Yamato 2199 Art Exhibition
Displays and commentary

Anton Kholodov at the entrance

Photo by Anton Kholodov

Photo by Anton Kholodov

Photo by Anton Kholodov

Photo by Anton Kholodov

Commentary #1

From the blog of “Momoko,” a member of the fan circle Yokohama Tuxedo Club: (see the original post here)

May 6

I went to the 2199 Art Exhibition in Ikebukuro, then I went to the Beer Terrace of the Starry Sky on the roof because it was said that there was a discount in connection with the exhibition. It seems that when you bring in a ticket stub, you can get 1000 yen off. But only until tomorrow, unfortunately. [The exhibit closed May 7.] (Considering that the exhibition only costs 700 yen, I think it’s a good discount.)

Since the art exhibition has many pieces drawn in pencil, it has a very raw feeling, which I think would be very stimulating to those who draw.

Since the pictures you see in the design books are surprisingly small, there were various discoveries. The pictures of mecha were so dense they made your eyes spin. The plamodels on display looked like the real thing and were amazing. The power of Kia Asamiya’s images of Yamato was great, and the original Garmillas and Iscandar mural was there, too. It was quite small, but it was beautiful. I noticed the knight was unexpectedly skinny (especially around the waist).

Photo by Anton Kholodov

I thought that the drawing tools and the type of paper would be indicated on the plates like in a regular art exhibition, since Liquitex [paint] and Posca [markers] with pencil are good for a rough feeling.

Unfortunately, photography was not allowed inside. At any rate, the 3-meter Yamato was very much like the pictures. Or rather, the pictures were like Yamato (especially the mecha). This was an exhibition I can recommend by all means.

Well, as for the Beer Terrace of the Starry Sky, it seems the Yamato collaboration will last throughout the summer. Yamato music flowed through the small hall, but could be heard quite clearly in the restroom.

I’m a little interested in what the visitors who aren’t interested in Yamato think. The staff (all men) wears arrow clothing. It seems if you call for Mr. Sanada, the one in blue will turn. (Hearsay!)

Photo by Anton Kholodov

Photo by Anton Kholodov

Commentary #2

From the blog Here’s the Story, Free of Charge by Kio Edamatsu: (see the original post here)

The sharp-edged pencil lines of the Yamato 2199 Art Exhibition

The Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Art Exhibition is held in the Seibu Gallery until May 7. Yamato 2199 was released in the form of a theatrical event and TV broadcast between 2012-2013, and is a remake of all 26 episodes of the 1974 Space Battleship Yamato. I participated in “layout cooperation” and “design cooperation.”

In this venue, original mecha design drawings, original layout fixes, original mecha detail-ups, and three-dimensional models on are display. The main displays are mecha design images of the title ship, Space Battleship Yamato.

Anime design art consists of illustrations with added color which are distributed to various staff members who draw backgrounds or create CG, and is the blueprint of an anime picture. In many cases, they are organized in a form of homogeneous lines to tell you exactly what what to draw and how. The reason such lines are required is that the image gets reproduced on a copy machine and distributed to many people. But even though they can be called homogeneous, rather than the static lines of a coloring book, a vitality can be felt in them. Even in animation work, special techniques may be required.

The mecha of Yamato 2199 is mainly in 3DCG, carried out with a strong presence. In the design drawings, accurate 3-dimensional depictions with density are demanded. In the work called “design cooperation,” we help with several points on the mecha designs, such as, “in this picture, these parts should be drawn at 5mm, since they were drawn at a different angle and the size is wrong. Redraw them.” Then we do retakes several times until the OK is given. It happens time and time again.

The go-getters who perform in these conditions draw it clearly, and based on their hand, they can do some very sharp-edged drawings. Simply put, these “really, really good!” pictures are displayed majestically. There aren’t many opportunities for original, monochrome design drawings made with pen or pencil on paper to be exhibited in a safe place. To those who are interested in the anime medium, I want to recommend this exhibition by all means.

Photo by Anton Kholodov

Photo by Anton Kholodov

Commentary #3

From the blog Here’s the Story, Free of Charge by Kio Edamatsu: (see the original post here)

Sunday at the Yamato 2199 Art Exhibtion

I’ve seen the Yamato 2199 Art Exhibition. I went with a friend on Sunday, the second day of Golden Week. I moved slowly through the bustling venue. The chatter was like, “What’s in this picture? Wow, it’s really detailed. What was this drawn for?”

When I was asked which one I did, I said, “This ‘original mechanic detail-up’ here in the corner…but I’ve never seen it like this!?”

Photo by Ryusuke Hikawa

That’s why the feeling this time was slightly different than when I did the work. I was able to look thoroughly at the design images of Junichiro Tamamori, who was in charge of mecha design. It is a characteristic of anime design drawings to be on copy paper with holes for a ring binder, and sometimes there are things drawn at the edge of the page. The design drawings I looked at and worked with were cleaned up as data on a screen or a printout on paper. In this exhibition, I learned for the first time that such things as the design for Kirishima or the Cosmo Seagull were drawn on yellow paper.

The designs that were distributed to the staff had text typed on a PC, and the color was adjusted to make them look like they were drawn on white paper, in a state where everything was all cleaned up. Those are the conditions in which they were published in the EARTH design book. The pictures shown in this venue hadn’t been scanned and cleaned up on a PC, and some had big creases right through the middle of the paper, which made it a unique exhibition in many ways.

Photo by Anton Kholodov

On the side of Yamato‘s hull, the placement of the searchlights around the base of the so-called smokestack missile launch tower weren’t in a straight line in 2199. The notes indicated to put them in a gentle hill shape, which seemed to be a key point for someone. I checked the 1/100 Yamato model to confirm that this was carried out.

It was good to walk through it and enjoy an adult hobby slowly and carefully at our own pace. The Yamato 2199 Art Exhibition will be open at the Seibu Gallery until May 7.

Kio Edamatsu

Born in 1977. Blood type A. Born in Tokyo. Graduate of Tama University of Art, modeling expression department.
In 2005, worked for the first time as an anime designer on Twin Princesses of the Mysterious Planet.
Worked on Break Blade (2010) and Yamato 2199 (2012). Now works as a freelancer designer for anime and games.

Photo by Anton Kholodov

Photo by Anton Kholodov

Photo by Anton Kholodov

Photo by Anton Kholodov

Photo by Ryusuke Hikawa

Photo by Anton Kholodov

Photo by Ryusuke Hikawa

Photo by Anton Kholodov

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