April 2014 was a very active month for 2199 with about half again the amount of activity we saw in March. The focal point for this was most definitely the Yamato 2199 Gengaten [Art Exhibition] in the Ikebukuro district of Tokyo, which was reminiscent of a movie opening with all the trimmings. But first, we must back up for the end of March…
March 30: Yamaket 3
Toriroji is a Tokyo-based fan event, a smaller version of Comiket with doujinshi and cosplay. (They render the name as “Torilozi,” which could be a Japanese intepretation of “Trilogy.”) Toriroji 1 was held September 2011, and subsequent events have taken place twice a year, in March and November. Fan publishing groups (called “circles”) who share a common subject are arranged together at the event, and when ten circles teamed up at Toriroji 4 in March 2013, they called themselves Yamaket. The number grew to twelve groups at Toriroji 5 in November and they called themselves Yamaket 2.
As you may have already guessed, Yamaket 3 took place at Toriroji 6. This time, six circles ganged up to sell their homemade Yamato products. The three striking doujinshi above came from a circle named Yokohama Tuxedo Club. Yamaket 4 will take place at Toriroji 7 on October 19.
Visit the Toriroji website here.
Visit some fan circle websites here: Pasterage | Brain Trouble | Yokohama Tuxedo Club | Thoughts of a Starlit Night | Dragon’s
April 1: Hyper Hobby #188
The products and product announcements from March were rounded up in this month’s spread, and the magazine’s next four questions were answered by Chief Mechanical Director Masanori Nishii. Since the beginning of a monthly report can always benefit from a roundup, here’s what’s shown above:
(1) March 23 Yamatalk (2) Art Exhibition (3) Ishinomori Museum exhibition (4) TV rerun news (5) Cosmofleet Special Domelus III miniature (6) Miki Saijo Yamato Girls Collection figure (7) 1/12 Analyzer model (8) Premium Bandai: Garmillas warships set 2, imperial guard colors (9) Premium Bandai: Pormelia carrier, imperial guard colors (10) Premium Bandai: 1/500 Yamato etched metal parts (11) Mecha Collection mini-models (12) 26 Secrets and Mysteries of Yamato, questions 20-23.
Question 20: Where do the Gatlantians go after being freed from Leptapoda?
Nishii: Basically, they would return to Gatlantis. It has not been set. Under the new system with Hisu in charge, it seems the humane policy of Gal Dietz is supported.
Question 21: After negotiations finish, where is Gal Dietz headed after parting from Yamato?
Nishii: There are other prison planets to go to, and I believe the script indicated that he goes around to release them before returning to Garmillas. The camp where Dietz and Elisa was held was No. 17, so maybe that means there are also prison planets 1-16. (Laughs)
Question 22: How does Yuki understand Yurisha?
Nishii: I think Iscandarians have some capabilities that Earth people don’t. Even Starsha mistakes Yuki for her sister even though her senses are so sharp. That was kept according to the original work. (Laughs)
Question 23: Was Yamato able to ram into the presidential tower because of the Wave-Motion Barrier?
Nishii: It was expanded before the charge, so that’s the effect. Also, the presidential tower was probably not made more durable since it wasn’t assumed that a warship might ram into it, so it was no match for Yamato‘s Wave Barrier.
April 3: Yutaka Izubuchi special interview
The entertainment website Akiba Souken [Akihabara Research Institute] published a 20-minute on-camera interview with Director Izubuchi in which he shared his current thoughts on 2199 and mentioned the forthcoming feature film. The interview was only viewable in Japan, but this brief article accompanied it:
Video interview published with Yutaka Izubuchi, General Director of Yamato 2199, currently making a theatrical version (scheduled for later fall 2014)
To commemorate the movie version of Yamato 2199, WOWOW Prime will broadcast all seven chapters on TV from April 6. As an enthusiastic fan of Yamato, Mr. Izubuchi said, “It was a bolt out of the blue” in describing his feelings for the work. The interview runs approximately 20 minutes.
Yamato 2199 has a theatrical version (7 chapters) and a TV series (26 episodes), but Mr. Izubuchi says, “Those who have seen the TV broadcast version should definitely see the theater version, since they are quite different. I didn’t intend it, but I think the 7 chapters of the theatrical version hold together in a better form. The approach is different, and it becomes easy to watch each chapter as a collective. Calculations were made, of course, but I still didn’t think it would snap into place so well,” he said proudly.
Furthermore, “Since it was shown on TV, there were some parts cut for time, but the theatrical version is complete. The use of music is different in places, and you should pay attention to small details.”
About the production, “it was pleasant that Yamato was made. I thought if we enjoyed making it, that would come out in the work,” he said heartily. And now, a new work is coming, the Space Battleship Yamato feature film (to be released late fall). Regarding the effort of this production, Mr. Izubuchi expressed his state of mind by saying, “My chief aim in finishing the 2199 TV series was to evaluate Yamato 2199 and feel relieved. That’s why, with us now doing the movie, it feels like it’s getting even harder to look ahead.”
He stoked the anticipation of the fans by saying, “In my current state, the calorie count (to be spent on work) is not decreasing, since it’s a mostly-new production. I think you can look forward to it.”
April 5: Ishinomori Museum exhibition opens
Separate from the well-hyped Art Exhibition that would open later in the month, this event was smaller and more remote, located in a museum named after manga legend Shotaro Ishinomori in Tome City. (A larger and better-known Ishinomori museum is located in Ishinomaki City; as of this writing it hosts a Macross exhibit.)
It was another opportunity to deploy the 5-meter Yamato display model, and photos of its transport were posted on Twitter. The last picture (above right) showed it in place, surrounded by 2199 art and one of Naoyuki Katoh’s murals. The exhibit is scheduled to close July 13.
Visit the museum’s website here.
April 6: Nico Nico webcast #35
The three most-regularly seen Yamato Girls returned for this 90-minute show, which was heavy on chatter and news announcements (all of which are covered in this report). From left to right, the hosts were Sayako Toujo as Yuria Misaki, Momoko Miyauchi as Makoto Harada, and Ryo Nanase as Kaori Niimi. Since the beginning of this series, we’ve seen them interact only rarely with elements from the original Yamato saga, and one such occasion arose when they showed off a poster for the new Final Yamato MV [Music Video], released in April on DVD and Blu-ray for the first time.
In the drawing segment, the challenge was to envision Queen Starsha’s bedroom. Toujo showed it from the outside with a Saturn-like ring around the building, but Momoko took us inside where Starsha rocks on a banana-shaped bed with a portrait of Dessler hanging nearby.
Ryo struggled with this one, trying several times to nail it down. She cringed in the background while the other two insisted on showing each of her drafts.
As of this writing, no further episodes of the webcast have been announced, and the Yamato Crew Nico Nico Channel appears to have been closed. As the first TV broadcast of Yamato 2199 was wrapping up last fall, it was announced that the webcast would continue for another six months, and we’ve now reached that point. But we’ve almost certainly NOT heard the last of the Yamato Girls.
April 6, 8 & 9: Reruns
Depending on your TV channel lineup in Japan, April brought three opportunities to watch (or rewatch) all of Yamato 2199 in both formats.
On April 6, WOWOW Prime began the first TV broadcast of the theater editions, cut exactly as they were shown in their first run on the big screen (without the opening and end titles seen on home video). Chapters 1-3 were shown Sunday April 6, followed by chapters 4 & 5 on Sunday the 13th and 6 & 7 on Sunday the 20th.
Meanwhile, the TV edition first shown on MBS last year was dusted off and shown again on two networks. TOKYO MX began a weekly broadcast on Tuesday April 8 and BS11 began one night later, on Wednesday April 9. Since MBS started the first broadcast on April 7, 2013 (a Sunday), these networks will track it at the same pace into late September. This follows a pattern set almost 40 years ago when the original Space Battleship Yamato Series 1 appeared in reruns following its initial broadcast and assembled the loyal audience that would later take it over the top.
April 12: Art Exhibition goods announced
With the Gengaten now ten days off, the event website grabbed every fan’s eyeballs by revealing the special products to be sold at the gallery. They were essentially a continuation of the theater goods that accompanied all seven movies, but unique to the exhibition. Some even gave a preview of what would be seen in the show itself.
See a gallery of these products here.
April 21: 40th Anniversary Project commencement
This became a significant day in Yamato 2199 history for more than one reason, as described in the news reports below. In addition to a welcome flash of news on the feature film, it marked the first time producer Shoji Nishizaki stepped into the public eye. As the adopted son of original Yamato producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki, he inherited the creative rights to Yamato when his father passed in late 2010 and until this day he was known only by name in credit lists and copyright notices. Now that the Space Battleship Yamato 40th Anniversary Project has begun, he steps fully into his father’s shoes.
From AnimeAnime:
(see the original post here)
Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Ark of the Stars nationwide release decided for December 6, Voyage of Recollection also to be screened
A Yamato 2199 Art Exhibition starts at the Seibu Gallery in Ikebukuro, Tokyo on April 22. To match its timing, a Yamato 2199 40th Anniversary Project exhibition was held the day before, April 21 at the Seibu Gallery. One event after another is planned for the milestone year of 2014.
Above all, the biggest announcement was about the long-awaited new feature film. The release was already set for late fall, but the official title Ark of the Stars was announced along with the nationwide release date of December 6, 2014. However, though director Yutaka Izubuchi continues his work from the TV series, the story’s content, time frame, and setting was not clarified. This information will carry over to future announcements.
There was yet another surprise. Separate from Ark of the Stars, another long-form movie titled Yamato 2199 Voyage of Recollection will also be released. For this work, the TV series will be specially edited for a new perspective and event screenings will begin October 11, 2014. It will be good to look back on Yamato 2199 again.
At the 40th Anniversary Project presentation, Juuzo Okita’s voice actor Takayuki Sugo, Yuria Misaki’s voice actor Aya Uchida, and planner/producer Shoji Nishizaki took the stage to celebrate. They unveiled the 1/100 Yamato for the first time that day. Nishizaki shared his feelings for his own work by saying, “The themes of Yamato are “love” and “self-sacrifice” which clearly show through.” He said that he wanted to give it a fresh impression and send it into the future. Mr. Sugo has been a voice actor for a long time, and showed off his efforts with a great response of his own: “Okita is immortal, and is alive in all of you.” Ms. Uchida joyfully said, “I was able to participate in a work that started before I was born. It was a big event, and my family and relatives were very pleased.”
According to the manufacturer of the 1/100 Yamato introduced here, its production costs were considerable. Although it had only been finished the day before, its power and sophistication make it a must-see. It will be exhibited throughout the Yamato 2199 Art Exhibition. If you’re a fan, the content of this exhibition must not be missed. Original art and designs are displayed with commentaries that clarify how they were created. We can confirm that the penstrokes of well-known creators should not be overlooked. According to an announcement, sales of Yamato 2199 merchandise have already topped 10 billion yen [approx. $100 million USD]. It seems that even after 2014, it will continue to enliven the world.
From Cinema Today Movie News: (see the original post here)
Space Battleship Yamato new feature film titled Ark of the Stars!
Compilation version to be consecutively released!
The title of the new movie of the popular anime series Yamato 2199 was announced as Ark of the Stars at the Seibu Gallery in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, revealed in a 40th Anniversary Project presentation for the series. Voice actors Aya Uchida and Takayuki Sugo appeared that day, along with Producer Shoji Nishizaki.
The original 1974 TV broadcast was revived as the popular anime Yamato 2199, and took the world by storm. Ark of the Stars is a completely new feature film planned as the centerpiece of the Yamato 40th Anniversary Project, to be released December 6. It is said that General Director Yutaka Izubuchi leads the staff, who work wholeheartedly with a deep affection for Yamato.
To celebrate the exhibiton, General Director Izubuchi commented thus:
“40 years. 40 years have passed since the encounter with Yamato. [edit] At the time I met Yamato, how many people would have been shocked to expect a reunion 40 years after this impact? But it has become reality. The words, ‘I’ll definitely return’ have become reality, and the journey continues.”
Furthermore it was simultaneously announced that prior to the release of Ark of the Stars, a special compilation will be reconstructed from the 7 chapters released from 2012 to last year, to be titled Yamato 2199 Voyage of Recollection and released October 11. Shigeru Morita, one of the writers of Yamato 2199, is charge of the compilation and Takao Kato, who directed Episode 18 of the series, is supervising.
The Yamato 2199 Art Exhibition will open tomorrow at the Seibu Gallery. It will be jam-packed with over 200 pieces of original character art and mecha design documents lovingly made by top-notch creators. The unveiling of a 1/100 Yamato model to be displayed at the exhibition was also carried out. Juuzo Okita’s voice actor Takayuki Sugo, who attended as a guest, shouted, “Space Battleship Yamato 2199 40th Anniversary Project Launch!” to celebrate this new journey of Yamato.
Reporter: Tomohiro Mibu
From Geinou News Lounge: (see the original post here)
Title announced for new Space Battleship Yamato 2199 feature film!
General Director Yutaka Izubuchi also comments
A Space Battleship Yamato 2199 40th Anniversary Project presentation was held at the Seibu Gallery on the second floor of the Seibu Ikebukuro Annex in Tokyo on April 21, in which the title of the new feature film was announced.
The remake anime titled Yamato 2199 was carried out after 38 years and gained popularity with 7 chapters released to theaters and a TV broadcast last year. In the last episode of the TV series, it was announced that a new feature film would be released in 2014, and the wait for details began.
The title of the new feature film was revealed as Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Ark of the Stars, and it was announced that the nationwide release is scheduled for December 6. It is said that Xebec Co. Ltd. is in charge of animation production.
General Director Yutaka Izubuchi issued this comment:
“40 years. 40 years have passed since the encounter with Yamato.”
“40 years. The days and months have flowed equally for the many children and young people who met Yamato at that time, including myself.”
“40 years. At the time I met Yamato, how many people would have been shocked to expect a reunion 40 years after this impact? But it has become reality. The words, ‘I’ll definitely return’ have become reality, and the journey continues.”
Furthermore, it was also revealed that a special compilation will reconstruct the TV series from a new perspective, to be titled Yamato 2199 Voyage of Recollection and released on October 11 (Saturday). It was confirmed that General Director Izubuchi will not direct, but that Shigeru Morita will handle composition and Takato Kato will supervise.
From Geinou News Lounge: (see the original post here)
1/100 scale Yamato “Weigh Anchor!”
About 200 pieces in the Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Art Exhibition
On the 21st, a private preview of the Yamato 2199 Art Exhibition was held at the Seibu Gallery on the second floor of the Seibu Ikebukuro Annex in Tokyo. Juuzo Okita’s voice actor Takayuki Sugo, Yuria Misaki’s voice actor Aya Uchida, and Producer Shoji Nishizaki were in attendance. The unveiling of a 1/100 Yamato was carried out. A remake done after 38 years, Space Battleship Yamato 2199 was released in theaters two years ago and on TV last year to become very popular. About 200 pieces of original art by the top-notch staff can be seen in this location. You can enjoy the fine lines and small notes that could not be conveyed in anime, and go behind the scenes with such things as memos written by the creators.
During the interview, a 1/100 Yamato that will become the centerpiece of the exhibition was shown to reporters. According to the people concerned, “it was completed and brought in yesterday” after a production period of four months. At 333 cm in length [11 feet], the hull is made of FRP [fiber reinforced plastic] while the bridge, gun barrels and other parts are made of ABS plastic. The Bandai 1/500 Yamato was used as the base model. At the unveiling, Mr. Sugo filled the hall with his solemn voice and said, “Weigh anchor…1/100 Yamato, Launch!” Ms. Uchida said, “It was made with so much detail, all the gimmicks shine out!” Mr. Sugo excitedly showed his admiration by saying, “It’s wonderful.”
A four-meter-wide diorama recreates a scene with plamodels, and a “Beer Terrace of the Starry Sky” is set up on the ninth floor rooftop of the Seibu Ikebukuro with more Yamato 2199 decor. The serving staff wears original T-shirts tied in with the work, and anyone with a ticket to the exhibition gets a drinks discount. Further, the first 50 people who order drinks every day will receive a free original Yamato 2199 coaster.
The Yamato 2199 Art Exhibition is open from April 22 to May 7 in Seibu Gallery. In addition, the interview marked Space Battleship Yamato‘s 40th anniversary celebration, and it was announced that a compilation movie will be released October 11, followed by a new feature film on December 6 titled Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Ark of the Stars.
From Geinou News Lounge: (see the original post here)
For voice actor Aya Uchida, Space Battleship Yamato 2199 is “My big event”! Its influence still gets letters
On the 21st, voice actors Aya Uchida and Takayuki Sugo attended a Space Battleship Yamato 40th Anniversary Project and Yamato 2199 Art Exhibition with Producer Shoji Nishizaki at Seibu Gallery in Ikebukuro, Tokyo.
The anime Space Battleship Yamato 2199 was shown theatrically two years ago and on TV last year, and became a hot topic. In commemoration of a 200-piece exhibition to open in the same space on the 22nd, Juuzo Okita’s voice actor Sugo and Yuria Misaki’s voice actor Uchida appeared as guests.
Speaking about the decision to cast him in the role, Sugo said, “I felt that I could never be Juuzo Okita, who was originally performed by the late Goro Naya. When the part of Okita was decided, my voice actor friends congratulated me and I gradually felt the pressure.”
On the other hand, Uchida said, “I’ve been allowed to participate in a work that started before I was born, in the form of a new character. Rather than surprise, my first feeling was disbelief. By listening to the music of the work called Yamato, it became a familiar presence. Once it had been decided, since I never expected to be allowed to be a part of this, I was just glad I’d set out to be a voice actor. It was a big event for me!” And looking back at her memories, she said, “It’s been a while since the series finished, but I still realize its influence because I still get letters.”
Also, in commemoration of the exhibition, Seibu Railway is releasing Yamato 2199 Original Commemorative tickets. Illustrated by manga artist Michio Murakawa, they will be available starting at 5am on the 22nd, sold at Shinjuku Station and Tokorozawa Station.
The Yamato 2199 Art Exhibition will be open from April 22 to May 7 at the Seibu Gallery in Ikebukuro. Also, a tour of nationwide department stores is planned, starting with this exhibition.
Special thanks to Neil Nadelman for translation support.
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