When I looked up Space Battleship Yamato, I found that the “food situation” was extremely dangerous. You’re not thinking about the way home, are you?
By Seiichiro Hayakawa
Posted December 13, 2024 on Magmix. See the original article here.
The harsh food situation is mentioned several times
148,000 light years. 296,000 light years round trip. An endless distance. In the anime Space Battleship Yamato, which was broadcast on TV in 1974, Yamato alone overcame fierce battles with the Gamilas and severe natural phenomenae, and returned safely to Earth.
But Yamato actually had a food problem. The food was monotonous and there was not enough on board.
An important scene that shows the food situation of the Yamato appears in Episode 14. At that time, Yamato is stranded at the exit of the galaxy, the Octopus Protocluster, for 20 days, and the crew is stressed. So, to change the mood, Yuki Mori suggests to Captain Okita that they make rice cakes, but it is rejected because there are only two months’ worth of food left. At this point, there are 280 days until Earth is lost, and 85 days, or about three months, have passed since departure.
In other words, Yamato was carrying about five months’ worth of food. From the start, it only had enough food for a one-way ticket.
The crew was forced to work hard to make up for the food shortage. In Episode 6, there is a scene where Sanada extracts what appear to be nuts and mushrooms from the ice of Saturn’s moon Titan. There is also a farm on board Yamato, and in Episode 9, fresh tomato juice was served.
In Episode 16, Yuki and Analyzer land on Planet Beemela to research edible plants, but are captured by the locals and fail the mission.
The food actually eaten on board was depicted in Episode 13, with bread, noodles, soup, and green paste served on trays by machine. The same food also appears in Episode 16, where Susumu Kodai complains that he is tired of it.
However, there was one special menu that appeared. In Episode 19, Okita calls the officers together and serves them steak before reaching Planet Balan, the halfway point of the journey. The bread is accompanied by green and white vegetables, and red wine, making it the most luxurious meal in “Part 1.”
Of course, Yamato has a galley, which appears in Episode 10. At least six food staff (cooks) can be seen, but unfortunately it is not clear what they are cooking.
As for other meals, in Episode 25, after arriving on Iscandar, Chief Engineer Tokugawa and Engineer Yabu eat something from a deep dish. It is probably soup or stew made with fresh ingredients obtained on Iscandar. The food situation on the return journey is not described, but it is likely that they replenished on Iscandar.
As for Dr. Sado’s sake, I will not count it because I have no idea how much he has.