The Battlefield Infinity mobile game is still the focal point of Yamato 2199 activity, but visibility for 2199 itself is increasing as the Yamato 2202 promotional train gets underway. The month also brought us the unexpected return of the 2199 manga and some more glimpses of products to come in 2017. Here’s the roundup for November.
November 4: Game news
New features were introduced to the Battlefield Infinity mobile game, including one called BOX buildup. The main purpose of a campaign is to win units (characters) in limited, rare, or ultra-rare categories and use them to enhance your fleet performance in battles or searches. The BOX buildup appears to be a method that compounds their value and makes for even greater results, usually ranking points or resources to apply in future campaigns.
From November 4-7 a campaign called Beyond the Comet Light made a limited unit available on both the Earth and Garmillas sides, described as follows: “For Yamato, Hiroki Shinohara, the brave man who volunteered for dangerous duty regardless of his life. For pure ambition, Herm Zoellick who planned the assassination plot against Dessler.”
November 7: Game news
In this campaign, the game went into a “greatest hits” mode that would last the rest of the month. In the first half of the Reprint Festival, players could collect tickets in a search stage and trade them in for one of four units who appeared in previous campaigns.
The options were Yuria Misaki yukata dress version & Akira Yamamoto warrior doll version (Cosmo Navy side) or Mirenel Linke yukata dress version & Hilde Shulz school swimsuit version (Garmillas side). Additional rewards came in the form of Yuria Misaki and Susumu Kodai (Cosmo Navy side) or Mirenel Link and Fomt Berger (Garmillas side), all in school uniforms.
An additional campaign brought back versions of Akira Yamamoto and Melda Dietz from a June event called Maiden in the Rain.
November 11: Game news
The BOX buildup for this round (November 11-14) offered Kodai and Dessler and a custom-painted ship for each featuring Yuki Mori and Melda Dietz. New versions of Melda Dietz and Shinya Ito were also available.
But the main event was a 2-day showdown called Counterattack! Rage of Thunder featuring the return of Goran “The Thunder” Dagarm and a chance to win a “thunder-colored” Megaluda if you managed to defeat him.
Like last time, the elite units needed to strategize against Dagarm were Kaoru Niimi (Cosmo Navy side) or Neredia Rikke (Garmillas side), which could double your damage against the enemy.
November 12: Manga chapter 49
To the surprise and delight of fans everywhere, Michio Murakawa’s 2199 manga quietly resumed online after a long, unexplained hiatus. Several months of patience on our part were handsomely rewarded with a substantial 42-page installment that continued his adaptation of Episode 17. What’s more, a third publisher was added to the lineup. Going forward, future installments can be found at Comic Walker, Nico Nico, and Web Newtype. (All run by Kadokawa.)
The next chapter is promised for late December. See all the pages from Chapter 49 here.
November 14: Game news
The first half of Battlefield Infinity‘s Reprint Festival continued through November 21 with more units from past campaigns returning as player rewards. In the “limited” category, there was Mirenel Linke and Kaoru Niimi in business suits from the May Sea of Stars Exploration event. Additional rewards were Berger, Kato, Niimi, and Celestella from October’s Autumn Cosplay Big Athletic Meet.
Parallel with this was a chance to win “ultra rare” versions of Makoto Harada or Elisa Domel from the June Maiden in the Rain event.
Finally, a flurry of units was offered in BOX buildup: new images of Harada and Melda, a pink Cosmo Falcon or a blue Czvarke, and new versions of Dessler and Shinohara.
November 18: Game news
Next up was another 2-day limited event called Counterattack! Burning Silver In which players could face off against the Comet Empire’s Megaluda again. This time Sabera was in command, and the elite units needed to face her were Kodai (Cosmo Navy) or Berger (Garmillas), both of which could do double damage against the enemy. Winners were awarded with Sabera’s custom-painted Megaluda, which can deal out considerable damage of its own.
November 18: Digital sale announcement
Yamato 2199 has been made available in all modern digital formats in Japan, but the circle widened considerably on December 2 when all seven chapters and both movies were offered via the most popular streaming services all at once: Amazon Video, Tsutaya TV, Hikari TV, Playstation Video, Bonobo, and Rakuten Showtime. Meanwhile, the rest of the world still waits…
November 21: Game news
Battlefield Infinity‘s Reprint Festival moved into its second half with more character units reappearing from past campaigns as rewards. This time, Kodai, Dessler, Celestella, and Yuki came back as grooms and brides from the June Wish Upon a Bouquet event. “Ultra-rare” units of Yuki Mori and Elisa Domel also reappeared from July’s Secret Choco Scramble.
In a parallel campaign, Yuki Mori and Melda Dietz were reprinted from August’s Summer Festival of the Stars in summer yukata (lightweight kimono).
On the BOX buildup side, Mamoru Kodai and Mizela Celestella were available along with custom-painted ships (Niimi for Mamoru and Mirenel for Celestella). “Ultra-rare” versions of Yuki Mori and Mirenel Linke were also offered.
November 25: Celestial Craft Fleet announcement
‘Tis the season for game crossovers, it seems. In the last couple reports we learned about a Yamato 2199 collaboration with Sega’s mobile game War Pirates, which seems to have run its course. In late November the second such collaboration was announced with a mobile game called Celestial Craft Fleet from K Labs. The game is built around “airborne fleet action battles” that collect various crew members and ship types. Yamato was scheduled to become part of the fleet from December 5-19. Players could take part in a contest to win autograph cards from 2199 voice actors.
K Lab premiered an official site on November 25 that included a trailer and new character images. See it here.
See a commercial for the game on Youtube here.
November 25: Game news
While Americans digested their Thanksgiving meals, Japanese had their hands full in Battlefield Infinity. The Megaludas came back in force in twin repeats of the campaigns from earlier in the month. Everything was doubled with Dagarm as the enemy in Counterattack! Rage of Thunder (November 25 and 26) and Sabera in Counterattack! Burning Silver (November 27 and 28).
They each brought two Megaludas to the table, once again in custom colors, and multiple characters were available on both the Cosmo Navy and Garmillas sides to meet them head on.
November 25: Yamato 2199 in 4 Minutes
A big part of the promotional Road to 2202 campaign involves “educational outreach” to familiarize everyone with 2199. A similar effort was made to get everyone ready for Ark of the Stars in 2014, when voice actor Aya Uchida (Yuria Misaki) narrated a lightning-fast compilation called Yamato 2199 in 3 minutes.
In this edition, more scenes were added from Ark of the Stars and the final episodes of the series, but the narration was completely redone. As before, Uchida approached it as if she was reading a storybook for children. (After a gallon of espresso, apparently.)
See it on Youtube here.
November 25: Yamatrivia Swamp part 1
Another component in the Road to 2202 campaign is this new 7-part weekly video series. Three hosts were chosen for the job: voice actor Aya Uchida, legendary superfan Ryusuke Hikawa, and 2202 Director Nobuyoshi Habara. In part 1, titled Space Battleship Yamato Changed the History of Animation, they discuss the saga’s early history with a description of how the original turned the term “TV manga” into “anime,” the vital work of the fan clubs, and the arrival of anime specialty magazines.
A few of the museum-quality artifacts from Hikawa’s personal collection were shown in this 15-minute program, which also incorporated Aya Uchida’s Yamato 2199 in 4 Minutes.
See it on Youtube here.
Subsequent videos were released in December, and will be covered in the next report. Meanwhile, see them here:
Part 2: Creators who inherited enthusiasm
Part 3: The updated Yamato world
Part 2 focused on the various staff members of 2199 who grew up on the original. See it on Youtube here.
Comments from the participants
(published at the 2202 website):
Ryusuke Hikawa
Ms. Uchida is a flowerbud, Mr. Habara is a professional, and I’m the only maniac (laughs) but after reviewing Yamato 2199 again, every corner of the story is perfect with hints, foreshadowing, new discoveries, and surprises. I can enjoy Yamato no matter how many times I see it. If you’re someone who hasn’t seen Yamato yet, of course I most want you to see the first one. Since everything in Yamato 2199 is depicted seemingly by “declarations of conviction”, you’re left wondering where Yamato is headed and what lies ahead, and I’m sure that’s an attraction. In Yamato 2202, Warriors of Love, the keyword is “Love” and I hope it will become an attractive work filled with fresh charm.
Aya Uchida
When I hear about the work called Yamato from Director Habara and Mr. Hikawa, It has the fever of “adult roman[ce].” In Yamato 2199, the number of female characters increases over the original, and this plays a big role in changing the story. Yamato 2202, Soldiers of Love takes place three years later, a time to be concerned with the love of characters including Yuria Misaki and Hoshina.
Nobuyoshi Habara
Mr. Hikawa and I are the same age, and when I was young I dreamed of sharing the story of Space Battleship Yamato with someone in my youth. When I got to talk with Mr. Hikawa for Yamatrivia Swamp, I felt like that dream came true. For those who became fans with Yamato 2199, I’d like you to meet the fans who saw Farewell to Yamato and Yamato 2. I think there is definitely a new discovery to be made. By the way, I was responsible for episodes 9 and 19 of 2199, so it’s nice to meet you! I received the baton from Director Yutaka Izubuchi, and I’d like to connect with you as the next runner. My love for Yamato hasn’t waned since I was a kid!
November 25: Animate Times article
With Aya Uchida returning to her role as “Yamato ambassador to the youth,” a reporter for the Animate Times website sat her down for the following interview.
It’s actually recommended for women! An interview with voice actor Aya Uchida, who describes Space Battleship Yamato 2199 in only 4 minutes! Beginners will be OK if they see this video!?
Interview by Mizuki Oshima
Space Battleship Yamato, which is known as an immortal masterpiece, was remade as a completely new anime titled Space Battleship Yamato 2199. Since Yamato 2202 will be released on February 25, 2017, voice actor Aya Uchida (who played the role of Yuria Misaki) stands up to convey the appeal of the work to “Yamato beginners”!
Yamatrivia Swamp, which debuted on November 25, is a web program on Space Battleship Yamato that explores hidden stories. At the time of first release, 2199 included 26 TV episodes and one movie, which Uchida has summarized in Yamato in 4 Minutes.
Here we interviewed her after she recorded the program! She was in charge of Yamato in 4 Minutes, and she answered straight-pitch questions like “To be honest, isn’t Space Battleship Yamato difficult?” or “I’m interested in Yamato but I haven’t seen it” and “Isn’t that an anime for men?” This is not to be missed!
In 2199, is the increase in females a depiction of real life in space?
Interviewer: First, please tell us about performing Yuria Misaki.
Uchida: Yuria didn’t appear in the original Space Battleship Yamato, she’s a newly-added character in 2199. She’s 17, which makes her the youngest of the main characters, and her twin-tail hair is part of her language. She’s a very modern character. The original has the image of a “good old guy Yamato” and she’s a girl who symbolizes the various changes in 2199.
Interviewer: Including Yuria, 2199 offers a lot of new characters, especially young women. For example, Yuria and Makoto Harada are both impressive.
Uchida: There’s a scene where they’re staying in the same room and Makoto is half-asleep, and they talk in their pajamas. (Laughs) With the increase in girls, the feeling of “life on board the ship”, which wasn’t depicted in the original, is a big part of 2199 that you can enjoy.
Interviewer: A feeling of life?
Uchida: They have meals in the dining room, or entertainment such as baths and a shipboard radio show and it turns out there is a 3-shift work system. As for the crew of Yamato, I think it’s interesting that the life of individual people is depicted in 2199.
Are you afraid of being scolded by fans?
Interviewer: Your next project, Yamatrivia Swamp, digs deep into Yamato and 2199, and I hear you’ve summarized the series in a 4-minute video program.
Uchida: Yes. The thing about Yamato in 4 Minutes is that I was wondering if I’d anger the old Yamato fans and have them say “This isn’t Yamato!”, and that’s always been a worry of mine!
Interviewer: Is that so? (Laughs)
Uchida: Previously, I made a program titled Yamato in 3 Minutes, which was made for review when Ark of the Stars came out, and it has been re-edited this time. A minute has been added with the content of Ark of the Stars to make it Yamato in 4 Minutes.
Interviewer: I think it’s wonderful that Yamato‘s journey has been summarized in just 4 minutes.
Uchida: Space Battleship Yamato is a legend in our industry, after all. This is a funny story; when I heard it was going to be summarized in 4 minutes, I was shocked. “Can that even be done!?”
Interviewer: Certainly, the wording is bright and unique. It doesn’t have the heavy, serious feeling of Space Battleship Yamato at all.
Uchida: Because it has words like, “bad people from space” and “enemies are attacking.” I think it makes some fans mad, but I just read the script that was given to me. Please forgive me. (Laughs)
Interviewer: I think it makes it very approachable for people who don’t know the content.
Uchida: Space Battleship Yamato is a legend at the highest threshold, and it seems hard for the younger generation to get interested. That’s why, if I was able to produce images that hopped over that threshold, I could make an animation where it wouldn’t be strange to say, “You actually look down on Space Battleship Yamato?” For Yamatrivia Swamp, when I heard I would be joined by Director Habara and Mr. Hikawa, I wondered what I should do, but when we all smiled and laughed I was relieved. (Laughs) But in the end, it is tough to get it all into four minutes!
2199 is a fascinating work from a woman’s perspective
Interviewer: There is an image that the original Space Battleship Yamato is for boys. When you saw the remake 2199, did you ever feel it was “difficult” or “boring”?
Uchida: Definitely not! It’s fun to watch the hot developments and battles with the enemies, and I am drawn into the human drama and stories. The human drama in particular is depicted more deeply in 2199 than in the original, and it’s fun even from a woman’s perspective. There’s also a love story!
Interviewer: So when you watch 2199 from a female perspective, is there a “heart-touching” point?
Uchida: There is! There definitely is! First of all, since the male and female character designs and concepts are modern, just the appearance makes it sharp!
Interviewer: Even the main character, Susumu Kodai, has completely changed in facial appearance, hasn’t he?
Uchida: That’s right! The original Kodai in Space Battleship Yamato had those eyebrows and the glittering eyes of a hot-blooded man. He was “THE Showa man.” He becomes more modern in 2199, and his character has changed to have a more naïve feeling. (Laughs)
Interviewer: The visual has certainly changed, and I think he’s a character you can smoothly enjoy.
Uchida: Also, as the number of female characters increases, many more scenes develop into romance, which is a heart-touching point for girls. In a scene where Kodai says “Yuki!” I thought, “He just said Yuki!” and warmed up instinctively. (Laughs) And I didn’t even know Makoto was going to get married!
Interviewer: In the end, they even had a child.
Uchida: That development made me go, “Whoah, whoa!” Conversely, there was romance that didn’t come to pass, and I thought, “This person is better than that person.”
Interviewer: She ends up becoming like the neighborhood big sister. (Laughs) Speaking of love banners, the episode with Yuki and Noran Oshiette really aimed for the heart.
Uchida: Ah! That was sad! The concept for the skin color of the Garmillas people was different than in the original, and I think that was one scene that made good use of it. Their farewell scene was very sad…!
Interviewer: By the way, who is your favorite character?
Uchida: Shinya Ito of the security department. That tells me “I have no luck with men” and “I’m a poor judge.” (Laughs)
Interviewer: He was one of those who revolted…
Uchida: I thought he looked suspicious!
Interviewer: (Laughs)
Uchida: But he did it because he had a heart and was concerned about the human race. So he’s not a bad guy! He’s a rebel! As proof, in the end he saves Yuki and it’s really wonderful how he entrusts his final word to her. He had convictions, ended up as a bad guy, but exits the story having saved the heroine. That image of him really thrills me.
2199 is “not as difficult to approach” as you may expect
Interviewer: With all of these love banners, it seems that 2199 is made for women.
Uchida: I really think so! There are love banners, but regardless of gender, I think the appeal of 2199 is that you can enjoy it from many different angles.
Interviewer: I thought 2199 seemed like it would be “difficult to approach,” but now I think you can easily come to like Space Battleship Yamato.
Uchida: That’s right. In 2202, which will be released in February, it takes places three years after the story in 2199, and I’m very excited. I wonder how Makoto’s children are growing up… (Laughs)
Interviewer: I’m definitely interested. (Laughs)
Uchida: About the story of 2202 in particular, I’ve heard from Director Habara and all the Yamato fans on the staff that “it gets hot from here.” Because it’s still in production, original elements from 2199 will be added, and I’m looking forward to it as a fan, too. Since there’s still time before it opens, everyone can use the winter break to see 2199 from the beginning. It’s good to compare it with the original Space Battleship Yamato, and you can enjoy Yamatrivia Swamp. I’ll be glad if you’re all prepared for the premiere!
Interviewer: By the way, what kind of trivia will be introduced in Yamatrivia Swamp?
Uchida: Things like “why was the idiot hair created?” in the 2199 character design.
Interviewer: That gets annoying!
Uchida: When you take off your helmet, the idiot hair comes out. (Laughs)
Ms. Uchida also told me that she studied Space Battleship Yamato as a result of her 2199 audition. During the interview, I got the impression that she’s a “Yamato lover” who is excited to talk about spoilers and more. The premiere of 2202 is just three months away, so how about everyone touching the world of Yamato with 2199 until then?
November 26: Mega Hobby Expo 2016 Autumn
Toy and figure producer Megahouse held another biannual hobby show in Tokyo to promote current and upcoming products, giving everyone a chance to see the next Yuki Mori figure and the Cosmo Zero miniature in person. Both were displayed in their finished form, and the Yuki figure finally got a release date of May 31, 2017.
Meanwhile, get a better look at both here.
November 28: Game news
Battlefield Infinity‘s Reprint Festival continued its second half through December 5 with many more character units from previous events. In the “limited” category came Akira Yamamoto and Daisuke Shima (Cosmo Navy) or Melda Dietz and Eruc Domel (Garmillas) in formal party clothing.
On the BOX buildup side, all the custom-painted ships from earlier in the month appeared again.
Finally, the ladies from August’s Summer Festival of the Stars came around again in summer yukata. Elisa Domel and Kaoru Niimi appeared in the “limited” category, while Mizela Celestella and Akira Yamamoto came up in the “ultra-rare” category.
Special thanks to Neil Nadelman for translation support.