May 2020 was the lightest Yamato month since the ramp-up began in December 2016, at least in terms of official activity. But fans came to the rescue again, mounting a new radio show and maintaining a prodigious online presence. Let’s dive in.
Photo above right posted on Twitter by Take Channel36
May 6: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model, Vol. 67
Hachette’s first volume for May consisted of several interior parts for the flank hull panels, including LED wiring. Nothing flashy, until the batteries get connected up, that is.
See Hachette’s instruction video here.
See an unboxing video here.
See a modeler’s blog here.
May 8: Teleconference backgrounds
With all the teleconferencing that has become a way of life in quarantine, many have found ways of livening up (or covering up) their home backgrounds. The Yamato 2202 Production Committee came up with one solution when they offered these images for download from the official website.
The explanation read as follows: “Get a 2202 virtual background to enjoy at home. We have prepared virtual backgrounds that can be used for web conferences and online drinking parties. How about a meeting at the first bridge, or a gathering at Hero’s Hill and a drinking party? Please download and use them.”
May 9: Radio Suite Yamato, The New Voyage
Three times makes it a tradition. This was the third Yamato program by internet radio station Clover Media. Fittingly called The New Voyage, it reunited manga artist Michio Murakawa with DJ Andro Umeda and Yamato music expert Fukan to gather music tracks from the entire Yamato catalog and bask in the joy of it for four hours on a Saturday afternoon.
The first hour was devoted to BGM/score, the second to songs, and then a very special guest arrived, Isao Sasaki. He told stories and commented on various songs for the third hour, then stayed on for the final hour to read messages from listeners while their requests were played.
The major attraction for longtime fans who have curated their own collections is the chance to learn about true rarities and obscure tracks from alternate sources. Selections in this category included audio from the 1974 Yamato Picture Story Show, a drama recording that didn’t use any actors, music, or sound effects from the anime (read about here).
One particularly unexpected track was a cover version of the Yamato theme from a 1980 album by legendary guitarist Takeshi Terauchi. It was arranged by no less than Hiroshi Miyagawa and included scat vocals by Kazuko Kawashima. Countless covers of the theme have been recorded, but few demonstrate this level of authenticity and craftsmanship. If you’re thinking, “yeah, great, when will I ever get to hear it?” then stop reading this report right now and click here. You’re welcome.
The show was extraordinarily popular, trending at number 1 on Twitter and inspiring over 15,000 Tweets from listeners (double the number from last year). Visit the show’s Twitter page here.
The Japanese fansite Yamato Music Collection published a complete media list for everything played over all four hours, which can be found here.
It’s become tradition for everyone who participates in the show to leave sketches or autographs behind. The sketchboard for this one is shown at left, joining the previous two at right. Photos posted on Twitter by Clover staff member Cyuniapplelove.
The program could be heard worldwide through Clover Media’s web stream, and instructions for listening were posted on our Facebook page before the show was broadcast. A re-edited version is supposed to happen sometime this summer, so stay tuned over there for news as it breaks.
Photo above right posted on Twitter by Take Channel36
May 13: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model, Vol. 68
This volume delivered the underside hull plate that would finally let builders put the midsection together – but this big step would still have to wait for the arrival of more interior parts, alas. All good things to those who wait.
See Hachette’s instruction video here.
See an unboxing video here.
See a modeler’s blog here.
Photo above left posted on Twitter by Take Channel36. Above right posted by Sousui.
May 20: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model, Vol. 69
Fitting out the flank hull plates continued this week with more internal lighting parts. Two very recognizable external parts were included (the flank vehicle bays) but it was not yet time for installation. Twitter user Sousui gave us all an overview (above right) of where the entire project rested as of this volume. More interior work is required before that midsection can be brought together.
See Hachette’s instruction video here.
See an unboxing video here.
See a modeler’s blog here.
May 21: Edakio on Twitter
Animator Kio “Edakio” Edamatsu returned to Twitter after a long silence to share two more layouts. His caption read as follows: “In Space Battleship Yamato 2199, I helped with the detail-up drawings of Yukikaze in Episode 17. In a scene just before the first episode, Yukikaze was moving energetically as if reflecting the feelings of Mamoru Kodai, and was depicted in a tattered state.”
“The design drawings that were done for each shot by the mechanical designers improved the detail and expressions as the number of episodes increased. In a series of scenes, the distortion of the armor and the feeling of paint peeling off tells us that Earth is exhausted beyond maintenance. Every time I received a design drawing, I was really excited about the detail-up drawing work, which made me want to see it on the screen. Rather than being jealous as a designer, I was really happy to see a great picture and to be able to help create it.”
See the original post here (and scan his Twitter page for lots more Yamato production art).
May 23: Momoconline
Covid-19 may have stopped anime conventions in their tracks, but it hasn’t done a thing to stop the desire for them. Thus, online “virtual” cons began popping up as spring lurched toward summer. One such event was Momoconline, taking place from May 21-24. In terms of Yamato-related content, a pre-recorded Leiji Matsumoto panel was streamed on May 23, hosted by Darius Washington with guests Helen McCarthy (author) and Tim Eldred (Cosmo DNA editor) who talked about a forthcoming book of essays on the man himself.
Ride the galactic railway for an hour or so on Youtube here, if you don’t mind some picture distortion.
New designs revealed for Yamato 2205. The female character is unidentified. Photos posted on Twitter by helldiver1999.
May 25: Star Blazers/Yamato fan club magazine Vol. 7
This issue didn’t make it to the Cosmo DNA nerve center in time for a full overview, so that will happen in our next report. However, advance promo indicated that it would contain the latest information on 2205 (still being promised in “winter” which probably means early 2021), a round-table discussion with astrophysics experts, an interview with Ryuko Azuma on the forthcoming Star Blazers Lambda manga, an interview with 2202 novelist Yuya Takashima, and the third episode of Aquarius Algorithm.
This page spread was the first to reveal Junichiro Tamamori’s mecha designs for Star Blazers Lambda, which made its debut on the Comic NewType website June 10. Seven ships are shown (“Mark 1” through “Mark 7”) and the one shown at upper left is designated the “Mark 6 Yamato ship.”
Photo above right posted on Twitter by Take Channel36.
May 27: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model, Vol. 70
Hachette ended the month the same way they started, with even more internal electronics for the midsection of the ship, which remains incomplete after four weeks. That means there’s a LOT going on in this area.
See Hachette’s instruction video here.
See an unboxing video here.
See a modeler’s blog here.
May 31: The Green Hills of Earth fanfic webcomic
Here’s what you do in a slow Yamato month: make your own Yamato! That’s exactly what St Petersburg-based comics author/animation director DaryaKO did with this 40-page story. She posted it in ten parts on Twitter in both Russian and English from May 31 to June 7. It has been collected (with her kind permission) for your reading pleasure here.
Also spotted in May
Isao Sasaki 55th Anniversary Special Live DVD
It’s not often that a gem like this evades the Cosmo DNA radar, but it’s always a delight to discover it later. On March 6 2016, Isao Sasaki did a one-man show to mark the 55th anniversary of his professional debut, and what a show it was! Backed up by a 10-piece band and two support singers, he blew the roof off the joint for over two and a half hours.
The entire concert can be seen on this two-disc set. Disc 1 contains the performance in which he covered no less than five Yamato songs: the main theme (twice), Scarlet Scarf, The Rival, Teresa Forever, and Yamato!! The New Voyage. The concert also includes his best-known anime and tokusatsu themes, from Galaxy Express to Goranger, and even some Elvis tunes; 35 tracks in all.
The second disc contains 42 minutes of bonus material including rehearsals and interviews. There is also a 13-minute talk segment in which Sasaki invited Leiji Matsumoto and Akira Miyagawa onto the stage. At the end of it, Miyagawa played a solo version of the Yamato theme on his Melodica.
The DVD set was released in October 2018 and can still be ordered from either Amazon.co.jp or CD Japan.
Quarantine music
Thanks to lots of generous fans, you can have your own personal Yamato concert at home. Click on these links and enjoy.
Family theater broadcasts
Satellite channel Family Theater kept the home fires burning with several broadcasts in May: Final Yamato on the 9th, Resurrection on the 10th, The Close To You Tonight concert on the 16th and 23rd, and full reruns of 2199 on the 16th and 2202 on the 23rd. Quarantine was never easier.
Hero’s Record promo art
The mobile game Yamato 2202: Hero’s Record filled up its Twitter feed with lots of juicy new images and some rather unexpected news: none of these games lasts forever, and this one will discontinue at the end of July. So let’s enjoy it while we can.
See the May gallery here.
Yamato 2202 game art
The other mobile game, Yamato 2202: A Distant Journey, rolls onward with little fanfare and only occasional promo art like this image. Created by Tsutaya, this one is less flashy than Hero’s Record, a card-style game that only works on a Japanese OS. Visit the game’s no-frills website here.
Fan models
Modelers hunkered down in their private dimensional time faults and cranked out more kits than we’ve ever seen in the space of a month, enough for THREE galleries. Click on the following for…
Yamato and Andromeda | UNCF/EDF ships | Fighters and others
Fan art
May was another stellar month for fan art on Twitter. See a character gallery here and a mecha gallery here.
Aquarius Algorithm fan art
Fan artist Yumata Hazuki continues walking around with a feather in his/her cap for being the only one to create images for the ongoing Aquarius Algorithm novella in the fan club magazine. Visit Yumata’s Twitter page here and see the latest images at full size on Pixiv.