Articles
January 15: The Dessler of Akasaka
The first article of the year came from Magmix, a short profile on Yamato Exec Producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki. He was described as a skilled maverick who brought change to the anime industry and carved out his reputation as the self-styled “Dessler of Akasaka” (an upscale business district in Tokyo).
Read the article here.
February 17: Doctor Yamato
Looking for an inspiring story? Look no farther than this one from the Chunichi Shimbun newspaper…
Corona Front Line: Doctor Mitsunaga Iwata, 47, Fujita Medical School Hospital
It’s been almost four weeks since I appeared in this series of articles in the morning edition of January 21. At one time, the 30 beds for inpatients with moderate or severe diseases were almost full. Since the beginning of this month, the number has gradually decreased, but about 20 beds are still occupied. The situation is still very hectic as we receive calls on our cell phones about new patients being admitted with the new Coronavirus.
One year ago in February, we accepted a positive case from a cruise ship. At that time, I could not have imagined that my battle with Corona would be so long. For the past year, when things have been tough, I have been reminded of a line from the theme song of Space Battleship Yamato, an anime I loved as a child: “Someone has to do this. We are the ones expected to do it.”
April 9-22: Netlab poll ~ Leiji Matsumoto
The entertainment website Netlab asked Leiji Matsumoto fans to take on a difficult task:
What is your favorite manga by Leiji Matsumoto?
Leiji Matsumoto, the master of the manga world, has produced a number of masterpieces such as Space Battleship Yamato and Galaxy Express 999, and is known for his magnificent, romantic, and fantastic style of writing, including science fiction works. This time, we will be conducting a survey to find out which of Leiji Matsumoto’s works you like the most!
Results were published on April 22, and to no one’s surprise Yamato cleared the hurdle for number 1, scoring over 36% of the vote. Galaxy Express followed closely at just over 32%, and all others were easily outpaced; not even Captain Harlock got to 10%.
See all the results here.
“Warp, even in space, hurry up!”
May 10: Kusolab, The Science of Warping
For years, a certain sector of SF fandom has occupied itself with puzzling out real-world explanations for what we see on our screens. Unsurprisingly, Yamato has been dissected many times over in various books and articles published by the “Fantasy Science Laboratory,” also known as “Kusolab.”
In May they published an interesting analysis of warping as seen in Yamato. Read it here.
September 16: Space manga poll
September 12 is “Space Day” in Japan, commemorating JAXA Astronaut Mamoru Mohri‘s launch on STS-47 in 1992 (he launched again on STS-99 in 2000). To mark this day, the online Voice Note Magazine conducted a poll among 300 readers to rank their favorite “space manga.” The results were published on September 16.
Unsurprisingly, the top slot was taken by the highly deserving Space Brothers, a series that has been running since 2007. It documents the life and times of two Japanese brothers as they train and become astronauts. (Read all about it here.)
Leiji Matsumoto’s version of Space Battleship Yamato came in at number two, an impressive feat given all the competition. A collection of reader comments read as follows:
The touch of the picture is good and the characters are unique.
The way of life of the future warriors who travel to the farthest reaches of space to save the earth made me feel longing and reliance.
The crew members who went out into space with tragic determination were cool. I was glad that even the villains had a reason to fight.
The more I watched the series, the more I was drawn into the world of Yamato. When I was a child, the battleship Yamato flew into space to save Earth, and I remember being amazed at the idea of such a huge battleship flying in the sky.
It’s an old work, but it’s interesting because it seems to predict the near future.
I like Leiji Matsumoto’s works.
I like the fact that it doesn’t feel old even though it’s more than 40 years old.
I read the manga when I was a child and thought they were cool. The animation was good, but the manga had its own merits.
I realized that manga has a grandeur beyond human comprehension.
The story of the Earth Defense Forces was novel at a time when it was unthinkable to go to space. The story of Yamato, the symbolic Japanese battleship, becoming a spaceship was also novel and good.
The battleship Yamato operating in space was very appealing.
See the original article and the rest of the rankings here.
Sado: “Looks like he’s dying.” Okita: “It’s too early to tell…”
November 19: Kusolab, The Revival of Okita
Kusolab turned its attention to Yamato again, this time looking at the puzzling revival of Captain Okita in Final Yamato. What kind of doctor was Sado, anyway?
Read the article here.
December 12: Netlab poll ~ Kei Tomiyama
Netlab closed out the year with another reader poll that put Yamato on top. Here’s what was learned:
First place goes to Susumu Kodai! The latest voting results for 2021
From November 28 to December 5, 2021, the Netlab Research Team conducted a survey asking, “What is your favorite anime character played by Kei Tomiyama?” We received a total of 1467 votes. Thank you very much!
Kei Tomiyama is a famous actor who played an active role in many anime productions from the Showa era to the early Heisei era. He regrettably passed away in 1995 at the young age of 56. In recognition of his achievements, he was awarded the Voice Actor Award (now the Kei Tomiyama Award) for “person who made the profession of voice acting the most popular that year.”
Let’s take a look at the ranking of the most popular characters played by Mr. Tomiyama.
No. 3: Banba Ban (Samurai Giants)
No.2 : Yan Wen Li (Legend of the Galactic Heroes)
No.1: Susumu Kodai (Space Battleship Yamato)
The first place went to Susumu Kodai, with 474 votes. Kodai is the main character of Yamato. In the first series, he was the leader of Yamato‘s battle group. He is an intuitive character. At first he does not like Captain Juzo Okita, who was in command of the battle in which his brother was killed. Starting with this role, Mr. Toyama appeared in many of Leiji Matsumoto’s works such as Galaxy Express 999 and My Youth in Arcadia, and established his position as a voice actor.
In the comments, many people recognized his work as the narrator in the Time Bokan series. To see the full rankings, start here.
Fan Activity
Judge John Hodgman podcast
No doubt many of you (hopefully the majority) are already fans of actor/writer/comedian John Hodgman, whose interests cover a broad spectrum of topics. He publishes a weekly podcast through Maximum Fun called Judge John Hodgman, and…he’s a Star Blazers fan. This was already known due to casual mentions in his book Medallion Status and previous podcasts.
In this December 2020 episode, however, he came fully out of the closet with the admission that he grew up on the show and can still sing the theme song. Does he? Find out for yourself here (and become a regular listener afterward).
Episode 499 of Judge John Hodgman opened with a followup to Hodgman’s prior admission. Did he sing it this time? Listen and find out!
The third time was the charm. Click here to listen with your own earholes as Hodgman FINALLY makes good on his promise. (Jump to the 1-hour, 7-minute mark if you just can’t wait.)
February 13: Fan film announced
Few things gladden the heart more than Yamato fans teaming up to create new wonders for other Yamato fans. That’s the easiest way to sum up an exciting new fan film project being spearheaded by a fan who goes by the online handle “My EDF.” That name has come up many times in past modeling galleries, but this project goes into the realm of anime itself.
“My EDF” posted the following blog entry on February 13:
In these days of disappointing news such as the delay of Age of Yamato and Yamato 2205, I have a small announcement to make today. Along with FTG2199, who I worked with on The Second Battle of Mars fan film, I’ve started on a new anime. The title is Space Battleship Yamato III: The Battle of Sol!
I will mainly be in charge of the original script. This is the three-way battle that took place in the final episode of Yamato III between Yamato, the Bolar Federation, and Galman-Gamilas. The battle wasn’t given a specific name in the original anime, so I gave it one for the sake of convenience. However, the story and settings are not the same. I will be remaking it to the liking of both FTG and myself in accordance with the Yamato Playstation games and stories published on this blog and The End of Arizona.
In other words, the story will not be part of the remake series, but will be based in the world of the Playstation version. Therefore, it will contain some things that didn’t appear in the original story or that might not appear in a future remake. For example, this is a battle on the home ground for the people of Earth, so why were there no Earth ships other than Yamato? I’m sure you’ve always wondered that, too. I will use this opportunity to fully release the frustrations I’ve had for a long time.
In addition, I’ll be referring to Yamato 2209 [fanfic] by Corporal Nananeko, who cooperated with me in planning this work. I believe Yamato 2209 is the “conclusion of Yamato” in the PS version, so with his consent I’ve used this work as a reference.
The visuals by FGT are also amazing. He will be using new 3DCG software called Blender in addition to his existing resources, and the details and textures are very different from the previous film. The characters are also being modeled in Blender. Kodai, Shima, Sanada, Yuki, and Domon have already been modeled, and Yuki in particular has a “Matsumoto beauty” finish.
I was able to complete The Second Battle of Mars with the help of many people, and I’m sure this work will be the same. However, since I’m basically a working stiff in my 40s, making this project alongside my day job, I think it will take longer to complete. Maybe “years” rather than “months.” I hope you’ll keep a warm eye on it until the day it is released.
An impressive opening title was released on Youtube February 27. See it here.
“My EDF” followed up with another blog entry on the same day:
What do you think? The textures and atmosphere of both the mecha and characters have been completely revamped since Battle of Mars. By using Blender, I think the details and charm of Kuni-san’s Yamato model have been expressed to the fullest. And the recently completed Cosmo Hound by O-san is also available!
FGT took on a new challenge in modeling the characters, and they were all created using his modeling method. Of course, the hand-drawings that were so popular in Battle of Mars are still here!
Our new poster image features the princess. I’m sure many of you noticed at first glance that it is based on the Yamato III DVD box art.
There is a possibility that the film will be released in two parts (my script is too long, sigh) but I will keep you posted on its progress.
Naturally, Cosmo DNA will follow this project with great interest.
February: Snow Balanodon
What does a Russian Yamato fan do with their creativity in the dead of winter? They turn nature itself into a tool of self-expression. That’s exactly what “Panda With Oar” did on February 25. See more photos on Twitter here.
March 25: Star Blazers documentary
Toy Galaxy surprised all of anime fandom when they launched a documentary on the history of Yamato and Star Blazers. Even more surprising was the careful research and accuracy of the presentation, which included an hat-tip to this very website.
This tightly-scripted 20-minute presentation contained only one flub; they credited Group TAC with development of the original series when in fact they only collaborated with Yoshinobu Nishizaki on his attempted 2004 reboot. One error in a topic this complex is certainly allowable.
See it on Youtube here.
March: Matsumoto Gallery Zero
Twitter user Hikari Okei posted nice photo of the famous Yamato Cut Model at Leiji Matsumoto’s Gallery Zero in Kure, Japan – just a short walk from the Battleship Yamato Museum (built on the original ship’s construction site).
The photo at left was also taken inside Gallery Zero, and the photo at right came from a neighborhood lunch counter. Propped up in the foreground is a collectible card showing one of Kure City’s customized manhole covers.
The next four photos were posted on Twitter the following month by fwks7841, who provided us some excellent views of the famous Cut Model and life-size Yuki Mori statue. These are things waiting to be seen by you.
March: Propspotting
Here’s a fun one: Twitter user Sakaman0512 found an Easter egg in the 1980 tokustatsu film Gamera, Super Monster. The character in the photo is firing a 1979 Yamato Cosmogun (by Nomura Toys) modified with a flashlight reflector. Exactly what it takes when you’re up against a kaiju.
May 1: Cartoon Barroom podcast
Cartoon Barroom is a podcast by and about folks in the US animation industry, hosted by writers Ashley E. Miller and Steven Melching – who also happen to be MAJOR Star Blazers/Yamato fans. They called upon a fellow superfan, Director Robert Meyer Burnett, and Cosmo DNA Editor Tim Eldred to open the vault on decades of knowledge and experience. The conversation went on so long that it was broken into two episodes totaling 2.5 hours, perfect listening for a long afternoon.
Listen to Part 1 here and Part 2 here.
May 13: Oldtaku no Radio podcast
Ye editor was joined by longtime friend Dave Merrill for almost two MORE hours of chatter about Yamato 2199 on the Oldtaku no Radio podcast, which was later described by a listener as a “galaxy brain” level conversation.
Click here to listen.
May: Vintage giants
Twitter user Jumpei Mitsui shared this photo of himself and a picture-perfect Lego Yamato he built when he was 15. Let’s just pretend it’s in a museum now, because the alternative would be heartbreaking.
Then there was this amazing photo posted by launchpad_9 of a two-person Yamato costume. It was accompanied by the following caption: “A high school festival about 40 years ago. It was made by a friend and I when we heard there would be a costume parade.”
June/November: Snapshots from the past
This was a nice reminder that Yamato movie premieres have always involved oversized promotion. On June 20, trainspotter Shallow Iron posted a photo on Twitter (above left) showing a decked-out commuter train from all the way back in 1980.
Caption: “The movie Be Forever Yamato was released on a weekend, so the Space Battleship Yamato-Go was driven through Shibuya Station.”
In December, the Twitter account Electric Railway Express posted another photo (above right) with this caption: “A special train that ran to commemorate the release of Be Forever Yamato. A large illustration head mark was added to the 8000 series. Photo taken at Kikuna Station on the Toyoko Line in the summer of 1980.”
See more pics and relive that whole exciting summer 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.
Yamato: The Lost Journey webcomic
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.
September: Yamato Laundry
This photo was posted on Twitter by C-rime to point out an oddity of the Japanese language. In the Yamato logo, the four kanji characters for “Space Battleship” are pronounced “Uchu Senkan.” In the logo shown here, we have four completely different kanji characters that are pronounced the same way, but translate to “indoor bathwater cleaning.” The katakana characters in the blue bar along the bottom read “coin laundry.”
It’s obvious that this opportunity for wordplay was not lost on the logo designer.
And obviously, this is what goes on inside.
October: Vintage fan art
Finally, a real treasure trove from the past. These images come all the way from 1976, posted on Twitter by Gakujira, who explained them thusly:
Space Battleship Yamato paper shibai [story images] made for the school festival in the fall of 1976. This would never have been possible without photographs from a strong collaborator who shot a rerun of Yamato with a camera. There was no home video in this era, and no anime magazines.
If you wanted to preserve a TV image, you’d fix the camera on a tripod and take a picture of the screen. Up to 36 frames per film roll, and you’d have to change the film quickly to shoot more. We thought the rerun was once in a lifetime. It was the only opportunity for photos. She took the challenge and took a lot of pictures. Without the photos, my work wouldn’t be possible.
There was very little material and information, just the feeling of, “I want to draw this and make it.” At the school festival, it was more popular than I had imagined. I did this in the fall of my third year in high school with no prior study. Thanks to that, I made up my mind to go to Tokyo to draw and entertain the customers.
“Gakujira” is manga/anime artist Gaku Miyao. See his credits at Anime News Network here.
Click here for larger images of these paintings.
Hero’s Hill
Please stand and render a proper Yamato Salute.
February 28: Amy Howard Wilson
We got some of the saddest news we could ever expect when it was publicly announced that one of our dearest had departed for the sea of stars. The following was posted on Facebook Friday, March 12:
Amy Howard Wilson, 65, of Petersburg, VA passed away peacefully on February 28, 2021. She was born in Detroit, Michigan on May 28, 1955 to John and Dolores Howard. The family moved to NJ in 1966. Amy graduated from St. Mary’s High School in South Amboy, class of 1973. Amy attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and PACE University in NYC. She worked at Sotheby’s NYC and AT&T in Bridgewater.
Amy voiced the character of Nova on Star Blazers and had quite a fan following. She enjoyed attending anime conventions, speaking on panels and connecting with fans of the show. Amy had a very big heart and a generous spirit. She loved people and would start up a friendly conversation with anyone.
She was predeceased by her parents, John and Dolores Howard, and her brother Larry Howard. She is survived by her husband, David, her sisters Kathy Hogya and Phyllis Donlon, her brother-in-law Ed Donlon, sister-in-law Anne McClaren, her nieces and nephews Lisa Hogya, Cheryl Males(Jon), Eddie Donlon, Hannah Donlon, Matthew Donlon, Abigail Donlon, and grand nephew Manny Males.
Donations can be made in Amy’s name to ASPCA.
Photos from Anime Weekend Atlanta 1999 and 2008, courtesy Dave Merrill.
At right, Amy is in the company of fellow voice actors Peter Fernandez and Corrine Orr.
Along with many of my fellow fans, I (Tim Eldred) became personally acquainted with Amy when she emerged from the mists to join our fold in 1997. Unlike the other members of the Star Blazers cast, she came looking for us. One day, she became curious about the legacy of the series she fondly remembered, and reached out to exactly the right online message board. After some careful vetting determined that she was on the level, she was invited to gather with us as the Guest of Honor at Anime Weekend Atlanta, where she found the warmest welcome she could ask for.
She returned year after year, creating long-term friendships and even finding the love of her life, who later became her husband. She took the role of a beloved sister or aunt, weaving her life into ours and looking for opportunities to meet in other times and places. A radiant smile was her default expression and a mighty hug was her standard greeting. It was my pleasure not only to conduct her first on-camera interview for the Star Blazers Series 2 DVDs in 2001, but watch with amazement as she brought other cast members into our midst.
Her generosity toward us only began with her unforgettable performance as Nova. It continued for the rest of her life and will keep her in our hearts forever. Thank you, Amy. We miss you.
Read accounts from other friends here and here.
Click here to read the actual 1997 conversation that brought Amy into Star Blazers fandom.
September 7: Eiichi Yamamoto
Eiichi Yamamoto was there from the very beginning, working alongside Yoshinobu Nishizaki at Osamu Tezuka’s Mushi Pro Studio and then joining him to launch Yamato from the ground up. He worked with the core writing team and brought all the ideas together into a 45-page plan book in 1973 that became the foundation for everything moving forward. He returned to the fold to participate in the writing of Yamato III and Final Yamato.
But Yamato was only part of his extensive career, which began with the founding of Mushi Pro. His first anime production was Astro Boy, which led to him directing the first mature-audience feature film classics 1001 Nights, Cleopatra, and Belladona of Sorrow. In 1989, he wrote a novel titled The Rise and Fall of Mushi Pro, a fictionalized account of his time at the studio that became a focal point for anime researchers. Following this, he teamed up with Nishizaki again for Yamato 2520 and the first attempt to make Resurrection in the early 90s.
He was lost to heart failure on September 7. See a list of his credits at Anime News Network here.
Related articles: 2014 writer’s discussion | 2013 interview | 1973 series plan book
November 26: Makoto Hirahara
The world of Yamato music took a blow when we lost Makoto Hirahara, a specialist in wind instruments, particularly the saxophone. He’s been a colleague and collaborator with Akira Miyagawa for many years, making his first contribution to the Yamato library with their 2005 CD Acoustic Yamato. He also performed on the reboot soundtracks and participated in the landmark October 2019 concert for 2202 titled Close to You Tonight (he’s performing on flute with Eriko Nakamura in the photo at bottom left.
His daughter Ayaka (shown with him at upper left) sang Great Harmony, the end title song for Ark of the Stars and spoke lovingly of her father in her blog on the day of his passing. She mentioned that he’d been fighting stomach cancer, hoping to hold out at least until his 50th anniversary as a performer in 2023.
“In spite of the very difficult situation, my father never let out a single word of weakness. Instead, he always made us laugh. I have been listening to him play the saxophone ever since I can remember. I thought that the sound of his saxophone was his ‘voice.’ After I made my debut, every time I went on stage, my great seniors would say to me, “Say hello to your father!” Even as a daughter, I felt proud of him for being loved by so many people. Whenever we held a charity concert, my father would donate not only the performance fee but also all the proceeds from the sales of his own works. He would stand in the lobby for a long time with a donation box. He was a truly kind-hearted man who shed tears at the kindness of the audience. I will continue to listen to the music that my father has given me and cherish what he has taught me. And one day, I will become a musician like Makoto Hirahara.”
December 19: Sayaka Kanda
The final loss of 2021 was the most shocking. Sayaka Kanda was the voice of Teresa in Yamato 2202 and sang the second end title song Mirror of the Moon in character. Her career breakout was as the dub voice of Anna in the Japanese version of Frozen, which included singing. She had been cast as Maetel in a Galaxy Express 999 musical that would have opened in April 2022.
She died at the tragic young age of 35 when she fell from the upper floor of a hotel in Sapporo, Japan. She was meant to appear in a stage performance of My Fair Lady that same day, but her role was taken by an understudy when she could not be contacted. She was later found and taken to a hospital where she was confirmed dead.
It is speculated that emotional distress drove her to take her own life, but this is unconfirmed. In the wake of this news, Japan’s health ministry called on people with emotional difficulties to reach out for help.
That’s a somber way to end what was otherwise quite a good year for the Yamato franchise, new and old, but it’s a precious reminder than nothing lasts forever.