Part 2: The Comeback
Although the excitement had begun to build well ahead of the Yamato movie’s premiere, licensors maintained a wait-and-see-attitude. It took Bandai three months to release their first movie-related kit, but it was just as revolutionary as Yamato’s comeback.
The explosive success of the Yamato movie lead to the founding of an official fan club and a huge selection of products that helped to establish the franchise as a multimedia phenomenon. Many of these products survive to this day and have become fodder for serious collectors. See them all right here.
The merchandising campaign for the movie was absolutely enormous and pasted Yamato onto everyday objects that had likely never before been linked to anime. Products were designed with teens and young adults in mind, and this collection should leave no doubt that a vast new territory was being opened up. [2 pages]
