Space Battleship Yamato 2205 Report 26

Posted on September 2, 2023 by TimEldred

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In a welcome surprise, activity in August doubled over the slow month of July, bringing us more summer music events and news from multiple fronts, the most exciting of which is a return of the classics to the big screen. Let’s dive right in and see what happened.

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Yamato 2202 Mechanic Encyclopedia

Posted on September 1, 2023 by TimEldred

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Starting in January 2019, Hachette Collections Japan embarked on a monumental project: a series of complex 1/350 models accompanied by an extensive Yamato 2202 encyclopedia built into the instruction manuals. Here, we dive into the deepest look at the series that can be found on paper.

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Final Yamato novelization, 1982/83

Posted on August 26, 2023 by TimEldred

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Of the four different Final Yamato novelizations, the one most strongly remembered was published by Tokuma Shoten in the “AM Juju” library. Written by Keigo Masaki and illustrated by animator Yoshinori Kanada, it is presented here chapter by chapter in English for the first time.

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Vintage Report 16: December 1978

Posted on August 24, 2023 by TimEldred

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As 1978 drew to a close, Yamato fever showed no signs of abating. Farewell would soon be back for revival screenings, Yamato 2 approached its halfway point on TV, and new merch continued to appear, especially on the music side. It all made December a month to remember.

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Discount Yamato
a Rogue’s Gallery of Knockoffs

Posted on August 23, 2023 by TimEldred

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Where there is a great success story, imitators usually spring up looking for a free ride like Star Flies on a Space Battleship. On the upside, it does take a creative (if misguided) mind and a sort of endearing chutzpah to push these things out into broad daylight, and it can be great fun to examine them with a trained eye.

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Redhawk Yamato: More Than Meets the Eye

Posted on August 22, 2023 by TimEldred

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Created by model and toymaker Aoshima, the Redhawk line is worthy of respect for sheer volume if nothing else. As silly or eccentric as they may look, they were wildly inventive to the point where they quickly moved past the source material that inspired them. See the entire almost-but-not-quite Yamato lineup here.

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Space Battleship Yamato 2205 Report 25

Posted on August 11, 2023 by TimEldred

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Summer doldrums (or whatever) caused activity to drop in the month of July, but the hits were still solid, especially an unexpected announcement that pulled an exceedingly rare gem out of the history vault. Here’s what July had to offer…

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Yamato 2205 Episode 8 commentary

Posted on August 10, 2023 by TimEldred

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Dessler commands Kodai to fire the WMG at him in order to destroy Goruba. As Kodai is about to accept this reality, Domon’s youthful enthusiasm moves him. “Save everyone!” In order to carry out Domon’s plan, Kodai rushes to Starsha in the experimental Dimensional Submarine Cosmo Hound…

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Vintage Report 15: November 1978

Posted on July 28, 2023 by TimEldred

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Though Farewell to Yamato was no longer in theaters in November 1978, it continued to dominate the discourse, both in media and merchandising. But it was no longer the entire story, as demonstrated by the increasingly divergent episodes of Yamato 2 on TV. Here’s everything the month had to offer…

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Office Academy brochure, May 1979

Posted on July 27, 2023 by TimEldred

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A unique time capsule of anime history, and a portrait of Yoshinobu Nishizaki’s company at its most ambitious phase. Later history painted a slightly different picture, but here you can read and enjoy what can only be described as a gloriously optimistic document.

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Nishizaki vs. Matsumoto, 2002

Posted on July 24, 2023 by TimEldred

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The story of the legal battle over Yamato‘s authorship is a sketchy one with many details still unknown more than 20 years later. But fleeting glimpses of it can still be found in the sparse media record of the time. This magazine article offers one such glimpse, shared here with the kind permission of its writer.

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Space Battleship Yamato 2205 Report 24

Posted on July 3, 2023 by TimEldred

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June was about as lively as May (meaning not very much). On the other hand, live music was performed, the 2199 manga returned, a new game arrived with access for all, and we finally learned the fate of the long-rumored Star Blazers movie. Here are all the deets…

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Yamato 2205 Episode 7 commentary

Posted on July 2, 2023 by TimEldred

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Starsha invites Kodai and Dessler into Sanctel, the great vault where the elements of the stars are stored. Kodai is reunited with his late brother, Mamoru. What is the truth about Iscandar’s “salvation” that brings peace to all intelligent life, and what is the truth about Garmillas?

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1980 Lookback, mecha designs

Posted on June 29, 2023 by TimEldred

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From the Star Blazers/Yamato Premium Fan Club magazine, Vol. 15 (October 2022): mecha designers Arashi Ishizau and Mika Akitaka look back at the progressive year 1980 and share their impressions as fans while also commenting on the evolution of mecha design in the remake era.

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Yamato 3199 mecha designer interview, April 2023

Posted on June 28, 2023 by TimEldred

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From the Star Blazers/Yamato Premium Fan Club magazine, Vol. 16: Mecha Designer Junichiro Tamamori and CG Director Shosuke Uechi discuss Yamato‘s design evolution over the course of the remakes and the process of fusing mecha design with 3DCG for Yamato 3199.

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Vintage Report 14: October 1978

Posted on June 24, 2023 by TimEldred

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Vintage Report 14: October 1978

Imagine that it’s July 1977, two months after Star Wars exploded into the world. Now, without buying a movie ticket, you’ll get to watch an expanded version play out over 26 episodes on TV. That mind-blowing scenario was pretty much what fans were getting when Yamato 2 took to the airwaves. And you bet it sparked a lot of activity…

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Space Battleship Yamato 2205 Report 23

Posted on June 5, 2023 by TimEldred

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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…

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Leiji Matsumoto’s Galactic Funeral, June 3, 2023

Posted on June 4, 2023 by TimEldred

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After Leiji Matsumoto’s passing in February 2023, his wife and daughter addressed his countless bereaved fans in Japan and around the world, announcing that in due time a public event would be held to give everyone an opportunity to grieve together. On June 3, they did so in grand style.

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Yamato 3199 writer interview, April 2023

Posted on June 1, 2023 by TimEldred

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From the Star Blazers/Yamato Premium Fan Club magazine, Vol. 16 (April 2023): Writer Harutoshi Fukui and Scriptwriter Hideki Oka break the long silence to update fans on the status of Be Forever Yamato REBEL 3199 and hint at the intrigue to come.

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1980 Lookback with Writer Hideki Oka

Posted on May 30, 2023 by TimEldred

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From the Star Blazers/Yamato Premium Fan Club magazine, Vol. 15 (October 2022): 2202 and 2205 scriptwriter Hideki Oka looks back at the progressive year 1980 and recounts his impressions as a fan in the “target generation” who closely watched Yamato in real time.

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Vintage Report 13: September 1978

Posted on May 28, 2023 by TimEldred

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The month following the incredible box office success of Farewell to Yamato was both a victory lap and the beginning of a marathon. As new media coverage and publishing rolled out to feed a grateful public, production began on Yamato 2 and a major step was taken on the road to Star Blazers.

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Yamato 2205 Episode 6 commentary

Posted on May 27, 2023 by TimEldred

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The Earth and Garmillas fleets, helpless in the face of Dezarium’s Autoplanet Goruba, decide to rescue of everyone on Iscandar. However, Kodai, feeling guilty about using the Wave-Motion Gun, refuses to be dissuaded by Starsha. Dessler hurls words of contempt at her.

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Space Battleship Yamato 2205 Report 22

Posted on May 12, 2023 by TimEldred

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Yamato world held steady for another month with a new Yamaket fan gathering, another round of Hyuga parts, two live concerts, unexpected media blips and the next issue of the Premium Fan Club magazine with some fresh 3199 news. Let’s take it from the top…

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Yamato 2205 Episode 5 commentary

Posted on May 8, 2023 by TimEldred

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After reaching Iscandar, Yamato and its two companion ships join Dessler’s fleet. In order to warp Iscandar further, Dezarium is targeting the planet Garmario in the Bolzon system as an energy resource. In order to block this strategy, Kodai decides to destroy Garmario with the Wave-Motion Gun…

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Vintage Report 12: August 1978

Posted on May 5, 2023 by TimEldred

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This was the month when all the suspense finally broke. Farewell to Yamato destroyed all previous box office records for anime films (including that of Yamato itself) with a fresh, uncompromised, top-notch production. It was a moment no one could have foreseen four years earlier.

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Yamato movie on Fuji TV, 1978

Posted on May 4, 2023 by TimEldred

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The “hidden story” behind the movie’s first TV broadcast is still one worth telling, because it represents both Yoshinobu Nishizaki at the peak of his power and Yamato at the peak of its popularity. Here that story is told in two 1978 news articles.

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Mecha designer interview, October 2022

Posted on April 30, 2023 by TimEldred

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Mecha design interview, October 2022

Junichiro Tamamori discusses the process of evolving the supply carrier Hyuga into the elaborate 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model, and shares his thoughts on the next phase of mecha design for Be Forever Yamato, REBEL 3199.

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Yamato music talk, 2023

Posted on April 14, 2023 by TimEldred

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This collection of music-based conversations includes a look back at Yamato music history with Akira Miyagawa from Showa 40 Man magazine (February 2023), and the feelings of talented musicians who performed with him in twin concerts, interviewed in Sarasate magazine (May 2023).

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Book translation: Space Battleship Yamato and 70s Japan

Posted on April 10, 2023 by TimEldred

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Throughout its long history, Yamato has been the subject of repeated analysis with one textbook after another examining the phenomenon. They are all tempting targets for translation, but this one stands out for the depth of its exploration.

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Space Battleship Yamato 2205 Report 21

Posted on April 9, 2023 by TimEldred

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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…

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