From the Voyage to Remember movie program book: Director Takeo Kato and Writer Shigeru Morita discuss the nitty-gritty of how they struggled to cut Yamato 2199 down to a single feature film without losing the essence of the story – a task neither fully appreciated until they became responsible for it.
Koichi Yamadera is unique among Yamato voice actors, having played the top two characters at different times: Kodai and Dessler. This makes him an interesting guy to talk to, and resulted in these three publicity interviews for A Voyage to Remember, all published on October 10, 2014.
The Sun Sets on Pluto Yamato sinks into the Pluto sea. Yamato, rise… Rise, Yamato! The people of Earth await your return. It is their last hope. Open the vents! Raise Yamato! Target the hidden enemy base, and fire a shot into the aurora-filled skies!
September 2014: this month was all about buildup to the October release of A Voyage to Remember. The heavy pace of public events got even heavier, especially when four of them collided in one spectacular weekend. And then there was the unexpected announcement from Hollywood. [3 pages]
In a unique behind-the-scenes seminar at Kyoto International Manga Anime Fair, the curtain was lifted for an inside view of the anime business with 2199 as a focal point. The presentation was given by series producer Mikio Gunji, and it painted a revealing picture of the risks required to produce a modern-day anime series.
Great Mechanics DX #30 maintained its groundbreaking reputation by becoming the first magazine to feature in-depth coverage of the 2199 movies. Writer Shigeru Morita and Producer Mikio Gunji were both interviewed about the creation of a new chapter in Yamato history.
The Trap on All Sides
The planet with the king of the dead’s name stands before Yamato. Unless the planet is overcome, humanity has no future. All crew, battle stations! Our target is Pluto! Can Yamato break through the trap that lies in wait? The biggest battle of the solar system begins.
August 2014 had a little bit of everything; public events continued and a healthy wave of new products emerged on all fronts. But the biggest news was a brand new trailer for Ark of the Stars that gave us our first look at what was in store. Here’s everything that went on during this exciting month. [2 pages]
For the second year in a row, a high-profile hotel in Japan played host to a Yamato 2199 public event, and this year it was Yamato 2199 World at the Rihga Royal Hotel in Osaka. From August 14-16, fans could party like it’s 2199. Find out what they got up to via their pictures and blogs.
July 2014: a BIG month with a lot of BIG things going on in all areas of Yamato land. A record number of live events swept over Japan (plus two in America), a major campaign with a tourist company kicked into motion, new products popped up everywhere, and the REALLY big news happened in the model kit world. [2 pages]
Gravestone on a Frozen Field
The Wave-Motion Gun… Its terrifying power has damaged Yamato itself. A mysterious distress call…different feelings…what will the man of the sea decide? And Kodai sees a hero, who rests upon a frozen satellite. A requiem sounds in empty space.
Escape from the Jupiter Sphere
The time has come to set sail. Yamato heads for the planet of hope. You…you are the only ones who can save Earth! Cross the light barrier and fly, Yamato! And now, Yamato‘s true form is revealed. What terrifying power does it hold?
Within the first six months of Yamato 2199 magazine coverage, the true standout for quality reporting was Great Mechanics DX magazine, published by Futaba Co. We followed them issue by issue here, but left out this portion of issue #21, which was published in June 2012. Fortunately, the information is timeless…
June 2014 brings us news of Yamato on the big screen in America, a wave of new model kits including Mecha Collection #4, the 1/500 Yamato expansion sets, and the 1/12 Analyzer, a big lineup of event announcements, the latest magazine coverage, a long-awaited art book, some unusual surprises, and more.
Toward a Sea of Stars
Earth is on the verge of destruction. Now, humanity’s last hope takes flight. The name of the ship is Yamato. They leave Earth behind and set a course for unexplored space. There are 365 days left before humanity becomes extinct.
May 2014 is destined to be remembered as the month we all learned where 2199 is going next, with the first teaser trailer for Ark of the Stars. New products were released and announced, and news broke of an orchestral alliance. Here’s everything that happened in this intriguing month…
Messenger of Iscandar
The year is 2199 A.D. and Earth is on the verge of extinction. According to scientists, there is only one year left until the human race becomes extinct. This is the story of the Space Battleship Yamato.
April 2014 was a very active month for 2199 with some major news and product announcements. The focal point for this was most definitely the Yamato 2199 Gengaten [Art Exhibition] in the Ikebukuro district of Tokyo, which was reminiscent of a movie opening with all the trimmings. [2 pages]
March 2014: Bandai took a month off from releasing new model kits, but all regular activity continued non-stop with the announcement of an art exhibition and a dazzling smart phone game, a new book from Hobby Japan, more manga, more figures, more doujinshi, and even some secret historical trivia that made it a colorful month.
Model Graphix #352 contained a major cover story on Yamato 2199 that included an extensive 4-page interview with Yutaka Izubuchi, his first since the conclusion of 2199. Here, he shares his perspective at the end of one road and the beginning of the next.
February 2014 was marked by a wave of new products and figures to accompany the 2014 Winter Wonder Festival, Banpresto’s “Best Lottery” goods arrived in stores, Star Blazers 2199 made its North American debut, and Ship’s Log #6 published the first director interview on the 2014 feature film. See all that and more! [2 pages]
From Model Graphix magazine #352: Since releasing the Bandai 1/350 Space Battleship Yamato model, Mr. Kishiyama has been involved with a flood of Yamato kits in quick succession. Of course, he also plays an active role as a developer of Yamato 2199 overall. He shares his passionate thoughts here.
Bandai Visual’s video release of Yamato 2199 was (and continues to be) the single most important element of the production. While the English subtitles clarify the story for us, however, the rest of the package is entirely in its native language. The main purpose of this videography is to sort all that out. [2 pages]
When Yamato 2199 was released on home video in Japan, each of the seven volumes came with 12-page, full color introductory booklets covering the episodes found on that disc. Each booklet ended with a brief essay by a heavy hitter from the production crew, both old and new. Those seven essays are presented here.
January 2014 saw an increase in online activity in the US, the first of the Garmillas carrier models, Best Lottery products from Banpresto, the GX-64 Yamato, the biggest magazine article yet in Model Graphix, manga from both Nico Nico Ace and Comic Blade, Plex’s first bridge paper model, and more!
The Garmillas design book from Yamato 2199 is the most comprehensive reference for the series. This extends beyond the exquisite artwork to include a collection of interviews with key staff members, including this one-of-a-kind essay by the linguist who created the Garmillas language from scratch.
From Model Graphix magazine #352: this article took its name from a pivotal website once run by Junichiro Tamamori, who would become the mecha designer for Yamato 2199 a few years later. Presented here are essays by both Mr. Tamamori and manga artist Michio Murakawa about the origins of 2199 mecha design.
If you’re a fan who’s been watching things for a while, part of the fun in seeing Yamato 2199 bloom and develop was catching the occasional homage to the past. The animation itself was full of them, but here we focus on other clever and creative nods to the past which proved that history was not forgotten.
