Published by Tokuma Shoten, September 20, 1977
August 6, the day Space Battleship Yamato caught fire
The morning of August 6 arrived. The heat of dawn enveloped a lightly overcast Tokyo. The scorching sun broke through the clouds and colored the eastern sky. At 6:00 a.m., Space Battleship Yamato made its grand entrance into six Tokyo theaters.
There was already a long line around Ginza Tokyu Theater
before the show started.
A regrettable second runner-up
Unfortunately, three students, Yoshifumi Shimizu, Tetsuya Uchida, and Muneya Hayakawa, from Chofu Kita High School, Tokyo, were “runners-up.” On August 5, they rushed to Shibuya Tokyu Theater at 8:00 a.m., but to their surprise, two other people had arrived first and were already there.
Shimizu said, “I wanted to make it to the top, but I was disappointed that others got there ahead of us. However, I still got a cel, and an autograph from Yoshinobu Nishizaki.”
They were lucky enough to get the autograph of Mr. Nishizaki, who came all the way to thank his fans around midnight on the 5th. Immediately after watching the premiere of the movie on the 6th, the trio got right back in line to be the first to see it on the 7th and they sat back down.
In the Shibuya area, only two theaters, the Rex and Meiga-za, were scheduled to show the film. However, after seeing the line of fans who rushed in from the first train on the morning of the 6th, in addition to the 500 people who stayed up all night, they decided to add screenings at the Pantheon. The Pantheon and Shibuya Tokyu were opened at 6:00 am.
At 9:00 a.m., the long line extended even further. Segi-kun, a sixth grader from Setagaya, left with a resigned look on his face. “I came here around 8:00 a.m.,” he said, “but I can’t make it. I’ll have to get up at 4:00 a.m. tomorrow morning and come back…”
LEFT: Only 6 hours to go until the show starts! (In front of Shibuya Tokyu Rex)
RIGHT: In front of Tokyu Rex in Ikebukuro, also crowded with Yamato fans.
Under the moonlight
Fans gathered with their cels (Midnight, August 5)
At midnight on August 5 at Ginza Tokyu Theater, a sweet rhythm began to flow from within the circle of all-nighters. About 140 people were waiting for the bright red scarf that the girl was waving. Before they came here, nobody knew each other. But now, through Yamato, they were holding each other’s hands and their hearts were close to each other.
They talked about their feelings for Starsha with hot blood flowing in their veins. The humming of The Scarlet Scarf drenched the Ginza moon.
Okura, a high school freshman from Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, talked enthusiastically.
“The love of Yamato is so strong for me. It gives me the courage to face my problems.”
Dawn broke. The movie theater staff was surprised to be greeted by a block-long line of fans on Ginza Street.
“I’ve never seen such popularity before.”
The theater opened early at 6:00 a.m.
The older guy was a little tired…
Undeterred by the heat
Takashi Kokubo and Hiroshi Tanaka (sophomores), both from Taito Tokyo, were at Ueno Tokyu from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
“I woke up at 3:30 a.m. this morning and came on my bike. I got the original drawing, and I’m very excited about it.”
Two sisters, a junior high school student and a fourth grader, who came from Nihonbashi, said, “We’re big fans of Susumu Kodai. We’ve been waiting in line for two hours, but we don’t care about the heat. We’ll wait for hours.”
A female junior college student from Sakura, Chiba, stayed overnight at her cousin’s house. The line for Yamato is growing ever longer.
The first day of the screening ended with great excitement. The clouds have been swept away and the light of dawn now shines. The summer sky stretches endlessly. The sky, the Earth, the beauty of life! Kodai, Okita, and Starsha, be forever, be blessed!
(O)
[Translator’s note: the “O” signoff was for Tokuma Shoten editor Hideo Ogata. Read his account of creating the Roman Album here.]
Enthusiasm! Yamato fans gather in large numbers!
The main supporters of Space Battleship Yamato are, above all, Yamato fans. Without their presence, it is doubtful if the boom would have been as big as it was. We therefore explored the dynamics of the Yamato fan movement.
A flood of phone calls
The Academy office is in Chiyoda, Tokyo. In one corner is the Yamato Fan Club office. A large Yamato poster is on the wall. Fan letters are piled high. The staff moves around busily in the middle of it all. The office is full of energy. The phone rings.
The staff of the club busy answering phone calls.
“Yes, Yes, this is the Yamato fan club office. You want to join the fan club? Well then…”
Currently, there are more than 200 Yamato fan clubs, large and small, all over Japan. However, since the release of the movie, it is said that nearly fifty calls a received every day saying, “I want to join the fan club. I want to create a fan club, what should I do?”
The number of Yamato fan clubs is steadily increasing every day. It is no exaggeration to say that Yamato fans from all over Japan come to the Yamato office. A high school student on a one-day trip from Hiroshima cried out, “I really want a cel.” A group of three female high school students came from Osaka in search of advance tickets. Among them, there is an enthusiastic Yamato fan who brought in a model of Analyzer. In any case, Yamato fans are extremely enthusiastic.
A rare photo from the first-ever live Yamato event, a rooftop concert at a department store. Read more about it in Vintage Report 5.
A wide variety of fans
Until now, most anime fans have been young children. In the case of Yamato, however, this trend has changed drastically. The overwhelming majority of fans are junior high school, high school, and college students. Among the fan clubs, there are names such as “XX High School Fan Club” and “XX University Yamato Study Group.” The prominence of this speaks to the trend.
However, the objects of each fan’s passion are very diverse. Some fans like the mechanics of Yamato while others are fascinated by the battle between men who put their lives on the line. When a male college student says he wants a woman like Starsha for his girlfriend, a high school girl says Dessler’s eyes are irresistible. Some fans applaud the theme music composed by Hiroshi Miyagawa, and others go crazy over The Scarlet Scarf sung by Isao Sasaki.
“I have a lot of fans, too,” says Producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki. “There are even fans who come all the way from the countryside to meet me.”
As one would expect from a group of Yamato fans,
the magazines are all very well produced.
Anyway, the fact that fans are so diverse in their enthusiasm is a testament to the appeal of Space Battleship Yamato.
Splendid magazines
As mentioned earlier, the number of Yamato fan clubs continues to increase every day, and fan club magazines are published one after another. These magazines are all excellent, as one would expect from enthusiastic Yamato fans.
Among them, are Yamato (Yamato Association), Neo Negal (Yamato Fan Club II), Magellan (Universal Battleship Yamato Family), Iscandar (Yamato< Connection) and Space Battleship Yamato Fan Club.
Yamato fans, be forever!
Producer’s message
Space Battleship Yamato was made as a theatrical film in order to show the theme of a man’s way of life and the power of action/drama all at once. By seeing it on the big screen, you will be able to appreciate the expanse of the universe, its grand scale, and a man’s romance.
The star of this film is, above all, Yamato. Once the pride of the former Imperial Japanese Navy, it is not designed as a conventional streamlined science fiction spaceship, but a rugged silhouette in its own right.
The dreamy female character was by Leiji Matsumoto, the story was created by Leiji Matsumoto, Eiichi Yamamoto, and Keisuke Fujikawa, and the music was composed by Hiroshi Miyagawa who brought a dreamy, minor-key life to the cold universe. Indeed, the tremendous energy and efforts of a wide variety of people are condensed into Space Battleship Yamato.
As a producer, I would like to make films for the global market in the future. I believe that Space Battleship Yamato is the first step toward that goal. The theme of a world-class film is, after all, “love,” the common theme for all mankind. Since this is what I cherish the most, I would like to continue to depict “love” as a theme for boys and girls who are about to start their lives.