Be Forever Yamato: the radio drama

Decades after their original broadcasts, the Yamato radio dramas still linger in relative obscurity despite their enormous popularity at the time. The allure of hearing next Yamato story for free was irresistible, but coverage was fleeting. At least until 1980. By the time the Be Forever radio drama was aired, media was there to cover it. Here is the result, along with the show itself.

Special thanks to Michiko Ito and Tsuneo Tateno for translation support

The Broadcast

Collected in these four audio files is the unedited program from the early morning hours of June 7, 1980. The drama portion is only part of the show; it is interspersed with numerous studio segments that included interviews and listener calls, and there are also occasional check-ins from a man-on-the-street interviewer talking with fans. Listen to the commercials as well; you’ll hear one for The Empire Strikes Back, one for Vega wristwatches (with a Yamato tie-in, one for BVD trunks, etc.

Then there are also four separate behind-the-scenes reports below to further enhance the listening experience.

Hour 1

00:00 street interviews & studio greeting
12:45 opening credits
18:10 drama part 1 (Earth invasion)
51:00 Nishizaki & Matsumoto

Hour 2

00:00 street interviews & studio talk (Hiroshi Miyagawa)
11:00 phone calls
17:00 drama part 2 (escape and launch)
47:00 studio talk (voice actors & musicians)

Hour 3

00:00 street interviews & studio talk (phone calls for actors)
18:20 drama part 3 (traveling to the Dark Nebula)
49:10 studio talk (Adventure Roman Cruise lottery)
55:50 studio talk (Isao Sasaki)

Hour 4

00:00 street interviews & studio talk (Isao Sasaki)
09:00 listener calls for Kei Tomiyama (Kodai)
19:00 drama part 4 (New galaxy & future Earth)
51:20 signoff


Report #1

From Animage Vol. 26 (July 10, 1980)

Radio Drama Report

All Night Nippon Special Program

BE FOREVER YAMATO RADIO DRAMA
FOR THOSE FANS WHO WENT TO BED
EARLY ON JUNE 6…

Two days of rehearsal were needed for the four-hour live drama. Rehearsal for the first and second parts was done the day before, June 5th. Actors Nachi Nozawa and Goro Naya, who would not be able to join in the live drama, did recordings on this day.

On June 6, familiar faces began to appear at 9:30 PM.

This was the seventh four-hour drama done by the Nippon Broadcasting System, and the third time for Yamato. Director Don Ueno said, “in the beginning, four-hour dramas were quite daunting, but when we forced ourselves to go through with it, the ratings doubled, so it was a success.”

But success in this case is relative, considering the limited audience for overnight broadcasting. “Good mooorning. It’s Yamato!!” announced Masato Ibu [Dessler], whose voice is three times louder than a regular person’s, and is always cause for laughter.

At 9:40, Yoshinobu Nishizaki arrived. “Many thanks for your help. Hi, Ibu-san, sorry for not giving you the role of Dessler this time.” With this showing of sympathy, Nishizaki left for the mixing room.

At 10:00, rehearsal began for the third and fourth parts. Afterward, Nishizaki gave direction from the mixing room. “You can describe Yamato as a musical drama for youth,” he said. “It’s OK to overlap the dialogue and the music. It’s better, in fact. The radio drama lacks the reality created by the picture, but the music will supplement it.” The secret of Yamato‘s success could often be found in the passion of his words.

By 12:30 AM, Leiji Matsumoto had not yet arrived. By 12:50 everyone began to fret, and he finally ran into the studio (in an equal fret). Everyone was in their place by the 1AM start time.

Overall, the content of the radio drama was the same as the film, but with expanded dialogue and music to replace the animated picture.

The program ended at 5 AM, and at 5: 10 the staff and performers toasted the occasion with beer sent from Toei and other places. Because Yoko Asagami’s role in the production finished earlier than the others, she insisted she would head for home by 3 AM, but she was still there for the toast, and the live broadcast concluded happily for everyone.


Left: the broadcast in progress. Right: Studio 1 at Nippon Broadcasting System


Left: Everyone is relieved at the timely arrival of Leiji Matsumoto. Right: Beer tastes great after the performance!!


Report #2

From The Anime Vol. 9 (July 10, 1980)

Full Contact Coverage: All Night Nippon Special

Did You Hear It? Raw Yamato Voice Drama in the Middle of the Night!

All Night Nippon’s 4-hour live radio drama broadcasts are already well-known to anime fans. Be Forever Yamato, the seventh such drama, was broadcast on Jun 7. If the program is a masterpiece, then its performers are magnificent as well.

They centered around the main personality, Producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki: Director Leiji Matsumoto, Composer Hiroshi Miyagawa, singers Isao Sasaki and Akira Fuse. As for the voice actors, it was full of anime stars who took on familiar roles: Kei Tomiyama (Kodai), Yoko Asagami (Yuki), Taichiro Hirokawa (Mamoru Kodai), Nachi Nozawa (Alphon), Akira Kamiya (Kato), Yutaka Mizushima, Keiko Han (Sasha), Toru Furuya (Tokugawa), Kiyoshi Kobayashi, Osamu Kobayashi, and Masato Ibu (EDF Commander).

This special radio drama is also very popular among avid fans who want to know the story ahead of the film.

June 6, 8:00 pm

Studio 1 of Nippon Broadcasting in Yurakucho, Tokyo, was quiet and still. It felt like the calm before the storm. This is Nippon Broadcasting’s largest studio, big enough to accommodate the performance of a full orchestra. The staff is busy moving equipment around and the mixer is adjusting the mikes.

Mr. Takeshi Aono, who plays the part of Sanada, is the first to arrive at 9:15. He fixes his eyes on his script and concentrates on reading it.

There is a rehearsal today to follow the one from yesterday. One by one, the voice actors enter the studio. The seats in the lobby outside will also soon fill up. But so far, it is just men. This cannot be helped, because Yamato is a ship of men…but then Keiko Han appears, for the role of Sasha. Ooh, she’s so cool…I watch her with fascination.

At 10:00 pm, Producer Nishizaki arrives in his own car, wearing his favorite Harley Davidson jacket.

“Nice to see you, everyone, I’m pleased to work with you,” he said in greeting, then he went to meet with Director Don Ueno.

There is a rehearsal of part 1 at 10:15 and part 2 at 11:00. Various checks are carried out. A live drama can only be done once, so there is some tension among the actors. But Mr. Masato Ibu was calm and composed because he only had a few scenes to work on.

“Eh, I admit I’m a bit nervous. Dessler doesn’t appear this time, but I’m doing the voice of the Commander, which is difficult because it’s very deep and gutteral.”

But it seems to me Mr. Ibu always enjoys his life whenever I meet him.

The rehearsal of parts 3 and 4 finishes at midnight on the 7th. Producer Nishizaki emerges from the mixing room and gives a briefing.

“This line here is good, but it should be a little more elegant.” This instruction is for a rookie, Yumiko Sasaki. Sasaki was the prize winner of last year’s Nighttime Drama House Amateur Voice Actor Contest. She has just entered this world.

“It’s difficult to perform it elegantly. What do you suggest?”

That question was asked of this reporter, but the only advice was to “try your best.”

Everyone takes a short break before the performance and eats boxed sushi together. Hmm…I feel hungry, too. I gaze at it with hopeful eyes and Mr. Ichiro Nagai [Sado] takes the trouble to divide it up for me. Ta-daa! I’m deeply moved!! Now I’ve full of fighting spirit, and I can be with them until 5:00 am.

In addition, Ms. Yoko Asagami [Yuki] serves me tea. She is dressed very stylish and elegant, all in black today.

Oh, what’s happening? I hear the voices of Kei Tomiyama and Ms. Asagami from over the radio; it is a commercial for a digital clock.

Suddenly, Ms. Asagami exclaims, “Wow, it’s my voice!”

And meanwhile, it’s already 12:50. The real thing will start in just 10 minutes. The performers’ faces are firm.

“It’s the real thing! Standby OK?”

5, 4, 3, 2, 1…Yuki!!

1:00 am

The 4-hour live drama started with the familiar opening BGM. First of all, it is a simultaneous broadcast on two stations in front of the Alta building in Shinjuku. Though it was the middle of the night, more than thirty fans seem to have formed a line in front of reporter Issei Ran. And, following a message from Yoshinobu Nishizaki, Part 1 finally begins.

There is a scene of Kodai approaching Mars in a patrol boat. The air traffic controller on Mars is played by Yutaka Mizushima. I wonder if anyone recognized Yu-kun!

At 1:40 am, Leiji Matsumoto comes to the microphone. In fact, Matsumoto-sensei arrived at the studio just ten minutes before the take. Surprisingly, he broke three ribs while on a research trip to Minami-Torishima, and he was delayed because he had to go to the hospital.

This reporter left Nippon Broadcasting and flew over to Shinjuku Alta by taxi. If this is a dual broadcast, there has to be dual coverage!

At Studio Alta, the reporter Ms. Issei Ran welcomed us.

“I’m going to get some interviews on the Kabukicho streets now.”

I followed them, saying, “It’s quite a day, isn’t it?”

Kabukicho is a town without day or night. A lot of young people are coming and going. Among the girls returning to the disco, there it is–a Yamato fan! She’s listening to the broadcast on a pocket radio.

This reporter is back in a car at 2:10 am. Hiroshi Miyagawa is talking on the radio. While listening to the conversation about Yamato music, I arrive back at Nippon Broadcasting.

Part 2 has just begun. So as not to make noise during the production, we stay out of the studio. Voice actors who have been giving enthusiastic performances at the mike are covered in sweat. Oh, and some figures have been put up on the wall; large full-figure displays of Kodai, Yuki, and Sasha. There are even some Yamato cels there, too.

When a scene changes, the studio lighting also changes. One of the staff informs me quietly, “to expand the image for the actors, we use various devices in the studio like a strobe light for an explosion.” What a great way to learn such a lesson!

Broadcasting ends–it’s 5:00 am, what will happen after anticipating Part 4!?

3:00 am. In the lobby outside the studio, the voice actors who finished their turn are relaxing. Masato Ibu drinks straight from a bottle in his hand. There are no more lines for him to perform, so nobody would blame him if he went home to sleep.

“I can’t go home while others are working hard. Ah, by the way, this booze tastes good!”

Then Takeshi Aono whispers into his ear: “Hey, don’t drink it all. Leave some for us!”

“Hey, hey, it’s all right.”

But the bottle is already only 2/3 full.

Yutaka Mizushima has started to learn to golf. Osamu Kobayashi is an old-timer and gives him some advice.

“That stance isn’t good, there’s too much of a twist.”

Did this improve Yutaka’s game?

3:40 am. Part 3 is completed. Kei Tomiyama and Hideo Nakamura are relieved to be away from the mike. Yoko Asagami hands out donuts, and I grab one immediately. Sorry, Yoko fans!

4:00 am. The cast doesn’t even show a little bit of fatigue. Now that’s the mark of a pro. The drama has entered part 4, the final act.

“There was a blue planet–it was the Earth, covered with white clouds.”

The narration is by Michio Hazama. In this drama, the narration is the most serious part. In a radio drama without a movie screen, most of the information is in the narration. Unlike the other cast members, Mr. Hazama is separated in a small box with his own mike.

4:40 am. Finally, the last scene. Kei Tomiyama and Keiko Han are together at the mike.

“Goodbye, Yamato. Goodbye, Kodai…!”

“Goodbye, Sasha!”

Keiko Han’s eyes are wet. Mr. Tomiyama slowly takes his eyes off the script.

4:55 am. The staff and all the performers are gathered in the studio. Everyone wears an expression of fulfillment that says, “finished.” I couldn’t hear All Night Nippon in the background because of everyone’s thunderous applause.

And at 5:00 am, the 4-hour broadcast is successfully completed! The cast and staff gather in the lobby.

“Cheers for good work! Here’s a snack!”

“Cheers, I’ve been waiting for it!”

Now there is beer and a toast. Producer Nishizaki and Director Don Ueno look very happy. Toru Furuya [Tokugawa] is a non-drinker, but he has a beer today and looks like he likes it. It has come full circle to this. Beer is good after work! The cast is full of great enthusiasm. This will make the voice recording for Be Forever Yamato even better.

You did nice work today, indeed. “Thank you very much for your great work!”

The morning light is dazzling when I finally leave the studio.


Thoughts about their role: a word from the Voice Actors

Kei Tomiyama (Susumu Kodai)

What’s my impression of Yamato Part III?

I’ve only read a little of the script for the radio drama. There seem to be a lot of battle scenes. But if this helps to avoid over-analyzing and over-arguing, isn’t that a good thing? Although I was in Part 1 and Farewell to Yamato, it seems to be especially difficult this time. But please watch the movie anyway, because we’ll do our best to make it good!


Yoko Asagami (Yuki Mori)

Yes, it’s quite a shock.

The handsome officer of the enemy, named Kiman, makes advances to me. To make matters worse, his voice actor is Mr. Nachi Nozawa, who always dubs the voice of [French actor] Alain Delon. I have to say, he was shockingly impressive. (Laughs) However, this time Yuki has much more presence and this will have a very favorable impression. Be Forever Yamato is a deeper, darker story than before. Matsumoto-sensei is now burning with passion, so won’t he make a great movie?


Hideo Nakamura (Shima Daisuke)

Be Forever Yamato seems to be much better than I expected. There’s an attempt to bring some freshness to the story. Although my role is in Kodai’s shadow as usual, even this sort of role is worth doing. I’m part of the team play that helps elevate Kodai and Yuki to shine as the main characters. If it were an orchestra, I would be the bass supporting the violin and brass (laughs).

This can also be said about anime. So I want to tell fans not to judge an anime only by side issues such as their dislike for commercialism or having a different image in their mind. I’d like them to see the good points, like the theme and romance.


Osamu Kobayashi (Captain Yamanami)

I’ve become the captain of Yamato at last! (laughs) Before now I’ve only been on the enemy side as Domel or Zordar, so the fans would never have expected this. For my previous roles, I played them as if they were not evil. For Domel, he has a different point of view from Yamato–I mean, from Earth. And Zordar has a different philosophy altogether.

That reminds me, protests came in from Domel fans when I did Zordar. I’m worried that it will happen again. (Laughs) Still, I’d like to be a great captain, as great as previous Yamato captains, in my own way.


Takeshi Aono (Shiro Sanada)

In a word, it’s interesting! There are a lot of reversals, especially in the second half, and I feel like I don’t even have time to breathe. This is my third Yamato movie already, but I’ve performed the role of Shiro Sanada in my true character. He secretly took charge of Yamato this time and improved its performance. He gets more depth and stature than before. Therefore, I think I should play it more to my own age.

The Yamato movie this summer will be followed by a new TV series in the fall, so please watch for it.


Ichiro Nagai (Dr. Sado)

Be Forever Yamato feels like it has a much larger scale than the previous series. Not just the figure of 400,000 light years, but also a bigger story. I didn’t quite catch it all, but I’m looking forward to the voice recording. As for me, Chief Engineer Tokugawa is gone now, but I was able to help my son. (Taisuke Tokugawa = Toru Furuya.) So please root for him, because he takes an active role. Please look forward to the big scale of Be Forever Yamato.

[Translator’s note: Nagai refers to Chief Engineer Tokugawa (Orion in Star Blazers) because he did that voice in addition to Dr. Sado in previous productions.]


Masato Ibu (Commander)

For the first time, I didn’t have to perform two roles. In all the previous Yamato series, I was both Dessler and the Commander. In Be Forever Yamato, I only had the role of the Commander. So I’m a little lonely. (Laughs)

As for the story, I feel like, “that’s Yamato all over.” I have nothing special to say about the acting. Well, I’m not sure what will happen until I actually act it out. (Laughs) Anyway, to the fans, please come to the theater to support us.


Keiko Han (Sasha)

I appeared in Yamato before, but this time it was a very important role. Yes, Sasha, the daughter of Starsha and Mamoru, did grow to 17 in just one year. (Laughs) When I appeared before [in Yamato 2], I was the daughter of the observatory director, named Momoyo. Sasha is a person with supernatural powers, like the character I did named Lala [in Mobile Suit Gundam]. But I show the human inside without particularly emphasizing that. I place great value on important roles.




Akira Kamiya (Shiro Kato)

I’m here, too! (Laughs) I board a Cosmo Tiger as Kato again this time. It is the younger brother of Saburo Kato, who was killed in action in Farewell and Yamato 2. Of course, I am careful with it, because he’s different from the first Kato. Specifically, I played the elder brother as older than Kodai, but a younger brother is constantly played as a subordinate. There is a difference in the performance, but the character looks just like his older brother. (Laughs) Old Kato fans, cheer for him!




Report #3

From Yamato Fan Club magazine #16 (June 25, 1980)

All Night Nippon Special Program

Four-Hour Radio Drama Broadcast, as Usual!

Live Drama on All Night Nippon with an All-Star Cast!

The 4-hour live radio drama for fans has become a specialty of Nippon Broadcasting. Be Forever Yamato was its seventh such program, broadcast on June 7. It included well-known performers Kei Tomiyama (Kodai), Yoko Asagami (Yuki), Taichiro Hirokawa (Mamoru Kodai), Nachi Nozawa (Kiman), Ichiro Nagai (Dr. Sado), Goro Naya (Okita), Akira Kamiya (Kato), Yutaka Mizukaru (host), Keiko Han (Sasha), Toru Furuya (Tokugawa), Kiyoshi Kobayashi, Producer Nishizaki, Leiji Matsumoto, Composer Hiroshi Miyagawa, and more.

The previous dramas based on Space Battleship Yamato and Farewell to Yamato both gained a great reputation and were very popular. This version of Be Forever Yamato also became a unique presentation for the fans, broadcast ahead of the movie.

Nippon Broadcasting, Hibiya, Tokyo, June 6, 10pm

The voice actors had already gathered in the third floor lobby, ready for a rehearsal that was to follow one from the previous day. The first to arrive was Masayuki Ibu, not to perform the role of Dessler, but instead the EDF Commander. Others followed, including Kei Tomiyama (Kodai).

“This time, Yuki and Kodai are separated. It is an interesting story with a lot of suspense.”

Also there was Akira Kimaya, whose character Kato died in Farewell to Yamato.

“My new role? It’s also Kato. But it’s not a ghost, it’s his younger brother Shiro! He’s just as handsome as his big brother. Please give him your support!”

Our editorial department was overwhelmed with fan letters demanding, “bring Kato back to life!” That hope was fulfilled to some extent by the appearance of his brother.


Staff and cast in the studio

June 6, 11pm

The second rehearsal has ended. The actors start checking the third part of the script. Producer Nishizaki is in the mixing room with his copy of the script, giving various instructions.

“You should do this line with a little more elegance. Please be careful with the timing of the music, Kodai.”

Shinjuku Alta Building, June 7, before 1am

Finally, the real thing: Hiroshi Miyagawa and Isao Sasaki enter the studio. Leiji Matsumoto also enters and it is “Standby OK.”

After the show opening, [entertainment personality] Issei Ran conducted interviews in front of the Alta building in Shinjuku. Yeah, we made it! Two members from our Fan Club headquarters! Did you hear the emotional interview with our editorial staff?

Then the drama began with a scene of Kodai approaching Mars in a patrol boat. The air traffic controller on Mars was a bit part played by Nippon Broadcasting DJ Yutaka Mizukaru. Did you know whose voice that was?


Fan-on-the-street interviews

June 7, 2:30am

Mr. Miyagawa finishes his music and heads home. It is said that more work is waiting for him early in the morning. Twenty minutes later, Ichiro Nagai (Dr. Sado) leaves for home.

“The image of the next Yamato is huge. So far we only know what we did on radio, and we’re looking forward to the movie.”

We finally enter the studio. Naturally, Yamato is in Studio 1, which is the largest. Standees of Kodai and others are lined up, and we learn that the studio lighting changes in accordance with the progress of the story. The impassioned performances of the voice actors causes them to work up a sweat.

Yoko Asagami comes out during a brief break, wearing all black.

“It’s always a pleasure when Mr. Matsumoto is involved. It seems to be getting really interesting. But there’s a lot of pressure from Kiman (voiced by Nachi Nozawa). What are we going to do?” (Laughter)

June 7, 5:00am

It’s over! The 4-hour drama ended well! The cast and staff gathers in the lobby and drinks a toast! The program director’s job has also ended, and he looks relieved. This performance overflowed with passion that will last all the way through the voice recording for Be Forever Yamato.

“You worked very hard. Thank you!”


Report #4

From Be Forever Yamato Setting Data Collection (September, 1980)

All Night Nippon Special Program
Before the Movie!

All Night Nippon is now popular with fans not only for its DJing but also for its super long 4-hour live dramas. Of these, the Space Battleship Yamato series has had two in the past, and the third, Be Forever Yamato, was released before the movie. It is an exceptionally popular work among ANN‘s seven live dramas. How was it made? We report on the expressions of the cast and staff through the end of the broadcast.

Three days of work! All Night‘s famous four-hour live drama Be Forever Yamato

On June 7th, the familiar Nippon Broadcasting’s seventh radio drama, Be Forever Yamato, was broadcast live for four hours. This late-night gift, which preceded the movie, must have warmed the ears of radio and anime fans alike. Producer Nishizaki, Director Don Ueno, and the staff made meticulous preparations.

The voice actors who responded to this are the main cast from Yamato Part 1: Kei Tomiyama (Kodai), Yoko Asagami (Yuki), Masayuki Ibu (EDF Commander), Osamu Kobayashi (Yamanami), and Shusei Nakamura (Shima) — and Keiko Han as Sasha and Nachi Nozawa as Alphon, making for a luxurious lineup.

This super long live drama, which was broadcast nationwide with Nippon Broadcasting as the key station, has now become famous among radio and anime fans. Yamato alone has been broadcast as Space Battleship Yamato and Farewell to Yamato, and this was the third time it had been broadcast. [Translator’s note: there was also a ANN program for The New Voyage in July 1979, but it used the film soundtrack instead. Listen to it here.]

Radio drama, which was once pushed aside by TV, has recently begun to attract many fans again through these efforts. The pioneer director, Don Ueno, is so committed that he held a rehearsal the day before.

On the day of June 6th, everyone gathers at 10pm, and after two rehearsals the show will begin. The first person to arrive is Takeshi Aono, known as Shiro Sanada. While reading the script, he waits for the rest of the staff and cast in the lobby.

Soon, popular voice actors arrive, including the Commander-in-Chief (Masayuki Ibu), and new characters Shiro Kato (Akira Kamiya), and Tasuke Tokugawa (Toru Furuya), who joined in The New Voyage. There are no open seats left in the lobby in front of Studio 1. Inside the studio, preparations are complete! Life-size panels of Kodai, Shima, and Sasha are lined up with nearly 10 microphones. Why are they there if the listeners can’t see them?

“We try to create the best possible atmosphere so that the actors can act well,” says the young assistant director. “Not only the panels, but the lighting is also a gimmick.” Red and blue lights illuminate the studio for each scene, and strobes sparkle during explosion scenes, showing great attention to detail.

The voice actors enter the studio, and the first rehearsal begins. It is the biggest studio in Nippon Broadcasting, and it feels like it is filled with anime stars. In the mixing room, Director Ueno and Producer Nishizaki look at the script and the studio with serious eyes, and listen carefully to the voices that are flowing. Both Nishizaki and Ueno give strict instructions.

“Pay attention to your pronunciation there.”

“SF timing is difficult.”

The actors perform enthusiastically in front of the mic. After their turn, they sit down at the waiting table at the back of the studio. They check their next line and the lines of those right before them. Even though it is only a rehearsal, some actors are still drenched in sweat.

Nippon Broadcasting planned this day’s broadcast in two parts. Reporter Issei Ran is in front of Shinjuku Alta. Despite it being late at night, Yamato fans are waiting out in front for the broadcast to start. The first voice of the show was to be heard from here.


L to R: Osamu Kobayashi (Yamanami) in the center of the studio.
Akira Kamiya riding Yamato again!? Yoko Asagami smiles in front of Yuki’s panel.

1:00 AM, June 7th

After the familiar All Night Nippon opening theme, the broadcast from Shinjuku begins. Personality Kinjiro Hata and Producer Nishizaki are on standby in the studio. Leiji Matsumoto, who arrived ten minutes before the start, is also waiting for his turn. Hiroshi Miyagawa and singers Akira Fuse and Isao Sasaki have also arrived. All the Yamato stars have gathered at Nippon Broadcasting.

When the drama portion starts, people waiting in the lobby for their cue listen to voices coming from a speaker nearby. The first part is the beginning of the story. The manned patrol boat carrying Kodai discovers a Hyperon Bomb that has come from outside the solar system, and learns of the annihilation of Mars.

In the second part is the scene with Yuki and Alphon (whose character name was still Kiman at the time). However, due to scheduling conflicts, Nachi Nozawa, who plays Alphon, recorded his voice the day before. Yoko Asagami performs passionately alone, matching the voice on the tape. But it doesn’t seem to be difficult at all, as expected of Yuki!!


Keiko Han (Sasha) takes on a major role in a rehearsal.

The drama continues with parts 3 and 4, and finally comes to the end. We reach the scene where Yamato and Sasha say goodbye. Between each part, there was commentary from Producer Nishizaki, Leiji Matsumoto, Hiroshi Miyagawa, and others. We also got to hear their thoughts on Sasaki’s and Fuse’s songs, so it was a great experience.

The studio and the control room are now tense as we approach the climax. In front of the mic, Keiko Han, Kei Tomiyama, and the other performers are in the studio for the end. And then it is 4:55 AM. A voice saying, “Thank you for your hard work!!” echoes through the studio. I’m sure the people listening to the radio couldn’t hear the closing BGM because of this!

When the broadcast ends and the “live” sign goes off, all the staff and cast members toast in the lobby. The beer that was brought in is vigorously opened and poured for everyone with relieved expressions. The four-hour live performance, which lasted for three days including rehearsals, ended with smiles and cheers.

This was also the start of voice recording for the film Be Forever Yamato.


L to R: Isao Sasaki, PR producer Tokuyama and Leiji Matsumoto in discussion. Producer Nishizaki checks the script and lines.


2 thoughts on “Be Forever Yamato: the radio drama

    • Give it a try. If you listen closely, you’ll catch some stuff. And if you know the movie, you’ll be fine.

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