Conditions conspired to give us another slow month in Yamato world, but this is a temporary situation as we all know by now. And really, there is no bad month to be a Yamato fan. So here’s all the news that trickled in during the not-bad month of June…
June 1: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 167
The month began with the long-awaited final countdown of the Andromeda volumes from Hachette. Volume 167 contained all the parts for the stern nacelles and allowed builders to attach them to their base, which would soon be mated to the lower hull.
See Hachette’s instruction video here
See an unboxing video here
See a modeler’s blog here
June 3: 1/350 Hyuga Diecast Gimmick Model promo video
Just three more Andromeda volumes were on the calendar when Hachette launched a 5-minute promotional video for the next ship in the line. Promised to have a full brace of lights and sounds, it will also be the first-ever source for 3D representations of the Cosmo Python and several other craft. Being a carrier, it offers new structural opportunities for other special features as you can see in the video here.
June 6: Yamato 2205 Complete Works announced
Until now, there have been only two print media sources for material on Yamato 2205: the two theatrical program books and the Hachette instruction manuals. That situation will change for the better on August 1 when Kadokawa publishes Yamato 2205 Complete Works. Contained in its 176 pages will be character and mecha design, production art, interviews, and Harutoshi Fukui’s development material from the writing phase.
It will cost around $30 and can be preordered at Amazon.co.jp here.
June 7: Explore Dryland game collaboration
2205 got its first online game in the form of a one-week collaboration with Explore Dryland, a fantasy treasure-hunting scenario from Gree.
All-new character designs were created to match the style of the game so they could appear at key moments and events over a 7-day period.
Visit the Dryland website here.
June 8: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 168
Construction was comparatively minor on this volume, containing the two ventral fins for the underside of the ship, and the volume knob for the base. Unlike the 1/350 Yamato model, the volume knob this time is on the base rather than the handheld controller.
See Hachette’s instruction video here
See an unboxing video here
See a modeler’s blog here
June 10: Star Blazers Lambda Chapter 26
The “climax phase” of the Space Battleship Yamato NEXT manga by Ryuko Azuma is not only still going, it’s getting bigger. In this chapter, we find out what Yu Yamato discovers within the black hole that formed over the moon, and what it will take to wipe out the enemy Seireness once and for all!
See the chapter with description here
Photos posted on Twitter by Take Channel 36
June 15: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 169
This is the one everyone was waiting for! At long last, the final pieces of the base arrived. Once it was assembled, the last of the ship’s interior work could follow and all the hull sections could be combined.
After 59 volumes, a complete four-foot-long Andromeda was finally in one piece. Just one more volume remained to finish it off.
See Hachette’s instruction video here
See an unboxing video here
See a modeler’s blog here
June 22: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 170
The final piece of the puzzle, as with the 1/350 Yamato, was the hand-held controller that allowed builders to activate the electronic features. It’s simpler than the Yamato version due to the reduction of internal motors. The tradeoff was more elaborate lighting gimmicks, pre-programmed for different sequencing as directed by Mecha Designer Junichiro Tamamori.
Photo posted on Twitter by Momochi
Demo videos: All features | WMG firing | All lights on | Hachette promo
See Hachette’s instruction video here
See an unboxing video here
See a modeler’s blog here
June 23: Klipsch wireless earphones
This product collaboration was promoted earlier in the year, and this is the day the actual product arrived for use; twin wireless earphones with Yamato 2205 branding on the box and charging case (EF CF stands for Earth Federation Cosmo Fleet). Other than that, there’s no actual Yamato connection to the product, but Yamato music is sure to sound great when pumped directly into your head.
Visit the seller’s website here
June 29: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 171
Hello, Hyuga! The last event of the month was the handoff from one giant model to the next. The first volume (of a projected 80) had humble beginnings with the top of the command tower, and the ubiquitous fiber optics were already there in full force. If everything stays on schedule, the last volume of this model will arrive on Earth near the end of 2023. By then we should be in 3199 territory. Maybe even looking forward to a fourth model.
Visit Hachette’s 1/350 Hyuga home page here
See Hachette’s instruction video here
See an unboxing video here
Also spotted in June
Better late than never
The first advance screening of Yamato 2205 Chapter 1 took place on September 23, 2021. The lucky fans who got to see it walked out with two gifts: a tote bag and a super-slick foldout press sheet that was previously only available to the media. Ever since then, photos of the press sheet have floated in and out of view, ending up in these reports whenever possible, but the item itself always remained tantalizingly out of reach as a rare collector’s item.
Happily, it went from gotta-find-it to finally-got-it status in June when the copy you see here went up for auction on Yahoo Japan and subsequently landed in the Cosmo DNA nerve center. Get a complete look at the end of this page!
Yamato Crew apparel
At the end of May/beginning of June, new apparel items started shipping out from the Yamato Crew online store. This round consisted of anti-Covid face masks…
Fan art
June brought us some more terrific fan art that, among other things, commemorated both Father’s Day and the start of summer.
See a character gallery here and a mecha gallery here
The Lost Journey webcomic
The most exciting news from the fan art world was the conclusion of Dasha KO’s suspenseful Yamato webcomic, The Lost Journey. Now that it’s complete, it has a permanent home right here at Cosmo DNA along with Dasha’s previous stories.
Click here to read The Lost Journey now!
Fan models
The volume dipped a bit in June, but the quality never does. This batch of 3D projects included some of the first attempts to fuse Cosmo Python elements into the fighter lineup.
See the photo gallery here
Boiling Battle of Phobos opening title
The prehistory of the Yamato remake world has fired up our imaginations since it was first mentioned, and we’ve reached a point where fans can take their speculation to unprecedented heights. A group named Sabamiso EX is hard at work on their own fan film about it, and on June 22 they released a flashy opening title using Uverworld’s Fight For Liberty, previously heard on the first 2199 TV broadcast. (It’s a much better fit for this project.)
See it on Youtube here and follow Sabamiso EX on Twitter here for more announcements.
Yamatunes
If you follow the Cosmo DNA Facebook page, you get to see new musical discoveries every Tuesday. If you don’t, here’s some of what you’ve been missing.
See a much larger Yamatunes catalog here (part 1) and here (part 2)
Yamato 2205 Press sheet
Interview text
Interviewer: First of all, please tell us about your enthusiasm for the new work.
Yasuda: I’m from the generation that hadn’t seen the old series, but this time there are many crew members who are very familiar to me. I wanted to work on the new series with a fresh mind. I heard there was a reason they wanted a director who doesn’t know Yamato, so I accepted the responsibility.
Yamato was an original experience for the generation a little older than myself, and the pressure is great, but it also has a lot to offer. The staff who supported the past series is also participating in this project. We’re making this film with their help as well.
Fukui: If we were going to do The New Voyage after completing the major theme of Yamato in 2202, I wanted to create a Taiga [classic] drama that is more conscious of continuity. I had this in mind at the moment I received the offer. I felt like, “I have no choice but to do it!”
Interviewer: In the case of Yamato 2202, it was very easy to understand that it was a remake of Farewell to Yamato. What kind of work will Yamato 2205 be, then?
Fukui: It’s definitely The New Voyage. For a while after it starts, you may wonder what is “New Voyage” about it. But after five minutes, you’ll understand. After another five minutes, you’ll be like, “What’s going on with this?” And so on. In the midst of that repetition, you can look forward to where we’ll end up. That’s the point.
Yasuda: For those who don’t know Yamato, I think you’ll enjoy the growth of the new young crew. The addition of new crew members to the base of The New Voyage is an element that adds a different emotional flow to the history of Yamato and the history of Kodai and Yuki. I think that even those who know the old work will be able to enjoy it with a fresh feeling.
Fukui: After working through 2202, I felt again that Yamato is the story of a man named Susumu Kodai. So I had to make it fit into his story. On the other hand, I mentioned “Taiga drama tailoring.” After The New Voyage, Space Battleship Yamato also had a moment when I think it was aiming for a “Taiga drama,” as if depicting a story over a period of 10 to 20 years, with the crew members changing.
So this time, 2205 is the story of Susumu Kodai, a human being. It is a Taiga drama and new characters will also come in. It was a test to see if I could balance these two elements. I feel that the response has been very good.
Interviewer: Another big thing is that the CG of Yamato has changed, hasn’t it?
Fukui: Yes, that was Director Yasuda’s focus.
Yasuda: Originally, the old works were hand-drawn, and in the past remake series, Yamato‘s CG had a cel-look to it. This is partly a matter of taste, but since it’s a large battleship, I want it to look large. However, I didn’t want it to look too realistic and uncomfortable, so I tried to keep a good balance between the two. I tried to create a special effect (brush processing) on the cel image.
Fukui: Even in the original, the way Yamato was drawn changed with the heavy use of backgrounds in Be Forever. So I thought it would be nice to look at Yamato in a new way this time.
Interviewer: What do you think is the highlight of this film?
Fukui: I’m glad Mr. Yasuda directed this film and that he wasn’t a fan of the original Yamato. He’s able to keep a little distance and create his work objectively. I’m able to create my work in a very flat way. As Yamato‘s new look symbolizes, it’s a bit more mature than the previous two works. The number of young people has increased, so the atmosphere is fresh, but I think it’s also something that adults can see and understand.
Yasuda: If Yamato was a drama of two generations (Okita’s generation and Kodai’s generation), it’s now a drama of three generations with the newcomers. They’re lively but worried, and how they overcome their difficulties is a major highlight of the story. Also, the fighter planes will be a big focus of attention. I think you’ll be pleased with the Cosmo Tiger II scenes.
Fukui: This time, The New Voyage inherits the flow, passion, and theme of Farewell to Yamato. I think this is the Yamato we originally wanted to see 40-odd years ago, and you can look forward to it.
Yasuda: There are many new elements and new developments, but it has the same title as the old film. If the song is played here, the audience will be excited. I’d like everyone to keep these points in mind. The work is both nostalgic and new at the same time. I hope that those who know Yamato and those who are new to the work will all look forward to it.
This website never ceases to amaze me with how often and detailed it remains years after year. You must be the most diehard Yamato fan out there.
Thank you, but the word you’re looking for is “insatiable.” It was the thing that pushed me to find my creative path in life, so I’ll always feel like I am repaying a favor.
Haha ok insatiable it is then. Do you know if Bandai made any new 1/1000 kits for 2205 besides the Asuka? (which is basically the Dreadnought kit from 2017 with new parts) I admit I haven’t searched everywhere but it seems Bandai didn’t care about the new mechs.
That’s the only 1/1000 kit so far, but assuming that it’s because “Bandai didn’t care” is the wrong framing. The reason we don’t have as many kits as we should is because Bandai overproduced models for 2199 and not enough fans showed up to buy them. We got a lot less on 2202 and 2205 as a result. But there’s another chance to turn things around with 3199, since it will be another 26-episode series with a long shelf life. Fingers crossed.
Bummer, I really liked the Hyuga and the two Bolar battleship designs (they reminds me of the LOGH ships) from 2205, and those blue escort ships from 2202 looked pretty good too. I will be looking forward for 3199 reports!
Any news on 2205 English dub coming up, by any chance? I just think they’re neat.
There have been no announcements yet that I know of.