From the exhibition catalog for the Yoshikazu Yasuhiko Art exhibit, June 2024
Shown here is a very rare artifact from the early history of Space Battleship Yamato, never seen before it was obtained for the exhibition. These pages contain a deleted scene from Series 1, Episode 11. That’s the one that introduced Dessler as a fully formed character. We know it as the “color shift” sequence that ends with “I can’t stand a man who laughs at his own jokes.” This sequence visualizes an early draft of the script in which Dessler leads his joint chiefs into a 3-D hologram space to map out his conquest.
Text from the catalog:
Yasuhiko steadily built his career as an animator at Mushi Pro. Before Mushi Pro went bankrupt in 1973, he went freelance and began working on various anime productions. Among these works, the turning point for him was Space Battleship Yamato, which sparked the anime boom that continues to this day.
Producer Nishizaki Yoshinobu’s production style was unparalleled, and the quality and quantity of the staff surpassed the scale of normal TV anime production, but the production schedule was unpredictable due to frequent meetings. Yasuhiko participated in this work mainly as a storyboard artist. Part of the storyboard for episode 11, which Yasuhiko worked on with Noboru Ishiguro Noboru, still exists. Here we present all of Yasuhiko’s storyboards that have been confirmed.
There are many eye-catching scenes, such as the leisurely figure of Yamato traveling through space and the dignified posture of Captain Okita. In particular, this scene where Dessler appears is a major highlight, captured by camera work that changes from a slightly bird’s-eye view to an elevated perspective, combined with his flamboyant gestures.
After this project, Nishizaki began to ask Yasuhiko to actively participate in his work as one of the main staff members.
