November 17: 5 days to go
November 17: REBEL 3199 Chapter 2, 9-minute preview
In keeping with a tradition overseas fans have always looked forward to, the first chunk of the first episode in Chapter 2 was released on Youtube for early consumption.
Watch it here
November 18: 4 days to go
November 18: Bandai Channel website
Because one official site is never enough, Bandai Channel updated its own REBEL 3199 home page with new info for Chapter 2. Also on hand is the same timeline seen in the opening title, ordering options for the Blu-ray, and more.
Take a look here
November 18: Watch collaboration announced
Imperial Enterprises Inc (IEI) was founded in 1982 with the mission of creating unique products such as jewelry, apparel, and watches with direct-mail delivery to customers. This has led them to collaborate on Yamato collectibles before, and they’re back at it with a new 50th anniversary wristwatch manufactured by Seiko.
Set for release in July 2025, you can preorder it now, but you’ll need a friend in Japan to manage it for you.
See more pics at the product home page here
November 18: Yamato IRL
What’s that in the road? A head? Famed mecha artist Hidetaka Tenjin posted these photos on Twitter with the following explanation:
I heard that Yamato could be seen near Uenohara on the Chuo Expressway, so I waited a while and discovered it was a collaboration between nature and architecture. It’s quite big…!
The IT Media website, which follows up on online claims that go viral, added this:
It’s not actually a real battleship, but a steel tower and a tree happen to overlap, and when seen from the Chuo Expressway, it looks like the silhouette of Yamato. When seen from a distance, the antennas and hull are so realistic that you might find yourself exclaiming, “Yamato!”
They spoke with Tenjin and he added the following:
I was in the passenger seat of [my friend] Sayabu-san’s car, and he told me, “You can see Yamato around there,” so I was holding up my camera. I remember talking to him with great excitement when we recognized Yamato. He’s an expert on WWII aircraft and the like, so I mistakenly thought that there were still parts of the real thing left and that we could see it.
November 18: Youtube minis
With four more days to the premiere, Bandai Emotion’s Youtube channel released a set of six video clips with moments from Chapter 2. See them at these links (and set captions/autotranslate to ON):
Grodez Beta Cannon firing | Icarus launch | Todo and Serizawa | Sasha introduction | Alphon and Yuki | Ageha and Miyako |
November 19: 3 days to go
November 20: 2 days to go
Photo posted on Twitter by Elfriede
November 20: 1/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 282
For one reason or another, this volume of the Hachette Patrol Ship jumped to the very end of the stern section with minimal parts to make the engine cap.
See Hachette’s instruction video here
See a modeler’s blog here
Photo posted on Twitter by Bandai Spirits
November 20: Model display
Two days before the premiere, another theater got its own custom display. The “breakout” diorama built for Bandai was set up at the Burg Yokohama 13 to promote both Chapter 2 and the new model kit due out at the end of the month. Fans showed up to capture and share photos on Twitter as soon as the word got out.
See a photo gallery here
November 20: The Bob Cesca Show podcast
Bob Cesca is the host of a political podcast that goes out twice a week with a special interview episode every Wednesday. In addition to his degree in political science, he also has an honorary degree from the University of Geekitude, being a fan of Star Blazers (and Yamato by extension) since watching it as a youngster in first-run syndication. He and I (Cosmo DNA editor Tim Eldred) have wanted to do a Yamato interview for some time, and it finally happened today!
Click here to listen (And don’t worry, US politics do NOT interfere)
November 21: 1 day to go
November 21: Bandai Namco campaign announced
For the four weeks of Chapter 2’s theatrical run (Nov 22 to Dec 19), fans were invited to submit photos of their used ticket stub and be entered into a lottery for a “bromide,” which is the local term for a book-sized illustrated card. 1,000 people will win a copy of the card after Chapter 2 closes.
The mystery image was fully revealed on December 5, and it has some interesting implications. Find out how when you get to our Chapter 3 teaser breakdown.
November 21: Voice actor interview
“Interview season” officially got started on this day when several websites published an interview with two new voice actors: Shun Horie (Isidore) and Takuya Eguchi (Ranbel), both of whom play Dezarium characters allied with Alphon.
Read the interview here
November 21: Reach for the Star, full version
Seemingly out of the blue, Daisuke Ono’s official Youtube channel posted the full 4:40 version of Reach for the Star, the end title song for Chapter 2 as it would be heard in theaters.
Click here to listen now!
Photo posted on Twitter by AnalyzerAU09
November 22: REBEL 3199 Chapter 2 premiere
Red Sun Sortie opened in a record 72 theaters Friday the 22nd, and the rush was on. It consisted of episodes 3-6, and brief descriptions appeared at the official website a few days later:
Episode 3: Shocking! Dezarium’s Dark Millennium of History
The battle in the new capital has come to an end. In the Grand Reverse, towering over the city still scarred by the battle, Dezarium’s Holy President Skaldart begins to tell the story of their millennium of history. Who are they?
Episode 4: One Gun Shot!! The New Space Battleship Yamato Launches
Asuka escapes from the Earth Sphere and arrives at the Icarus Observatory. Waiting there is the new Space Battleship Yamato, and the forgotten memento of the Iscandar royal family – Sasha, the only family for Susumu Kodai, who has lost Yuki.
Photos posted on Twitter by ppmorutaru_2010, momo3996, and S Meijin
Episode 5: Clash! Attack the Invisible Battleship!!
Dezarium’s colonization of Earth has begun amidst those who agree with them and those who oppose them. Meanwhile, the battleship Grodes attacks Yamato, which is searching for the 11th Escort Squadron. How to fight against an invisible enemy!?
Episode 6: Alphon infiltrates! Get Sasha back!!
With the loss of Yuki, Kodai becomes depressed and is dismissed from his position as captain. Just then, Grodes once again tries to stage a diversion so that Alfon, an intelligence officer from Dezarium, can board Yamato. Their goal is a fragment of Iscandar!!
A Japanese blogger shared their thoughts on Chapter 2 the next day. Read the review here, but beware of spoilers.
November 22: Week 1 handout
Matching the procedure for Chapter 1, moviegoers all got a free illustration board on their way into their screening. The image this time was of Alphon’s patience being tested by his allies Isidore and Ranbel. (A scene that did not appear in Chapter 2.)
November 22: Chapter 2 Limited Edition Blu-ray
Buying a ticket qualified you to also buy the first edition of the Blu-ray, which contained the four new episodes with trailers, the “story so far” prologue as seen in theaters (this time narrated by Domon), a slightly longer version of the Chapter 1 TV special, the first three Science Beginner’s video shorts, and audio commentary on two episodes.
See the Blu-ray booklet from cover to cover here
The first bonus booklet (above left) contained the script for Episode 3 and the storyboard for Episode 4. The second bonus booklet (34 pages) contained mecha designs for the Dezarium side and a designer interview.
A few Japanese vendors began shipping the limited edition Blu-ray a week later to those who had preordered. For everyone else, the standard edition (without bonus booklets) is scheduled to be released on January 29, 2025.
Preorder it from Amazon.co.jp here or CD Japan here
November 22: Chapter 2 program book
Another 40-page treasure trove joined the library with the full scoop on everything seen in Chapter 2.
See it from cover to cover here with a translated introduction by Harutoshi Fukui’s.
November 22: Theater goods
The variety of products sold in theaters and online increased for Chapter 2 with new categories appearing alongside the old reliables. Among these, the most eye-catching items were a set of Sasha buttons and Analyzer keyholders in multiple colors.
See the whole lineup here
November 22: Opening day stage greeting
On the evening of opening day, the three lead creators took the stage at the Shinjuku Piccadilly Theater to express their relief that Chapter 2 got done on time (apparently it was a tight squeeze near the end) and talk about the latest plot twists.
Read about what they had to say here
November 22: REBEL 3199 Chapter 3 promotion
The bonus jolt for everyone, whether you made it to a theater or were stuck on the wrong side of an ocean, was the first look at what’s coming next. The title of Chapter 3, due out April 11 2025, is Ultramarine Asteroid. It’s not clear what that means exactly, but it does reveal a pattern we couldn’t see before: each of the chapter titles includes a color. Black Invasion, Red Sun Sortie, and now this.
The teaser poster image by Kia Asamiya reveals Yamato facing off against Dessler’s Deusula III with the tag line “Is it our fate to fight after all?” The poster went hand in hand with the first round of advance tickets for Chapter 3. See a larger version without text at the end of this page.
The 30-second teaser trailer had no explanation for the poster image, but gave us our first look at what’s in store for Sasha. Unfortunately for some fans, the trailer was mistakenly tacked onto the lead-in to Chapter 2 in some theaters, so they saw it before they were supposed to. The Yamato Production Committee issued an apology for this via Twitter.
Read our analysis of the teaser trailer here
November 22: Yamato III on Star Channel
If you still hadn’t gotten enough Yamato on November 22, there was one more option waiting for you: a revival of Yamato III, broadcast on Star Channel’s satellite network middays. Episodes were shown in batches: 1-6 on the 22nd, then two episodes on each weekday for the next two weeks (ending December 6).
November 23: Science Beginner’s Video No. 4
Back in July, three 3199 Science Beginner’s video shorts were posted on Youtube for Chapter 1, each of which dug into a scientific aspect of the story that added a new layer. The series continued for Chapter 2 with a 4.5 minute presentation on Dezarium’s Hyperon Bomb (framed by some arguing between Isidore and Tokugawa).
Watch it on Youtube here (captions and autotranslate ON)
November 23: Second-day stage greeting
For Chapter 2’s second day in theaters, Harutoshi Fukui was joined by four of the top voice actors, all of whom were boiling over with things to say. Interaction was just as electric in person as it was on screen.
Read all about it here
See a video digest here
November 24: Megumi Han interview
With the casting silence now broken, Megumi Han sat down for an interview with Mantan Web to share what it’s like to not only carry the saga’s most popular character, but also to inherit the role from her own mother.
Read the interview here
November 25: Official website update
One way to appreciate the enormous volume of story material laid on us in Chapter 2 is to dig through the character and mechanic indexes at the official website. But to make it easier on you, it’s also available right here at Cosmo DNA.
Story developments in Chapter 2 led to a MASSIVE overhaul in which new entries were added and almost every previous entry got an update. See the characters here and the mecha here.
November 25: Voice actor comment videos
The Twitter account for the Yamato Production Committee threw more promo onto the pile in the form of two short video comments from voice actors; one from Shun Horie (Isidore) and another from Takuya Eguchi (Ranbel). Click on each name to watch.
That’s part 2 of 3! Continue to Part 3
