March 2024 turned out to be a light but meaningful month with news from multiple fronts, new music & video releases, and a surprise announcement that gave us 50th anniversary bounty we can look forward to.

There was also a big enough wave of REBEL 3199 news to earn its own report! A link will be provided at the end of this page so you don’t miss it.

March 8: Yamato 2202 on demand

Those who – for whatever reason – refused to pay for Yamato 2202 in theaters or on home video finally took their victory lap when the complete series and the Age of Yamato compilation movie dropped to multiple streaming services in Japan (Amazon Prime, Bandai Channel, Hulu, and five others). It’s been seven years since it debuted, but anyone who could hold out that long is a force to be reckoned with.

Photos posted on Twitter by yoshimiru_SS and ayaka19790825

March 9: Yamato Kouza [Lecture] 22

This long-running fan-led symposium usually takes place at a nightclub called Loft Plus One in Tokyo. Kouza 22 went on the road to Loft Plus One West in Osaka. The subject was mecha design, and the participants were anime writer Osamu Kobayashi, manga artist Michio Murakawa, and robot & product designer Takasuke Sonoyama. The food and drinks menu was full of Yamato references and homages.

Onsite decor (photo by ayaka19790825) and custom coaster (photo by imakenken1)

Ayaka19790825 described part of the event at their blog:

While eating and drinking from the menu, we listened to fun stories. The content of the lecture is confidential because it is not an official event. The first half was a talk by Michio Murakawa. I enjoyed listening to him talk about his work on the manga series. I enjoyed the expressions on the face of the host, Osamu Kobayashi, who was probably trying to hold back his urge to get in the middle of the conversation. I talked with him for a moment after the session, and I asked him what he wanted to say. He said, “If I start plugging away, it will never end.”

See more photos at the blog here

March 11: Michio Murakawa on Instagram

This image was posted in observance of the Great Tohoku earthquake of 2011.

Visit Michio Murakawa’s Instagram page here

March 13: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 249

Hachette’s 1/350 Hyuga was completed at the end of February, followed by five “bonus volumes” to fill out its aircraft complement. This time, builders were given a Cosmo Zero and a Type 100 recon plane to park on the flight deck. One more volume remained after this one.

See Hachette’s instruction video here

See a modeler’s blog here

March 14: TV news

Today it was announced that Yamato 2205 will make its broadcast debut on May 2, appearing Thursday nights on BS11 and Tokyo MX (and on-demand viewing on various streaming services). Everyone would get a nice warmup in April when two episodes each from 2199 and 2202 aired in the same time slot.

March 18: Radio Suite Yamato 1974 announced

Now an annual tradition, the fan-created Radio Suite will return again on May 4th in a 4-hour time slot on Nanaco Lively FM. The content will go back to the beginning, and the special guest will be truly special; voice actor Shunsui Ichiryusai, formerly known as Yoko Asagami – the original Yuki Mori herself.

Co-host Michio Murakawa posted the image above left on his Instagram page, but regrettably the radio station’s web service is unavailable outside Japan.

March 26: Leiji Matsumoto symposium

Yet another fan-led event took place today, hosted by the Japan Foundation. Cosmo DNA writer/editor Tim Eldred (the guy writing these words) was joined by three other researchers (Dr. Deborah Shamoon, Dr. Darren-Jon Ashmore, and translator Zack Davisson) to spend a delightful two hours talking about the life and career of Leiji Matsumoto just over a year after his passing.

The show began with a 10-minute video presentation from each participant and continued into a wide ranging Q&A that covered as many topics as possible. Don’t worry if you missed it; the whole thing was recorded and can be seen on Youtube here.

March 27: Yamato 2205 Blu-ray box set

In what will probably be the final word on 2205 (at least until the next video format takes hold), a handsome box set was let loose into the world. At first blush it may seem like a simple repackaging of existing material, but it goes beyond that.

The box (with new wraparound art by Kia Asamiya) houses four discs. The first two (in a Domon sleeve) contain all eight episodes of 2205 and their pre-existing bonus features, now augmented by live stage presentations with cast and crew (two for each chapter).

The Kodai sleeve also contains two discs. The first is Age of Yamato with its original bonus features and a newly-added stage presentation. The second is a bonus disc filled with 4.5 hours of talk shows and promo specials, a total of seven separate programs that supported 2205.

Also included is a 48-page booklet with interviews, character and mecha guides, a poster art gallery and more. Those who bought their copy from Amazon.co.jp got an extra “making of” Blu-ray with half an hour of staff interviews and studio footage.

If this whets your appetite, order the set from Amazon here or CD Japan here

Those who ordered their copy from the Yamato Crew online store got a different bonus item, a color print of the “graduation photo” seen in the series.

If you purchased the set from another source, such as A-On Store, it came with an acrylic stand featuring Kia Asamiya’s box art.

March 27: Farewell to Yamato 4K Blu-ray

Right next to the new 2205 box on store shelves, you could find the long-awaited general release of Farewell to Yamato in 4K. This is the same version sold in theaters back in January, minus the storyboard book that made it a limited edition. It comes with a standard Blu-ray (in case you don’t yet have 4K playback capability) and a booklet. If this is the first time you’re hearing about a 4K version, get up to date via Report 31 and a making-of interview here.

Order it from Amazon.co.jp or CD Japan

March 27: Yamato Grand Symphony 2023 CD

Two Blu-rays AND a new music release on the same day? This is what Yamato fans live for. The Grand Symphony, originally composed by Kentaro Haneda in 1984, was the “closing note” on the original production years and has only grown in stature since then. Part of it was incorporated into the Yamato Resurrection soundtrack, resulting in an increase in live performances ever since. This new edition is a recording by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra from July 8, 2023.

Much has been written about the symphony over the decades since it was composed; read two such accounts here and here.

Order it from Amazon.co.jp or CD Japan

Listen to it on Youtube here

Shown at right: the Amazon edition came with an exclusive “mega jacket,” which isn’t a jacket at all, but a 9.5″ square card replica of the CD cover.

Conducter Tatsuya Shimono, Composer Kentaro Haneda

March 27: Mikiki article

As a sign of how the Grand Symphony attracts more commentary whenever it reappears, a new article appeared on Mikiki, the website of Tower Records.

40 years after the premiere – Tatsuya Shimono opens a new world of Yamato

by Takuya Katagiri (See the original post here)

First of all, on a personal note, Space Battleship Yamato was broadcast on TV the year I was preparing to take the university entrance exam. I didn’t watch it at the time, but later in life, when I became involved with an animation magazine and was assigned to interview the producers, I reviewed the TV series, the movie version, etc.

The first TV series was broadcast in 1974. The idea of sending the giant battleship Yamato into space captured the hearts of the young people of that time. Each of the characters in the series had their own fans. “Push-activism” had already begun. As you all know, Yamato was made into many movies and created a huge trend of SF anime in Japan.

The music was composed by Hiroshi Miyagawa (1931-2006). In 1984, the Yamato Grand Symphony was written by Kentaro Haneda (1949-2007) and performed by the NHK Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Naoto Otomo. This masterpiece was based on various themes Miyagawa wrote for Yamato and was performed again and again by Haneda, who was also known as a genius composer and arranger.

This new recording is a live performance from July 2023, conducted by Tatsuya Shimono, who has been discovering works by Japanese composers and featuring them in his concerts. It is performed by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra with Fumiaki Miura (violin) and Ryoma Takagi (piano) as soloists who play important roles, plus Ayaka Oki (vocalist). This is the first time a recording other than those conducted by Otomo has been released.

The fourth movement, Hope for Tomorrow, is a doppelconcerto (double concerto), a powerful work in which the soloists can demonstrate their abilities to the fullest. I feel that the passionate battle between the two soloists, combined with the passion of conductor Shimono, opens up a new world of Yamato in this recording. This is a work that should be listened to not only by older fans, but also by the current generation of anime enthusiasts.

March 27: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 250

Superfans went home on March 27 with two Blu-rays and a CD. Psycho fans added this to the pile; the very last volume in the 80-part Hyuga series from Hachette. The final component was a warp booster unit for a Cosmo Tiger, adding to a lineup of no less than 40 aircraft.

Finished pieces from volumes 246-250, posted on Twitter by CorgiStar52

See Hachette’s instruction video here

See a modeler’s blog here

Subscribers received the content of volumes 246-250 in a single package; eight aircraft and the booster.

And lest anyone forget, a mini-pamphlet for the Patrol Ship was tucked into the box.

The first installment (Vol. 251) arrived in stores on April 3, kicking off a new 50-volume run.

March 30: 50th anniversary news

The trend throughout this month’s report can be summed up with the words “fan-led.” As it turns out, the first major news about how Yamato‘s 50th anniversary will be observed fits into that category as well. In this case, the fan is also a pro. At the end of March, Hideaki Anno and his company Khara announced a raft of plans that will unfold over the coming months. Interestingly, the date of this announcement marked the 49th anniversary of Yamato‘s last episode in 1975.

Director/Producer/O.G. Yamato fan Hideaki Anno

Multiple websites picked up the story…

Space Battleship Yamato 50th Anniversary Commemoration
Hideaki Anno to plan and produce special projects

Under Hideaki Anno’s direction, several book projects are planned, as well as a commemorative TV series screening event on the date of the first TV broadcast (Sunday October 6), and an exhibition featuring valuable related materials.

Illustrations by Junichiro Tamamori

Illustration by Michio Murakawa

Publication plan (tentative):

[Plan 1] Space Battleship Yamato Art Collection by Michio Murakawa
[Plan 2] Space Battleship Yamato Design Art Collection by Junichiro Tamamori
[Plan 3] Space Battleship Yamato 1974 Complete Record Collection, 50th Anniversary Edition
(Note: this is the famous 3-volume hardcover trilogy also referred to as the “silver set”)
[Plan 4] Ongoing manga publication project (Plans 3 and 4 to be published by Khara)
production is underway to coincide with the 50th anniversary!

Other 50th anniversary projects:

[1] Space Battleship Yamato TV series commemorative event screening
Scheduled to be held on October 6, 2024 (Sunday)
[2] Space Battleship Yamato Exhibition (tentative title) is being planned to tour various locations in Japan.

For more information on future anniversary projects, please visit the official Space Battleship Yamato 50th anniversary project page on Twitter here. A 50th anniversary logo will also be unveiled in the future.

Visit the Khara website here

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