Japanese Filmmakers to Take on Star Wars
Farewell to Yamato & Science Ninja Team Gatchaman
Japanese Film Monthly
Kazukuni Kawahara
Star Wars will finally be released in theaters. It will be shown at the Nichigeki Theater in Yurakucho, Tokyo and other theaters from the 24th, and is a must-see for movie fans. But, the price of admission has gone up to 1500 yen, which is a bit of a pain…
Two animated feature-length films are vying for that “one more” prize: Farewell to Yamato (produced by Office Academy and distributed by Toei) and Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (production: Tatsunoko, distribution: Shochiku-Fuji). Both are theatrical adaptations of popular TV anime series.
On August 6 last year, panic struck. The theaters where Space Battleship Yamato was shown were surrounded by young people. Theaters that received warnings from the police opened their doors early in the morning after 6:00 a.m. It is still fresh in our memories. In the end, the movie attracted an estimated 2,252,000 people nationwide and grossed over 900 million yen. Who would have predicted such a bonanza? Even producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki did not expect such a boom. He was so moved that he shed tears when he saw the audience on the first day.
Still, production of a sequel was not given the go-ahead easily. The idea was finalized at the end of last year, and concrete work began in January of this year. Yoshinobu Nishizaki planned, produced, and supervised the film, while Leiji Matsumoto designed it. The main staff is the same as in the first film with music by Hiroshi Miyagawa and directing by Toshio Masuda. The costumes for heroine Yuki Mori and others are by fashion designer Yukiko Hanai. Three new songs, From Yamato With Love, Teresa Forever, and The Rival, with lyrics by Yu Aku, have been added to the film. It has become a hot topic, surpassing its predecessor.
What will happen to Yamato?
In 2201, Yamato was decommissioned and replaced by the ultra-modern Andromeda, the most advanced ship ever built. Susumu Kodai, Daisuke Shima, and others are assigned to a transport fleet. During a mission, Kodai catches a strange transmission. The Earth Federation government ignores the signal, and Kodai and his crew are forced to fire up the engine of Yamato, which is lying in a submarine dock, and fly off into outer space, wearing the stigma of rebels.
Dessler, the former leader of the Gamilas Empire, is still alive as a subordinate of the evil Emperor Zordar. Yamato‘s future is once again fraught with difficulties. Will they be able to save Teresa, the goddess of love and prayer? And what will happen to Yamato in the climax? What does the title Farewell mean?
The film will open in theaters nationwide on August 5.
Science Ninja Team Gatchaman is aimed at a slightly higher fan base than Yamato. It was broadcast on TV for two years from October 1972, with an average viewer rating of 21%. It is said to have captured not only young children, but also elementary, junior high, and high school students, as well as college students and adults. Many adults became fans as they watched it with their children. Actor Yuzo Kayama is also an avid fan.
The overwhelming majority of fans seem to be female students. This is also similar to Yamato. From TV anime to the theater version, I wonder if there is a second coming in store. I was not a fan of this show, (every Sunday at 6 p.m., I was watching a different show), so it’s difficult for me to judge, but if a female student is really excited by an anime with a title like Gatchaman, it might be a big hit again. I never dreamed that Yamato would be a hit, so I’ve lost confidence in my instincts as a movie journalist. I’m going to give up analyzing teen trends.
The enemies, planning to turn the solar system into a black hole, send Turtle King, Mechadegon, and other mecha monsters to Earth. The only way to confront this is…”Sometimes five, sometimes one, white shadows that creep up on you without showing their true nature.” The shadow warriors of justice, the Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. Ken, Joe, Jun, Jinpei, and Ryu are called Gatchaman because they are combined by Gatchan.
The original story is by the late Tatsuo Yoshida, with Kihachi Okamoto as the executive producer and Kai Shimakai as the supervisor. The film opens July 15.