May 2023 was the lightest month for Yamato activity since the year started, and it likely won’t be the last, since we still don’t have a premiere date for REBEL 3199. But no amount is too little and every month has something new to offer. Here’s what was new in May…
May 2: Sarasate magazine, Vol. 112
In the wake of the glorious Yamato Meets Classics concerts of February and March, this specialty magazine for stringed-instrument players ran a 2-page article interviewing lead violinist Fuminori Shinozaki and cellist Daisuke Kitaguchi about the influence of anime and tokusatsu music on their careers, appending it with a review of the concerts.
Read the article here.
May 3: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 215
Hachette’s first Hyuga volume for May was a modest one, providing parts for the addition of two opening and closing hatches on a port-side hull panel.
See Hachette’s instruction video here
See an unboxing video here
See a modeler’s blog here
May 4: Kinejun No. 1920
The film magazine that was the first to give Yamato a mainstream cover story in 1978 stepped up to the plate again to commemorate the passing of Leiji Matsumoto. There was no specific Yamato content, but the 24-page cover feature had plenty else to offer with essays by longtime collaborators such as Director Rintaro and Mecha Designer Katsumi Itabashi. Also included were two archival interviews from earlier issues with Matsumoto discussing Galaxy Express 999 (1979) and My Youth in Arcadia (1982).
The magazine sold out quickly, so only secondhand sources will still have copies as of this writing.
May 6: Radio Suite Yamato III
The fifth 4-hour Yamato radio show of the remake era went on the air May 6 via Nanako Lively FM in Saitama Prefecture. Once again, the hosts were DJ Androw Umeda (showbiz name), Manga Artist Michio Murakawa, and Fukushinako Fukan, webmaster of Yamato Music Collection. Also on hand was Writer Harutoshi Fukui, taking a break from his duties on REBEL 3199.
Left: programming book for the staff. Right: autographs by all the participants.
Following previous format, the first two hours were devoted to musical highlights from across the saga from the very beginning right up to the latest works. Some of that time was spent in an audio comparison between scenes from the original and English-dubbed versions of Farewell to Yamato.
Harutoshi Fukui participated in a music-focused conversation for the third hour, and the fourth hour was filled with fan requests and deep-cut rarities. Unfortunately, despite the initial announcements, the radio station’s streaming signal was unavailable to fans in the US. Maybe next year.
May 10: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 216
This week, modelers added the elevator hatch to last week’s hull segment and got to take a big step when the forward deck was finally mated with the gundeck.
See Hachette’s instruction video here
See an unboxing video here
See a modeler’s blog here
Photo posted on Twitter by Dotechin2202
May 13: Shizuoka Hobby Show
This annual event was packed full of cool stuff, but with no new Yamato model kits being announced for 2023, there were only a few fan-made works to exhibit such as those shown above. But there was still some Yamato love to be found in the form of live music.
May 15: Yamato 3199 website launched
REBEL 3199 has its official website! A bare-bones version launched on this day with a selection of work-in-progress character designs, mecha designs, and storyboards. Most elements are recognizable, but others are not, so speculation is encouraged.
The introductory text reads: Under production!! Production materials from latest work in the series, Be Forever Yamato REBEL 3199, are now available! At the bottom of the home page, it simply says, Stay tuned!!
Click here to see it right now!
May 15: Concert announced
Yamato & Villains is on its way back to the stage. Akira Miyagawa will conduct the Sienna Wind Orchestra in a revival of the first concert to include music from 2205, taking place August 6 at the Nagano City Arts Center. If your travel plans happen to include Japan in early August, find the details here.
May 17: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 217
With the addition of just a few more internal parts, the port side hull segment could be attached to the ship itself, giving us all a look at how the mechanisms come together.
See Hachette’s instruction video here
See an unboxing video here
See a modeler’s blog here
May 24: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 218
With construction finished on the port side, this volume jumped over to begin assembly of the corresponding panel on the starboard side.
See Hachette’s instruction video here
See an unboxing video (for vol. 218 & 219) here
See a modeler’s blog here
May 28: Leiji Matsumoto “Farewell Party”
New details about the public memorial for Leiji Matsumoto were announced on the Leijisha website just six days before it actually took place on June 3 at the Tokyo International Forum. Since it came and went while this report was being written, click here to see how it all came together.
May 31: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 219
Hachette’s last volume for May continued with the starboard hull panel, following the same assembly steps as its predecessor.
As this photo (posted on Twitter by K1115Uta) demonstrates, Hyuga is shaping up nicely. 31 volumes to go!
See Hachette’s instruction video here
See an unboxing video (for vol. 218 & 219) here
See a modeler’s blog here
Also spotted in May
Fan art
The art found online in April was less than usual, but worth the wait when you see all the stunning pieces that turned up to fill it out in May. See a character gallery here and a mecha gallery here.
Fan models
Modelers roamed all over the map in May, sharing photos of some of the earliest kits all the way up to their latest wild variations. See them in two galleries: Yamato & Andromeda | Everything else
It’s eating the ship!
If you’re still on Twitter these days, you might want to follow the account of longtime fan Kanae Yokosuka, who explores obscure corners of Yamato lore.
Here’s one example: at left is an image illustration from the early development phase in 1973, which shows a proto-Yamato emerging from some sort of tunnel. At right is what appears to be the cover art from an SF novel called Energy Devouring Space Hill. The early illustrations were heavily influenced by contemporary Japanese SF, but this is as heavy as it gets.
Art energy at 120%
Twitter user MoDMoDMoD belongs to the category of fans that’s been programmed to see Yamato iconography where it’s least expected. They shared this photo of what appears to be a Wave-Motion Pipe Organ.
Fan Artist Profile
Time to meet another of the talented and dedicated Yamato fans who delivers some of the amazing 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.)
94Ragunso11
1. What was your first Yamato experience?
It all started when I watched the first episode (1974 version) in reruns when I was a child, then either Yamato III or Be Forever.
2. What is your favorite aspect of Yamato?
It’s the way parents sail the starry seas not only to save their children, but also all of humanity, sailing the sea of stars to protect them.
3. Are you a Yamato collector?
I think it’s a standard number, but I collect things.
4. What is your most treasured Yamato item?
It’s an autograph paper signed by Leiji Matsumoto, although the character is a pirate from another universe…
5. What are your favorite drawing tools?
I don’t really care what I use. I color on the computer if I don’t have a pen and paper at hand.
6. Where can your work be seen?
You can see it on Twitter, Pixiv, and my blog.
7. Does your family share your hobby?
Yes, my mother has been a fan of Takuya Kimura for a long time, so I know more about him from the live action version. My nephews became fans with Yamato 2199.
8. Please tell us something about your life outside your art.
I’m still developing, I haven’t accomplished enough to talk about my life yet.
9. Are you involved in Yamato activities with other fans?
Well, to a certain extent. I donated an illustration to Umegraphix’s doujinshi for the character Nagakura the other day.
10. What do you hope to see in a future Yamato anime?
I think the story will probably conclude with Kodai finding a landing point that everyone can agree on, such as experiencing a proper farewell to Yamato and living the rest of his life for his family. I hope another new and renewed story will be created after that.
11. What is your favorite anime after Yamato?
I don’t have a next favorite, as I consider it to be in a league of its own. But personally, as a “Space Trilogy,”
If Space Battleship Yamato is the “adult chapter,” then Galaxy Drifter Vifam is the “child chapter” and Space Ship Sagittarius would be the “middle chapter.”
12. What would you like to say to Yamato fans around the world?
I am just a painter of fan illustrations, but thank you very much for your positive reactions.
13. What should everyone know about Japan and its people?
I think it’s the Japanese character to maximize power to achieve revival and rebirth. Especially the private sector, who uses their own special skills and connections to create ideas and give shape. I strongly feel that it has been recorded in our DNA long before Yamato was born, both in our soul and spirit, because of disasters and earthquakes.
I believe that Japanese people working overseas are people with strong spirits, so if you can give them a little help and kind words in order to achieve what they could not do in their home country, I would be happy overall. I think we can provide it. We’re from the country that gave birth to your favorite manga, anime, and characters.
Yamatunes for May
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