A pair of weekly magazines, published just six days apart, each took a snapshot of the rapidly evolving youth culture that was boosting anime to unprecedented popularity. Space Battleship Yamato was the engine that drove these articles, giving us a revealing analysis of both the observers and the observed.
Chapter 3 closed in theaters after a successful run as the first month of the 6-month wait for Chapter 4 continued the rolling wave of news flashes and online coverage. Drop in a major hobby show and the Radio Suite for 2025 and you’ve got yourself a Yamato party.
From the pages of the 3199 Chapter 3 program book: Mecha Designer Mika Akitaka connects the past to the present with a discussion of how Dezarium’s mecha design evolved from its original 1980 forms to what we see in the remake series.
When the new year began, all the strategizing for this phase of Yamato history was in full effect. While new music was being written, the story draft for Final Yamato was dusted off and returned to development. In this report, we examine the first three months of 1982.
In part 1, Hikawa discussed the birth of Yamato fandom in Japan. Here, he recounts the media he absorbed as a child, the impact it had on subsequent generations, and the birth of fan clubs that laid the groundwork for everything we see today.
April 2025 didn’t just bring us the premiere of Chapter 3, it turned into one of the biggest months in Yamato history with new merch, live events, online publishing, and much more, something for every single day! Get comfortable and we’ll dig through ALL of it. [3 pages]
“Miroku” is a Japanese blogger and Yamato fan who works in America as a business consultant. This unique convergence provided the basis to ask what lessons Yamato has for people in the business world. A detailed investigation in this blog series digs into the series and delivers advice just about everyone can use.
With Final Yamato development on hold, attention turned to methods for keeping Yamato in the public eye rather than letting it go dormant. While these plans were being made, a slow but steady patter of new products closed out the year. Here’s what the conclusion of 1981 looked like…
March 2025 did not deliver a movie premiere, but was still the biggest month we’ve seen since 3199‘s debut. Centered around the 50th Anniversary Exhibition in Tokyo, there was Yamato action to be found every day for the entire month, making for a big report. [2 pages]
It’s hard to imagine a more comprehensive, more inspired, more lovingly curated presentation than what fans in Tokyo got to see from March 15 to 31. Presented here is a simulated walkthrough of the entire exhibition, made possible by the many fans who shared their photos on social media.
While the creative minds at West Cape Corporation continued building Final Yamato, word of its development worked its way beyond the borders of the official fan club. Be Forever got its first TV broadcast, and new voices were heard from distant Osaka that would later shake and shape the world of anime.
A little over a year after Star Blazers premiered in America, it burst onto TV screens in Italy with a different theme song, a localized dub, and a wave of unique merchandising seen nowhere else. Fortunately, it’s been preserved for posterity.
A photo journal of my experience building this model with spicy commentary. If you’re in a position to build it yourself, there will be tips and tricks. If you’re not, this can simply be a vicarious experience. And at the end, unlike me, you won’t have to figure out where to put the thing.
February was less about products and more about announcements, but you can’t lament a month that includes two concerts, a major hobby show, and a brand new trailer for REBEL 3199 Chapter 3! Here’s the wind that kept the flags waving in February…
After the final episode of Yamato III aired in early April, Exec Producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki found himself in an uncommon situation. For the first time since early 1978, he had no new anime in production. As echoes of his massive success story continued to ripple outward, conversations began about where the ship would go next.
Publisher Asahi Sonorama became the very first source for Yamato anime-on-demand when they released a set of three 8mm film reels on November 1, 1977. Each included sound and color with a running time of 10-12 minutes. Thanks to modern technology, the 8mm films can be seen again here and now.
As a new year began, Yamato world added another month of activity to the record. Most of it happened online, but the 50th anniversary screenings and a few physical products made their way into reality as well. He’s the record for January 2025…
After a banner year like 1980, it could only be expected that Yamato activity would decline, and it certainly did. In this time period, the second half of Yamato III was accompanied by a slew of publishing and two new albums, as the appearance of a new competitor inspired Yoshinobu Nishizaki to take action…
From the pages of Spectator magazine, August 2024: O.G. superfan Ryusuke Hikawa discusses the birth of Yamato fandom in Japan with an unprecedented level of detail, including his visits to the production studio during Series 1 and what he did with the treasures he was given there.
When Symphonic Suite was released to the world in December 1977, it revolutionized the field of anime music. The liner notes presented a conversation between the two men most responsible for making it happen. They are translated here to enhance your appreciation of this amazing body of work.
Of the four different Final Yamato novelizations, the one most strongly remembered was published by Tokuma Shoten in the “AM Juju” library. Written by Keigo Masaki and illustrated by animator Yoshinori Kanada, it is presented here chapter by chapter in English.
REBEL 3199 Chapter 2 dominated theaters in December with new things constantly popping up. When the Studio Khara screenings took over, it meant Yamato was on the big screen literally every day for the entire month. Here’s how you bring an already banger Yamato year to a close. [3 pages]
From the pages of the REBEL 3199 Chapter 2 program book: Junichiro Tamamori discusses the evolution of Yamato‘s design into the realm of a Be Forever remake, along with the genesis of the Cosmo Hound based on its earliest development in 1980.
As we look back over the entire sweep of 1980, December was the lightest month with the least amount of activity. That wasn’t the case for Yoshinobu Nishizaki, since the cutdown of Yamato III made the future less certain. But the present was still a great place to be if you were a fan. Here’s how this rollercoaster year came to a close…
Published December 2024 on Phile Web: an extensive interview with the sound engineers who revived and remixed the classic 1977 Symphonic Suite album for Yamato‘s 50th anniversary. What did it take to make a revered masterpiece sound even better? Find out here.
