{"id":26048,"date":"2019-01-08T23:53:24","date_gmt":"2019-01-09T07:53:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/?p=26048"},"modified":"2019-01-14T22:41:56","modified_gmt":"2019-01-15T06:41:56","slug":"362a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/362a\/","title":{"rendered":"Yutaka Izubuchi interview, October 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"1901icon\"<\/p>\n

It is a little-known fact that Yamato 2199<\/em> Director Yutaka Izubuchi got his start very early when he participated in both Yamato III<\/em> and Final Yamato<\/em> as a fresh-faced newcomer. Here, he discusses his earliest experiences as both a fan and a staff member.<\/p>\n

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In October 2018, Fukkan Publishing released upgraded versions of Leiji Matsumoto’s original Yamato<\/em> manga in three volumes, which stretched to include a full reprint of the Yamato III<\/em> manga by Matsumoto’s assistant Hiroshi Aizawa. This was enough of a connection for them to add an interview with Yamato 2199<\/em> Director Yutaka Izubuchi, who actually participated in both Yamato III<\/em> and Final Yamato<\/em> as a fresh-faced newcomer. Here, he discusses his earliest experiences as both a fan and a staff member.<\/p>\n

Talking about Space Battleship Yamato<\/em><\/h2>\n

Interview by Katsunori Anzai<\/em><\/p>\n

Yutaka Izubuchi, an ardent Yamato<\/em> fan since the first TV broadcast in 1974, served as the General Director of Yamato 2199<\/em> 2199. We asked him for his thoughts about Space Battleship Yamato<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> Could you tell me about your first encounter with Yamato<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Izubuchi:<\/em><\/span> By chance, I read an introductory article about the anime version in Terebi Land<\/em> magazine (published by Tokuma Shoten). Unfortunately, due to reasons I forget, I missed the first episode and the first one I saw was the second episode.<\/p>\n


\nYamato’s first appearance in Terebi Land magazine, October 1974 issue<\/em><\/p>\n

I chased the show every week, but on the last broadcast day I had to go to Miyake Island on a school trip. I didn\u2019t want to miss it, so I bought a portable TV and watched it on the ferry deck. (Laughs) It was a black & white screen, but I managed to see the finale. Then I started to follow the Yamato<\/em> series as a fan, and I joined the fan club when I was a student, and created one on my own.<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> Was Yamato<\/em> still in your consciousness when you came to work in the anime industry as a mecha designer?<\/p>\n

Izubuchi:<\/em><\/span> That\u2019s right. When I was a young man of twenty, I\u2019d had a long relationship with some seniors in SF fandom, and was introduced to Aritsune Toyota, who had worked on Yamato<\/em> from the first draft. I asked him if I could work as an assistant in coming up with images for SF concepts on the Yamato III<\/em> TV series (1980-81), and while I participated without a second thought, at that time I didn\u2019t think I\u2019d be allowed to do design work, too.<\/p>\n


\nRough mecha designs for Yamato III<\/em><\/p>\n

As a director on Yamato III<\/em> (in collaboration with Leiji Matsumoto), Eiichi Yamamoto seemed to have the plan of starting over again, and doing things that couldn\u2019t be done in the first series. I remember that the idea of the Galmans as related to the Gamilas was in Yamamoto\u2019s first plot. In addition to the Galman Empire and the Bolar Commonwealth, there was also an initial concept for the United States of Zeni, but they ended up not appearing. As you can see, they were the Germans, the Soviets, and America, symbolic of World War II. It was Mr. Toyota\u2019s idea for Yamato<\/em> to launch as the sun was becoming a red giant. <\/p>\n

At first I joined Mr. Toyota\u2019s side on the \u201cdesign concept research staff\u201d because I was an enthusiastic fan of the original Yamato<\/em>, and I actively put out ideas for designs I wanted to do. It came to me in dribs and drabs, and I found it to be really fun.<\/p>\n


\nGalman Reflection Satellite Gun, Yamato III<\/em><\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> What were some of the new mecha and art designs and weapons concepts that were added through your participation?<\/p>\n

Izubuchi:<\/em><\/span> I was in charge of the reflection satellite gun and a fighter (Zeaddler III), Dagon\u2019s command saucer, and Arizona<\/em>. Arizona<\/em> in particular was originally going to be done by [mecha designer] Katsumi Itabashi, but I have a feeling that Yasuhito Yamaki (design production) had asked too much of him and I was allowed to do just one ship. Mr. Matsumoto also worked on the first version of Dessler\u2019s palace, and I remember that it took two or three tries.<\/p>\n

Since the Gamilas Empire was the basis for the mecha and art of the Galman Empire, I wanted to handle those designs. When it seemed like the design wouldn\u2019t get done on time, I suggested they reuse old Gamilas ships. Also, Talan didn\u2019t appear at first and I said, let\u2019s give this one to Talan. (Laughs) However, Mr. Nishizaki pulled out an overseas art book and said, \u201cThe mecha is like this.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nGalman Zeaddler III fighter, Yamato III<\/em><\/p>\n

I thought he was telling me to \u201cDo this,\u201d but I thought, \u201cI don\u2019t want to go the way of a rip-off\u201d so I had a hard time rethinking the design. (Laughs) I believe this is about where the idea was brought up for something that would hide in another dimension in order to avoid being detected by Yamato<\/em>\u2019s radar and sonar system. The idea for it came out here, and it was handed off to Katsumi Itabashi. The example of a multidimensional submarine or a twin-hull, triple-deck carrier was given. Since Mr. Toyota\u2019s SF research helped with the practicality of it, that was the basic form of it. (Laughs) <\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> Do you remember having any direct exchanges with Mr. Matsumoto?<\/p>\n

Izubuchi:<\/em><\/span> I only met with Leiji Matsumoto once during the production. It was at a conference of the production staff where I got into a whirlwind of arguments with Mr. Nishizaki about \u201cWhen you do and don\u2019t wear space suit.\u201d (Laughs)<\/p>\n

It was a scene where the dimensional submarine is entering Gaidel\u2019s space fortress, and the picture came up in the storyboard of a canopy-like cover on the upper hull of the submarine. Frakken seemed to be looking at the fortress from inside it, but when Mr. Nishizaki saw it he said, \u201cWhat is this, why can\u2019t he just go out without the cover?\u201d He wanted it to be done \u201cwithout a space suit.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It seemed Mr. Nishizaki also wanted him to have a flapping cape, and since I was there as an assistant in SF research rather than fantasy, I said, \u201cIf he did that he would die. The first series was so good because it did that properly.\u201d Then Mr. Nishizaki said, \u201cI did that in the first series! Kodai and Shima were out on the deck.\u201d<\/p>\n

I retaliated with, \u201cNo, no, you said you wanted them to fight on the deck, and Noburo Ishiguro added a dome-shaped cover (aka barrier dome) to the deck.\u201d<\/p>\n

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But Nishizaki wouldn\u2019t be beaten. \u201cYou don\u2019t know this, but there\u2019s a scene where Yuki and Susumu Kodai take a ceremonial photograph, and that was in space!\u201d And he said it with a smile. (Laughs)<\/p>\n

I was making trouble, but there was a model of Yamato<\/em> in the conference room and I pointed to the rear observation dome behind the bridge. \u201cIt\u2019s all right, because that\u2019s there\u201d he said, as if we were doing a comedy routine. (Laughs)<\/p>\n

Mr. Matsumoto came in at just that time, and since he was of the same generation as Mr. Nishizaki, he understood what he was saying. \u201cThis young guy says this, Mr. Matsumoto.\u201d He implicitly asked for help, and Mr. Matsumoto brushed him off. \u201cIf you do that, Mr. Nishizaki, you\u2019ll be laughed at.\u201d Mr. Nishizaki didn\u2019t want to let me win, but he also made some concessions and I convinced him to let Frakken wear a space suit.<\/p>\n

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But as expected, Nishizaki wasn\u2019t finished. (Laughs) At the end of Yamato III<\/em>, there\u2019s a scene of Kodai facing Dessler in space. Before I could say anything, he barked at me, \u201cOkay, you should keep quiet on this one.\u201d I had to give up on that. I had a feeling I was on thin ice, so I said, \u201cYes, I understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Nishizaki was a person you just couldn\u2019t hate, and now it has become a good memory. (Laughs)<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> You were still a budding staff member, so your ideas weren\u2019t necessarily adopted. Following that, you later worked on Final Yamato<\/em> (1983) as a mecha designer. Were there other points where opinions on the production side differed about SF concepts and designs?<\/p>\n


\nSpace Battleship Arizona, Yamato III<\/em><\/p>\n

Izubuchi:<\/em><\/span> In Final Yamato<\/em>, of course, there was the big problem of how to bring Captain Okita back to life (who was supposed to have died in the first series). A great, cosmic catastrophe was planned for the beginning, from an illustration in a science magazine of two galaxies colliding. However, even if galaxies collided at the speed of light, it would take 100,000 years, and it was absurd that a galaxy that hadn\u2019t been observed in the first place would suddenly crash into ours. But if one of the galaxies invaded ours from another dimension, it would be established as an SF-style touch, and I thought it would be possible to revive Okita if he came from the Earth of a parallel world.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

It was a last resort, but if another Milky Way existed in parallel and Earth had been occupied by Gamilas in that world, there would be a decaying Yamato<\/em> on the red Earth there that never flew. I thought about the concept of Captain Okita living alone in that ship, and what if the interpretation was that that Captain Okita came to this galaxy from the other side of the parallel? I proposed it, but Mr. Nishizaki couldn\u2019t understand the concept of a parallel world, so \u201cI made a misdiagnosis\u201d in the end. (Laughs)<\/p>\n[Translator\u2019s note: he\u2019s quoting Dr. Sado\u2019s explanation from Final Yamato<\/em>.]
<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

However, Okita was actually restored to life after a misdiagnosis, and based on that I didn\u2019t think he was the same person as Captain Okita from the first series. In fact, it felt close to the last scene of Farewell to Yamato<\/em>. The soul of Captain Okita tells Kodai, \u201cYou still have your life,\u201d and in response to that, Kodai is surrounded by Yuki the spirits of the dead, then they are guided in a suicide attack by Teresa, like the Bodhisattva.<\/p>\n

This was not Okita, it was a different person than the indomitable Okita from the first series, who endured humiliation with clenched teeth and aimed for survival. Therefore, Kodai may have seen living characters among the spirits of the dead, but my interpretation was \u201cThis is clearly a delusion in Kodai\u2019s brain, and Okita is an illusion, too.\u201d Since he wants those around him to agree with what he\u2019s doing, Kodai personally does this within himself in order to allow himself to do it. That’s how I make sense of it.<\/p>\n

One of Mr. Matsumoto\u2019s works is the Battlefield<\/em> manga series, and even if you\u2019re in a losing battle you want to fire back and be full of pride. There is also the aesthetic of someone who doesn\u2019t win, and those who fall, and I feel that such essence was concentrated in the Captain Okita of the first Yamato<\/em>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I was a Yamato<\/em> fan who got to participate on site in the production staff, then I was also granted the rare experience to oversee a remake version later, and I still see it as a privilege. I think Mr. Matsumoto, who created the visual concept, was someone who led the movement of SF visuals in Japan afterward. The gallery completely changed from before Yamato<\/em> to after Yamato<\/em>. You could say that Leiji meters were always drawn after Yamato<\/em>. His influence was great. He\u2019s still the charismatic person who made me strongly aware of mecha design.<\/p>\n


\nDagon\u2019s twin saucer command ship, Yamato III<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,22,119],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26048","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles-1984-now","category-articles-series-3","category-others-interviews-essays"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26048","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26048"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26048\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26075,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26048\/revisions\/26075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}