Activity in March 2023 dropped a bit compared February, but that didn’t make it any less interesting. Any month that gives us online publishing, three major live events, info on the next series, and a new Blu-ray box set is nothing to regret. Here’s what was news…

March 1: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 206

Hachette kicked off the month with an array of parts for Hyuga‘s starboard elevator, which in all likelihood will be motorized to carry Cosmo Pythons from the hangar bay to the upper deck.

See Hachette’s instruction video here

See an unboxing video here

See a modeler’s blog here

March 1: Pure Tokyoscope podcast

Tributes to Leiji Matsumoto created a steady heartbeat heard throughout the month of March. First up was episode 37 of the Pure Tokyoscope podcast, hosted by friends-of-the-website Matt Alt and Patrick Macias.

Listen to it here.

March 4: Bunshun Online article

The next tribute came from journalist (and another friend-of-the-website) Hiroyuki Ota, who wrote a very insightful piece that speculated on why Leiji Matsumoto was so attached to Yamato as a means of expression.

Read the article here.

March 8: Goethe articles

Over three consecutive days, the website for Goethe magazine reprinted material from a 2009 interview with Leiji Matsumoto, looking back over his life and career. It opened with the following quote:

“When I was young, I thought time was infinite. Once it passed, it was just a brief, almost fleeting moment. But back then, I believed that my future was infinite. Thinking about it now, those were the happiest times of my life. I was at the bottom of the poverty line and struggling to make ends meet. All my friends around me were poor, and the most I could do was talk about my dreams for the future. Even so, that period was the Arcadia of my life, my utopia.”

These articles are not currently on the agenda for translation here at Cosmo DNA, but if your browser has a translation function, this is recommended reading.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

March 8: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 207

In this volume, parts were added to both of the elevator sections. For visual reference, the pulse laser turrets will point toward the stern.

See Hachette’s instruction video here

See an unboxing video here

See a modeler’s blog here

March 10: Anime Anime column

The tributes continue! Respected anime critic/commentator Ryota Fujitsu explored Matsumoto’s biography to analyze what factors energized so many of his works in the “anime boom” of the late 70s.

Read his findings here.

Photo at right posted on Twitter by Chiko Miyagawa

March 12: Yamato Meets Classics concert, Himeji

All the principals from the February 23 premiere were excited to be back for a repeat performance: Conductor Akira Miyagawa, Violinist Fuminori Shinozaki, Pianist Chiko Miyagawa, and Vocalist Michiko Hayashi.

Photo posted by Scott Mohechi

The venue this time was the Arcrea ampitheater in Himeji, a city in the southern portion of Japan.

Photo posted by ysyk

Based on the photos posted afterward, this would appear to be the perfect place to hear live Yamato music.

Photo posted by Scott Mohechi

The view from the stage is even more magnificent, seemingly positioned under a starry sky.

Photos posted by komeko114 and Chiko Miyagawa

On sale in the lobby were score books, CDs, Akira Miyagawa’s recent autobiography, and stickers of the four primary participants.

Photos posted by Hanekenofficial

Celebratory bouquets featured tributes to the two composers whose work was performed here: Hiroshi Miyagawa (the Yamato Suite) and Kentaro Haneda (the YamatoGrand Symphony).

Cellist Daisuke Kitaguchi shared his point of view afterward on Twitter, both literally and figuratively. His caption read, “Yamato finished!! I was overwhelmed with emotion to be able to perform a piece that I have admired for decades. It was a day I will never forget.”

Posted by stagehand Yusaku Yoshida

Naturally, the concert itself wasn’t shown online, but we at least got a glimpse of the aftermath. See a closing video here.

March 12: Goo ranking

The entertainment website Goo (pronounced “GO”) published some interesting poll results on this day. The subject was “TV Anime that surprised me when I learned it was broadcast ten years ago!”

The introduction read as follows:

Including late-night anime, more than 100 TV anime are broadcast every year. Looking at the lineup of broadcasts from a few years ago, there are some that make us nostalgic and say, “I remember such and such a work,” and others that surprise us and make us wonder, “Was it that long ago that this work was broadcast?” We conducted a survey to find out which TV anime works would surprise you to find out that it has been 10 years since the last episode aired, and have ranked them accordingly.”

Number 1 on the list? Space Battleship Yamato 2199! See the article here. See all the poll results here.

March 14: Yamatalk screening

Without a doubt, this live event was the highlight of the month. To celebrate the upcoming release of the Yamato 2202 special edition Blu-ray box set, three episodes were screened at the Shinjuku Piccadilly theater. They were chosen in advance by popular vote, and the hosts were Director Nobuyoshi Habara, Writer Harutoshi Fukui, and Scriptwriter Hideki Oka. If that’s all there was to it, good enough. But they used the occasion to add something special: the first look at Be Forever Yamato, REBEL 3199!

It wasn’t a lot, but it was just enough to fill up Cosmo DNA’s first Yamato 3199 Report. Read it here.

March 15: Akiba Souken article

It’s been over twelve years since the release of the live-action Yamato movie, but it endures as a fascinating moment of the franchise. A writer at the Akiba Souken website decided to give it another look as part of a series that re-evaluates live-action anime adaptations. Here is the reviewer’s conclusion:

There are many changes, such as the fact that Gamilas is now considered a collective intelligence, rather than an alien species with whom we might have had a chance to understand each other. The bald-headed male military doctor, Sakezo Sado, was changed to a woman. Whether or not you can accept these changes will greatly affect your evaluation of the film.

As for Yuki in particular, many fans of the original story will remember her as the Madonna of their youth, and it is inevitable that there will be some controversy as to whether or not they can accept this version. Actually, having Yuki fight in a combat team is not a strange idea. It is a well-known story that she was the leader of the space warrior team in early planning stages of Yamato. It is unknown whether this work was based on that concept, but in a sense, it can be said that Yuki Mori returned to her origin.

The characters are well-reproduced, including Kodai, and crew members such as Okita, Sanada, and Tokugawa are perfectly suited to their roles. Personally, I felt that the respect for the original work was evident in the fact that the film kept to the essentials, even incorporating the essence of Farewell, and that the CG expressions and character interpretations were modernized to create an acceptable adaptation of Space Battleship Yamato.

See the full article here.

March 15: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 208

Big moves this week; delivery of the remaining stern parts made it possible to assemble the “basin” for the rear half of the ship.

See Hachette’s instruction video here

See an unboxing video here

See a modeler’s blog here

March 18: Osaka Shion concert

Akira Miyagawa continued doing what he does best, taking just two weeks off until he was at the conductor’s podium again. This was not a Yamato-only concert, but another collection of favorites performed by the Osaka Shion Wind Orchestra that included three Yamato compositions.

March 19: Anime Nostalgia Podcast

The last of the Leiji Matsumoto tributes in March was also the most comprehensive; a nearly four-hour livestream conducted by The Anime Nostalgia Podcast. The first segment featured a conversation with manga translator Zack Davisson, after which the floor was opened to fans around the world who submitted short essays or recorded messages (including ye editor).

When you’re in need some extended listening material, click here. It’s time well spent.

March 22: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 209

This volume contained a large hull segment to complete Hyuga‘s rear half. Now the the path is clear for the completed “basin” to be gradually filled up with internal components.

See Hachette’s instruction video here

See an unboxing video here

See a modeler’s blog here

March 24: Yamato 2202 special edition Blu-ray box set

If for some reason you’ve been holding out for the ultimate everything-in-one-place Blu-ray collection for 2202, wait no longer. This set contains the entire series with every bonus feature from the original releases and some new material including live stage greetings and Yamatalk events. The slipcase art is by Kia Asamiya.

Order it from Amazon.co.jp here or from CD Japan here.

Those who ordered it from Amazon.co.jp got this bonus Blu-ray containing all of the “Promotional Meeting of Love” videos released on Youtube and elsewhere.

A fresh promotional campaign was launched on the same day. Fans who retweeted ads from both the Yamato 2202 and Toward the Terra Twitter pages (until April 20) would be entered to win a collaboration poster featuring both. If you’re wondering what connects these two titles, it’s simple; the exquistely-made 2007 Toward the Terra TV series had a lot of key staff members who went on to create Yamato 2199, including Yutaka Izubuchi and Character Designer Nobuteru Yuuki.

Find out more about Toward the Terra here.

See a larger image of the poster at the end of this page.

March 26: Radio Suite Yamato III announced

Last May, Saitama-based 77.5 Lively FM took over for the late, lamented Clover Radio when it broadcast a 4-hour radio suite of Yamato music. (See details in Report 11 here.) The theme for that program was Be Forever, and this year they will following up with a Yamato III special on May 6. Their guest this year is Writer Harutoshi Fukui.

Last year, the station did not offer a stream to listeners outside Japan, and regrettably it will probably the same this year. If research proves otherwise, watch the Cosmo DNA Facebook page for instructions on how to tune in.

March 29: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 210

Hachette gave modelers VERY big moves to close out the month: the front and back halves of Hyuga were finally combined, allowing modelers to fully appreciate its 33″ length. As of now, half of the volumes for this model have been released. 40 more to go.

See Hachette’s instruction video here

See an unboxing video here

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