With Final Yamato, everyone had the chance to track a Yamato project from its first moment of development. Nishizaki welcomed it, wanting the fans to have an active role in deciding the course of Yamato‘s last journey. The result of this openness was more media coverage than any other film to date, and it all starts here.
When Yamato first rippled across mainstream pop culture in 1977, it caught the attention of editors across a broad spectrum of publications. In this case, it was literary magazine Weekly Bunshun, which makes this interview with exec producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki a unique piece of the Yamato puzzle.
Yamato took well over a year to create as Executive Producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki slowly gathered his dream team and carefully crafted his masterpiece. Fortunately for us, all the major stages of that process were preserved, and this series of articles tracks Yamato‘s origins from start to finish.
An essay written by Yoshinobu Nishizaki in 1977, discussing the earliest phases of pre-production, from the first hint of the idea through the rigors of world-building and the arrival of Leiji Matsumoto. Nishizaki’s words provide an invaluable personal record of this remarkable period in anime history.
Keisuke Fujikawa was the most prolific writer of the entire saga, responsible for well over half of all the TV episode scripts and a major figure in the writing of the movies. His story proposal was written in April 1973, the earliest attempt to capture in words the story we would eventually come to know.
SF novelist and television writer Aritsune Toyota wrote a story proposal that went in a slightly different direction. The working title was Asteroid 6, which became Asteroid Ship when Nishizaki decided this was the way to go. Presented here is the complete text of Toyota’s proposal.
In the summer of 1973, a critical threshold was reached when the title Space Battleship Yamato finally emerged. By late summer, a 45-page plan book was assembled by writer Eiichi Yamamoto which combined text with artwork. Here is the full text of that book, translated to English for the first time. [2 pages]
There still would have been a Space Battleship Yamato without Leiji Matsumoto, but none can deny that it wouldn’t be the Yamato we know and love today. Unsatisfied with many of the ideas in the 1973 plan book, Matsumoto wrote his story treatment in April and May of 1974, presented here in full.
Collected here is a mish-mash of Leiji Matsumoto’s story notes written during the spring and summer 1974, demonstrating how truly inspired he was in this pivotal phase. This included a wide range of characters on the Gamilas side that later informed the concepts of Yamato 2199.
A composite summary of the charts and story memos for the 39-episode version before the forced reduction to 26. Episodes 1-10 made it to TV largely intact, but everything that followed was subject to heavy revision, compression, or elimination. Some of the lost material would later inform the creation of Yamato 2199.
Getting all the story ideas lined up was one thing; turning words into pictures for the first time was quite another. As network negotiations concluded, Yoshinobu Nishizaki decided to produce ten minutes of finished animation for a pilot film as a warmup for the TV series, marking Yamato‘s first breath of life.
Like everything else about the first series, the character design went through many phases before finally taking shape as the anime icons we know now. Leiji Matsumoto began developing the story and the early character designs simultaneously. As time went on and the project got exponentially bigger, others joined him.
SOS Earth! Revive Battleship Yamato!
In the year 2199, Earth hovers on the edge of extinction. The Gamilons, a race from outside the Milky Way, has bombed the Earth and covered it with deadly radiation. But a message from space brings hope for the future.
The opening gun! Space Battleship Argo starts!
A secret plan has come to fruition: the ancient battleship Yamato has been rebuilt into the Space Battleship Argo, the most powerful vessel Earth has ever launched. But a Gamilon attack could end the voyage before it even begins!
Argo take off! The challenge of 296,000 light years!
People are called from around the world to board the Space Battleship Argo and make the journey to another galaxy. They are called the Star Force, and they must reach planet Iscandar in one year or Earth is doomed!
World of wonder! Argo leaps past light!
The Argo has left Earth in its desperate mission to retrieve the Cosmo DNA machine from Planet Iscandar, which will remove the radiation that threatens humanity. But first the Star Force must survive a deadly space warp!
Escape the floating continent! Crisis calls the Wave-Motion Gun!
Hidden in the clouds of Planet Jupiter is a giant floating island–and a secret Gamilon base. Jupiter’s mighty gravity will trap the Star Force here forever…unless the mighty wave motion gun can set them free!
Space Destroyer Paladin sleeps in the icefield
With the Argo running low on energy, the Star Force stops at Saturn’s moon Titan to mine the ore they need to continue the voyage to Iscandar. But they are unprepared for what else they will find!
Argo sinks! Fateful battle to destroy the enemy stronghold!
As the Argo approaches Pluto, the Star Force is attacked by the Gamilons’ deadly reflex gun, a cannon with unlimited range. Hit and damaged, the Argo plummets into the frigid seas of Pluto. Will this become its final resting place?
Argo braves death! Destroy the reflex gun!
Derek Wildstar leads a task force into the Gamilon base on Pluto to find and destroy the reflex gun. But the Argo is under constant attack, and time is running out for the Star Force!
Revolving defense! Asteroid belt!
The Argo is on the edge of the solar system, farther than any humans have travelled…but before they can continue, they have to break a Gamilon blockade–something no Earth ship has done before!
Farewell, solar system! From the Galaxy, with love.
As the Star Force prepares to leave the solar system and continue on to Iscandar, they pause to say goodbye to their families. They have been tested in battle…but not all of them can face a trial like this!
Resolution! Break through the Gamilons’ absolute defense line!
Desslok, leader of the Gamilons, amuses himself by placing a minefield in the path of the Argo as it plunges into deep space…and his amusement could be the end of the line for the Star Force!
Absolute death! The wishing star of Orion, Hell-star!
The Star Force faces two deadly Gamilon traps: an energy net that blocks their way to Iscandar, and a sea of fire that threatens to engulf the Argo. Which way to turn? Or is there no way out?
Hurry, Argo! Earth is suffering!
The Star Force captures a Gamilon pilot and gets their first look at the enemy that has nearly destroyed Planet Earth. But to their disbelief, he appears to be as human as they are!
The galaxy’s ordeal! The year 2200 advances!
Not all the dangers of deep space are made by the Gamilons. The Argo is trapped in a massive space storm, unable to continue its voyage to Iscandar. But every day they lose brings Earth closer to extinction!
Desperate escape! The galaxy’s different dimension
The Argo becomes trapped in the Sargasso Sea of space, a dimensional vortex that stops spaceships dead in their tracks. To make it worse, General Lysis of Gamilon chooses that moment to strike–and there is no way to fight back!
Planet Beeland, underground prison of condemned criminals
Nova and IQ-9 are captured by a race of Bee people while exploring their planet. They are imprisoned to wait for the judgment of Queen Melina–a judgment of certain death!
Charge! Balanosaurus special attack group!
As the Star Force nears General Lysis’ Gamilon base on Planet Balan and Captain Avatar is paralyzed by illness, Volgar unleashes a scheme that is sure to stop the Argo–a gigantic space monster!
Floating fortress island! Two men brave death!
Trapped by a massive space fortress that shakes spaceships to pieces with a Graviton wave, the Star Force must wait for Wildstar and Sandor to disable it. But if they fail, they will be trapped here forever!
