Why the Space Battleship Yamato compilation went documentary-style
An interview with Harutoshi Fukui and Yuka Minakawa
Published June 6, 2021 by Mantan Web
(see the original article here)
Age of Yamato, the compilation film of the popular anime series Yamato 2199 and Yamato 2202, will premiere on June 11. It covers the period from man’s landing on the moon in 1969 to reaching Mars in 2042 to Yamato‘s battle against Gatlantis in 2202. It is a documentary-style film told from Shiro Sanada’s point of view. We talked about it with Harutoshi Fukui, who wrote the 2202 series, and Yuka Minakawa, who wrote the script with Fukui.
How did you organize the huge amount of information?
Interviewer: What was your goal in making the compilation into a documentary?
Fukui: When I thought about the meaning of making a compilation in an age when fans have Blu-rays, I wanted to add elements that fans would enjoy. But I also wanted to make it a boarding ramp for people who are not yet fans. I wanted to make a documentary about Space Battleship Yamato as a continuation of modern society, starting from 1969 when mankind reached the Moon.
To begin with, it is impossible to connect the enormous amount of information in both 2199 and 2202 into a single story, so I decided to make it a documentary right away without worrying about it. I had made compilation films for Gundam, and I was satisfied with the flow of switching between narrative and drama.
Interviewer: Ms. Minakawa, how did you decide to join the project?
Minakawa: I wondered who was going to do the compilation, and I was asked to compile material on Sanada. I made a document that summarized his emotional moments in 2199 and 2202. When I brought it to a meeting, Mr. Fukui said, “Do you know why you’re here? You’re going to do the script.” When I was putting the material together, I thought, “It’s gonna be hard for someone to write a script…” (laughs).
Fukui: I took 2199 and 2202 apart shot by shot and made a document of what lines were said where. I knew from the beginning that I would need to ask for your help to make a compilation. When it came to the documentary, we knew about 2202, but we wanted you to put together a document of Sanada’s emotional moments in 2199. I thought, “Why not share it?” That’s what happened.
Interviewer: What kind of material was it?
Minakawa: I extracted a huge number of lines and looked at them like a resume to understand the flow and see what he was thinking. Then I summarized the main flow of the dialogue and scenes.
Fukui: There’s a Gundam book by Minakawa-san called A Critical Biography of Char Aznable, which is like that. It would be interesting to publish this somewhere.
Minakawa: I think I might be able to make a “Biography of Shiro Sanada.” I’d like to use Excel to calculate how many warps Yamato could make in a day. I also do this when I write my own novels, but when I read what others have created, I can see how they thought when they created it. For example, in the case of 2199, I could see how many days it takes to go to Pluto and back.
Interviewer: What is the division of roles between you two?
Fukui: Basically, Minakawa-san wrote the script, and I adjusted it.
Minakawa: I thought, “If Fukui-san can organize it, I’ll do it!” So I joined in. It was like a session.
Fukui: While you were writing, I just spoke, exchanged ideas, and adjusted the finished product. I didn’t make any of the cuts, I just accepted them. I had a good feeling when I asked you to take the job, and it turned out just as I expected. I’m sure it wouldn’t have gone as smoothly with someone else.
Minakawa: Mr. Fukui’s focus never wavered, so I felt at ease. At first I was planning to do a 90-minute film, and I was wondering how I could fit it all in. And I didn’t know how to edit the video. When I worked it out myself, it turned out to be 2.5 or 3 hours long. I started to think of one minute as one page of a script, and tried to fit it into 90 pages. It was difficult.
Interviewer: Was it hard to summarize the huge number of episodes within the time limit?
Minakawa: Before the screenings of 2202, there was a synopsis of the story so far. Just putting those together came to about an hour and a half. What were we going to do? I had a hard time.
Fukui: At first, I cut it into pieces, and it was two and a half hours. After that, I was thinking in terms of music. I decided, “I’ll get through this scene with this song!” and tried to fit it into the music’s limits, no matter what. For example, if I followed the climax of Yamato crashing into Garmillas and heading for Iscandar in order, it would be very difficult. But maybe I could do it all within the length of the original Yamato theme. So I decided to do it. The director, Atsuki Sato, is a pro at making trailers, so he’s really good at that.
Minakawa: I knew from the start that we could get through it with Sato magic! I was sure it would be a pleasant film.
Interviewer: It certainly has a rhythmic feel to it.
Fukui: There’s a lot of information in this film, so it’s tiring to watch it all the time.
Minakawa: In this day and age, we have both Blu-ray and streaming media, so I’d like people to watch the film in the theater and then take their time with it later.
2205 expresses the mood of this time when everyone is hurting…
Interviewer: It’s an easy film to watch, even for people who haven’t seen Yamato before.
Fukui: Yamato is a legend for our generation. But younger people may wonder why Yamato is flying in space! In the past, Yamato was a summary and critique of postwar Japan. I wanted to show young people that this is not a fantasy!
When starting from real history, there was a choice between “space” and “battleship.” I had a choice to make. If I wanted to focus on battleships, I would have started with the sinking of the battleship Yamato in World War II. If I wanted to focus on space, I would start with space development.
In the case of battleships, it is difficult to create a story about World War II in a way that everyone can understand. So we turned our attention to space and started with the Apollo scene.
There are some inconsistencies in the old Yamato, but the remake series was made to make sense. In 2199, the staff created the world meticulously. I wanted to make that clear as well.
Minakawa: Junichiro Tamamori (concept advisor) was amazing. There were some things that made my eyes glaze over.
Fukui: The idea of restoring the battleship Yamato at the 200th Anniversary of the End of World War II came from him. In fact, the battleship Yamato was shattered. So new viewers must wonder, why is the battleship Yamato in the anime? I asked Mr. Tamamori about it and he came up with an idea on the spot. Even if the material used is different, just a single screw from the battleship Yamato could be incorporated into the space battleship.
Minakawa: Battleship Yamato couldn’t go to Okinawa, but Yamato will go to Iscandar and come back. It’s a ship that carries something like that on its shoulders. 2199 also has relevance. That’s what I wanted to emphasize.
Interviewer: What was the appeal of Yamato that you felt again through the compilation?
Fukui: I know I made a story about why you shouldn’t fire the Wave-Motion Gun, but the way the beam comes out silences everything without question. I felt the appeal of the visuals again.
Minakawa: Yamato‘s launch is very exciting, isn’t it? The music is also exciting.
Fukui: The power of music is also a big factor.
Interviewer: What is the unique appeal of 2199 and 2202?
Fukui: It was 30 years after the war when the first movie was shown. Thirty years ago was 1990, which seems recent, doesn’t it? It was the same distance as when we think about, “When was the bubble economy?” We have to make clear the meaning of what we are doing in the age of Reiwa.
In the old Yamato, the main character voiced the self-contradiction of flying Yamato despite the common sense that war is wrong. After his parents and brother were killed and he got even, his remaining emotion was, “We should have loved each other.” This is something that was missing in that era, and it was supported by many people.
In this day and age, one terrible thing after another happens, and I wouldn’t be surprised if aliens come to visit us next year. The content is easy to understand. Our minds and bodies are hurting and need to be healed. There are some things we need to think about. We’re hurting so much! I talk about that and share it in my work.
This may be this era’s answer to what Yamato accomplished in the past. Susumu Kodai is a sensible young man, but it becomes difficult for him to live a normal life. I wish to express the mood of this time when everyone is hurting. That may have meaning.
Minakawa: I hope that 30 years from now, we can laugh and say, “It was a tough time back when we made 2202.” The Yamato that gets created then may have a different approach.
Interviewer: You will both also participate in the next sequel, Yamato 2205. What kind of work do you think it will be?
Minakawa: I’m in a position to complain about the setting and stuff, and annoy Fukui-san and the others. (Laughs)
Fukui: In 2205, a secret will be revealed that has been kept from us until now. It’s not just about the setting, it’s about the foundation of the story.