Like all the best success stories, this one is about a juggernaut that no one saw coming. Even with 20/20 hindsight it is still impossible to overstate the impact of Yamato music on the world of anime, the result of extraordinary talent, perserverance, and foresight. It’s a story that begins with Producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki.
Composer Hiroshi Miyagawa did more than change the world of anime music with his brilliant Symphonic Suite Yamato in 1977. He also planted the seeds for a whole new crop of Yamato music: the concept album. Fans’ cups ran over as one album after another explored the outer limits of the Miyagawa universe.
With his extensive background as a producer of concerts and musical theatre, it was a natural step for Nishizaki to see live performances as a secondary aspect of the Yamato phenomenon, and a whole new form of anime promotion was born. Here is a rundown of the many Yamato concerts that lead the way. [2 pages]
The Space Battleship Yamato theme is now universally recognized as a classic, approaching the level of a national anthem in Japan. Here we examine the circumstances of its recording and present a broad overview of the many, many times it has been released to the public.
Yoshinobu Nishizaki, Executive Producer and Creator of Space Battleship Yamato, died on November 7, 2010, by accidental drowning. The best that can be said about it was that, like the man himself, it was extremely unusual. Find out more about his remarkable life and read the final message from the producer here.
Writers around the world have exhausted entire vocabularies trying to describe his unique vision, his incredible range, and his bottomless supply of creative energy. So in the end, there’s only one way to sum up Leiji Matsumoto: he’s a true original.
It’s been a long time since Wildstar, Nova, and Desslok were in a room together, and even longer since their voices were heard live in a room together. But the clock was finally reset when Ken Meseroll, Amy Howard Wilson, and Eddie Allen made their first-ever joint public appearance in March 2010. Read the transcript here.
Despite how it looks in the Star Blazers/Yamato universe, it isn’t often that you get to meet a space goddess. Imagine, then, how rare it is to find two in one body. That’s a claim that can be made by Ms. Lydia Leeds, who portrayed both Queen Starsha and Trelaina of Telezart. Read her interview about the experience here.
It is our supreme pleasure to welcome back into the Star Blazers pantheon Mr. Michael Bertolini, who won all of our hearts as Communications Officer Homer Glitchman! This interview was conducted shortly after Michael first reconnected with his fans via Facebook in August, 2011.
The rarest and most enjoyable part of working on this website is the chance to welcome a Star Blazers voice actor back into the warm embrace of fandom. So meet Frank Pita, better known to Star Blazers fans as the beloved Dr. Sane! This doctor’s appointment was a long time coming, but it’s finally here!
By Tim Eldred. One day I got the go-ahead to interview two men whose work helped change my life and that of many others: Ken Meseroll and Eddie Allen, the voices of Derek Wildstar and Desslok. The arrangements were made and the date was set. Yes, September 11, 2001 was going to be a very special day.
By Tim Eldred. For the first time in over 20 years, actors Ken Meseroll and Eddie Allen reprised their roles as the all-time fan favorite Star Blazers characters Wildstar and Desslok in a special project for Voyager Entertainment. It was my distinct pleasure to help orchestrate this event.
