In the last of his passionate essays on the making of Series 1, Ryusuke Hikawa examines the special techniques of wave animation as a unique fusion of technology and art. He draws parallels with the Space Battleship Yamato saga as an open ocean of creativity, leading to 2199 and other waves yet to come.
With so much energy being poured into Yamato 2199, sometimes you have to remind yourself that there’s an enormous body of work preceding it. To aid this effort, here’s a look back at everything that happened with the rest of the Space Battleship Yamato saga as it marked its 40th anniversary in 2014. [2 pages]
A substantial variety of interviews with voice actors for Kodai and Mikage, Director Yutaka Izubuchi, Composer Akira Miyazawa, Producer Shoji Nishizaki, and musician Taro Hakase. Originally published in the Ark of the Stars program book (December 2014).
With the premiere day of Ark of the Stars in the rear view mirror, things slowed down somewhat for the rest of the month; December 7-31 saw roughly the same activity as the first five days. But even by itself, that would still count as an above-average month with new products in practically every category. [2 pages]
On this, probably the single busiest day in Yamato history, Ark of the Stars could be seen by anyone in range of a Japanese movie theater, along with a historic amount of related activity. This report is entirely devoted to everything that happened on December 6, 2014. [2 pages]
December 2014 broke the record for the most Yamato activity in a single month, EVER. So much happened that it has been broken into three separate reports for easier reading. This first portion covers December 1-5, in which new music, new books, a chocolate Yamato and more marked the approach of Ark of the Stars. [2 pages]
The December 2014 release of Ark of the Stars was especially busy in the area of print media coverage. Here is a comprehensive collection of articles from multiple sources, providing several interviews with cast and crew, background info on the story, a guide to how anime is made, and much more.
Farewell to the Solar System
With different emotions in each of their hearts, the crew of Yamato now leaves the solar system behind. Before them lies a galaxy no human has ever seen. Say a prayer for those who set sail, and a goodbye to those left behind. Let your feelings be heard. Farewell, Earth. We will return! We will return!
Daniel George’s second trip to Japan spanned an impressive four weeks, culminating with the premiere of Ark of the Stars. In part 1, he begins in Tokyo and drops all the way down south for encounters with planes, trains, late autumn leaves, castles, a steaming volcano, and more. [2 pages]
November 2014 dialed activity up intensely when A Voyage to Remember arrived on home video, and the promotional campaign for Ark of the Stars went nuclear. A rush of products and announcements later in the month gave us the clear signal that Yamato fever was back! [3 pages]
During the final countdown to the premiere of Ark of the Stars, Director Yutaka Izubuchi finally broke several months of silence with his first interview of 2014. Here he explains when and how the idea of the film was first proposed and what steps were taken to lay its foundations. (From Yamato 2199 Pia)
Three English-speaking Yamato fans make the trek to Tokyo for the premiere of Ark of the Stars and find adventure around every corner. This part covers December 5-7 with their first viewing of the film, the merchandising bonanza, and discoveries in both Tokyo and Osaka, all documented in words and pictures.
The voyage continues from December 8-12 with excursions to the Ghibli Museum, the world of Gundam, a 2199 Art Exhibition and photographic communion with the 1/100 Yamato model, new product discoveries, two more viewings of Ark of the Stars and much more. It’s almost as much fun as being there yourself!
Luis Cotovio examines the amazing title sequence of Yamato 2199 and reveals the tribute it pays to its source material via a scene-by-scene comparison with the original 1974 Space Battleship Yamato opening.
