Space Battleship Yamato, The Final Chapter
Finally, the highlight is…
Two years have passed since Space Battleship Yamato left the big screen. And now, with the enthusiastic support of over five million fans, Space Battleship Yamato, The Final Chapter will be released simultaneously nationwide on March 19. This time, we’ll introduce a singer who is extremely popular as an “older brother” to anime fans! We interviewed Isao Sasaki about what the appeal of Yamato is, and have summarized the story and highlights of the final installment.
The heroic final act of courage, the outcome of Kodai and Yuki’s love…
[STORY]Four billion years ago, the water planet Aquarius brought a great deal of rain to the Earth, which was then burning rock, bringing water and the seeds of life. Now, from the far reaches of space, it is once again heading toward Earth. The year is 2203.
Meanwhile, beyond the galaxy, there is a space called a dimensional fault. Due to the influence of a galaxy that suddenly appears, an accident occurs in which many stars repeatedly collide with each other. Collisions between planets bring the greatest and final crisis to Earth.
The Grand Priest Emperor Lugal wanders through space in search of a new planet for his people, and after much discussion he decides to emigrate to Earth. To do so, he steadily advances his plan to warp the planet Aquarius with super thermonuclear energy, flood the Earth, and wait for the extinction of humanity.
Now, Yamato launches!
Will Yamato be able to thwart the ambitions of the Dengil Empire and save Earth from the approach of Aquarius?
Aquarius continues to warp, and now it is only sixteen days from Earth.
[HIGHLIGHTS]The biggest highlight is the warriors who have grown up alongside Space Battleship Yamato. What will become of the love between Susumu Kodai and Yuki Mori? This is something every fan is curious about.
In a deadly battle with the Dengil Empire’s great mechanized fleet, Yamato suffers unprecedented damage, with holes punched through its armor plating by a terrifying Hyper Thermonuclear Missile attack. Despite sustaining extensive damage to the entire ship, Yamato warps back to Earth.
Many of the crew are injured, but Kodai is on the brink of death due to the effects of radiation. “Kodai-kun, don’t die!” As Yuki Mori watches, Kodai undergoes surgery. She continues to pray fervently. At that moment, their love, their lives, naturally become one…
Another highlight is watching the fate of their love. The heroic Space Battleship Yamato, the appearance of the first captain Juzo Okita, and the nostalgic nemesis Leader Dessler are also exciting highlights of The Final Chapter.
[BEHIND THE SCENES]The theme this time is “love is trials and blessings.” The staff spent a full year discussing how to materialize this theme. They also overcame various challenges in search of a visual technique that could rival the western film Tron, which used new technology, and aimed to create a final installment worthy of the film that sparked the anime boom in both name and reality.
Yamato and Me
Isao Sasaki: Singing the theme song for Space Battleship Yamato
Interviewer: It’s finally The Final Chapter.
Sasaki: It feels like the time has finally come to say goodbye to a close friend.
Interviewer: What do you like about Space Battleship Yamato?
Sasaki: This story has romance and love. This is sort of a complicated topic, but I think humans need romance to live. Yamato teaches us romance through film.
Interviewer: Describe the romance…
Sasaki: Take Susumu Kodai, for example. He hits walls and obstacles time and time again, but in the end, after struggling with his worries, he always rises up with new hope. I find that kind of romance in Susumu Kodai.
Interviewer: I’d like modern children to feel that way, too!
Sasaki: It may seem like I’m being simplistic, but children today tend to be very naive. For example, they often make fun of adults. I have children, but all the adults have jobs, and even though they fail at times, they’re trying their best to live their lives. You can make fun of them, but I can’t help but want to ask those kids, “So, what are you doing?” I’d like them to see Kodai’s attitude of growing up while struggling.
The time has come when I have to say goodbye to my close friend
Interviewer: By the way, the theme songs for The Final Chapter, named Kodai and Yamato and Yamato Tribute ~ Poseidon (Columbia Records, Feb 1st) have been released ahead of the movie.
Sasaki: The lyrics (by Yu Aku) and the compositions (by Hiroshi Miyagawa) are both powerful and wonderful, and if only the singer was amazing, there would be no complaints… (Laughs) Anyway, this is an important song for me, marking a milestone in my ten years working in the anime industry, so I’d like to do my best to make it appeal to as many people as possible.
Interviewer: It seems like it will become a memorable song.
Sasaki: That’s right. I know this is a bit of PR, but I don’t think there are many songs that make you think, “This is great” the more you listen to them, but with this song even the singer himself thinks, “This is a great song!” the more he listens to it, so it’s definitely a hit. (Laughs)
Interviewer: As anime fans, we look forward to seeing more of your success, Mr. Sasaki.