Counterstrike! The discovery of Trelaina!
As the Star Force fights its way deeper into Planet Telezart to find Trelaina, Desslok finds himself in a battle of wills with Princess Invidia…a battle that lands him in a Comet Empire prison!
Trelaina: the beginning of love!
At last, the Star Force finds Trelaina of Telezart and learns the true nature of the White Comet. Trelaina also has her first tender meeting with Mark Venture…and reveals to him her most deadly secret.
Trelaina: farewell to Love!
Venture begs Trelaina to flee Telezart before the arrival of the Comet Empire, but she is certain that she will be compelled to use her tremendous destructive power again…a power even stronger than the new love she has found.
Telezart–disperse into space!
Trelaina takes a bold stand against Prince Zordar as the deadly White Comet approaches Telezart. The Star Force can only watch helplessly as two colossal forces meet in explosive fury!
The decisive battle! All ships, combat-ready!
As the Star Force rushes back to the solar system, Captain Gideon musters the combined might of the Earth fleet to make their stand against the Comet Empire. Meanwhile, Desslok makes his desperate bid for freedom as the war drums begin to sound!
Argo–collision in warp!
Returning to the solar system, the Argo discovers a secret Comet Empire missile base on the Planet Brumus. The Earth Defense Fleet waits for them to arrive at Saturn to join the defensive line–but will they wait in vain?
Argo–a daring surprise attack!
Captain Gideon assigns the Star Force with a critical mission against the approaching enemy: attack and destroy its fighter carrier group before the main body of the massive Comet Empire fleet arrives!
Courage: the death Of Captain Gideon!
Mighty forces clash again and again in the battle of Saturn! A wild tide turns back and forth with Earth’s future in the balance, and Captain Gideon fights with all the strength at his command…but will even that be enough when the White Comet itself arrives?
Argo, fight to the last!
Limping away for the disastrous battle at Saturn, the Star Force desperately tries to repair the Argo. But time is running out–Zordar is nearing Earth, and has already struck at the Moon!
The destined showdown!
Just as the Star Force is about to intercept the Comet Empire, Desslok reappears! Launching a sneak attack at the crucial moment, he finally corners his enemy and renders them helpless…but the only move that counts is the last one!
Life and death struggle! Two brave men!
With the last battle seemingly over and Earth already surrendering to Prince Zordar, Wildstar and Desslok face each other man to man. It is a showdown long in coming…and only one of them will walk away!
Argo: strategic invasion of the imperial city!
Against all hope, the Star Force begins an assault on the Comet Empire at the last possible moment, forcing it back into space and stabbing with a killing blow directly into its heart–but wars never end simply, and this one is no exception!
Be Forever, Argo!
Shrugging off the Star Force, Prince Zordar turns his ultimate weapon against the Earth and blasts away in a mad fury. The Comet Empire seems to have won. But there is one force left, stronger than all the anger and hatred in the universe…
One of the best-kept secrets of Yamato 2 was that Hiroshi Miyagawa composed all of its music in the same marathon session as Farewell to Yamato, which produced an enormous amount of score that took decades to release. See how it unfolded in this look back.
This overview examines every video release of Yamato 2 from its first VHS set in 1990 through its DVD box in 2001, with special attention paid to the diverse packaging art that refreshed the look of the series was each new appearance.
Farewell to Yamato put Yamato 2 at somewhat of a disadvantage in terms of dedicated publishing. With so much of its content already covered, it was not an automatic choice for many publishers. Despite this, there was still plenty to choose from for fans who were willing to hunt for it.
The number of products for Yamato 2 was quite small, but the overall quantity increased during its broadcast thanks to the involvement of two dedicated sponsors: Nomura Toy Company and Ezaki Glico, Japan’s biggest confectioner. See the entire lineup here. [2 pages]
Part 4: the Sustained Explosion Yamato 2 kept fans primed for new model kits. This was also the birthing period for the next Bandai revolution, the smaller-scale Mecha Collection kits that retailed for only 100yen (about a dollar) and ignited a modelmaking fever like none before it.
The making of Yamato 2 in 1978-79 was a very different experience than the seat-of-the-pants production of the first series, but it was no less interesting or challenging. This series of articles explores that process from beginning to end, starting with an overview to provides context.
When Yamato 2 got underway in the spring of ’78, Academy needed its own studio for the first time in three years. In this part, Pre-Production begins with the setup of a brand new workspace and the veteran staff gathers to bring Yamato 2 to life! All this and voice actors, too!
The staff speaks! The Yamato fan club interviews Yoshinobu Nishizaki, Director Noboru Ishiguro, and several others in October 1978. Ishiguro admits to fans in February 1979 that he doesn’t know how the series will end, and other key personnel discuss their relationship with the saga from its beginning.
The last major coverage of Yamato 2 in the Fan Club Magazine came a year after it began, with issue 12 in October 1979. The occasion was inspired by the making of a compilation TV special. Five members of the Academy Studio staff sat down to discuss it and revisit some of their production memories.
In this 1992 interview, Director Noboru Ishiguro shares his thoughts and memories about working on Space Battleship Yamato 2, including some of the new techniques he developed to take the series to a new level. Accompanied by vintage coverage from Roadshow Magazine.
Kazutaka Miyatake designed mecha for some of the greatest anime on Earth. This interview with Miyatake was published in the liner notes of Bandai’s Yamato 2 LD box set in 1992. Though he did not work directly on the series, he was the primary mecha designer on Farewell to Yamato, and all of his work was preserved for Yamato 2.
Yamato 2‘s greatest asset was its enormous inheritance from Farewell to Yamato. But the series was still a very demanding production with all sorts of new elements to be created–or in some cases, transformed. See how it was done in this exploration of the series’ character and mecha design.
In 1978 and ’79, few anime titles were hotter than Yamato 2, and the entertainment magazine Roadshow kept up with the series for six consecutive issues. Their unique coverage examined the developing story with the same editorial style as anything in the live-action world.
This archive of vintage media coverage of Yamato 2 allows you to relive the public unveiling of the series as a Japanese fan might have experienced it in real time. Animage magazine premiered in the summer of 1978, and covered the series from start to finish. Its entire series of articles is presented here.
OUT was a magazine by fans for fans. This article perfectly represents that approach; the transcript of a round-table discussion at a Yamato fan club meeting. At the time, Yamato 2 was just past the halfway point of its first broadcast and with each new episode enlarging the context of the saga, there was plenty to discuss.
When a Yamato sequel was announced in November 1977, Nomura decided to get involved. By the time pre-production for Yamato 2 began in May 1978, Nomura had signed on as a key sponsor, gambling on the notion that they could deliver what the fans would expect. Fortunately for all concerned, they were right.
