Legacy Years Bibliography, Part 4

Textbooks and Manga

The Time and Ideology of
Space Battleship Yamato

by Inoue Sizuka
208 pages, Seron Jiho Co., Jan. 1997

This book contained a series of essays on the societal aspects of Yamato and comparisons to contemporary SF titles, with an emphasis on nationalism and globalism. All text, no pictures. An expanded edition was published in 2004 under the title Anime Generation: Study of Anime Culture from Yamato to Gundam.

Space Battleship Yamato Anatomic Table

by Takaaki Yamada
248 pages, San’ichi Shobo, Feb. 1997

As the title indicated, this book was a thorough dissection of the Yamato saga that investigated characters and concepts alike to explore their symbology and context. There was also a brief look at Star Blazers, highlighting the editing and name changes. All text, no pictures.

The Space Battleship Yamato Legacy

by Leo Anzai
248 pages, Footwork, July 1999

This book focused on the making of the first TV series. It is text-heavy, but includes color stills and a large collection of model sheets. It’s worth seeking out if you don’t happen to have some of the vintage 70s or 80s books in your collection. This was the first book published after Leiji Matsumoto took temporary possession of the Yamato copyright. It included interviews with both Matsumoto and vocalist Isao Sasaki. (Click on each name to read them.)

Space Battleship Yamato,
Thriving After 30 Years

by Masayuki Endo
224 pages, Treasure Island Co., April 2005

This was a detailed walk-through of the first TV series, an in-depth analysis of the story highlighting the many aspects that relate to world history as we know it. It was largely a prose presentation with some occasional black and white stills, which makes it a prize for completists only. The more casual fan should look elsewhere.

Space Battleship Yamato & 70s Japan

by Hiroyuki Arai
367 pages, Social Commentary Co., November 2010

Another book that analyzes Yamato from a sociological standpoint. It examines the cultural and subcultural trends that began with Yamato and resonated throughout Japan during the production years. It’s almost entirely opaque to non-Japanese readers, but stands as another testament to the phenomenon.

The intriguing chapter titles are as follows: Crisis Period, Yamato‘s Revival / Birth of Subculture / Who is the Author of Yamato? / The Most Important Lessons of Yamato / Is Yamato Militaristic? / In 2199 AD, a Journey to the Past / Susumu Kodai’s Chosen Path to Escape from Loneliness / Birth of Anime Business / Examining the Sequels: Treachery and Yamato‘s Unchanging Spirit / A Story That Could Only Be Told With a Japanese Crew.

Read our complete translation of this book here.

Rediscover Space Battleship Yamato

220 pages, Take Shobo, December 2014

The Japanese title loosely translates as Now Talking Space Battleship Yamato, and it lists three authors (M. Takehara, Agila, and M.D.). This book reviews the entire history of Yamato including 2199, as well as the unfinished Yamato 2520, Dessler’s War, and New Yamato.

The enticing blurb on the inner dustjacket sleeve reads as follows:

The universe is infinite, teeming with the variety of life. A work fades away, and another work is born…the breath of human drama is handed down from person to person for eternity. What is the “excitement” that Space Battleship Yamato ignites in our hearts? Here, the untold stories and themes of the work are thoroughly analyzed. Now, the greatest mysteries of Space Battleship Yamato are revealed. “Cast off…Yamato, launch!”

This book is all text and can be ordered here.


Kindle Books
PD Company, Ltd.

Starting in 2014, Yamato crossed over into the world of Amazon Kindle with the first of five books by author/critic Akira Kawamata. Given their nature and packaging, it’s safe to assume these are unauthorized works that seem to share the mission of this website; examining the Yamato phenomenon from as wide and as deep a vantage point as possible.

This mission becomes clear when we review their descriptions at Amazon.co.jp. (Click on the book titles to see their Amazon page.)


The dirt you didn’t know behind the hit and downfall of Space Battleship Yamato
150 pages, first published 2014, expanded edition in April 2020

A critical look at the social climate that led to the original Yamato and the remakes.

Space Battleship Yamato is dead
61 pages, March 22, 2018

This ominously-titled volume claims that Yamato wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be in terms of its position in otaku culture, probably in an attempt to widen the context.

The truth you didn’t know about the Space Battleship Yamato Roman Album
30 pages, June 25, 2018

The author goes on an unprecedented deep dive, comparing 14 different (according to him) variants of the first Yamato Roman Album.

The truth you didn’t know about Space Battleship Yamato‘s copyright; the unknown swamp of the 70s
84 pages, December 2, 2018

Here the author examines and attempts to untangle the numerous and byzantine licensing practices of Yamato merchandise.

Space Battleship Yamato • books • videos • music • sheet music list 1974-2020: Aggregated Data Analysis
188 pages, September 13, 2020

Over 700 Space Battleship Yamato items were examined from the bibliography of the National Diet Library (Japan’s version of the Library of Congress) and analyzed to make them easier to grasp. The researcher was able to confirm the existence of books, records, CDs, DVDs, sheet music, game books, “mystery” books, and more. They even identified a Korean publication. (Hope someone told them about the American comic books.) The publisher’s promise from PD Co. Ltd. is “you can read it as material for Yamato research, but of course you can also read it to discover something new.”

Hopefully these books will eventually get a paper edition to expand access outside of Japan. For now, they are simply another item for our own database.

The Man who made Space Battleship Yamato ~ The Madness of Yoshinobu Nishizaki

by Yasumasa Makimura and Tetsuhisha Yamada
352 pages, Kodansha, September 2015

History has not yet decided if Nishizaki was a hero or a scoundrel, but none can deny that he was a very unusual man. This is the first full-fledged biography to be published after his unfortunate death in November 2010, covering as much of his history as possible with a warts-and-all approach. Early reviews of the book were as mixed as opinions about its subject, but it seems to have confirmed opinions on either side of the love-him-or-hate-him divide.

A book this significant demands translation, and it will be done sooner or later at this very website. Meanwhile, the table of contents is as good a summary as any of what this book has to offer:

Intro: A man who can’t be dismissed even after he’s gone
Chapter 1: Lone wolf in the anime village
Chapter 2: Theater, jazz, and music shows
Chapter 3: Yamato was not built in a day
Chapter 4: The glory within
Chapter 5: The victor’s dilemma
Chapter 6: Big company on the sand
Chapter 7: Countdown to ruin
Chapter 8: Prison wars
Chapter 9: The resurrected soul
Final Chapter: Farewell, Nishizaki

Plus-alpha Edition

Kodansha, December 2017

The “Plus Alpha” designation indicates new material, in this case testimonies by 2199 director Yutaka Izubuchi and live-action Yamato director Takashi Yamazaki.


The Truth of Space Battleship Yamato

224 pages, October 2017, Shodensha

This paperback by Series 1 writer Aritsune Toyota documents the genesis of the story from earliest concepts through to broadcast. It is described as “the hidden story of the huge hit work revealed through priceless records and testimony.” Since it is 100% text, it will have to wait for future translation.

Order it from Amazon Japan here.

Meanwhile, you can learn much from our Yamato Origins series right here at Cosmo DNA.


Manga Reprints

The original manga drawn by Akira Hio during the production years has seen one reprint after another, and Leiji Matsumoto’s version has essentially been in print continuously since its first appearance in paperback. Here are all the editions that one could get during the legacy years.

Leiji Matsumoto

Akita Select edition, 1987


Akita Shoten hardcover edition, 1992


Akita Bunko edtion, 1994


Akita Top Comics edition, 2003


Akita Top Comics Wide edition, 2009


Akira Hio

Sun Wide editions (one volume per story), August-October 1993


Sonorama editions (first and second stories only), August & October 1999


Media Factory editions (2 volumes each for first and second stories), February-June 2005


Media Factory editions (2 volumes each for first and second stories), November 2009-February 2010


Continue to Bibliography Part 5: Leiji Matsumoto books

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