From Yamato Crew Premium fan club magazine Ship’s Log #13, published March 28, 2016. The third in a series of interviews with Producers Shoji Nishizaki and Hirotaka Furukawa on the new production Space Battleship Yamato 2202 and other projects in development.
In April 2016, campaigns for the Battlefield Infinity mobile simulation game continued to dominate, but the usual satellite activity kept rolling and we even got what is likely to be the very last 2199 art book. Plus: manga, events, fan art, modeling, cosplay, and more of what makes life worth living.
Prison Planet 17
A requiem sounds in the sky. Yamato barely survives its battle with Domel and heads to a new planet to recover from its wounds. It is Leptapoda, a desert planet. And it holds another side as well…
In March 2016, many long months of suspense finally paid off when the next step in Yamato history began with the formal production announcement for a remake of Series 2. The title and primary staff members were announced and speculation about what we would see went into high gear. It’s all summed up in the first report here!
The level of 2199 activity in March 2016 held up to previous months with another onslaught of Battlefield Infinity campaigns, more manga, a new miniature and a surprise book, and the ground-shifting announcement of Yamato 2202. How will the transition affect 2199 from here? Finding out is what these reports are for.
Under the Rainbow Sun, second half.
A pack of wolves descends. An invisible hunting dog lurks in the shadows, ready to strike. The battle begins in a rainbow sky. The time has come to decide the final victor. This battle is a test that must be passed.
In February 2016, Wonder Festival kicked off a new year of hobby shows, an unexpected new book was announced, the Battlefield Infinity mobile game expanded in both frequency and complexity, and more odds and ends made it another fun month to be a fan.
Under the Rainbow Sun, first half.
A pack of wolves descends. An invisible hunting dog lurks in the shadows, ready to strike. The battle begins in a rainbow sky. The time has come to decide the final victor. This battle is a test that must be passed.
2199 activity dropped in January 2016 but any 2199 activity at all is a good thing. The Battlefield Infinity mobile game continued to find new ways to entertain fans, Hobby Japan unrolled new coverage, and a long-awaited Cosmo Fleet miniature arrived. Here’s the complete January roundup.
They’re Here
They arrive at the distant Large Magellanic Cloud. The Space Wolf is unleashed. His eyes are like fire, his fangs like swords. Each wields their knowledge against the other to further their ends.
December 2015 brought the year to an end with a drumbeat of activity that has been remarkably consistent since the end of anime production. Here’s everything the last month of 2015 had to offer.
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Over the Black Light
Balun. A lighthouse in space. The center of a network that connects the galaxy. A gigantic enemy fleet gathers, numbering 10,000 in all. Yamato sets a course straight through for the Large Magellanic Cloud.
A complete record of all the 2199 1/1000 model kits from Bandai in 2014 and 2015, from the Garmillas carriers up to the massive Domelaze to the last Yamato, the first Gatlantis vessel, and all points in between.
The original Yamato Mecha Collection mini-models were the products that put Bandai on the map, and many are still in production today. When Bandai became a primary sponsor for Yamato 2199, it was only natural for this famous line to be revived with up-to-date technology.
November 2015 was a particularly good month on the fan activity radar, and the latest issue of Ship’s Log brought us some more official news about Series 2. But the real winners this month were players of the Battlefield Infinity mobile game. Here’s the full rundown.
From fan club magazine Ship’s Log #12: “Last time, our Producer Speaks Special Report was a great sensation, and this time we delve into the “second series” to the limit of confidential information. Everything said here is an official statement and this report is true.”
Out of the Forest of Memories
The ancient gate: a bridge between the stars that hangs suspended in the void. Kodai and his team infiltrate a control satellite to activate the gate. There, they hear a story of the past, and the door to that time will now be opened.
Continuing our observance of the fifth anniversary of the live-action Space Battleship Yamato movie’s premiere, here are two interviews that were not translated at the time of publication. They are both conversations with Director Takashi Yamazaki and the lead actor Takuya [Kimtak] Kimura.
Despite a slow start, 2199 activity in October 2015 was slightly up over that of September. Fan activities are always a reliable place to find the blood still pumping, and this month also gave us a handful of announcements to maintain the anticipation. Here’s the full rundown…
A Choice for the Future Yamato weighs anchor and rests its wounded body upon an Earth-like planet. This is a place longed for by those who will soon be extinct. A conspiracy raises its head, and we are asked what path we should take.
As of this writing, five years have passed since the milestone release of the live-action Space Battleship Yamato movie, and there is still plenty of coverage to be translated. This article, from the November 2010 Kinejun magazine, featured dual interviews with the director and producer.
Despite this being the long slow fade-out phase of Yamato 2199, September 2015 activity was still about the same as the previous three months. Online action, new manga, a pair of hobby shows, and other odds and ends continued to keep the flame lit. Here’s our roundup of the month.
August 2015 was enlivened by news of upcoming products and punctuated by two reliable summer events: Comiket and Chara Hobby. Add in a revival of 2014’s traveling Art Exhibition and a historic SF award, and it starts to look like what we’ve all grown accustomed to over the past few years.
Point of No Return
In the vast space between galaxies, a trap is laid by a patient enemy. Yamato is surrounded. With hell ahead of them and hell behind, there’s no turning back. Yamato, escape this deadly trap!
From the Yamato 2199 Concert 2015 program book: music writer Ryozo Fuwa’s essay on the making of the 2199 music, culminating with Ark of the Stars. He reviews composer Akira Miyagawa’s personal achievements and examines the challenge of not only remaking, but surpassing his father’s work on the original saga.
From the Yamato 2199 Concert 2015 program book: Composer Akira Miyagawa followed in the footsteps of his father Hiroshi Miyagawa to create the music of Yamato 2199, and sound director Tomohiro Yoshida is a self-proclaimed Yamato fan. They talk about the music of both Yamato and Concert 2015.
Going into July 2015, it looked like very little was in store in terms of new activity. A new art book was promised for the end of the month, but there wasn’t much to bridge the gap. But as the month went on, things got progressively more interesting – and then a MASSIVE news flash made it a month we’d never forget.
From fan club magazine Ship’s Log, July 2015. When the curtain closed on Yamato 2199 in May 2015, it was the first time since 2009 that fans had no new production to look forward to. That uncertainty was broken two months later with this interview, containing the official announcement of the next big thing!
The Whisper of the Witch
A siren’s song lures ships to their doom. Snow falls in the emptiness of the void, where a shadow of evil prowls. Yamato is shipwrecked. And inside, no one is to be found. What will Kodai and the others see there?
