There’s only one thing more exciting than the arrival of a new Yamato movie in theaters: the arrival of that same movie on home video. When it expands outward from Japan to the rest of the world, we all get to take a big step forward into the next chapter in Yamato history. That’s what May 2015 was all about – the end of the worldwide wait for Ark of the Stars.
Like all of its predecessors, the video release was surrounded by the kind activity that Yamato fans live for. The full rundown follows here, but first it’s worth restating that despite the official international title Odyssey of the Celestial Ark, the film is still referred to here as Ark of the Stars. When the question of preference was posed to the Cosmo DNA Facebook group, the vote was overwhelmingly in favor of the shorter title.
And without further ado, May 2015…
May 3-5: Golden Week events
Machi Asobi [City Play] is a twice-yearly pop culture festival in Tokushima that takes place during the Golden Week holidays. Yamato 2199 has been exhibited there in one form or another, including special screenings of the theatrical chapters. This year, Production IG set up in a gallery with a Gargantia exhibit and the Yamato Oculus Rift VR tour.
Not far away, Akira Miyagawa conducted an outdoor concert on the Osaka waterfront May 5th as part of the annual GO! GO! city festival. The Osaka Shion Wind Orchestra performed a set twice that day which included that most famous anime theme. See them bang out Yamato on Youtube here.
May 5: Treasure Festa
May is one of the biggest months of the year for hobby shows in Japan, and Treasure Festa was the first one out of the gate. Held twice a year, it travels from city to city, this time landing in Kobe. Certain fans’ dreams came true when a garage kit dealer named Arcadia & On Air Works showed up with three 1/1 handguns (above, L to R): Nanbu Type 97 (Cosmo Navy), Smaruta PP-7 (Dessler) and Moldora P-88 (Garmillas).
See more products at the company’s Twitter page here.
Visit the Treasure Festa website here.
May 8: Yutaka Izubuchi comment
With two and a half weeks to go until the release of Ark of the Stars, the promo campaign was in high gear. The official websites published a new message from the biggest of guns himself. (See the original post on Yamato Crew here.)
New comment from Yamato 2199
General Director Yutaka Izubuchi!!
Yamato 2199 is the story of Space Battleship Yamato taking off from Earth and making the journey to Iscandar and back. Ark of the Stars takes place between the start of the return journey and the fight against Dessler. If I were to describe it in terms of story numbers, Yamato has an encounter between episodes 24 and 25.
When I thought about what could be done there, I decided to summarize themes in a single episode that I couldn’t depict in the TV series: the “succession of generations” and “mutual understanding with different races.”
The heroine named Mikage Kiryu carries the theme of “succession of generations” and Berger from Garmillas plays an important role in the theme of “mutual understanding with different races.” We worked together in the TV series to prepare these two for their movie appearance. In addition, Kodai plays the role of “acting captain” for the first time, in reference to the original work.
The backgrounds that would become the stage for this standalone movie changed one after another, and I was always conscious of composing something that wouldn’t be boring. I think the visuals, especially for planet Shambleau, are full of “what could this be” surprises.
I can’t think of another example of a TV series being expanded by a standalone episode shown in theaters. At the same time, it’s been a very acrobatic challenge to establish it as a self-contained movie with content that complements the finished TV series.
To establish it as a standalone movie, there’s a prologue that depicts the launch of Yamato from another point of view and an epilogue that depicts the return from the Earth side. Saito from Farewell to Yamato appears in those parts. I think fans will be glad that he plays an important role. We also see the cool appeal of Hijikata as his opponent, “the man who speaks with his back turned.” Hijikata and Commander Todo are on the screen at the end of the TV series, and I think imagining an angry-looking Saito standing behind them gives you a different way to enjoy it.
Aiming to further up the quality, we did every possible retake for the Blu-ray and DVD, including the drawing. For both those who have seen it in a theater and those who will see it for the first time, I think you’ll be satisfied with it.
May 10: Kids Station broadcast
Take a drink of something before you read this: Yamato 2199 Concert 2015 was shot on video…and we may never get to see it. Subscribers to the Kids Station network did, though, when Concert 2015 & Recording was shown on this day and again May 30.
Until someone does the right thing and releases it for the rest of us, the best we’ll get is these screenshots posted on Twitter by a fan named “Mat Hama.” And the Concert 2015 CD, of course, which was released June 10.
Meanwhile, Kids Station began a new weekly rerun of Yamato 2199 with Episode 1 debuting Saturday May 3. The series will continue there through October.
May 11: 1965 Man volume 31
This is the second time this interestingly-named magazine has crossed our radar. The first was February 2013 when they published a cover story on the original Yamato series that can be read in full here. This was a more modest showing, a single-page article and a back cover ad (below right). The article text reads as follows:
When speaking of the monumental achievements of SF anime in Japan, Space Battleship Yamato was a huge influence on men born in 1965 who were in elementary school at the time of the first TV series. Yamato 2199 was produced to maintain its view of the world while incorporating modern tastes and sensibilities. Its sophisticated visuals and detailed story are characteristics of this magnificent work, which revives the former excitement and gained broad support from younger generations as well as our own. Ark of the Stars, now available on Blu-ray and DVD, is a completely new feature film that was a hot topic when it premiered last December.
Earth is driven to the edge of extinction in an attack by the mysterious planet Garmillas. Entrusted with the last hope, Space Battleship Yamato overcomes numerous hardships to reach the destination of Iscandar in the Large Magellanic Galaxy to receive the Cosmo Reverse System and return home to Earth. While leaving the Large Magellanic Galaxy, Yamato encounters a strange task force, and a new story develops from there.
The ships of Gatlantis that appeared in Farewell to Yamato are another hit point that is well known to men born in 1965. They’ll instantly draw you in for unique story development and enigmatic scenes that appear one after another.
The Blu-ray and DVD includes an audio commentary by General Director Yutaka Izubuchi, Susumu Kodai’s voice actor Daisuke Ono, and others. Their voices and passionate state of mind brings you a rich backstory. Many readers may have already seen this in a theater, but we can assure you that it’s definitely worth buying.
May 14-17: Shizuoka Hobby Show
Held in Bandai’s home town, this is one of the biggest hobby shows of the year, and has always served as a launching pad for new Yamato 2199 products from big and small companies alike. Bandai’s booth displayed models that appear in Ark of the Stars, and premiered the upcoming Mecha Collection mini-kit of Dessler’s core ship (below left).
Garage kit makers always have a few surprises up their sleeve as well. The standout this time was a 1/24 rocket anchor model (above right) by a company named RMC.
Click here for a photo gallery of other Yamato items seen at the event.
Fans reliably post their video coverage of the hobby show every year. In one video tour, English speaker “Steve the Fish” visited the Bandai booth and heard a rumor that had fandom buzzing for a few days. See his video on Youtube here; he reaches the Yamato exhibit at 12:00. You’ll hear the rumor for yourself, but keep in mind that no other source has confirmed it.
A complete walk-through of the hobby show was posted in five parts by friend-of-the-website “Antibiotic Tab.” See it all here: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
One more nice touch this year was a lively concert of famous anime themes which can be seen on Youtube here. The performance begins at 2:50. The Yamato theme begins at 8:22.
Visit the event website here.
See a photoblog here.
May 15: Book news
In the last report, we learned from the Yamato Crew fan club magazine Ship’s Log that a new book went into production this spring titled Yamato 2199 Hyper Mechanical Detail Artworks. With a name like that, you know they’re not kidding.
Yamato Crew and publisher Mag Garden posted preorder information on May 15 (you can also preorder from the mighty Amazon.co.jp here) and see the sample images.
The 126-page book will be in full color with over 200 images sourced directly from the production vault. (Mag Garden is owned by anime studio Production IG, so there are no middlemen here.) Extensive commentary by Chief Mechanical Director Masanori Nishii will explain how each image was created and enhanced for the screen. The book will be published July 31.
See the original posts here: Yamato Crew | Mag Garden
May 16: Figuarts Zero Yuki Mori figure
The 1/8 Yamato Girls figure line from Megahouse is well known but expensive. Banpresto, the game-prize arm of Bandai, previously released more affordable figures in two sizes, 5.5″ and 7″ tall. This month, Bandai rolled out a 6″ Yuki Mori in the non-poseable Figuarts Zero line.
Unlike the Banpresto versions, this Yuki has the options of a detachable holster and second hairstyle. As you may remember, the figure was unveiled at a Tamashii Nations exhibition last October along with several others – including some male characters for a change – but no further releases have been announced. For now, enjoy a flashback here.
May 20: Game news
Yamato 2199 Battlefield Infinity is one of the many smart phone games in Japan that remain infuriatingly out of reach for us, but we do get to see some new art from time to time, and this one is really interesting – during a “New fighter invasion” campaign, players could win virtual “decals” of the Garmillas dive bomber…and the Cosmo Tiger II!
As you know, the CT2 shouldn’t be around yet, because it isn’t invented until after the Iscandar mission. Maybe it’s a prototype, or maybe the game is outside anime continuity. If it appears in a new series it will certainly be redesigned to some degree, but it’s the first time we’re seeing it in 2199 remake context. And that’s pretty cool.
May 21: Prize campaign announced
The Yamato 2199 Production Committee knows how to catch a fan’s attention. With one week to go until Ark of the Stars, they announced that a two-day event would be held at the gigantic Yodobashi Camera Multimedia store in Akihabara to celebrate the release.
Those who bought the Blu-ray, DVD, or CD soundtrack on-site could enter to win one of these original drawings by manga artist Michio Murakawa or a copy of the movie’s program book signed by Director Yutaka Izubuchi.
There’s more to be said about this event, so keep reading.
May 25: Hobby magazines, July issues
Hobby Japan devoted five pages to Yamato this month, starting with a short feature on the Zelgut-class Dreadnought (spotlighting the blue Deusular I), new products such as the prototype Megahouse’s next Yuki figure, and an interview with Chief Mechanical Director Masanori Nishii.
See the pages here. Read the Nishii interview here.
Dengeki Hobby also put in five pages: one for new products and four to showcase the building of a 1/1000 Gatlantis carrier model by superfan Nobuyuki Sakurai.
See the pages here.
And now, the elephant in the room. The big red letters across the middle of the Dengeki cover read Thank you! Final issue. As announced last report, this phenomenal magazine is closing out its paper edition after a very productive 17 years. Fittingly, the lead article was a nostalgic look back at Dengeki‘s history, which included many exclusive kits that came bundled with the magazine itself, such as the first miniature Cosmo Falcon. After this, the magazine continues as an online publication at Dengeki Hobby Web.
Click here to jump right to their Yamato 2199 news feed.
Double-page “Thank you Dengeki” ad from Bandai Visual (note the Yamato strip left of center).
Between this and the loss of Hyper Hobby, 2015 has been a rough year for such magazines, but Hobby Japan has been around far longer (553 issues and counting) and carries on with no end in sight. Truthfully, with the winding down of 2199 there won’t be a lot to cover, but we’ll definitely miss these magazines when the next big thing starts up.
Dengeki certainly did right by Yamato 2199, as the continuous stream of articles, interviews, and special book collections attested. Time will tell how this transfers over to the web, but even if it doesn’t we should all render a hearty salute for distinguished service.
May 26: Manga chapter 35
With this installment, Michio Murakawa carried us into his adaptation of the suspenseful Episode 13. While Captain Okita undergoes surgery, someone forces the ship into a deadly game of hide-and-seek among the fragments of a nascent solar system – someone who runs both silent and deep. This 28-page segment was published online at both Comic Walker and Nico Nico Ace.
See the pages here.
May 26: Yamatalk event screening
Get ready for some grade-A Japanese wordplay. The word “zenya” translates roughly to “eve,” as in the night before something happens. This Yamatalk, which included a theatrical screening of Ark of the Stars at the Shinjuku Piccadilly theater, took place on the eve of the video release, and was therefore called “Zenyamatalk.”
Let’s pause and enjoy that for a moment.
It was stated that this was the last official Yamato 2199 event that had been planned – the final chance for staff and cast members to talk about this phenomenal project in front of a live audience. We’re all extraordinarily lucky that it unfolded a time when online media made it accessible to the entire world.
As usual, it was reported by multiple sources, each of which brought us slightly different details.
Left to right: Eriko Nakamura, Masanori Nishii, Yutaka Izubuchi.
From AmiAmi:
Director Yutaka Izubuchi takes the stage
Yamato 2199 Ark of the Stars Blu-ray & DVD Premiere Zenyamatalk report
On the night of May 26, a “Premiere Zenyamatalk” was held at the Shinjuku Piccadilly theater before the May 27 home video release of Ark of the Stars. General Director Yutaka Izubuchi, Chief Mechanical Director Masanori Nishii, and Mikage Kiryu’s voice actor Eriko Nakamura took the stage to talk about the film.
“Yamatalk” events were held for each theatrical release of Yamato 2199 featuring staff members talking about the story, concepts, and insider tales of production for the fans. There wasn’t one at the time of this film’s premiere, so a large number of fans flocked to the venue for “a lot of Yamatalk by General Director Izubuchi.”
This time, the “tentative” last Yamatalk was hosted by MC and anime writer Osamu Kobayashi. It began with a look back at events related to Yamato 2199. According to Izubuchi, he went on stage over twenty times, and it was said that he, Mr. Nishii, and Ms. Nakamura just happened to be the “top three event attendees.”
General Director Yutaka Izubuchi likens a
thick storyboard collection to “the Bible.”
Ms. Nakamura, for whom Mikage Kiryu became a key character in Ark of the Stars, talked about her struggles to grasp her character: “I was desperate to get the worldview of Yamato 2199. She’s a girl, but she boards Yamato as military personnel and experiences a war. What I had to do was give her the feeling of cooling down afterward.”
Mr. Izubuchi had this to say about Mikage Kiryu: “She brings some interesting ‘attributes’ to the plot when a ‘ghost ship’ appears, which was an ordinary ship in the beginning, but because Kiryu is a ship otaku, it becomes the ‘Yamato Hotel.’ It’s kind of like those warship games that are popular now.” (Laughs)
As for how Kiryu became a subordinate of Shiro Sanada, Izubuchi said, “I hadn’t assigned her to the technology division at first, because I wasn’t sure we were going to make Kiryu the heroine. But I thought it would be good to send someone from that division down to explore a planet. As a result, Kiryu became the heroine of the piece. It wasn’t inevitable, but it wasn’t just a coincidence.”
He also shared an inside story from the drawing side about Kiryu’s design: “Whether to have her tie up her hair with a ribbon or a scrunchie was a tough choice. Nobuteru Yuuki’s first character design had a ribbon, but after a while he said ‘a ribbon may be slightly different on a warship,’ so it became a scrunchie. But when we started on the home video version, he said, ‘maybe a ribbon would be okay.’ (Laughs) So Kiryu’s hairstyle is a little mixed, but we switched it according to her change of clothes.”
Ms. Nakamura talked further about her efforts to develop and interpret Kiryu’s character: “During the TV version, I played her part in a more mature fashion at first, but in the Ark of the Stars monologue it is learned for the first time that she’s a girl who has trouble letting stuff out. She can open up to the female crew members, but she’s a kid who doesn’t yet communicate well with men.”
Mikage Kiryu has a lot of interaction in the story with Sho Sawamura and Fomto Berger.
“Saito [from the opening] is like an older brother and she hasn’t had any romantic feelings toward a man yet, so she’s got a lot to contend with” Nakamura said.
Director Izubuchi got a laugh when he talked about the design of Berger: “It’s a Osamu Tezuka-type design, so a staff officer of Garmillas has the scent of Mushi Pro. It’s been engraved in our generation.”
[Translator’s note: Osamu Tezuka, known as the “God of Manga,” set stylistic standards that strongly influenced artists of Izubuchi’s generation. Mushi Pro (Productions) was the name of his studio.]
So the hairstyle of Mikage Kiryu was remade by Director Izubuchi and Nobuteru Yuuki for the home video edition. When all the small corrections were added up, its total volume surprisingly came to almost 600 shots, nearly half of the film. Of course, the version that was screened in theaters was satisfactory, but part of the fun of the home video version is checking the differences.
Mr. Izubuchi commented on retakes such as redrawing debris and metal fragments: “It may be a lower priority, but it’s correct to be particular about such areas, isn’t it? Because it’s a movie, you dwell on the details.”
As for the mecha, Mr. Nishii added a lot of detail for the home video. Details that weren’t seen clearly in the TV version were drawn in Ark of the Stars, and even more effects were added to the theatrical edition to evolve more powerful visuals. These valuable materials will be collected in Yamato 2199 Hyper Mechanical Detail Artworks, to be published in July. The book will include commentary by Mr. Nishii, who said, “I haven’t been drawing pictures lately, only writing words.”
When speaking of Space Battleship Yamato, another point you can’t miss seeing (hearing) is the music. Mr. Izubuchi gave his seal of approval on the music of Ark of the Stars: “I came to the recording for the scene. The music played a big part in nailing dow the major turns in the story. I thought it should advance according to the rhythm of a drum. In the climactic battle, I wanted the Yamato, Garmillas, and Gatlantis themes to have the feeling of a trinity. That was a different way to approach it, and it was fascinating.”
Finally, the three speakers gave their closing words of thanks at the end of the eight-year Yamato 2199 project.
Izubuchi: “It feels like I made the trip together with the rest of you. Thank you very much for participating.”
Nakamura: “I’ve been happy with the excitement each time. It’s only just a little over a year after we met for the first time, and I’m glad I could bring you some fun.”
Nishii: “Eight years is a long time. I’m thankful for everyone who came along. I can’t say anything about the future, but I’ll be really happy if I get another opportunity.”
After the release of the main 26-episode story and the compilation movie A Voyage to Remember, Ark of the Stars is considered the conclusion of Yamato 2199, but since Gatlantis appears in this film, an “untold story” also remains. But for now, Director Yutaka Izubuchi and the assembled fans enjoyed the big ending of Ark of the Stars and the “Premiere Zenyamatalk” very much.
From Sokoani:
Obsessive detail that deepens the information conveyed on a subconscious level ~
Yamato 2199 Ark of the Stars Premiere Zenyamatalk
On May 26, a “Premiere Zenyamatalk” event was held at a theater in Tokyo to commemorate the release of the movie on Blu-ray and DVD. Following a screening of the Blu-ray version, staff and cast members took the stage for a talk event and gave a salute to thunderous applause.
The on-stage guests were General Director Yutaka Izubuchi, Chief Mechanical Director Masanori Nishii, and Mikage Kiryu’s voice actor Eriko Nakamura. The host was Osamu Kobayashi, a familiar MC at Yamato events. Many events have been held since the Yamato 2199 chapters were released, and these three were said to have participated in the most, including this stage greeting. Coincidentally, they were the most suitable for this last event (for now).
Reviewing the list of events in which these three participated.
Ms. Nakamura began her appearances in 2014 after the announcement of the film. In the main story, she was one of the operators on the first bridge, and said that she was able to flesh out her character as co-host of the radio drama with Aya Uchida in the part of Yuria Misaki. But when she actually saw the movie script, “A lot of new things came out,” she said with surprise.
According to Director Izubuchi, such traits as a mania for ships and a tendency to be late were ideas that emerged while writing the script. Although Mikage is the narrator of the film, her role was not set in stone at the time, and in fact there was also a possibility that she wouldn’t be the heroine.
In the analysis of Ms. Nakamura, “While she has a lot of maturity in places, she’s a girl who has trouble bringing that out.”
Thinking about her relationship with Sawamura, Nakamura said, “She’s comfortable with someone who’s like an older brother (such as Berger), but she keeps her distance from Sawamura.”
Many retakes were done between the theatrical version and the Blu-ray edition. For example, Director Izubuchi talked about making changes to the pony tail in Nobuteru Yuuki’s character design for Kiryu: “First the ribbon was changed to a scrunchie, then later we went back to the ribbon.”
The director takes the stage with a storyboard book as
thick as a dictionary (a limited-edition bonus item).
Also, the mecha was detailed-up and photographic effects were added to backgrounds. A number of small fixes were added to maintain the consistency of the backgrounds and the art. It seems that Director Izubuchi himself drew some of the key animation.
“Do you have any idea how much detail you went over with us,” Mr. Nishii asked with a wry smile, to which Director Izubuchi replied, “It’s not that I wanted you to notice it, but you should deepen the information conveyed on a subconscious level. I think fussing over the exact details of those parts is the right way to go.” And to his word, around 600 shots were corrected to his satisfaction.
Along with the Blu-ray and DVD, the CD soundtrack is also being released simultaneously. As for the music, Director Izubuchi wanted cinematic quality. “Since it was recorded to the storyboard pictures, it hits all the developments precisely.”
The Gatlantis march is a drumbeat, and the director asked for that along with the Yamato theme and the Garmillas national anthem as a trinity in the climactic battle scene.
Mr. Nishii is in the midst of writing commentary about
the minute details of the artwork for a book.
Mr. Nishii shared his impressions of hearing the recording. Recalling the older works, he said the music of Gatlantis “Sticks to the DNA. Akira Miyagawa’s music is brilliantly addictive.”
At the end of the event, Ms. Nakamura thanked the fans by saying, “It’s only a little over a year since I met everyone for the first time at Anime Japan 2014, but I think a lot about how fun it’s been. After this event, I hope to see you all again, but I’ll leave it to you all to ask for that.”
About Director Izubuchi, Mr. Nishii said, “We got older together.” Looking back at the eight years since the project started, he added, “We’ve been doing this for a long time and this is the outcome. I’m really thankful to everyone who came along. And if we all get the opportunity to do it again, I’ll be very happy.”
Director Izubuchi concluded the event by saying, “Though the work took eight years, I had no idea how it was going to turn out during the first four years. But it wasn’t just the staff that took this trip. I truly feel that everyone went on the journey together. I thank you very much for coming with us.”
Afterward, the MC began to talk about the scripts that were collected in Yamato 2199 Complete Works, and it looked like there was still more to be said. We look forward to another opportunity to hear from the production staff and the cast.
From Yamato Crew:
Yamato 2199 Ark of the Stars Blu-ray and DVD release “Zenyamatalk” report
On May 26, the night before Ark of the Stars was released on Blu-ray and DVD, a screening and talk event was held titled “Zenyamatalk.” On stage were General Director Yutaka Izubuchi, Chief Mechanical Director Masanori Nishii, and Mikage Kiryu’s voice actor Eriko Nakamura. Since this was considered the big ending of the Yamato 2199 series, it started with a look back at other events that began in 2013.
These guests were the top three to appear at previous official events, which began with Yamato 2199 Launch Ceremony ~ Our Yamato Special on February 18, 2012. Nods and murmurs came from the audience as each event was recalled.
After that, talk shifted to Mikage Kiryu, the main heroine of Ark of the Stars. The character appeared in the middle of the series, and Ms. Nakamura had to participate in some events without knowing the story of the movie. She said that for event appearances, “I re-watched the series all night and arrived at the meeting place filled with tension. It felt like I was a fan rather than a cast member.”
“Tension is good since it gives you a sense of intimacy with the fans,” Izubuchi said. He also thanked her for her contribution to promoting Ark of the Stars. “Thank you so much for doing the radio show.” (YRA Radio Yamato)
The next topic was the theme of Mikage Kiryu. Ms. Nakamura talked about doing the YRA radio drama prior to the voice recording for the movie.
“In contrast with Yuria Misaki, who is spirited and lively, Kiryu is slightly careless with a little bit of a crew feeling, so more and more cute parts came out.”
“There is a careless side to her,” said Mr. Izubuchi. “She’s sort of a scatter-brain, and it was a plus that this could clearly become part of the movie.”
During the story development stage of the movie, as Izubuchi explained, “The image of Kiryu is revealed in Shambleau, so we gave her some interesting attributes. The idea of the battleship came from Mr. Nishii. Then the books and paintings…before long, such attributes and hobbies lead us to define Kiryu’s characteristics.
Then they moved on to the Blu-ray version of the film that had just been screened, talking about its upgrade from the previous theatrical version.
As an example, Mr. Nishii revealed that, “There wasn’t enough help for Berger’s flashback scene of Melia, who was also voiced by Ms. Nakamura, so it was actually redrawn by Mr. Izubuchi himself.” The same was true of “The shot where the people from Jirel are lined up behind Lerelai when the ark flies away.”
Look carefully: all the character art in this scene was redrawn (revised version at right).
Mr. Izubuchi described some additions on the performance side: “In the scene where Kodai, Yuki, and Shima take a commemorative photo in the rear observation room, Akira has a sullen expression when Yuki and Kodai greet each other. The performance was also changed for Mikage and Sawamura when Lerelai appears. Your eyes are drawn to Kodai and Berger in the foreground, so it’s okay if you don’t notice it.”
Regardless of what you notice, it was added that “There are parts which a producer should be particular about” in the production. Of course, similar modifications were made to mecha scenes. Mr. Nishii gave simple examples: “The shot where the Flame Strike Gun destroys the observation dome on the side of Yamato” and “Mirangal getting battered near the end of the battle.” Some shots missed the deadline for the theatrical version, so they were fully completed and reintroduced.
It was said that beyond the matter of fixing art, “Mostly, we did more processing to add a feeling of texture to the photography.” The total number of modifications was about 600 shots, approximately 1/3 to 2/5 of the whole.
With this, all the planned Yamato 2199 events came to an end for now. In conclusion, General Director Izubuchi looked back with gratitude on the nearly eight years he was involved in the production: “As it moved forward, I didn’t know what was going to happen for about the first four years. But the four years of production wasn’t just a journey with the staff. It really feels like we took a journey together with everyone who watched it. Thank you very much for coming along.”
Mr. Nishii said, “It was a long eight years. (Laughs) But as a result, here we are now. I’m really grateful for that. And if we all get the opportunity to do it again, I’ll be very happy.”
Ms. Nakamura said, “I was first allowed to appear in a Yamato 2199 event at Anime Japan 2014, a little over a year ago. I often think about how much fun Yamato 2199 was. I really hope I can see everyone again.”
Despite the loneliness that comes with the end of an event, there was also the feeling for both the staff and the fans that it hasn’t ended. Then, at the very end, Mr. Izubuchi asked for comments from the MC as well until the programmed time was over. Giving us all the feelings promised by a “Yamatalk,” the conversation concluded.
Special thanks to Neil Nadelman for translation support.
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