It should come as no surprise that the 50th anniversary month was an absolute juggernaut with an outpouring of passion and attention from all corners. The events of October 6 got their own report, but that was only one day out of a very packed month. Here’s the rest…

October 1: Studio Khara countdown begins

With Studio Khara set to host one of the two signature events on October 6, they began a daily countdown on Twitter in authentic Yamato fashion, using images from Series 1.

One image each day took us from the wreckage of the battleship to the first shots fired by the space battleship, finishing on October 5.

Photos posted on Twitter by elfriede

October 2: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 275

Hachette’s first October volume for the 1/350 Patrol Ship was a port side hull plate reaching back to about the halfway point of the body. Builders could wire it up, attach it to the ventral intake, and finish the week with a pretty substantial piece of ship.

See Hachette’s instruction video here

See a modeler’s blog here

October 4: Shinya Takahashi online auctions

Sasha’s character designer was back again with new original art for sale on Yahoo Japan auctions. The piece at upper left gave us his take on the very young version we’ll presumably be seeing in REBEL 3199 Chapter 2.

October 5: Radio Suite Yamato 1974 rerun

First aired on May 4, this year’s 4-hour Radio Suite Yamato 1974 (named for the 50th anniversary year) was rebroadcast on this day. Check out Report 6 for details.

Photos posted on Twitter by ekasumif_violin and Sankeiphoto_TYO

October 6: 50th Anniversary day

The 50th anniversary of Space Battleship Yamato‘s original TV broadcast was overwhelming. Live events, news flashes, social media posts, and more brought fans together from all parts of the globe to observe a day of love and celebration with a milestone concert and theatrical screening as the signature events.

It was enough to warrant its own report, so click here and dive in!

October 7: Yamato 2202 Super Wave rollout

A new Yamato pachinko game joined the roster on this day, using 2202 as its foundation. But these games deliver so much in terms of new art and animated cutscenes that the source material is usually just a jumping off point. Of course, the game can only be played in Japan, but we can all enjoy the visuals.

See a gallery of promo art here

See the game in action on Youtube here

Photos posted on Twitter by elfriede

October 9: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 276

The second volume for October was the flipside of the first. With this one, the midship starboard hull plate could be attached to its counterpart and bring an entire segment into shape.

See Hachette’s instruction video here

See a modeler’s blog here

Photo posted on Twitter by Yamatopage

October 12 & 13: 62nd All Japan Model Hobby Show

At long last, a collection of new Yamato model kits coming from Bandai turned up in a display of prototypes for the 3199 Yamato and new Mecha Collection fighters. The highlight of the display was a diorama recreating the key art for 3199 Chapter 2. There was also another indicator that a Hyuga model will be released next summer.

See a photo gallery of the display here

Photo posted on Twitter by cityhunterAA

In addition to the display, Bandai had a slot on the video programming track to examine the upcoming models with the help of General Director/Head Writer Harutoshi Fukui.

See it on Youtube here (captions and auto-translate ON)

See more photos from the hobby show on Twitter here

Photo posted on Twitter by TETSUO

October 13: 50th anniversary TV special

Japan’s satellite network Star Channel has broadcast rights for the original Yamato catalog, and spent many months this year running both the TV episodes and films in production order. All that started again on October 15, preceded by an anniversary TV special. It aired simultaneously on a handful of affiliates and ran for three hours. Live-action Yamato/Godzilla Minus One Director Takashi Yamazaki was one of the guests, and the subject was all things Yamato, including fan content curated from Twitter.

October 14: Yuya Hoshino on Youtube

Yuya Hoshino is the composer/performer of Crimson Red, the hardest-rocking end title song from Yamato 2202. If you’ve wondered what he’d sound like covering some other songs, wonder no longer; he released a live cover of From Yamato With Love (1978) on Youtube.

See it here

Photos posted on Twitter by elfriede

October 16: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 277

The 27th volume of the Patrol Ship (of 50) gave everyone the remaining parts needed to complete the main intake in the midship area and assemble all the existing hull sections.

This photo, posted on Twitter by Sousui, depicts the entirety of the build so far with just under half of the volumes still to come.

See Hachette’s instruction video here

See a modeler’s blog here

October 17: RIP Toshiyuki Nishida

Another crew member departed for the sea of stars on this day. Toshiyuki Nishida, who passed at age 76, is not well known outside Japan, but in his home country he was a beloved, award-winning character actor with many long-running roles in film and television. Yamato fans met him as the live-action version of Chief Engineer Tokugawa in 2010.

Read more about him at Anime News Network here

Like many actors, Nishida also had some pipes; watch him sing If I Could Play the Piano (with accompaniment by Yamato alum Kentaro Haneda) here.

October 18: Nikkei Business article

The October 6 announcement of Hideaki Anno’s forthcoming Yamato remake got a LOT of people talking. Mixing that up with the 50th anniversary inspired plenty of introspection and brought people to the mic with their own personal takes. One was writer Shinya Matsura, who penned an essay for Nikkei Business that takes a critical look at the past (with some VERY deep cuts) and a hopeful nod to the future.

Read it here

October 18: REBEL 3199 Chapter 2 song preview

In Report 10, we learned that Kodai’s voice actor Daisuke Ono has written and performed the song we’ll be hearing at the end of REBEL 3199 Chapter 2. Today, several websites published an official interview with Ono about the song, and fans got to hear it in a “lyric video” preview.

Read the interview here

See the video on Youtube here

October 21: Mamor magazine article

“Mamor” is a Japanese word meaning “protect.” It’s where Mamoru Kodai gets his name, and it’s the title of this monthly magazine about military matters from Fusosha Publishing. It enters the Yamato record books because of a unique article all about rank; not just IRL, but also in pop culture such as anime and movies. The promo for the article reads, “Who is more important, Char or Kodai? Let’s enjoy anime and movies more by learning about military ranks!”

The article runs six pages and will be translated in a future update. If you’re intrigued enough to get your own copy, order it from Amazon.co.jp here.

October 21: Daily Cyzo article

The next commentary on Hideaki Anno’s Yamato popped up on the entertainment website Daily Cyzo. This one offered an observation of how Anno’s previous projects have been merchandised and wondered what might come next.

Read the article here

October 21: Daily Sports article

On the same day, an entertainment reporter for the Daily Sports website shared observations of rewatching the first episode on the 50th anniversary and noting Yamato‘s relationship to the world we currently inhabit.

Read the article here

October 23: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 278

Next up on the Patrol Ship build came a simple but recognizable piece, the white ring that circles the midsection. Coupled with some fiber optics, it allowed builders to complete the front half of the ship’s hull.

See Hachette’s instruction video here

See a modeler’s blog here

October 26: Akira Miyagawa live

How might you react if you got to be the audience for an impromptu performance of Love is Still Light (the end theme from Yamato 2205 Part 2) with Akira Miyagawa on piano and vocalist Ari Miyakawa? If you happened to be sitting in the Shiroishi-Zao train station at the right time, you would have had this moment all to yourself.

Watch it here

October 26: Siena Wind Orchestra concert

Going by the timestamp on that recording, Akira and Ari were almost certainly on their way to the Sennan Arts & Cultural Center in Miyagi Prefecture. How do we know this? Because that’s where he next appeared, conducting the Siena Wind Orchestra on October 26. And whenever they team up, the Yamato Suite is usually on the playlist.

October 27: Yamaket 24

It’s auspicious that the biannual Torilozi mini-convention happens in March and October, because it gave Yamaket 24 the chance to convene in the anniversary month. As we know, this event-within-an-event brings fans together twice a year to sell their latest Yamato doujinshis and other homemade products.

This was the biggest one yet with 39 individual sellers, and it produced a big photo gallery for everyone who couldn’t make it.

See the gallery here

October 28: Aniverse article

On the 28th, REBEL 3199 Chapter 1 was just two days from being released on home video after its theatrical run ended in August. To help get the word out, the Aniverse website published a new interview with General Director/Head Writer Harutoshi Fukui and Series Director Naomichi Yamato. With Chapter 2 less than a month away, it was to be the last word on Chapter 1.

Click here to read it

Click here for the entire collection of Chapter 1 interviews

October 28: Futaman article

The last article of the month published in response to Hideaki Anno’s announcement was this one from the entertainment site Futaman. In it, writer Rinko Takato took a walk down memory lane to recount samples of the “absurd strategy” seen in Series 1.

Read the article here

Photo posted on Twitter by aoi2199

October 28: Tokyo International Film Festival 2024 opens

When 2023 ended with the release of the first Yamato movie in 4K (followed by Farewell at the start of 2024), it wasn’t yet evident how long its legs would be. As it turns out, a 4K upgrade gets your movie into the lineup of the prestigious Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF).

Photo posted on Twitter by aoi2199

And it wasn’t just the 1977 film on the docket; before it was shown on November 3, it was preceded by Farewell in 4K (Nov 1) and Age of Yamato (Nov 2), then followed by Be Forever and REBEL 3199 Chapter 1 (both on Nov 4).

Photo posted on Twitter by S Meijin

Screenings were held outside in Hibiya, a district of Tokyo. This unfortunately put some films on a collision course with rainy weather, but there were still hardcore fans willing to stick it out.

Photo posted on Twitter by aoi2199

And wherever you find a Yamato film, you’ll find Yamato merch. On sale nearby were TIFF tote bags with key art for 3199 Chapter 2 and towels to soak up the rain.

Photo at left posted on Twitter by ProducerKUMA

October 30: REBEL 3199 Chapter 1 home video, standard edition

If you’d managed to grab a Chapter 1 limited edition Blu-ray during the theatrical run, you still might have been tempted to pick up this one as well, since a record number of bonus items could be obtained from different stores. One Amazon version came with a clear black Mecha Collection model of the Ginga…

Photo at left posted on Twitter by makorin5k

…while another came with an art image and two different acrylic standups of Yamato.

If you ordered it from Yamato Crew, you got a facsimile voice recording script for each episode.

Photo posted on Twitter by aoi2199

Still other editions came with different art images and a postcard drawn by Michio Murakawa (at right). And you better believe some fans (like aoi2199) got them all!

Photos posted on Twitter by elfriede

October 30: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 279

The last Patrol Ship part to come in October was the first piece of the aft hull section, directly at the bottom. It was too early to attach it to anything, but that would be remedied one week later. As of now, there were 21 volumes to go.

See Hachette’s instruction video here

See a modeler’s blog here

October 31: Fan film released

In Report 10, we learned that Hideaki Anno’s wife Kunihiro was hard at work making her own fan film, titled Yamato 2199 Chapter 7.5, Journey’s End. This was how she described it on Twitter:

I’m working hard on making videos for Yamato‘s 50th anniversary. There are no battles, it’s a short drama, the visual quality is pretty much what you’d expect, and the script is a first-time original, so please lower your expectations. I’d like to have it out by mid-October.

She missed her goal by a little, but still got the 15-minute project done at the end of the month. Her description of it reads as follows:

I made this short drama to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Space Battleship Yamato. It is a story that takes place a few days after the Solar System Equator Festival (Episode 7). To be honest, this is the first time I’ve made a story myself, so I’m sure many points are lacking, but I would be happy if you could comment on the good and bad points without reservation.

Watch it on Youtube here

Watch it on Nico Nico (with slightly different music) here

Photo posted on Twitter by forest_fu

October 31: Yamato panel at TIFF

Ryusuke Hikawa, the O.G. Yamato superfan, brought his own unique perspective to the Tokyo International Film Festival in a panel discussion that examined the very beginning of Yamato and the special magic that set it apart from everything that had come before.

Read about his panel here

Watch it on Youtube here (captions and auto-translate ON)

Photo posted on Twitter by the Yamato Production Committee

October 31: 1/100 Yamato display model reappears

We all know what it means when this 3.3-meter beauty shows up at the lobby of the Shinjuku Piccadilly Theater in Tokyo: the next movie isn’t far behind. At that moment, REBEL 3199 was just three weeks away.

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