January 2020 saw about the same amount of activity as December 2019 with continuations and some new events. There was nothing new regarding Yamato 2205, but now that we’ve moved irrevocably into the year of its debut, things won’t be quiet for much longer. Meanwhile, here’s what occupied fans as 2020 kicked off…

January 1: Concert news

In late December, Akira Miyagawa’s daughter Chiko was the first to break the news of 2020’s first Yamato concert. She’ll perform on piano with her father conducting in an April 29 show called Yamato Meets Classics. The program will include a talk show, the four-part Yamato suite, and a fresh performance of the mighty Grand Symphony.

January 1: Game news

We see new promotion every month from the Yamato 2202 mobile game Hero’s Record, but concurrent with that is a totally separate 2202 mobile game called A Distant Journey managed by Tsutaya. Their online presence is limited to this website, but they occasionally pop up on Twitter as well. On January 1, they announced limited access to a “glamorous happy new year” character card featuring Yurisha.

Photos posted on Twitter by O-chan1967 and Sousui

January 1: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 49

For builders of the ongoing Hachette model, the year began with the upper port-side hull plate that accommodates the pulse laser batteries. It could not be connected to the hull until the lower plates followed, so modelers went into a holding pattern.

See Hachette’s instruction video here.

See an unboxing video here.

See a modeler’s blog here.

January 7: Aquarius Algorithm news

As reported in these pages, a new Yamato side story recently began serialization in the Premium Fan Club magazine titled Aquarius Algorithm. Writer Yuya Takashima, who has been very outspoken about the project, shared this greeting on the Yamato Crew website:

A New Year greeting from Aquarius Algorithm

Welcome to 2020! In the previous year, Yamato Resurrection Part 0: Aquarius Algorithm started safely and has been well-received. Thank you for your past and future support.

Kodai is now struggling with the Aquarius ice block. The mission of Aquarius Algorithm is to search for Yamato, which sank in Final Yamato. A new battle begins with the frozen Aquarius in a rapidly changing galaxy.

Analyzer, who was indispensable on Yamato, now works at Dr. Sado’s field park. The Kodai house has a successor machine, Papilizer. She seems to be on particularly good terms with Miyuki, Kodai and Yuki’s daughter.

Papilizer was designed by Shinji Nishikawa, who designed many monsters and mechanics for the Heisei Godzilla series, and is actually a hardcore Yamato fan. He brings deep love and insight into his work. Papilizer only started out as a name, but was drawn in a lovely form. We release this image from his mecha column [in the magazine] as a gift for the new year!

The second episode is nearing completion, and Mr. Nishikawa’s column will feature a new mecha! The illustrations by Ryuji “Umegrafix” Umeno are also amazing! Episode 2 of Aquarius Algorithm will be published in Yamato magazine Vol. 6 at the end of February. Please look forward to it!

-Yuya Takashima

And this was not the ONLY Algorithm news of the month. On January 24, Yamato Crew sent the following email to all members of the premium fan club:

Illustration by Ryuji “Umegrafix” Umeno

How was the first episode of the serial novel Aquarius Algorithm, which started in Yamato magazine Vol. 5? At present, we are preparing to post it on Yamato Crew’s website from Friday, February 7 so that the public can read the first episode. It was published in the magazine for premium members to read first, so we ask for your understanding regarding this free release.

As you all know, Aquarius Algorithm is a story that fills the gap between Final Yamato and Resurrection. We believe this is an important project that goes beyond a spin-off and holds the key to the future of the original Yamato.

We want as many people as possible to know about it, and to be aware that the original Yamato world is still alive. In order to encourage lots of feedback, we decided to release some of the story for free to make use of it in future works. The release on the web will consist of part of the first episode, but the interview with the author Yuya Takashima, illustrations by Umegrafix, and mechanic files will not be released. We will also say there is no plan to release the second or subsequent episodes.

Apart from the current remake series, we value the world that continues directly from the first work in 1974. We want many people to know of the existence of this novel as the first step. We’ll be grateful for the understanding of premium members.

Quite a lot to take in there! The most intriguing line, of course, is about Algorithm holding “the key to the future of the original Yamato.” We’d all like to see whatever that future may hold. (For one thing, we’ve been waiting for a Resurrection followup for over ten years now.)

Secondly, it is Cosmo DNA policy NOT to translate published material that is still in print and potentially a moneymaker for the franchise. That’s why you haven’t yet seen translations of 2199 or 2202 novelizations. But with the first episode now online and free to all, the restriction is lifted. Therefore, you can look forward to reading it in English here in the near future!

January 8: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 50

This volume delivered the next hull plate down from the previous one, and base parts for the second main gun turret. Modelers were still unable to attach either to the main hull, so they maintained their holding pattern.

See Hachette’s instruction video here.

See an unboxing video here.

See a modeler’s blog here.

January 9-12: Anime Los Angeles 2020

The 16th Anime LA convention brought a luminary from “O.G. Yamato” to American shores for the first time: animation director/designer Tomonori Kogawa, who directed character animation for both Farewell to Yamato (1978) and Resurrection (2009). He was just as spry as ever, making a surprise appearance at the Space Battleship Yamato panel to greet Cosmo DNA editor Tim Eldred (left) and Yamato manga translator Zack Davisson (right).

Photo at left by Yuina1107 (click on that link for more)

Mr. Kogawa also had his own booth in the dealer’s hall where he sold pre-made art and custom pieces to those with sufficient taste.

January 10: Calendar preorders

Today, after an unexplained delay, Yamato Crew offered new calendars for 2020: a desk version featuring character art from the fan club magazine, and a wall version filled with exquisite background art from 2202. Both would ship out in late January/early February.

Photos posted on Twitter by minegi4k

January 11: 2020 Premium fan club membership kits arrive

The Yamato fan club offers different levels of membership each year (gold, silver, and bronze) with varying levels of merch. You choose your level when you sign up or renew in the fall, and your merch arrives in January.

For gold members (about $300 a year), this year’s kit was a bonanza with the most extravagant bundle of merch the fan club has ever offered.

See a gallery of the whole set here.

January 13: Close To You Tonight concert news

On this date, satellite channel Family Theater broadcast a “digest version” of the October 2019 Yamato 2202 concert. The photo above was posted on Facebook by friend-of-the-website Minoru Itgaki. This was an edited version of the concert film that was shot at the event for release on Blu-ray in March. A few days earlier, it was announced that the complete film would be screened in three theaters on February 3 (more about this farther down the page).

January 15: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 51

Another week went by without necessary parts to extend the hull, but this volume contained a motor to drive the first shock cannon turret.

See Hachette’s instruction video here.

See an unboxing video here.

See a modeler’s blog here.

Photos at right posted on Twitter by Tanamotors

January 18: HyperWeapon 2020 Exhibition

Makoto Kobayashi, long known for his intricate modeling and mecha design, finally gave fans an opportunity to see his works with their own eyes. On this day, a free art exhibition opened in Tokyo’s Harajuku district in a studio called ACG Labo. Packed with both 2D and 3D displays, it stayed open through February 2.

Naturally, you’ll want to see a lot more of it, so feast your eyes on a photo gallery here and see some of the merch that was available via the event’s website here.

Photo posted on Twitter by fwks7841

January 18: Straw Yamato dismantled

One of the “all good things” came to an end on a rainy Saturday in the city of Chikuzen when the 50-foot straw Yamato sculpture was taken down after capturing the attention of fans around the world. Observer “fwks7841,” who was there to take the first pictures of it going up, also recorded it coming down. He even got to keep a small part as a souvenir!

See a gallery of his photos here.

See video footage here.

Photos posted on Twitter by taichiz321 and Take Channel36

January 22: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 52

Patience paid off when this volume brought the bottom-most hull plate that allowed modelers to finish and attach the new section. It also came with another pedestal to prop up the completed hull.

Modeler taichiz321 also gave us a look at just how much work has gone into the forward hull. Once the second gun turret appears, this segment of the model should be complete.

See Hachette’s instruction video here.

See an unboxing video here.

See a modeler’s blog here.

Photo posted on Twitter by Shinya2199

January 25: HOBAS model exhibition

HOBAS is an abbreviation for “Hokkaido BBY-01 Association,” a Yamato fan club based in Hokkaido prefecture. On January 25, they made themselves visible with a one-day modeling exhibit in Hokkaido’s capital city Sapporo.

The group is eager to connect with other Yamato fans wherever they can be found, so bookmark them on Twitter and reach out today!

January 25: Leiji Matsumoto official website news

Some good news arrived on this day from Leiji Matsumoto’s official website, which read as follows:

Leiji Matsumoto celebrates his 82nd birthday today. The official website launched in November of last year at the desire of Mr. Matsumoto himself to tell fans and other parties that he was in good health after it was learned that he was urgently hospitalized in Italy. We also report on the future activities of Katsumi Itabashi, a mechanical designer who has contributed to a number of Mr. Matsumoto’s works.

In addition, the official website will introduce “Leiji Matsumoto Works & Memories,” which looks back on past work while introducing his favorite items and memories. Along with the opening of the official website, he presented fans with a Christmas card completed after returning from Italy that said, “Fans, I know you were very worried, but I’m fine.” Also, an official Twitter account has been opened in the name of his beloved cat Mi-kun.

January 27: Concert Blu-ray news

Today we got a look at the package design for the upcoming Close To You Tonight concert CD/Blu-ray, due to be released on March 27. We also got a list of the specs and contents:

Blu-ray running length: 116 minutes plus 56 minutes of bonus material:
Special memorial booklet
Making-of video
Yamatalk Night talk show featuring Akira Miyagawa
Akira Miyagawa interview
Yamato 2205 news report
Audio commentary by singers and musicians

Art cards and printed musical scores bundled with copies purchased from Yamato Crew or Amazon

Preorder it now from Amazon.co.jp or CD Japan.

Meanwhile, see a 10-minute digest on Youtube here.

January 27: Official site news

A Tweet from the Yamato Production Committee announced that the Close To You Tonight concert film had been quality-checked in a private test screening. “It’s amazing when you see it on a theater screen! The sound feels like it’s resonating through your body! We’re sorry it doesn’t show up well in photos. We’ll be waiting at the theater!”

More information was released about the February 3 screening: the onstage guests for the talk show would be Composer Akira Miyagawa, MC Eriko Nakamura, Producer Shoji Nishizaki, and Writer Harutoshi Fukui. All viewers would receive a free Akira Miyagawa postcard, shown above right.

January 28: 2020 Calendar

Right on time for the end of January, the Yamato 2202 Background Artworks Calendar went on sale from the online Yamato Crew store. This one is a step up from previous calendars, all of which featured six images (stills or artwork) covering two months at a time. The 2020 calendar not only increases the count to 13 images (12 months, plus one for January 2021), it is printed on heavy cardstock that makes it feel like the portfolio that it actually is.

You can order it from Yamato Crew, but it only ships to Japanese addresses, so you’ll need a friend in Japan to get one for you.

See all the pages from this and the 2020 desk calendar here.

January 28: Boat Race Omura prizes

Last year’s Boat Race Omura continued to pay off for those who helped promote the event in a retweet campaign.

Happy fans reported on Twitter that they received a new tote bag in one of these two styles, or a special 500yen Quo card, redeemable in participating Japanese stores.

Photos posted on Twitter by Pipi and Senasena2202.

January 29: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 53

The final set for January included parts for the forward hangar bay, which measures about 3″ (large enough to accomodate some of the smallest Yamato toys from years past) and contains a tiny fiber optic light in its single fin. Also included was an interior panel with two spring-loaded pins for a flank missile launcher.

See Hachette’s instruction video here.

See an unboxing video here.

See a modeler’s blog here.

Click here to see a lighting test of the entire forward hull.

January 31: Movie news

The month ended with a very unusual movie release that is destined to land on the radar of anime fans around the world as the year progresses. Maeda Construction Fantasy Marketing Department is based on the story of a real construction company in Japan with a real department called “Fantasy Marketing.” Its mission is one of outreach, to capture the imagination of the general public by conceptualizing what it would actually take to build some of the ideas in science fiction.

In 2012, Maeda did exactly this with Yamato 2199, when it conceptualized a construction plan for the rebuilt Yamato. Their plan was published online and translated right here at Cosmo DNA (and it’s truly fascinating, so add it to your reading list).

In this new feature film, the Fantasy Marketing Department is tasked with building the actual launch facility for famed anime super robot Mazinger Z. Go Nagai, the creator of Mazinger Z, has a cameo role in the film. And…for reasons no one has yet explained…Dessler himself shows up on screen. Articles in Japanese media asked the same question you’re asking right now: “What does this contact across the boundaries of anime mean?”

You can bet there will be followup in a future report. Meanwhile, check out the trailer at the official site here.

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