The 10th issue of the Star Blazers/Yamato Fan Club Magazine was published in February 2021, and its lead story was called The “Green Power” That Supports Yamato. This was a collection of interviews with artists who worked on various aspects of Age of Yamato, starting with veteran animator and designer Kia Asamiya.
In 2014, a 60th anniversary retrospective was published on Leiji Matsumoto’s manga, which included a unique conversation between three veteran writers. Two of them participated in the creation of the original Yamato series. Their discussion is presented here and offers perspectives available nowhere else.
Yamato action held steady throughout February, matching January despite the continued delay of the Age of Yamato premiere. While news of a revised date remained out of reach, continuity saved the day and set the table for some nice surprises.
As a key contributor to the two biggest anime franchises of all time, Yamato and Gundam, “Yas” possesses a unique vantage point and a fascinating career. He was extensively interviewed for two major books that were published in 2020, both of which are excerpted here.
As the creator and first editor-in-chief of the game-changing magazine Animage, Hideo Ogata played an instrumental role in the foundation of anime culture. In this chapter from his memoir Shoot That Flag! he recounts the origin of the magazine and Yamato’s pivotal role in it.
Despite the efforts of the combined fleet, the Comet Empire is about to break through the final defense zone at Mars. While Yamanami is convinced that Yamato is trapped in its gravity sphere, the AI issues the “G Plan” for the survival of humanity. Captain Saki Todo is forced to choose between the machine’s orders or rescuing Yamato.
We didn’t get the burst of activity we were hoping for due to Age of Yamato being postponed, but January still pulled up equal to December anyway. The arrival of the new Symphonic Suite was definitely the highlight of the month, but there was plenty more to keep the fires lit.
