Space Battleship Yamato 2205 Report 16

October 2022 was one of the busier Yamato months we’ve had since the premiere of 2205 Chapter 2, especially at the end when it started to heat up with a quick succession of events and a VERY welcome announcement. Here’s how it all came about…

October 5: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model, Vol. 185

Hachette’s first volume of the month delivered a standalone piece for Hyuga‘s belly, a ventral antenna assembly to be attached to a hull section still to come. Naturally, it includes lighting.

See hachette’s instruction video here NOT IN

See an unboxing video here

See a modeler’s blog here

October 5: Dream-Science matchup: Yamato vs. Arcadia

Rikao Yanagita, chief researcher of the Dream-Science Laboratory, is back with another scientific view of the anime world. We’ve heard from him before on such matters as the science of warping, and in October he speculated on who might win a battle between anime’s two greatest battleships. Who walks away from this fight? Find out here.

October 12: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model, Vol. 186

This volume stayed on Hyuga‘s underside and contained parts for the midship area, specifically the “scoops” located almost directly below the bridge tower. This delivery pattern is quite different from Hachette’s Yamato, in which the hull sections were usually provided before the “accessory” parts. This pattern means builders will stockpile lots of accessories before they have a hull to place them on.

See hachette’s instruction video here

See an unboxing video here

See a modeler’s blog here

October 15: TV appearance

The Yamato theme blasted out of everyone’s TV screens on a program titled (deeeeep breath) Roar of Laughter Impersonation Red and White Singing Battle 2022 Autumn. A contestant belted out the first verse, then was joined on stage by the very person he was impersonating: Isao Sasaki. Without missing a beat, they plowed through the second verse together and brought the house down.

See it for yourself here and here.

October 19: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model, Vol. 187

The 17th Hyuga volume contained more parts for the lower midship zone and some internal parts for the forward hull section that has already been assembled.

See hachette’s instruction video here

See an unboxing video here

See a modeler’s blog here


Photo posted on Twitter by the Yamato Production Committee

October 22: Fukuyamanime 2022

Fukuyama is the hometown of 2202 Director Nobuyoshi Habara, so he was delighted once again to attend their annual anime convention, accompanied by 2202 Scriptwriter Hideki Oka. The two of them served as judges in a film competition, after which Oka hosted the first back-to-back screening of Yamato 2205 Parts 1 and 2. The program ran from 8pm to midnight, after which Oka participated in an hour-long talk show.

Above left: Habara and Oka teamup! Center and right: visitors from elsewhere.

Photos posted on Twitter by the Yamato Production Committee and andy19660721.

October 24: Yoshikazu Yasuhiko awarded

On this day, the Japanese government’s Agency of Cultural Affairs handed out its Film Awards. Virtuoso illustrator and director Yoshikazu Yasuhiko received the Film Lifetime Achievement Award to honor his animation and character design work.

“Yas” served in the pivotal role of storyboard artist on all Yamato productions from 1974 to 1979, often contributing important plot points along the way. His greatest claim to fame is as one of the creators of Mobile Suit Gundam and subsequent installments in the Gundam franchise, including Zeta Gundam and Gundam F91. He was the creator of the Gundam the Origin manga, and went on to direct the anime version. His most recent anime project was the Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan’s Island movie, which premiered in June.

Many interviews with “Yas” can be found at Cosmo DNA. Read the most recent one here.

October 26: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model, Vol.188

The last volume of the month jumped over to the other side of Hyuga to polish off a matching section of midship parts. The model is now approaching the 25% mark with 62 more volumes to come.

See hachette’s instruction video here

See an unboxing video here

See a modeler’s blog here

October 28: Yamato 3199 news

The home office has been silent for quite a while, but as October drew to a close we finally got a little bit of news. It will come as no surprise that the key staff members from previous remakes are back in place: Harutoshi Fukui and Hideki Oka as the writers, Nobuteru Yuuki on character design, and Junichiro Tamamori on mecha design. The director has not yet been announced.

October 29: Star Blazers/Yamato Fan Club Magazine Vol. 15

It’s always a good day when one of these shows up in your mailbox. The latest issue chose the stories of 1980 as its theme with a multi-part overview of Be Forever and Yamato III, bolstered by discussions with current staff members, as a warmup for things to come in Rebel 3199. Read the interview with Scriptwriter Takeshi Oka here.

Other interviews include Michio Murakawa discussing the revival of his Yamato 2199 manga (read it here), Ryuko Azuma on the conclusion of Star Blazers Lambda (read it here), 2205‘s mecha designers talking about designs from 1980 (read it here), and Junichiro Tamamori on the engineering of Hachette’s 1/350 Hyuga (read it here).

October 29 & 30: Yokohama Modeler’s Club Joint Exhibition

Hobby shows made their long-awaited post-pandemic comeback this year, and this exhibition was one of them. Yamato kits were there in bulk, ready to take on all challengers.

See a photo gallery here.

Find more photos on Facebook here.


Photos posted on Twitter by OfficeVega

October 30: Ensemble Vega concert

Kure City is the birthplace of the Battleship Yamato. On October 30, it was also the site of an event called Open Day, in which audience members can hear live music from multiple genres.

One of the participants was Ensemble Vega, the chamber music group led by Yamato Composer Akira Miyagawa. Wherever they go, Yamato music goes with them.

October 30: Vintage mecha poll

The fan-generated popularity polls at Akiba Souken are always fun, and often produce unpredictable results as we’ve seen in the past. The latest one closed on October 30 with 287 votes cast for favorite mecha that appeared in the 1977 Yamato movie. How do they rank today, 45 years later?

Find out here.

October 30: Yamaket 20

Yamaket turned ten years old today! This bi-annual Yamato mini-con has been going on since 2013, a subset of the larger “Torilozi” fan event that includes other fan groups. 30 fan circles turned up to sell art, doujinshis, and homemade crafts formed out of pure Yamato love.

See an extensive photo gallery here.

Manga/anime artist Michio Murakawa is a regular attendee at Yamaket, always happy to sign books and draw on demand. This time he had a surprise for everyone: the long-awaited announcement that after a five-year hiatus he has resumed his work on the Yamato 2199 manga! It will be serialized online at Comic Newtype beginning December 16 and the next paperback volume will arrive just ten days later.

To mark this occasion, he handed out an exclusive clear file (shown above) to all the Yamaket vendors.

Click here to watch Michio Murakawa painting this image.

October 31: Game anniversary

October ended with another birthday, this one for the mobile game A Distant Journey. It started in 2014 under the Yamato 2199 banner and has since migrated through 2202 and 2205. All we can see of it outside Japan is promotional artwork, but sometimes that’s just about enough.

These celebratory images were posted on the game maker’s Twitter page. See them here.

Visit the game’s website here.


Also spotted in October

Fan art

More amazing fan art poured out of peoples’ heads and onto the socials in October.
See a character gallery here and a mecha gallery here.

Fan models

Whether your tastes run from basic to eclectic, vintage or modern, EDF or otherwise, somebody built a model in October just for you. See them all here: Gallery A | Gallery B | Gallery C

Fan Artist Profile

Time to meet another of the talented and dedicated Yamato fans who delivers some of the lovely artwork we see here in the character galleries month after month. (Hot tip: enter the words “character fan art” or “mecha fan art” in the search bar to bring all the galleries to the top.)

Popoki Cat (Poki)

1. What was your first Yamato experience?

On October 7, 1974, when many relatives gathered for my grandmother’s funeral, my cousins gathered around the black and white TV to watch the first episode of the Yamato TV broadcast. I was hooked from there.

2. What is your favorite aspect of Yamato?

I like that the battleship Yamato is not just a mecha, but a character. Also, the characters, including Yamato, grow as they travel.

3. Are you a Yamato collector?

I do not collect, as there are many great collectors out there.

4. What is your most treasured Yamato item?

The first black cubic piggy bank I ever bought when I was in elementary school.

5. What are your favorite drawing tools?

Liquitex when I draw analog. For digital, I use Medibang Paint watercolor brushes.

6. Where can your work be seen?

Mainly on Twitter. Also Pixiv. I sell my illustration books and Yamato-style accessories at Yamaket twice a year. I also sell at BOOTH and Toranoana.

7. Does your family share your hobby?

My family is also otaku and we sometimes go to see Yamato together. However, we have a hard time agreeing on it.

8. Please tell us something about your life outside your art.

My job is designing computer systems, but I’m retiring in a few years, and I can’t wait to retire! I have two cats and serve them every day. I also showcase my handmade accessories on Instagram.

9. Are you involved in Yamato activities with other fans?

I go to events and concerts with friends I met on Twitter (Yama-Tomo). I have very good memories of going to see Yamato 2202 with my Swedish Yama-Tomo who came to Japan.

10. What do you hope to see in a future Yamato anime?

I hope that the next generation of young people will remake Yamato again so that we can have a big event in 2074, the Yamato centennial year. (Though I will not be able to see the centennial unless I am in a machine body.)

11. What is your favorite anime after Yamato?

This is a difficult question. Of course I like 999, but I would have to say Legendary God Giant Ideon.

12. What would you like to say to Yamato fans around the world?

There is an actual war going on right now. Some people may hesitate to say, “I like anime with battleships fighting” in such a situation!” But I think that is the spirit of Yamato. Is it right to use powerful weapons? and wasn’t the message “to love each other, not to fight?” I think it is the attitude of Yamato fans to always think about this.

13. What should everyone know about Japan and its people?

The image of Japan may be represented by Shibuya, Akihabara and Kyoto. If you have a chance to come to Japan, please go to the suburbs of Tokyo or to a small village in a rural area, “inaka” (countryside), and hang around. There is nothing there but nature. But that is Japan as it is. From that nothingness, Japan creates animation, manga, and various technologies with the power of imagination.


Continue to Report 17


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