The premiere of A Voyage to Remember contributed to making October 2014 one of the busiest months in Yamato history, with something new almost every day. The buildup only occupies page 1 of this 4-page onslaught. Not bad for a franchise that turned 40 years old on October 6.
September 2014: this month was all about buildup to the October release of A Voyage to Remember. The heavy pace of public events got even heavier, especially when four of them collided in one spectacular weekend. And then there was the unexpected announcement from Hollywood. [3 pages]
August 2014 had a little bit of everything; public events continued and a healthy wave of new products emerged on all fronts. But the biggest news was a brand new trailer for Ark of the Stars that gave us our first look at what was in store. Here’s everything that went on during this exciting month. [2 pages]
July 2014: a BIG month with a lot of BIG things going on in all areas of Yamato land. A record number of live events swept over Japan (plus two in America), a major campaign with a tourist company kicked into motion, new products popped up everywhere, and the REALLY big news happened in the model kit world. [2 pages]
June 2014 brings us news of Yamato on the big screen in America, a wave of new model kits including Mecha Collection #4, the 1/500 Yamato expansion sets, and the 1/12 Analyzer, a big lineup of event announcements, the latest magazine coverage, a long-awaited art book, some unusual surprises, and more.
May 2014 is destined to be remembered as the month we all learned where 2199 is going next, with the first teaser trailer for Ark of the Stars. New products were released and announced, and news broke of an orchestral alliance. Here’s everything that happened in this intriguing month…
April 2014 was a very active month for 2199 with some major news and product announcements. The focal point for this was most definitely the Yamato 2199 Gengaten [Art Exhibition] in the Ikebukuro district of Tokyo, which was reminiscent of a movie opening with all the trimmings. [2 pages]
March 2014: Bandai took a month off from releasing new model kits, but all regular activity continued non-stop with the announcement of an art exhibition and a dazzling smart phone game, a new book from Hobby Japan, more manga, more figures, more doujinshi, and even some secret historical trivia that made it a colorful month.
February 2014 was marked by a wave of new products and figures to accompany the 2014 Winter Wonder Festival, Banpresto’s “Best Lottery” goods arrived in stores, Star Blazers 2199 made its North American debut, and Ship’s Log #6 published the first director interview on the 2014 feature film. See all that and more! [2 pages]
January 2014 saw an increase in online activity in the US, the first of the Garmillas carrier models, Best Lottery products from Banpresto, the GX-64 Yamato, the biggest magazine article yet in Model Graphix, manga from both Nico Nico Ace and Comic Blade, Plex’s first bridge paper model, and more!
December 2013: the year goes out with a ramp-up of activity – new talk shows, a new card game, Star Blazers 2199 news flashes, manga, magazine coverage, the magnificent 1/500 Yamato model kit, the biggest avalanche of doujinshi since the series began, and plenty more. [2 pages]
November 2013 news: the Nico Nico webcasts return in force, the Super Formula season ends, new figures and model kits appear, Megahouse shows off at the Mega Hobby Expo, and the first approach to American shores begins with the announcement of Star Blazers 2199 – all this and the regular media coverage. [2 pages]
October 2013 was less busy than the climactic months of August and September, but the arrival of Chapter 7 on home video – the final round of the entire 2199 anime campaign – made for a fantastic wave of products at the end of the month, and two big hobby shows pointed the way to the future. [2 pages]
September 2013: the entire month is a whirlwind of activity as Chapter 7 finishes its theatrical run, the final episodes air on TV, the world of fandom puts it all into perspective, new products and magazine coverage appear, fans participate in a huge art project, the 2199 music vault finally closes, and much more! [2 pages]
August 2013: Chapter 7 brings the series to an end amidst the busiest month in the saga’s entire history! Interviews, new products, future announcements, special events, promotional tie-ins, and a record amount of fan participation made the end of Yamato 2199 something to remember forever! [3 pages]
July 2013: Star Blazers 2199 makes the worldwide rounds, new songs, changes for the manga, Yamato 1966, Super Formula racing, the MV release, new products revealed in the hobby magazines, garage kits aplenty, Red-Eyed Ace manga debut, words from Akira Miyagawa, the EARTH design book, and more! [2 pages]
May and June 2013: TV episodes 9-13, manga chapter 15, the Chapter 6 premiere, articles from the chapter 6 program book, Tokyo Toy Show, Garmillas model kits released, Maxon article on CG production, Yamatalk Night 6, coverage in hyper hobby, Great Mechanics DX, Weekly Post, and more. [2 pages]
April and May 2013: new CD singles, Treasure Festa Hobby Show, TV episodes 5-8, manga chapter 14, Shizuoka hobby show, voice actor talk event, Pormelia model kit released, Mega Hobby Expo, Chapter 5 on home video, the trailer for Chapter 6, coverage from Animedia, Yomiuri Online, and the hobby magazines.
April 2013: Niigata museum exhibit, manga chapter 13, the Official DVD Guidebook, the premiere of Chapter 5 and articles from the program book, TV episodes 2-4, Yamatalk Night 5, the Yuki Mori figure and many other products appear, and coverage from Animedia and the hobby magazines. [2 pages]
One week of events to promote the TV premiere in April 2013: MBS Character Festival in Osaka, more secrets of Chapter 5, Bandai’s model kit developer interviewed, newspapers give away 2199 posters, Yamato girls at the MBS countdown booth in Akihabara, and the TV episode simulcasts begin on NicoNico.
March 2013: the trailers for Chapter 5, the Yamato race car, secrets from Chapter 5, new books announced, manga chapter 12, Banpresto’s D-Fleet, Cosmo Zero Alpha 2 released, Tokyo International Anime Fair, UNCF model kit set 2, coverage in hobby magazines and Great Mechanics DX.
January 2013: The TV broadcast is announced, Chapter 4 premiere and merchandising, translated articles from the Chapter 4 program book, premium shop products, mecha commentary, Yamatalk Night 4, new coverage in New Type and the hobby magazines, and Garmillas Warships set 1 is released. [2 pages]
December 2012: the first art book, manga chapter 10, the Cosmo Zero Alpha 1 kit is announced, coverage in Great Mechanics DX and the monthly hobby magazines, the Yamato premium shop opens, the Chapter 4 trailer, and new 2199 doujinshi appear.
October and November 2012: Yamatalk Night 3, UNCF model kit set 1, the first soundtrack, Maeda Construction Co. engineers Yamato’s launch, manga chapter 9, the November 11 concert, Chapter 3 on home video, new magazine coverage, and Dengeky Hobby releases the miniature Cosmo Falcon kit.
October 2012: Yamato Crew Fun Club magazine debuts, a custom-wrapped 2199 train, November concert announced, live events in Fukuoka and Tokushima, manga chapter 8, new kits revealed at the All Japan Model Hobby Show, the premiere of Chapter 3, and translated articles from the Chapter 3 program book.
September 2012: Hyper Hobby presents more secrets of Chapter 2, new character updates appear, manga chapter 7, the great Yamato 2199 road trip visits Kyoto and Osaka, and magazine coverage in Great Mechanics DX, Hobby Japan, Dengeki Hobby, Model Graphix, and Figure King.
August 2012: Hyper Hobby presents the secrets of Chapter 2 and the opening-day talk, manga chapter 6, the first 2199 doujinshi appear at Comiket, the Chapter 3 trailer, coverage in Hobby Japan and Dengeki Hobby, and Naoyuki Katoh live-paints his first Yamato mural at Chara Hobby 2012.
June and July 2012: translated articles from the Chapter 2 movie program book, Chapter 2 merchandising, manga chapter 5, Yamatalk Night 2, hobby magazine coverage, Chapter 2 home video release, the first 1/1000 model kit, and Yamato 2199 makes its first live appearance at Wonderfest 2012.
June 2012: Chapter 2 approaches and magazine coverage heats up in Hyper Hobby, Animage, CG World, Voice Actors Animedia, New Type, Hobby Japan, Dengeki Hobby, and Great Mechanics DX. A TV special, the first CD single, manga chapter 4, and a report from the premiere of Chapter 2. [2 pages]
