Space Battleship Yamato 2202 Report 62

August 2021 ticked up a bit over July with some interesting announcements, a new fan club magazine, Age of Yamato on home video, and a LOT of fan activity. Plus, Yamato 2205 got another month closer. Here’s everything that went down…

August 4: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 132

For Andromeda builders, the month began with the counterpart to Vol. 131, this time adding the starboard fin to the hull. And of course it has a LED built into it.

See Hachette’s instruction video here

See an unboxing video here

See a modeler’s blog here

August 5 & 12: Twitter action

Two members of the Yamato 2205 animation team posted on Twitter in August. First up (left) was an original layout from Character Designer Nobuteru Yuuki, who said:

Supervising the original art [key animation] for the first chapter is finally completed. It’s been a long time since I did ten shot.

(See the original Tweet here)

Second (right) was a tribute drawing from Kio “Edakio” Edamatsu, who said:

I’m participating in Space Battleship Yamato 2205, The New Voyage. This will be my next time on board, following 2199, Ark and 2202. I look forward to working with you.

In addition to designing props that decorate the world of 2205, I am also helping with the mechanical drawings for the main story. In every task, I’m trying to put in what I’ve seen in my voyages so far, and what I can do now, at maximum speed. By the way, there is a shot in the current trailer that I was in charge of.

A lot of things have changed since 2202, and I had almost given up on participating in this series. However, with the guidance of the power of fate, I was able to reconnect with this ship. I am very grateful and happy about that. Thank you again for your support.

(See the original Tweet here)

August 6: RC Yamato video

We’ve seen ample evidence over the years of how dedicated Yamato fans are; when they’re inspired to pour their love into a huge project, amazing things can happen. One of those fans goes by the online handle Red Heaven, and his project finally culminated after 12 years of hard work.

Four years before the 1/100 Yamato display model started appearing in movie theaters, he began building his own. And he didn’t stop at the outside; he wired it up with lights and RC motors and put it in the water. He posted progress videos on Youtube from time to time, and with this one he showed the entire build from start to finish.

Click here to watch it, and open the description to find all of his previous videos.

August 9: Yamato 2205 trailer

A new one-minute trailer appeared on this day, loaded with intriguing visuals and dialogue. See a full breakdown in Yamato 2205 Report 2 here.

August 10: Band Journal magazine

The September issue of this magazine, which has covered symphonic music for an astonishing 80 years, devoted a couple pages to the latest Yamato concerts performed in June and July (as described in previous reports). Both of their glowing reviews are presented here.

Depicting the one and only Yamato passed down from the past to the present

Osaka Shion Wind Orchestra
137th Regular Concert

Sunday June 27, Osaka Symphony Hall
Text by Hikoyuki Komibuchi (Music Critic)

This year’s concert from the Osaka Shion Wind Orchestra, called the Space Battleship Yamato Festival, was the 137th regular performance. Music director Akira Miyagawa appeared on stage for the first time in about two years, since the 126th regular concert. Due to the spread of the Corona virus, the number of seats was restricted by 50% from the beginning of subscription sales. The tickets were sold out immediately on the day of public sale. The usual enthusiasm of Shion’s regular concerts was maintained. Yamato fans with passionate feelings gathered there.

Space Battleship Yamato started with the TV anime broadcast from 1974 to 1975, and the movie version released in theaters in 1977. Sequels have been produced steadily since then. The music was composed by Hiroshi Miyagawa, Akira’s father. After Hiroshi’s death, there were two sequels, Yamato 2199 and Yamato 2202, both with music written by Akira.

This “Yamato all over again” concert started with White Comet played on pipe organ (by Hitoko Harada). The bass notes on the pedal board took us to another dimension. Naomi Tabata played alto saxophone at the beginning of the prelude to the Yamato Suite. I was drawn into the world of Yamato as if it were swirling around me without saying a word. The theme song, a heroic march that follows this introduction, is packed with all the elements of Yamato‘s music: courage, power to inspire, endless love, and longing. It overflowed from there.

Hiroshi Miyagawa, who continued to write music derived from the above, passed the baton to his son Akira, who continues his work. Yamato‘s world continues to be explored. While Akira devoted himself to conducting on this day, another performance that was integrated into the music was by his daughter Tomoko, who played piano and keyboard. It was more than just “inheritance of DNA,” it was a strong sense of musical inheritance between three generations.

Yuki from Dynamite Shakariki circus, who has previously performed with Akira Miyagawa, participated in the scat vocals. Five male singers appeared on stage. Unfortunately, it was difficult to hear from the second floor seats due to the limitations of the PA system, but Garmillas National Anthem and Cosmo Tiger were best performed with voices.

The first piece of the second part was a brass version of White Comet arranged by Akira Miyagawa. It is easy to say that the music became more lively with added colors. Even when you listen to Great Emperor Zordar, a melody full of love even though it represents an enemy, Akira Miyagawa draws out the unique strength of Yamato‘s charm. I would like to express my sincere respect for the fact that it has not become a legacy of the past, but has been handed down to the present.

Even if you count the Yamato Suite as one piece, the program consisted of 17 pieces in all. Shion’s powerful and sympathetic performance made this concert possible. There were brilliant solo performances by the members, including Yuko Shinho on trumpet, Kayoko Deguchi on flute, and Sachiko Takahashi on oboe. During the Encore, Scarlet Scarf and a second performance Space Battleship Yamato, I really enjoyed the essence of Yamato‘s music.

The magnificent world of Yamato with fascinating, skillful expression

Siena Wind Orchestra 51st Regular Concert

Sunday July 4, Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall
Text by Koichi Imaizumi (music writer)

The Siena Wind Orchestra welcomed Akira Miyagawa as the conductor and made the regular concert all about Space Battleship Yamato. The program book with Yamato‘s illustration was full of mood. Yamato has been on air since 1974. Hiroshi Miyagawa was in charge of most of the music, including the theatrical version, and it was highly acclaimed. In the remakes Yamato 2199 (2012) and Yamato 2202 (2017), his son Akira took full charge of the composition and arrangement, making use of his father’s original music. This was a musical collaboration between two generations.

The title of the concert included the word Villains. As Miyagawa said to the audience, Yamato is characterized by the presence of melodies in each of the enemy forces and rival characters within them. This is what the concert focused on. In addition, various emotional expressions and characteristic scenes in the story also have melodies that serve as themes. Of course, these melodies were also featured. As they are used across each work, they are like the leitmotifs of Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelung. (A theme is attached to a specific person, item, emotion, or concept, and is played when it appears in the story, or even when it does not, in order to indicate its presence.)

Just by listening to the melody, a number of scenes come to mind. This gives the music a strong power. The moment the pipe organ played the White Comet theme at the beginning of this concert, I lost all awareness that it was a regular Siena concert (sorry). I was simply immersed in the music. By responding to the composer/arranger’s own conducting, Siena did a wonderful job of fully expressing Yamato‘s world with no sense of discomfort. If I were to write something like a concert report, I would say the enemy themes conveyed a heavy and intimidating feeling. The company performed with great emotion in the pieces that conveyed sadness and tenderness. In the battle scenes, they played with a sharpness that expressed a sense of urgency, and it was a brilliant performance.

All the pieces were arranged by Akira Miyagawa from orchestra to brass, but they included impressive female vocals and a male chorus, and I felt a charm that transcended the differences in organization. In “Dedicated to Keith Emerson,” which was arranged by adding progressive rock elements to White Comet, keyboards were featured and electric guitars were also active. It was a fresh collaboration with brass and pipe organ, and I was able to enjoy the strangeness of the arrangement.

Siena’s performance started with the Yamato Suite composed by Hiroshi Miyagawa and continued with music from the two remakes by Akira Miyagawa. However, the Goruba theme from The New Voyage (and Be Forever Yamato), which has not been remade yet, left a strong impression on me. Taking the form of a piano concerto, the theme has overwhelming power and the fierceness of battle, and the sadness of trying to stop it even at the cost of one’s own life. I was struck with a strong sense of emotion.

PLAYLIST:

The Long Overture
White Comet (pipe organ solo)
Space Battleship Yamato Suite

Yamato & Villains part 1
Yamato takes off from Earth
Garmillas National Anthem (Praise be to my light forever)
Dessler’s Bolero
Gathering the Fleet
Cosmo Tiger (Wan-Dah-Bah)
Iscandar

Yamato & Villains part 2
White Comet (Dedicated to Keith Emerson)
Great Emperor Zordar
Tsubasa ~ Fading life
Dogfight
Endless Battle
Yamato Into the Vortex

Yamato & Villains part 3
Autoplanet Goruba
Separation
Love

August 11: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 133

This volume delivered both of the belly panels situated below the wing panels, allowing builders to add a whole new segment to the bow. Photo above right posted on Twitter by pipipi1014.

See Hachette’s instruction video here

See an unboxing video here

See a modeler’s blog here

August 12-25: Vivid Army collaboration

For two weeks, Yamato characters and mecha became playable in the online game Vivid Army. The collaboration period is over now and wasn’t intended for play outside Japan, but it’s another one for the history books.

See clips on Twitter: Yamato in action | Character animation 1 | Character animation 2 | Gatlantis 1 | Gatlantis 2

August 13: Yamato 2205 flyer

Things get very real when physical flyers start showing up in Japanese movie theaters. This one sported the latest key art and synopsis text from the official website, tying in with a new round of advance ticket sales.

Start with the first 2205 report to get completely up to speed with what we currently know.

August 13: Star Blazers Lambda Chapter 16

Last month’s chapter of the Space Battleship Yamato Next manga ended on a major cliffhanger; the latest Seireness attack turned the tables on the Topness pilots and Vimana station itself was hit for the first time. This month, the stakes climb quickly as Yu’s ship is grappled by the monstrous enemy, threatening to crush him to death. Only desperate action can save him…and that’s exactly what we get!

See this white-knuckle chapter with description here!

August 17: Aquarius Algorithm news

If you didn’t read the 2202 Reports closely over the last couple years, you might have missed coverage of this intriguing project, the first to return to the original Yamato saga since the Resurrection Director’s Cut in 2012. It was announced in late 2019 that the Star Blazers/Yamato fan club magazine would serialize a new novel over the course of a year, and it concluded in late 2020. (Chapter 1 was published for free online; read our translation of it here.)

The image above appeared in issue 11 (May 2021) to announce that the story would be revised and collected into a standalone novel later this year. On August 17, one of the contributors to the project (a modeler known online as My Earth Defense Fleet) wrote the following in his blog…

Yamato Resurrection Part 0 Aquarius Algorithm is a new, official story connecting Final Yamato to Resurrection. Preorders are now open for the novel, titled Space Battleship Yamato Dawn, Aquarius Algorithm. It will be published by Kadokawa on September 27th, a little before the release of Yamato 2205 Part 1.

I couldn’t report it properly on my blog, but in fact, I have a connection with this novel. In order to produce it, a brain trust called “Asteroid 6” was formed to back up the author, science fiction writer Yuya Takashima, and to support the world-building. I was very honored to be included as one of the members. When I was invited to join, I asked what the intentions were for this work. The explanation was, “I want it to be a novel that makes Resurrection feel like a completely different work when you watch it again.”


Preliminary and final cover designs, posted on Twitter by Umegrafix

To be honest, my impression of Resurrection was much more minus than plus, but this explanation certainly appealed to me. I thought it would be great if such a novel could be written, and I thought it would be a great thing if I could do something to repay Yamato, which has enriched me since my childhood.

Aquarius Algorithm took about two years to complete. It will resonate with those who have seen both Final Yamato and Resurrection, and with those who have only seen Final. I believe that we have created a work that has a different appeal from the remake version. Even after the serialization ended, Mr. Takashima and all the members of “Asteroid 6” continued to work on brushing up the content. The level of perfection has been further improved from the serialized version. (In fact, the prologue at the beginning was rewritten from scratch.)


Interior illustrations by Umegrafix

It is a complete novel, but the name Dawn has been added to the book, which is a work that can expand further. If you have read the serialized version, you may have already noticed that it is not yet directly connected to the beginning of Resurrection. We are still in the middle of the road, but we want to get to that point no matter what. This is the feeling of all the members involved in this work. We hope that you will buy this book and give us a chance to do so.

And this is just my own imagination, but if we can continue on this path, we may be able to see the second part of Resurrection and beyond…

That’s why I hope everyone will buy the book. And if you could watch Final Yamato again before you read it, I’m sure you’ll find it even more interesting and inspiring.

See the original blog post here.

Order the novel from Amazon.co.jp here.

August 18: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 134

Rearward we go, arriving at the midship section with the fleet insignia. This piece is for the port side with connectors to the large intake vent hung beneath the ship. Photo above right posted on Twitter by Take Channel 36.

See Hachette’s instruction video here

See an unboxing video here

See a modeler’s blog here

August 25: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 135

The last volume of August continued the push toward the bridge section with another starboard hull plate. In the broad overview, the series was now about a month away from its theoretical halfway point.

See Hachette’s instruction video here

See an unboxing video here

See a modeler’s blog here

August 26: Jumbo Soft Vinyl Yamato announced

One great thing about being a Yamato fan is being surprised when huge, unexpected announcements come out of nowhere. This one signaled that the record for “largest commercially-available Yamato model” was destined to be broken again!

On this day we learned that Plex, a division of Bandai, will release the biggest Yamato ever in December. It’s official name (take a breath before you say it) is the Jumbo Soft Vinyl Figure Mechanics Space Battleship Yamato 2205. Based on 3D data from the anime, it needs only minimal assembly and will stretch to an amazing 43″ – 6 inches longer than the 1/350 Hachette Yamato. That makes it approximately 1/300 scale. Vinyl doesn’t sustain as much detail as metal, but you can’t argue with that size.

Naturally, it won’t be cheap. It will land somewhere around $800US, and will be sold exclusively through the Premium Bandai online shop. That means you’ll need someone in Japan to obtain it for you. Those who preorder it will get an acrylic plate of Susumu Kodai.

Click here to see more photos and preorder info at Premium Bandai.

August 27: Star Blazers/Yamato fan club magazine Vol. 12

This spectacular issue was the last one before the premiere of 2205, so it came loaded with related articles:

– Introduction of characters and mecha
– Interviews with Director Kenji Yasuda and Writer Harutoshi Fukui
– Seven fan questions answered
Age of Yamato scenes with background explanations
– Interview with Age of Yamato Scriptwriter Yuka Minagawa
– Interview with painter Naoyuki Katoh (who provided the cover image)
– Interview with Aquarius Algorithm author Yuya Takashima

Find all of the 2205 content here. And you bet the others will follow!

August 27: Age of Yamato on home video

The last event of the month was the welcome arrival of Age of Yamato, The Choices of 2202 on home video. Its bonus features include trailers, commercials, audio commentary, and a 24-page booklet. English subtitles are not included, but that’s no barrier for hardcore fans. If you’re still in the dark about what makes the film special, it now has its own subsection here.

Order the Blu-ray from Amazon.co.jp here or CD Japan here.


Copies on sale at Kinokuniya bookstore, Shinjuku, Tokyo


Also spotted in August

Fan comics

This is a category we haven’t dipped into before, since all the fan-made comics up to this point have been either doujinshis in Japan or webcomics found here at Cosmo DNA. Happily, we’ve broken the streak with not just one, but TWO exciting new projects!

Yamato: The Lost Journey

If you’ve been keeping up with these reports, you already know the name Dasha KO. She’s a Russian Yamato fan whose work has appeared in the monthly character art galleries and who gave us two previous webcomics, The Green Hills of Earth and Bring Back the Future. Her new project is a much more ambitious graphic novel titled The Lost Journey, and it’s already underway at Patreon. Click here to throw her some support and see it unfold!

Author’s comments:

The Lost Journey begins after the Bolar Wars arc. This is a “classic adventure” in the spirit of the Iscandar series. There’s a mystical techno-planet hiding a menace and the crew will have to discover its secrets. The main idea is to send Yamato not to a battle, but an exploratory campaign. Yamato has fought enough and deserves a short break.

Of course, where there’s research to be done, there’s engineer Sanada (who in the classic series had the role of not just a technical engineer but a scientist with a wide range of knowledge). Therefore (and also because he is my favorite character), he has a key role in this story. But I enjoy drawing all the characters because I haven’t paid enough attention to them in my art before. This is my tribute to the original Yamato, the one where it all began. I try to follow the canon to make it look like a filler for the classic series, but with elements of cyberpunk, darkness and seriousness.

The story was conceived a year ago. I should have started my Yamato fancomics with it, but I was intimidated by the large plot and the techniques (detailed drawing and full color). I started and dropped it several times (and I will definitely post the sketches on Patreon). I decided that I need training, so I made a fancomic based on the remake (The Green Hills). I liked the result. In the summer of 2021 I decided to get serious. As an additional motivator, I created a Patreon account. This project will take longer than all fancomics I’ve done before, so I need some sort of labor reward. But this finally get the ball rolling!

I upload 10 comic pages per month (and much more). 100-130 pages are planned. After the publication of the third part, I opened public access to the first part. There will be 2-3 closed parts for each open one. (Don’t forget to leave comments!) When the project is complete, I want to publish it at least for myself and everyone who wants to a physical copy for their bookshelf.

Thanks to everyone who ALREADY supports me on Patreon. And a special thanks to my friends from UCLUCLYA (russian Yamato fancommunity) and Tim Eldred for his help in editing the English version.


Yamato Revival Part II

The second project is still preparing for launch, and it’s something you won’t want to miss. Created by Warren Swanson (who goes by the online handle DJ CheeF) and his team of collaborators, it will be a sequel to the still-unresolved Yamato Resurrection. As a fan of the original saga since a very young age, he wanted to explore what could happen next:

What happened to Yuki? Why is the Earth in the center of the Milky Way? These were the general questions that we had, but eventually we began asking other questions based on smaller elements, such as the whereabouts of Leader Dessler, the remaining Ethos forces, etc.

I really want the Musashi to be an important part of the story. I also want to expand on the relationship between Yamato and Ethos (Gorui’s people) because I don’t think the SUS exterminated them. Dessler will arrive from the get-go. I hope to convey the message of being more open-minded and tolerant of other people in this new Yamato Story.

Even though we’re all just a bunch of kids in our teens, we’re taking this as seriously as we can. I know it’s essentially the goal of everyone to make sure this is the finest Voyage Yamato sets sail on, and we hope to reach a satisfying conclusion to the original series.

If all goes well, the series will debut in the first quarter of 2022 and go monthly after that. It will be posted on Warren’s Pixiv page and elsewhere. Watch this space for further news.

Fan art

August was another incredible month for fan art, always expanding into new territory. See a character gallery here and a mecha gallery here.

Fan models

The UNCF Time Fault factory may have gone dark, but modelers in Japan have only picked up the pace. See their latest output here: Gallery A | Gallery B | Gallery C

Diecast Gimmick model video series

So there you are, sitting on a mountain of parts, wanting to start building that beautiful, giant Hachette Yamato, but you just can’t raise the confidence to pull the trigger. Lucky for you, here comes Ron Larson of Nytetrain Models to the rescue! On August 13, he started posting regular modeling videos IN ENGLISH! He’ll go one volume at a time and get this beast whipped into shape for all of us.

Start viewing here.

Leiji Matsumoto Symbol Road

Over the last year we’ve seen more than a few photos from this attraction in the port city of Tsuruga. Its main street is lined with Galaxy Express statues on one side and Be Forever Yamato statues on the other, all of which were taken down and refurbished for their 20th anniversary. Twitter user S Meijin took a walk down the Be Forever side and got us all some fresh photos of every single one. See them all here, and get another look in our 2009 Yamatour travelogue here.

Must-see cinema

Finally this month, a five-star/two-thumbs-up movie recommendation. The Great War of Archimedes is about the creation of the Battleship Yamato, beautifully directed by Takashi Yamazaki. If you don’t remember that name, he also helmed the live-action Space Battleship Yamato.

The film follows a strong-willed math genius who is tasked by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto to investigate the plan to build the greatest battleship the world has ever seen, which he suspects is a major conspiracy. Even without subtitles, it is fascinating. With a full translation, it’s absolutely riveting. The opening sequence is one of the most vivid and powerful recreations of a WWII battle since Saving Private Ryan.

Released in 2019, it’s now available on Bluray from Amazon and for rental on Amazon Prime. Do. Not. Miss it. (And if you happen to have Men of Yamato in your collection, the two make a perfect double feature.)

Continue to Report 63

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