Space Battleship Yamato 2202 Report 61

After the “boom month” of June, Yamato activity dropped back down to pre-movie levels as the countdown to 2205‘s October premiere got underway. Covid caused another event to be postponed, but fans came to the rescue again with phenomenal levels of online engagement. Here’s the rundown for July.


Photo posted on Twitter by Giga


Photo posted on Twitter by Nishinob

July 4: Yamato & Villains concert #2, Tokyo

One week after its premiere in Osaka, this new concert went live in Tokyo at the Opera City Concert Hall. Akira Miyagawa conducted the first one with the Osaka Shion Wind Orchestra, but this one featured the Siena Wind Orchestra. In other words, the same concert was performed a week apart by two different ensembles, which is quite a feat for one conductor.

Fans expressed overwhelming admiration on Twitter, the highlights being the White Comet theme (Keith Emerson tribute version) on a huge pipe organ, and the Goruba theme played on piano by Miyagawa’s daughter Tomoko (known online as Chiko). Applause was generous, as much an expression of love for the music as it must have been a release from ongoing pandemic tensions.

The performance of the Yamato theme was later posted on Youtube; watch it here

It’s possible to recreate the playlist if you’re willing to wade through some Japanese text. “Yamato Music FE” attended the Tokyo concert and took note of every track, creating an index of where they can be found on CD. Find it on Twitter here.

One particularly interesting Tweet came from organist Yuka Ishimaru, who wrote the following:

“Thank you, everyone! It was a blissful time for me as a brass band graduate. The pipe organ at Opera City, which was just overhauled, rang well. I will play The White Comet again on 7/14 at Suntory Hall!”

Photos posted on Twitter by performers DSC Yuuki and Yuka Ishimaru

So yes, after a very long silence, more live music was on the way (keep reading).


Rehearsal photo, posted on Twitter July 1 by SienaWind2019


Photo at right posted on Twitter by Take Channel 36

July 7: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 128

July’s construction of the giant Andromeda began with final assembly of the graviton spreaders built into the bow section. Not only do they light up, they pop open and closed at the touch of a finger.

See Hachette’s instruction video here

See an unboxing video here

See a modeler’s blog here

July 9: Star Blazers Lambda Chapter 15

Last month, Chapter 14 ended with an alert of yet another incoming Seireness attack. This month, the NerfThis fleet launches into pitched battle, working like a well-oiled machine. But this time the enemy is a step ahead with unexpected counter-moves. Everything changes in a flash, and a white-knuckle ride leads to Yu Yamato’s literal worst nightmare!

See all the pages with description here.

July 14: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 129

Assembly of the graviton spreaders concluded with this volume, all four now ready to dish out punishment. Twitter user Sousui posted the photo above right, showing all the pieces that have been delivered so far.

See Hachette’s instruction video here

See an unboxing video here

See a modeler’s blog here


At right: view of the performance space on a lobby monitor, photo posted on Twitter by Aoi2199

July 14: Yuka Ishimaru Organ Concert: J.S. Bach and the Dreaming Universe

“When the magnificent sound of the pipe organ meets the 13.8 billion year memories of the universe, the stars spread out above us, intersecting with sounds of the future.”

That irresistable description brought fans to hear organist Yuka Ishimaru perform this unique concert at Suntory Hall & Planetarium in Tokyo (which was sold out). Dr. Haruo Saji, Theoretical physicist and director of the Misora Observatory in Hokkaido, delivered a planetarium show to accompany the music. The program included ten pieces, including Hiroshi Miyagawa’s White Comet theme.

See the White Comet performance on Youtube here.

If you’d like to hear for yourself what Yuka Ishimaru can do with White Comet, it’s included on a CD she released in September 2019. Get more info here.

July 21: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 130

With the graviton spreaders finished, the next step was to bolt all the bow sections together and wire it up into a single, hefty hunk of metal. Remember, the whole ship is going to about 50″ long, so we’re talking about a very big model. One builder described this section alone as comparable in size to a MacBook.

See Hachette’s instruction video here

See an unboxing video here

See a modeler’s blog here

July 22: Yokosuka Sea Anime Carnival postponed

In hindsight, we probably should have seen this one coming. Set to begin on July 22, this event was to take place on the memorial battleship Mikasa and feature displays for a handful of projects, including Yamato 2205 and Aquarius Algorithm. But Covid got in the way again and the carnival was put on hold for a future date TBD.

However, advance tickets were still sold for 1100yen, accompanied by a Yamato 2205 clear file. The teaser poster occupies one side. A painting of the Mikasa taking flight occupies the other, created by well-known illustrater Ryuji “Umegrafix” Umeno. See a larger version at the end of this page.

July 27: Game news

The mobile game Yamato 2202: A Distant Journey has been around for a while now, but we haven’t seen much in these reports because it doesn’t have an online presence the way previous Yamato games did. But once in a while, some news breaks through. It did on July 27 when the game officially changed the number in its name.

Also, at least one fan who actually plays it has generously uploaded a bunch of the custom artwork. See a collected gallery here.

July 28: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 131

Wings ahoy! The last volume of the month allowed builders to attach the nose of the ship to the weapons block and add the port-side wing. Here’s your reminder that we’re now 21 volumes into a 60-volume series. In theory, just over a third of the ship has been released. But as the cover photo attests, the remaining mass is for sure greater than 2/3. We’ll see, Hachette. We’ll see…

See Hachette’s instruction video here

See an unboxing video here

See a modeler’s blog here

July 29: Game collaboration announced

Vivid Army is an HTML5 game (by CTW Corporation) that can be played on both home computers and smart phones without downloading or registration. It’s a strategy sim in which you command an army on land, sea, and air to either fight or cooperate with other players. At the end of July, it was announced that for a limited time six Yamato characters would be available to users.

For the benefit of players unfamiliar with Yamato, Mirai Media published these images and descriptions on their website…

Captain Okita: An intellectual and decisive commander who knows better than anyone the folly of battle and the difficulty and preciousness of achieving peace. After his death, he is enshrined on Hero’s Hill near the capital in honor of his achievements in the Iscandar voyage.

Susumu Kodai: A gentle young man who does not like conflict. But in the face of hard times, he goes on a mission to save Earth and continues to “pull the trigger” more than anyone else. This is the contradiction he must bear.

Yuki Mori: She lost her memory in an accident, and now only has memories of the last four years. Not knowing who she is, she meets Kodai and after the voyage to Iscandar they choose to be together.

Akira Yamamoto: Always has a cool demeanor, but her inner passion is immeasurable. She handles the highly challenging prototype Cosmo Tiger 1 as if it were her own limb.

Kaoru Niimi: After recovering from injuries sustained from a self-destructing Gatlantis soldier, she was sent on a special mission in the Time Fault. Under the command of Captain Saki Todo, she is deeply involved in construction of the experimental Wave-Motion ship Ginga.

Yuria Misaki: As the youngest member of the crew, she goes on the voyage to Iscandar during which she falls in love with Toru Hoshina. When Yamato launches again, she aids the operation but ends up staying on Earth.


Also spotted in July

2202 Pachinko game

This game, a co-production by Bitsy and Fields, first arrived at some sites in late June, then continued to pop up across Japan in July. Fans posted photos and videos of it wherever it could be found.

Prize campaigns from Fields helped lure some players in, such as this one offering cash cards and the GX-86 Yamato.


Photos posted on Twitter by Ageo Uno1 and Beroberoba444

If you’d like to see what the game looks like in action, the following sources have posted demo videos:

Tame Pachi | Tarachi’s Pachislot Channel | Hori no bbaten | Nakamu Hamakin | Onarin4646 | S Meijin

Fan art

There were two character birthdays in July, but it’s not like fans need an excuse to pump out new art. The July selection was bigger than ever, with just about everyone getting the spotlight.

See a character gallery here and a mecha gallery here.

Fan models

After taking a short break in June to go see Age of Yamato, modelers were back in force in July, with an incredibly diverse output.

See them all here: Gallery A | Gallery B | Gallery C

The space bar is open

Yakitori Yamato restaurant is still alive and well in Shibuya, Tokyo, and fans have made it a destination. Whenever the menu is expanded, the news gets out. In July, Twitter user Ratax100 gave us all a look at the drinks menu, which now features many options, charmingly named after Yamato characters. (Most are non-alcoholic, in case you need to know.)

These days, the restaurant also gives out free hand fans to help get you through the summer heat. Photos posted on Twitter by Mat Hama.

Giant models back in action

On July 4, Twitter user Tanu Hara shared these photos of the 3-meter Yamato and Andromeda display models, which for one reason or another, were both installed for a while at an art museum in Nagoya. Enjoy.


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