Releasing in August!
Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato, Soldiers of love
What will become of Yamato and its crew after they return to Earth? If you were to create a sequel, what kind of story would it be? We’ve gathered some unique and imaginative ideas from our readers.
This is how I would do it!
My Space Battleship Yamato masterpiece selection!
TEXT A
Original idea
Create aliens to expose the human ego
I enjoyed Leji Matsumoto’s Space Battleship Yamato. Set against the backdrop of a great space war between humanity and the Gamilas aliens, the story beautifully portrays the “Love” that connects the emotions of each individual, leaving a deep impression on me.
A sequel, Farewell to Yamato, is supposedly going to be made this summer, but I’d like it to be produced by someone other than Leiji Matsumoto or his staff.
That’s because Yamato is undoubtedly a war story. Even with movies about the Pacific war, if you watch a Japanese one, you tend to believe that America was evil, and if you watch a Korean movie, you tend to believe that Japan and the Nazis were evil, right? We are a “generation that doesn’t know war,“ having never experienced the Pacific war or the Vietnam war. From the perspective of the enemy Gamilas, aren’t Susumu Kodai and Captain Okita just egoists who only seek human benefit?
As seen in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the era of interaction with extraterrestrials is just around the corner, and they must all become friends of Earthlings.
Farewell to Yamato can be the same as the previous one. I want an objective alien to appear in it and suggest to us that “Earthlings also have their flaws, and the word love is used to hide their own ego.” We shouldn’t wage war against other humans, or even against aliens.
– Tomishin, Osaka
TEXT B
Production composition
A cosmic masterpiece in a local dialect
Farewell to Yamato has the subtitle “soldiers of love,“ but I absolutely hate the heroic tendencies of Yamato! Why should a soldier representing Earth have to use standard Japanese like he’s on NHK? I believe our future shouldn’t be controlled solely by a select view, or by Central politics and the military. Please put thought into the presentation, and think about every single word. I write my screenplay in the Okinawan dialect.
– Mitsuko Nakamura, Okinawa
Yuki: Hey there, Starsha.
Starsha: What’s up?
Yuki: Hey. I heard Iscandar is a nice place, and I’d love to visit someday, but I’m not sure if I can make it there. Do you think it’s a good place to visit?
Starsha: I think that’s what you mean.
Yuki: Huh!?
Kodai: Well, I’d like to stay at Iscandar for a while…
Starsha: It’s a bit of a hassle. The people here — Sasha and the others — are all from Iscandar. Even though Sasha and the others are here, the people of Iscandar aren’t. We can’t go anywhere because of the radiation removal device.
Yuki: Um, Starsha…
Starsha: Yes?
Yuki: We came to Iscandar and looked around, but we haven’t met anyone besides you. Where is everyone?
Starsha: Right here.
Yuki: Huh!?
Kodai: So, does that mean all the people of Iscandar have died…?
Starsha: That’s right. My sister Sasha and I, as daughters of the royal family, were the last people of Iscandar. Now that I’ve buried my sister Sasha, I am the only Iscandarian left. That is why I couldn’t present you with the radiation removal device in its assembled form.
(From Space Battleship Yamato Episode 25)
TEXT C
Appearances
Stars from the manga and entertainment worlds all make an appearance!
It would be best to have the same characters as in the original series. However, since Dessler and Captain Okita are dead, we need unique individuals to fill their shoes. The crew members must be kind and highly capable. The enemy must be a violent villain, even more ruthless and heartless than Dessler.
However, creating new characters like these is difficult for the creators, and it’s a shame they aren’t given the same level of recognition as the already-established popular characters like Kodai and Shima. Therefore, I’d like them to use people who are currently active in the manga or entertainment industry for new characters.
For the role of a beautiful woman like Sasha, Ikue Sakakibara, and Mizue Takada would be perfect. For the Yamato crew, Captain Harlock and Satonaka-kun from Meikun High School would be ideal. For the villains, former world champion Muhammad Ali and Komowari-kun would be perfect.
With this many characters involved, the content of the new Yamato will surely change, and it should turn out to be something like a Hollywood movie.
– Mituo Hoshikawa, Hokkaido
TEXT D
Production News
Synopsis of the forthcoming Farewell to Yamato (not translated here).
TEXT E
Production is progressing smoothly, nationwide release on August 5!
Production is progressing smoothly. It is said that 40,000 cells will be used, and it will be a massive production lasting about 2 hours and 10 minutes. The original drawings are already almost complete, and it is now in the stage of tracing and coloring. Filming will begin at the end of May, and the film will be completed by the end of July.
In addition to songs from the previous film, we can expect two or three new songs, full of love and romance.
The film will be released on August 5, simultaneously in Toei theaters nationwide. Unlike the previous film, which was only shown in a few major cities, fans from all over the country can see it at the same time, and there will be no need to queue up overnight.
TEXT F
Fan Mania
I love Yamato
For me, aspiring to be an anime creator, Yamato is the best reference book. Not only are the unique characters appealing, but the sheer scale of it is unparalleled! No other anime can imitate it.
– Takashi Nakao, Shimane prefect
I’ll never forget the line of people when I went to see the movie. I went two hours before the show started, but there was already a wave of people over 200m long, mostly middle school or high school students. Next time, I’ll line up the day before and aim to be the first in line.
– Yukie, Tokyo
I was blown away by the sheer awesomeness of the mecha, especially the weapons. Each and every one of them is a super modern device that makes perfect sense theoretically. There’s no cutting corners or shortcuts. This is definitely an anime for adult adults.
– Harlock, Yamanashi prefecture
I love the powerful theme song that makes your heart dance with excitement. And I’ll never forget the beauty of the colors on the screen. There are so many more stars, and they’re even more beautiful than in a planetarium.
– Sakko, Chiba prefecture
I love the women that Leiji Matsumoto draws. Pale and slender, so fragile they seem like they’d fall apart if you held them! Yet they’re strong willed and sensitive to Love. Only for me, though.
– Kenichi, Mie prefecture
TEXT G
Theme
Rape scene included in this film, “love depicted with incredible intensity!”
The theme is the same as the previous film: “love the connects people,” appealing to the younger generation from middle school students to high school students like us. Love was a central theme throughout the previous film as well. The love for all of humanity shown by Juzo Okita and the other crew members, the romance between Mamoru Kodai and Starsha, and the mutual care among Susumu Kodai, Daisuke Shima, and the other crew members were all beautifully and wonderfully depicted.
If the theme is love, it’s sure to attract the attention of not only girls, but also boys. Leiji Matsumoto and the film company understand that very well. But somehow it feels like it’s trying to fool children. The story is too pretty. It’s like something out of a shojo manga. I don’t like stories like Takarazuka. I like things that are exhilarating and have a real impact. Stories that make me shed a tier or two. That’s what I want.
This time, I really hope they depict a more authentic kind of love. For example, I’d love to see Susumu and Daisuke engage in a bloody battle over Yuki. You know, the classic love triangle we see all the time. As for love scenes, I’d much rather see a violent, rape-like scene where the spaceship shakes violently than a romantic, sweet kiss against a starry sky.
True love can’t exist without physical desire or reckless passion, right? Besides, they say that the flip side of love is hatred and jealousy, right? It would be funny to see Kodai’s sense of mission to save humanity crumble, or to see him slip up while trying to act cool. The “superstars” who appear in Yamato should just go back to being ordinary people for once. I hope the new Yamato movie will be a work that teaches us what real love is!
– Yumi Onoue, Kagoshima
TEXT H
The mystery of Captain Okita
Okita, who died without ever taking off his hat. What kind of hairstyle did he have? A cute Makoto-chan cut? A terrifying bald head? My school teacher? A wart covered head? Caveman cut? Chief cut? Tetsuwan Atom cut? Just like me? Which one is it?
– Koji Ninomiya, Fukuoka