Science fiction is not just for boys anymore! Space Battleship Yamato‘s 296,000 light-year journey is also a hit with girls. Why don’t you join us on a journey into the world of Yamato, 200 years from now!?
Now it burns in our hearts, The World of Space Battleship Yamato
A group of unique individuals. We can’t get enough of their charm!
There are no specific superstars in Space Battleship Yamato, but each and every one of them has a strong character and a fan base that cheers them on tremendously.
Juzo Okita (52 years old)
Captain of Yamato. He has a white beard and a sturdy physique. He never panics in the face of any difficulty. He is a brave and courageous man who has fought many battles. However, he dies just before Yamato returns to Earth.
Susumu Kodai (age 18)
Leader of Yamato‘s battle group. He is so passionate that he sometimes goes out of control, which is why he was called a “damaged human being” by his fans during the TV series. However, Susumu gradually grows into a fine man during the course of the battle.
Daisuke Shima (18 years old)
Contrary to Susumu, Daisuke is the calm and collected leader of Yamato‘s navigation team. He is a good rival to Susumu.
Yuki Mori (age 18)
She is the leader of Yamato‘s life group, a kind and gentle girl with a firm heart. She has the courage to protect the boys when the situation calls for it. She is the only female crew member of Yamato on TV, and when her relationship with Kodai started to bloom, she was flooded with letters of “Go for it, Yuki Mori!”
Dessler (? age)
He is the president of Gamilas, an enemy of Earth. He is a ruthless and typical dictator. He likes to be smart, and his line, “Gamilas doesn’t need vulgar people,” is a famous one. He has a lot of fans, which is unusual for a villain. He attracted a lot of attention in the TV series when his face changed color for some reason.
Starsha (? age)
She is the queen of the planet Iscandar who offers help to Earth. Unlike the bright Yuki Mori, she has a mysterious and cool charm. Her fate is very different between the TV show and the movie.
Space Battleship Yamato (age 1)
The idea was born from, “What if a ship flew in the sky? A spaceship converted from the Yamato, an old Navy battleship sunk in World War II. It is an echo of its former self with different functions and mecha, such as the Wave-Motion Gun and warp navigation.
A story that will even capture the hearts of girls!
Science fiction is not popular among women. But Yamato has broken through this myth and made a big splash. What is the secret? First of all, here is part of the story for those who have not yet seen the movie…
The year is 2199 (222 years from now). Earth is in danger of being destroyed by the onslaught of a terrifying planetary bomb attack from Gamilas. Earth is on the verge of extinction. Terrible radiation contaminates the surface of the earth. Humans have moved underground to build cities, but the underground environment is gradually becoming contaminated with radiation as well. If nothing is done, Earth will be destroyed in one year.
At that time, Queen Starsha of Iscandar, a planet in the far reaches of the universe, sends a message to come and get a device to remove the radioactivity.
The time limit is 365 days! Yamato risks everything to launch from Earth. The goal is the distant planet Iscandar. However, the evil leader Dessler of Gamilas knows this and attacks with a vengeance! The journey to Iscandar becomes a journey of battle between Yamato and Gamilas.
The theme of this story is “love”, “adventure” and “romance” of the crew of Yamato, who risk everything to save mankind. In addition, the story takes place in a fantastical universe with series of thrilling incidents that leave no time to catch your breath. These various features will capture a girl’s heart.
There are many famous scenes that you will never forget!
Let’s take a look at three of the best scenes filled with love for humanity and friendship between men…
In addition to Yamato, the escort ship of Mamoru Kodai (Susumu’s brother) is the only one left.
Okita: “Let’s retreat. Kodai, follow me.”
Mamoru Kodai: “I don’t want to! If we retreat, we won’t be able to face the dead!”
Okita: “If we’re all killed here, there will be no one left to fight to protect Earth. We must endure today’s humiliation for the sake of tomorrow. That’s the way of a man!”
Kodai: “Okita-san, if you are a man, fight and fight and fight. Aren’t we supposed to kill as many of our enemies as possible before we die?”
Okita: “Kodai, please understand.”
However, Kodai’s ship breaks away and plunges into the enemy.
Mamoru Kodai: “Okita-san! I can’t run away. Please let me go. Take care of yourself! Please take care of the Earth.”
Okita shouts: “Don’t die, Kodai!”
Okita’s Yamato defeats the enemy Domel’s ship in outer space.
Domel: “Captain Okita, I am glad to meet a brave man like you. Glory to the planet Gamilas and the great planet Earth!”
Domel’s ship self-destructs. Yamato is also a mountain of casualties. Tears in the eyes of Kodai and Shima as they hold the coffins. Captain Okita salutes, holding back his grief.
Okita: “We will never forget you brave men and women who risked their lives for the sake of Earth.”
The planet Gamilas has finally been destroyed. The crew of Yamato is stunned by the cruel ending.
Yuki: “What have we done? I can’t face God anymore!”
Kodai: “We were taught from the time we were small children to be brave and win. In school and in society. But does that mean that those who lose have no right to happiness? I never thought about it until today. It’s tragic! The people of Gamilas wanted to emigrate to Earth. But we fought them. We shouldn’t have fought. We should have loved each other…”
The ground burns red.
Production episodes, this and that. There are also some secret stories
Surprisingly, many fans say, “The greatest thing about Yamato is the music!” More than 60 pieces of music were made for the TV series.
The theme song Red Muffler [Scarlet Scarf] was originally supposed to be sung by Masato Shimon of Swim! Taiyaki-kun fame. However, after the selection process, it was changed to Isao Sasaki, who played the role of Condor Joe, a very popular character in the TV anime Gatchaman. He used to be a rockabilly singer who was called the Japanese Elvis. Thanks to the hit of this song, a fan club was formed and so many people wanted to join that they couldn’t be turned away.
Synthesizer (electronic music) is used abundantly for important effects in anime. In the case of Yamato, it took three days to record a 30-minute program, twice as long as normal. This shows just how hard it was. In addition, the filming and recording were always struggling to catch up.
Only 365 days to go until the end of the earth!
Like the story, in which “Earth will be destroyed in 365 days,” all the staff members struggled to stay on schedule, wondering how many days remained until the broadcast date (on TV). There’s a sad story that they were so busy with their schedules that they could return home only once every 10 days.
And this is a secret story, but the staff told me that the weapons and spaceships in Yamato have a slightly sexy mood. Is this also the secret of its popularity?
Even so, this unusual popularity…
More than half of the fans who support Yamato are women. Whenever Valentine’s Day comes around, the home of Leiji Matsumoto and the Academy production studio are flooded with chocolate from fans. Mr. Matsumoto eats chocolates on behalf of Susumu Kodai.
When Academy studio moved to a new location, the staff told the fans about it, and they rushed to help. The two-day move was over in no time. However, many important original drawings and cels were lost during the move.
Matsumoto-sensei said, “Please return the original drawings of the first bridge, which are the fruit of our blood and sweat.”
The original drawings were returned to him. We can understand why a fan would want them so badly. In any case, even just a copy of Yamato‘s proposal or a cel is worth a lot of money among fans. (Rumor has it that a copy of the proposal costs 100,000 yen…) Bay City Rollers fans are almost losing out in this frenzy.
Space Battleship Yamato‘s rapid advance across Japan seems to be gaining more and more momentum.
Source: Academy/Universe Battleship Yamato Fan Club
Yamato Memorandum:
• The Space Battleship Yamato LP has sold more than 300,000 copies, and the theme song continues to remain in the top 30.
• More than a dozen Yamato books have been published, including novels and manga.
• The film was originally planned to be released only in Tokyo at first, but nationwide screenings were added due to the film’s popularity.
