World-reknown confectionary company Ezaki Glico had a huge impact in the mid-70s with inexpensive tie-in products for Japanese idol stars, and they made the jump into anime licensing in October 1978 with Yamato 2 as one of its first properties.
From its 1978 debut onward, mecha design for the EDF fleet in Farewell to Yamato and Yamato 2 represented the pinnacle for the Yamato saga. These ships were revisited over and over, making this the single largest body of merchandising for any fleet in the series.
Presented here is a comprehensive collection of all the Comet Empire mecha that has been released in 3-D form from a host of different companies, mainstream plamo and DIY garage kits alike.
The number of products for Yamato 2 was quite small, but the overall quantity increased during its broadcast thanks to the involvement of two dedicated sponsors: Nomura Toy Company and Ezaki Glico, Japan’s biggest confectioner. See the entire lineup here. [2 pages]
Part 4: the Sustained Explosion Yamato 2 kept fans primed for new model kits. This was also the birthing period for the next Bandai revolution, the smaller-scale Mecha Collection kits that retailed for only 100yen (about a dollar) and ignited a modelmaking fever like none before it.
When a Yamato sequel was announced in November 1977, Nomura decided to get involved. By the time pre-production for Yamato 2 began in May 1978, Nomura had signed on as a key sponsor, gambling on the notion that they could deliver what the fans would expect. Fortunately for all concerned, they were right.
As the only company other than Bandai to mass-produce plastic Yamato model kits, Nomura Toy earns special recognition, especially given the high quality of the four models they released in November, 1978. Read all about them in this testimonial from B-Club Magazine issue #37, published by Bandai Media in 1988.
A truly special and unique artifact of Yamato merchandising was released while Series 2 was on the air: the DoReMi Space Battleship Yamato bicycle made by Bridgestone! The push of a button on the right handgrip was all it took to blow away neighborhood bullies with its Wave-Motion headlight.
When one considers the gameplay possibilities Yamato offers, typing doesn’t immediately spring to mind, which makes these games worth investigating. This one followed the major events of the Yamato 2, with original animation clips and CG cutscenes that were state of the art at the time of release.
In February 2009, this pachinko game exploded on the scene in Japan, tricked out with all sorts of gimmicks. Twists and turns could take you into the Farewell to Yamato continuity, and the new CG animation was some of the best ever seen in the saga, setting a high bar for all the productions to follow.
Pachislo is a variation of pachinko that still uses the spinning numbers of a slot machine. The games themselves are generally impenetrable to those outside Japan, but any chance to relive the battle against the Comet Empire in a fresh way is always a welcome one.
