Graveyard of the Universe is being held!
Try to get past the dimensional fault on the stage and reach the target point! Get ranking points when you clear it, and the top rank gets the limited units Isamu Enomoto and Vars Lang! This event is the perfect chance! Increase your rank and get a limited unit!
In addition to the ranking reward get various advantageous battle items! Try to get the limited unit and the battle items in this event!
First Revival event period: June 27 – July 4
Rare buildup is revived! An elite appears that can be used in the event!
In the First Revival event Graveyard of the Universe, an elite unit appears in both rare and normal buildup! Get past the threat of the dimensional fault by making full use of the elite unit’s low fuel-consumption effect!
Also, it has a great effect in the fight against your rival! Raise your ranking points and aim for a high ranking reward with another elite effect! Ultra-rare buildup probability is doubled until June 29!
Elite buildup period: June 27 – July 4
Get a benefit just for logging in! Revival Ticket buildup!
It’s not just ranking that gets revived! In a dedicated search event, collect Revival tickets and earn a limited unit!
Using Revival tickets available in the search event, as a login bonus, and in the event battle, try to get limited revival units with two kinds of Revival ticket buildup!
The buildup probability of a limited unit improves if you use more tickets! The Revival tickets can also be used later in the Second Revival event! Collect tickets and try to get the limited unit!
Event search stage period: June 27 – July 4
Ticket buildup period: June 27 – July 4
June 27: Game news
First major update information
In version 2.0, enjoy fierce battles just like the anime! The range of battle direction and tactics significantly improves!
Super strong battle force!
Combat powerup in cannon, missile, and fighter performance! Use your skills for a big, powerful attack!
Advanced battle system!
In addition to intuitive operation, all units can act in a single turn in this turn-based battle system! To further intensify the battle, the system can accommodate up to five different warship classes! The formation and action of a fleet unit can greatly affect a battle situation!
June 27: Manga chapter 48
Artist/writer Michio Murakawa pushed off into a new story arc this month, depicting the kangaroo-court martial of General Domel and the mission to access a Garmillas hyperspace gateway as seen in Episode 17. This chapter ran 29 pages and was published online at both Nico Nico Ace and Comic Walker.
See all the pages here.
June 30: Ship’s Log #14
This issue of Ship’s Log continued to serve its new purpose of reporting on the preproduction of Yamato 2202, and thus is not covered here. Fortunately, all you have to do is click over to 2202 Report 2 for the full scoop!
Also Spotted in June
Fan models
Four model kits popped up in online auctions in June: alternate-color versions of the Cosmo Zero and Cosmo Falcon, a scratch-built Megaluda, and a Domelaze with a Mirangal-style paint scheme. The builder goes by the online name “Weed Daisuke.”
See more photos of all four models here.
Fan art
The art that popped up on Twitter in June filled out a delightful range of subject matter from characters to mecha to imaginary emblems – a LOT of imaginary emblems. See them here
Cosplay
Always a pleasant way to wrap up a 2199 report, Japan’s best Yamato cosplayers send us off with their latest and greatest. See a photo gallery here.