Yamato explodes
for an eternal sleep!
Space Battleship Yamato
The Final Chapter LAUNCH!!
Or sink!?
The ending…is not unhappy!
On January 18, Producer Nishizaki assembled a meeting on the 14th floor of the Tokyu Hotel in Akasaka to make a grave announcement. In the story Producer Nishizaki told, Yamato The Final Chapter was made as clear as possible.
Nishizaki: The first thing I can clarify is that Yamato explodes. But “The End” doesn’t appear there. How and why it explodes is something I’ll leave out for now. Because Yamato has been so popular with the fans for so long, I’m reluctant to say goodbye to many people here.
The image of “Yamato’s explosion” on the next page is the last moment of the brave warrior who fought for Earth.
Nishizaki: Out of the platonic love between Kodai and Yuki, we will clearly show a love scene. This will be a really beautiful, glowing scene that we can show you with confidence.
– this was strongly stated.
Let’s start from where we left off to introduce as much of the story of The Final Chapter as we know.
Okita challenges the Dengil fleet with Yamato!!
The repairs are completed and Yamato confronts the fleet lead by Lugal II again. It is a scene that recalls the battle conduct of Okita and Kodai in Part 1.
The sights to see here are the destroyer fleet that protects Yamato and falls to the Hyper-Radiation Missiles, and the image of Yuki protecting the wounded Kodai flying the Cosmo Zero. The love between Yuki and Kodai is depicted in the battle.
The aliens from Dengil are the same race as Earthlings
Through the activity of Kodai and Yuki, the enemy carrier is destroyed and Yamato escapes from danger. Lugal II temporarily returns to Uruk, and the true mystery of the Dengil aliens is revealed. This is a scene where Lugal recites the history of the Dengil to Lugal II.
In ancient times, their home planet was flooded by the waters that fell from Aquarius, and they were helped by aliens from Dengil. However, they overthrew their saviors and took possession of their scientific power. Might makes right – for the Dengilians, they believe they must utterly defeat and rob their opponents, if it’s to their own benefit.
The original planet where they were helped is the third planet of the solar system: Earth.
The people of Dengil and the people of Earth are part of the same family. Kodai and the Yamato crew are also told this fact by the Queen of Aquarius.
Yamato vs. Uruk! Daisuke Shima helms the ship for the last time!!
Yamato finishes the defense system of Hyper-Radiation Missiles and finally breaks the fleet of Lugal II. Next, they must destroy the warp beaming system of the Uruk fortress that causes Aquarius to warp.
Yamato descends to the Uruk surface amidst anti-aircraft fire. But during the battle, Daisuke Shima takes an enemy beam to the chest. Shima endures the pain and flies Yamato.
On the other hand, Kodai and others confront Lugal in the temple. The Dengil boy who helped Yamato is revealed as the son of Lugal. But because the boy begs his father to stop the battle, Lugal guns him down.
The crisis isn’t over yet…Yamato!? Okita!?
When Lugal plunges Aquarius into its final warp, he takes measures to scuttle Uruk itself. The rocky mountain under the Uruk temple shudders. Enduring the pain of his wound, Shima holds on in an attempt to save Yamato. And when Yamato finally reaches a safe distance, Shima’s spirit gives out. Daisuke Shima…Yamato’s navigator and Kodai’s best friend…his close companion and brother Jiro floats through his mind…?
Shima pushed past his wound to save Yamato from the self-destruction of Uruk, but Aquarius warps to the vicinity of Earth. In this situation, as Lugal believes, the human race will be wiped out by Aquarius and the people of Dengil can take Earth for themselves.
“Hurry and warp! Follow Aquarius!!”
Can Okita really prevent this crisis that has turned entirely against them?
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According to Producer Nishizaki, a scene of Kodai and Yuki being bound in body and soul becomes the end. It is a happy ending for the lovers. Through the love of Yamato, they truly grow up…!
明 LIGHT
The fate of Susumu Kodai and Yuki Mori
Susumu Kodai and Yuki Mori are the image of love in Yamato, an especially familiar symbol of love between men and women. In The Final Chapter, their love must proceed to the next step.
Nishizaki: Okita says, “You still have a future. You must become one in body and soul to create a child, to build a family and truly love each other. Is this not also a battle?” After all, it is a battle to keep on loving one human being. As I described earlier, this new kind of fight scene is clearly depicted as a form of love. Junko Yagami’s Love Supreme flows through this scene.
This love scene is three minutes long, a beautiful scene that Producer Nishizaki can present with confidence.
If you think about it, since the first launch in the year 2199, these two were gradually attracted to each other and eventually fell in love. Marriage also became a temporary reality. However, after the fight against the White Comet Empire, it was like the two of them had forgotten the happiness of their personal love.
To be sure, they would be happier as a couple. Kodai and Yuki continued to travel and fight on Yamato, and now they surpass Juuzo Okita – the person who could be called both a teacher and a father – and head toward a new journey.
Nishizaki: At first they were just a boy and a girl. They learned from a great man called Juuzo Okita and gradually became a young man and woman. And in The Final Chapter, that one love reaches its culmination.
The love that Kodai and Yuki nurtured for a long time takes its next step, becoming the starting point of a new journey. There may be suffering ahead, but Yamato and Okita taught them the strength to confront it. They step forward into the “battle of love.” This is the “light” part of Yamato The Final Chapter, the start of a new journey of true love between Kodai and Yuki.
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Depicting Kodai and Yuki as “beautiful” as possible!
Character designer Shinya Takahashi
I’m in charge of animation direction as related to Yuki. Her bonding with Kodai at the end will be about three minutes on the screen with Junko Yagami’s song in the background.
To make it a beautiful ending, the point we’re being careful about is not to make it pornographic. That would be troubling, since Yuki resembles Sasha. (Laughs) Yuki’s words are all internal, and it’s difficult to show that fine distinction. Production of the last scene has just started, but I want to do it slowly and carefully for public presentation.
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暗 DARK
On the other hand, chief navigator Daisuke Shima reaches a tragic end. When he left his younger brother Jiro, he promised to return and play soccer together. But he dies fighting Fortress Uruk and cannot fulfill that promise…
Daisuke Shima dies!
In Yamato The Final Chapter, the greatest tragedy is the death of Daisuke Shima. When Yamato descends to Uruk, Shima suffers a serious chest wound. However, his hand continues to grip the stick and he finally steps down from the chief navigator’s seat for his eternal sleep.
Nishizaki: So far in Yamato, too many people have died. I narrowed the deaths in The Final Chapter as much as possible. But the death of an important character is by all means a necessity in a drama. It ended up being Shima.
This is a place where the activity of Shima outshines that of Kodai in the Uruk scenes. There are also a lot of earlier scenes where Shima plays with Jiro in the first half to enhance the climax of this scene.
Nishizaki: A character who has died before, one who has come back to life before, ends up dying.
Speaking of Daisuke Shima, Kodai, and Yuki Mori, Dessler is just as popular a character in Yamato. Although they have always survived and come back even after being seriously injured, this time it finally feels like an end. For Shima fans, this scene may be hard to watch. However, as opposed to noteworthy scenes of mecha vs. mecha, great interplay is depicted between Shima and Kodai. It could be said that this is an excellent scene of human drama.
He boarded Yamato with Kodai. They argued and cooperated, and Daisuke Shima became a pleasant character and a rival. His final farewell approaches in just one more month – and now Daisuke Shima can be with Teresa.
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Mecha & Art
The features of mecha and art from The Final Chapter strongly appear on the Dengil side.
Nishizaki: In the design work for Dengil, there’s a strong religious atmosphere. The form, color, and scenery are entwined with religion.
This is an enemy that we haven’t seen up to now in Yamato. Moreover, they were originally humans from Earth. They even overthrew their saviors, the Dengil aliens, to take power in their own self-interest. Though they have the same origin as Earthlings, it could be said that their mental structure is the complete opposite. The design of art and mecha will become important to represent this area.
Also, we can look forward to the form of movement for both large and small things in this group of mecha. There is the weight and realism of the massive uruk, a moving fortress mothership and heavy battleship, and small sharp-nosed fighters along with tiny individual hovercraft. There is also a rock-shaped warship that escapes the self-destruction of Uruk.
This time, a lot of mecha and art appear that were previously unannounced. Also, the familiar Cosmo Tiger seems to become more of a battle mecha with a color change to moss green on the upper half and white on the lower half. With the Pluto battle first and active scenes of the landing on Uruk, further hand-to-hand combat should be seen.
After all, when talking about Yamato, there are the mecha battle scenes along with the charm of Kodai and Yuki. If realistic battle scenes are expanded for the first time in Yamato, it will be a pleasure to see them in The Final Chapter.
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About Dessler
This time, Dessler appears in the last scene, near the real climax.
Nishizaki: Dessler is a character for whom my fondness truly comes out. Dessler and Okita have never come face to face before now, but in The Final Chapter you could say they have their first meeting through the communication panel.
It is unknown what kind of situation brings the two great rivals of Part 1 together, but it seems to be a scene worthy of The Final Chapter. These two men who respected each other as soldiers when they fought…what kind of conversation will they have?
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Worries about the ending
Kodai and Yuki have a happy ending. Unfortunately, Shima dies. Okita and Dessler meet, and Yamato explodes. These are fragments. How are these scenes connected?
The first factor is the Water Planet Aquarius and the second is the Dengil attack on Earth. Dengil’s main force sends Aquarius on the last warp aiming for Earth, and Yamato should be shown confronting these two menaces. Yamato must stand against the two crises of Aquarius and Dengil as just one ship.
Is the explosion of Yamato a result of the battle? Also, how will the water flooding from Aquarius be prevented? Yamato meeting this greatest crisis of Earth should be the real climax, which is likely to become a battle for the crew, including Okita and Kodai. It is likely that Dessler will appear during this climax.
If you piece together this data, unless there is some means of revival, the composition puts Earth in a precarious state. This area is right at the heart of the story. It is sure to be riveting.
Recording News
Three new theme songs flow through The Final Chapter. Isao Sasaki sings Kodai and Yamato, Junko Yagami sings Love Supreme, and Rainbow to Tomorrow is sung by Tranzam and Tomoko Kuwae.
Sasaki sings Kodai’s feelings in Kodai and Yamato, Yagami sings the heart of Yuki in Love Supreme, and Rainbow to Tomorrow by Tranzam and Kuwae is an image song of Yamato. Each song finished its recording last year. We wait for the day they will flow through the movie.
In addition, the main Space Battleship Yamato theme has been newly recorded after an interval of eight years.
Nishizaki: This is going to flow through the true ending of the movie. I think everyone can sing it together.
Left: Tranzam members and Tomoko Kuwae. Right: Sheet music arrangements in hand.
Calm and collected, with a hint of a smile peeking through?
All Night Nippon Special
All Night Nippon, which became famous for the 4-hour radio dramas, has broadcast The Final Chapter. The broadcast started at 1:00am on the night of January 15 with the first words of Tsuka-tan Kurou [Takashi Tsukagoshi] and Rinko Okamato!
Appearing with these two facilitators was Producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki. After this, Producer Nishizaki narrated the drama for the first time.
The performers were Kei Tomiyama, Yoko Asagami, Takeshi Aono, Masato Ibu, and the familiar Yamato member Isao Sasaki, who appeared in place of Hideo Nakamura since he was out with an illness. The program progressed over four hours with drama, requests, and commentary.
Final Cruise
Crew recruitment
A sea voyage of full events on board a ferry with Producer Nishizaki and voice actors is being planned. There will be three expeditions, each running three days and two nights, on March 28, March 31, and April 2.
The cost for A class (TV, shower, two rooms) is 45800 yen. B class (room for four) is 43800 yen. B class (room for four without facilities) is 41800 yen. C class (room for six) is 35800 yen, and D class (only for primary school children) is 29800 yen.
[Translator’s note: today, these prices would range from $450 down to about $300.]There will be a special event screening of The Final Chapter on board, and exchange meetings with voice actors and singers are planned. For details, contact the Yamato clerk at Nippon Express Airlines.
The End
Return to the Final Yamato Time Machine
Special thanks to Neil Nadelman for translation support.