March 7: Yamato 2202 Episode 13 was very memorable since I was in charge of design work for the first time, such as the Sand Dragon, in addition to animation. But my name was not in the credits at the end, probably due to some whim of those in power. I get complicated feelings every time I see it. I’m glad I was able to instantly convey the ecology of the Sand Dragons and the state of parents and children in Tetsuro Amino’s storyboard. I didn’t have to be in the credits, but I’d like everyone to have enough depth to at least give a gentle smile.
March 21: In Yamato 2202 Episode 24, I drew the scene of Analyzer where Yuki talks to Teresa with her heart. I drew Analyzer because he had been rendered in 3DCG with the same texture as the ship. This is one of the most impressive images in the voyage that has continued since 2199. It was created based on the 3DCG shot from the same angle and a rough sketch drawn by Director Rei Nakahara based on the 3DCG. The process of united the precisely calculated shape and Ms. Nakahara’s drawing was similar to the detail-up process in 2199.
This image was drawn from scratch, based on the upshot that had been done earlier. The proportions of the figure are closer to human proportions than the setup drawing because it is the figure that Sado saw at that moment. The pose is not as if the machine had moved to that position, but as if it had rushed into the scene! I tried to make him look as if he was there right after that. In the previous shot, I tried to capture the situation from an objective angle. If you look closely, you can see the neck of the 3DCG Analyzer popping up, just like in the 1974 version. It was as if the connected images conveyed beyond words that Analyzer was a member of Yamato‘s crew rather than just a machine.
In Episode 24, I helped to draw a scene showing the cockpit. It was the last time I worked on the cockpit in this series, and also the first once since 2199 to depict the Cosmo Zero from the inside, including the Blackbird, which has the same type of cockpit. Many of the artists I worked with were very good, and some of them had already been supervised by Mr. Yuuki. The work itself wasn’t too extensive, but I tried to create a style that united the look of 2199, where the designer’s intentions were carefully preserved, and the more fluid style that had been developed for 2202.
Mr. Yuuki drew the canopy and the backrest in a very simple way, along with corrections to the figures, but when I worked on it alongside the model sheets, I saw that his touch was very precise. The tuning looked even cooler. It was a happy time for me, both as a worker and as a fan. I know it requires a unique technique. However, I hadn’t worked on 2199, so I started helping out on the cockpit with some trepidation. At the end of the series, I was glad to see Yuuki’s excellent work and to understand how great it was.
March 25: Since the theatrical Blu-ray boxes for 2199 and 2202 are supposed to be released today, the images in this thread are pictures I drew for each chapter of 2202 as they came out. I didn’t have a full grasp of the storyline, so I just drew from the impression I got from the trailers. It could be fan art saying, “Dessler finally appeared!” These seven images reflect my real-time mood.
March 28: In Yamato 2202, I helped with mecha drawings under the title of “layout cooperation.” I was impressed by Episode 7 where we tried to recreate the style of 2199, Episode 9 where we had a hard time working without meetings due to scheduling constraints, and Episode 13 where we had to think about how to treat the Type 2 Space Mobile Armor.
In the first episode I was in charge of, my job title was “design cooperation.” It is true that I am listed alongside the animation staff, but I’m not sure what I did, and I wonder if I am responsible for the people who worked on the visuals. After the screening, I remember expressing my opinion to the producer.
The voyage of 2202 was also a journey to become aware of each and every one of the things that Mr. Nishii and the producers at the time of 2199 were preserving outside of their work. There were times when I wondered if I had offended someone by saying something rude, and there were times when I wondered if I had improved things as a result of my own actions.
I may not have been right about everything. There must have been a phase where I thought others were out of their mind. It was bumpy and clumsy, and there were things that made me happy but also things that I could not overlook. That aftertaste was probably proof that we survived the voyage.
In the last episode, all the staff members who created the line drawings are credited as “original artists” because no work was done to just modify the mecha. Great respect for those who create visuals from scratch. I wonder if that was the feeling that the producers cherished. I thought of that when I saw the specifications for the last episode.
My final work on Yamato 2202 was the drawing of Yamato‘s main control stick that Shima holds. At the time, I had the feeling that I wanted to do Episode 25 as well. A few years have passed since then, and I am now happy that I was able to finally draw something that is not just a golden memory, but is setting the course to the future.
