{"id":30907,"date":"2021-10-13T14:24:12","date_gmt":"2021-10-13T21:24:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/?p=30907"},"modified":"2021-11-13T22:52:43","modified_gmt":"2021-11-14T06:52:43","slug":"583a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/583a\/","title":{"rendered":"Space Battleship Yamato 2202<\/em> Report 63"},"content":{"rendered":"

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September 2021 was a month of news from multiple directions and included the long-awaited revival of the original saga. With Yamato 2205<\/em> just over the horizon, Aquarius Algorithm<\/em> reawakened the sleeping giant of the past. Here’s how it all went down\u2026<\/p>\n

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September 1: 1\/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 136<\/h3>\n

This month’s weekly volumes from Hachette started with the mirror of last month’s, this time with the ship’s port-side nameplate panel. Plus guns and fiber optic cables, because that’s what this model is all about.<\/p>\n

See Hachette’s instruction video here<\/a><\/p>\n

See an unboxing video here<\/a><\/p>\n

See a modeler’s blog here<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

September 7: Hideki Oka’s Tweetstorm<\/h3>\n

Hideki Oka joined the production team as a scriptwriter on Yamato 2202<\/em> (working under Harutoshi Fukui) and continues in the same role on Yamato 2205<\/em>. And boy, this guy can talk. He served as a consultant for the Aquarius Algorithm<\/em> spinoff novel, and he explained the creative process in a massive Twitter thread that started 20 days before the book was published. It’s loaded with interesting details, especially when the trivia starts flying.<\/p>\n

Read the entire thread here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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September 7: RIP Eiichi Yamamoto<\/h3>\n

Another of the original Space Battleship Yamato<\/em> luminaries departed for eternity on this day. Eiichi Yamamoto was there from the very beginning, working alongside Yoshinobu Nishizaki at Osamu Tezuka’s Mushi Pro Studio and then joining him to launch Yamato<\/em> from the ground up. He worked with the core writing team and brought all the ideas together into a 45-page plan book<\/a> in 1973 that became the foundation for everything moving forward. He returned to the fold to participate in the writing of Yamato III<\/em> and Final Yamato<\/em>.<\/p>\n

But Yamato<\/em> was only part of his extensive career, which began with the founding of Mushi Pro. His first anime production was Astro Boy<\/em>, which led to him directing the first mature-audience feature film classics 1001 Nights, Cleopatra<\/em>, and Belladona of Sorrow<\/em>. In 1989, he wrote a novel titled The Rise and Fall of Mushi Pro<\/em>, a fictionalized account of his time at the studio that became a focal point for anime researchers. Following this, he teamed up with Nishizaki again for Yamato 2520<\/em> and the first attempt to make Resurrection<\/em> in the early 90s.<\/p>\n

He was lost to heart failure on September 7. Please stand and render a proper Yamato<\/em> Salute.<\/p>\n

See a list of his credits at Anime News Network here<\/a>.<\/p>\n


\nPhoto at right posted on Twitter by Take Channel 36<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

September 8: 1\/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 137<\/h3>\n

The second volume of the month added the next hull panel to the port side, which gave last week’s guns a place to attach.<\/p>\n

See Hachette’s instruction video here<\/a><\/p>\n

See an unboxing video here<\/a><\/p>\n

See a modeler’s blog here<\/a><\/p>\n

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September 8: Ikuko Kawai CD: Always ~ Masterpiece Story<\/em><\/h3>\n

Music completists added another title to their search lists when this disc was released by internationally-known violinist Ikuko Kawai. It features 26 east-meets-west tracks that puts the Yamato<\/em> Theme in the company of The Sound of Music, Whole New World, Ave Maria<\/em>, and Dancing Queen<\/em> (among others).<\/p>\n

Get it at Amazon.co.jp here<\/a> or CD Japan here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hear the entire album on Youtube here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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September 10: Yu Watari on Twitter<\/h3>\n

We haven’t encountered the name “Yu Watari” before, which is reminder that for every piece of Yamato<\/em> art that ends up on one product or another, there’s an experienced artist who sweated over it and probably endured a grueling approval process. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Yu Watari revealed himself as one such artist when he shared these images on Twitter, describing them as illustrations for Yamato<\/em> products sold by the official fan club via Yamato Crew<\/a>. These are rough versions of the finished pieces, demonstrating a small part of the creative process.<\/p>\n

Find lots more interesting art on Yu Watari’s Twitter page here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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September 10: Star Blazers Lambda<\/em> Chapter 17<\/h3>\n

In this chapter of the Space Battleship Yamato Next<\/em> manga, Yu Yamato is back on Earth with his grandparents, adrift after his devastating loss against the Seireness. There, he discovers a puzzle piece from his mother’s history. Meanwhile, Nirvana chooses the next Topness pilot to join the fray.<\/p>\n

See the chapter with description here<\/a>. <\/p>\n

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September 13: Yamato 2199<\/em> French edition, Vol. 2<\/h3>\n

French distributor Dybex released the first half of Yamato 2199<\/em> in July 2020, and the followup set finally appeared on this day. As you can see, it’s as loaded as it gets, easily the most bonus-heavy version of the series on Earth. Friend of the website Luis Cotovio describes it thus:<\/p>\n

After delays due to Covid and a further month’s delay due to a printing misshap, the second 2199<\/em> Collector’s set by Dybex has arrived. Same outstanding materials as in the first set, with five books (Yamato Technical Manual<\/em> Vol.2 (108p), Garmillas and Iscandar<\/em> Vol. 1 (60p) and Vol. 2 (92p), Great Imperial Garmillas Astrofleet<\/em> (114p) and Great Magellanic Cloud<\/em> (40p). A lot of background images from the Complete Works<\/em> books are presented here in a much more pleasing size. The digipack includes 2 Blu-Rays and 2 DVDs with episodes 14 to 26.<\/span><\/p>\n


\nText on front: “Juzo Okita, Hero of the 2nd Battle of Mars, 8\/12\/2141”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Also included is a double-sided poster and six prints. The printing misshap (which I thought had something to do with the books) probably happened with the Ark of the Stars<\/em> discs. I say this because I got 2 copies of both the Blu-Ray and DVD. But while the ones packed in the set have a standard label, the duplicates that came in plastic envelopes resemble vinyl records and are probably meant to replace the ones in the pack. A final bonus they had not disclosed is a pretty nifty Okita comemorative coin.<\/span><\/p>\n

See an unboxing thread on Twitter here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Order your own copy of the set directly from Dybex here<\/a> (inside the EU) or here<\/a> (outside the EU).<\/p>\n

The first set is still available here<\/a> (inside the EU) or here<\/a> (outside the EU).<\/p>\n

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September 15: 1\/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 138<\/h3>\n

Another big step was taken this week when a belly panel arrived, allowing the two lateral segments to join up and then mate with the completed bow section. As you can see from the assembly photo, this beast is already longer than the largest Andromeda<\/em> model kit.<\/p>\n


\nPhoto posted on Twitter by Take Channel 36<\/em><\/p>\n

See Hachette’s instruction video here<\/a><\/p>\n

See an unboxing video here<\/a><\/p>\n

See a modeler’s blog here<\/a><\/p>\n

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September 16: Space manga poll<\/h3>\n

September 12 is “Space Day” in Japan, commemorating JAXA Astronaut Mamoru Mohri<\/a>‘s launch on STS-47 in 1992 (he launched again on STS-99 in 2000). To mark this day, the online Voice Note<\/em> Magazine conducted a poll among 300 readers to rank their favorite “space manga.” The results were published on September 16.<\/p>\n

Unsurprisingly, the top slot was taken by the highly deserving Space Brothers<\/em>, a series that has been running since 2007. It documents the life and times of two Japanese brothers as they train and become astronauts. (If you haven’t read it or seen the anime, change that ASAP. All the manga is available at Comixology, and the series is out from Sentai Filmworks.)<\/p>\n

Leiji Matsumoto’s version of Space Battleship Yamato<\/em> came in at number two, an impressive feat given all the competition. A collection of reader comments read as follows:<\/p>\n

The touch of the picture is good and the characters are unique.<\/span><\/p>\n

The way of life of the future warriors who travel to the farthest reaches of space to save the earth made me feel longing and reliance.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

The crew members who went out into space with tragic determination were cool. I was glad that even the villains had a reason to fight.<\/span><\/p>\n

The more I watched the series, the more I was drawn into the world of Yamato<\/em>. When I was a child, the battleship Yamato<\/em> flew into space to save Earth, and I remember being amazed at the idea of such a huge battleship flying in the sky.<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s an old work, but it’s interesting because it seems to predict the near future.<\/span><\/p>\n

I like Leiji Matsumoto’s works.<\/span><\/p>\n

I like the fact that it doesn’t feel old even though it’s more than 40 years old.<\/span><\/p>\n

I read the manga when I was a child and thought they were cool. The animation was good, but the manga had its own merits.<\/span><\/p>\n

I realized that manga has a grandeur beyond human comprehension.<\/span><\/p>\n

The story of the Earth Defense Forces was novel at a time when it was unthinkable to go to space. The story of Yamato<\/em>, the symbolic Japanese battleship, becoming a spaceship was also novel and good.<\/span><\/p>\n

The battleship Yamato<\/em> operating in space was very appealing.<\/span><\/p>\n

See the original article and the rest of the rankings here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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September 18: Yuya Takashima’s blog<\/h3>\n

Yuya Takashima is a name we’ll be hearing more often. He’s a progressive Japanese SF novelist who joined the world of Yamato<\/em> with the groundbreaking Aquarius Algorithm<\/em>, originally serialized in the fan club magazine and slated for publication as a single volume on September 27. As the publishing date approached, he wrote an entry on his personal blog to explain the genesis of the project and his role in it.<\/p>\n

Read it – and much more about the book – here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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September 22: 1\/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 139<\/h3>\n

When the large hull parts came together in the previous week’s volume, they created a spray of fiber optic cables from multiple directions. A junction box came to the rescue this week, allowing builders to secure everything for internal lighting.<\/p>\n

See Hachette’s instruction video here<\/a><\/p>\n

See an unboxing video here<\/a><\/p>\n

See a modeler’s blog here<\/a><\/p>\n

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September 23: Age of Yamato<\/em> back in theaters<\/h3>\n

With Yamato 2205<\/em> fast approaching, anyone who missed Age of Yamato<\/em> in June got a chance to correct this grave error when it re-opened in four theaters (located in four different cities) for a week leading up to September 30. Those who attended got free postcards featuring the 2205<\/em> teaser and poster art (above center and right). The 6-minute 2205<\/em> preview that accompanied the film in its later weeks was also included.<\/p>\n

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September 24: Aquarius Algorithm<\/em> postcard set<\/h3>\n

The Aquarius Algorithm<\/em> novel was three days away when Yamato Crew offered the first spinoff product, a set of 15 postcards reproducing the internal illustrations by Ryujo [Umegrafix] Umeno.<\/p>\n

See larger images here<\/a> (end of the page).<\/p>\n

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September 25: Doro Off Online<\/h3>\n

Professional modeler Dorobou Hige lends his name to “Doro Off,” an annual exhibition where some of Japan’s finest fantasy modelers assemble to show their latest masterpieces. We’ve covered it here in past reports, since Yamato<\/em> models regularly appear. For the second year running, the pandemic turned Doro Off into an online event where everyone can browse the exhibits on Twitter instead. Yamato<\/em> models turned up again, naturally, but there’s a lot more to be seen as well.<\/p>\n

Visit the Twitter page here<\/a><\/p>\n

Find the Doro Off website (with archives) here<\/a> and Dorobou Hige’s modeling blog here<\/a><\/p>\n

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September 27: Dawn Chapter, Aquarius Algorithm<\/em> novel<\/h3>\n

Ever since Yamato 2199<\/em> launched the “reboot universe,” longtime fans have been wondering if there would ever be a return to the original saga. This is the answer to that question: a new novel that explores, for the first time, the gap between Final Yamato<\/em> (1983) and the still-unresolved Yamato Resurrection<\/em> (2009). Written by Yuya Takashima with the help of a superfan brain trust called Asteroid 6, it takes the Kodai family to the Aquarius iceberg where Yamato<\/em> is mysteriously coming back to life.<\/p>\n

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The paper and Kindle versions of the book were published on the 27th, and immediately jumped to the number 1 ranking in Amazon.co.jp’s novels category. Those who ordered their copy from Yamato Crew received the four trading cards shown above, containing mecha designs from the story. Order your copy from Amazon.co.jp here<\/a> and see the first 30 pages at Bookwalker<\/em> here<\/a> (click on the cover image to open the viewer).<\/p>\n

Obviously, this is a big project with major implications; there will be more to this story, and the staff has stated that it is the first step to open a path to a Resurrection<\/em> sequel.<\/p>\n

Find out much more about the book here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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September 29: 1\/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 140<\/h3>\n

After last week’s painstaking work, the priority this week was to start covering it up with upper hull parts. As of now, the model is theoretically half-finished. But it sure looks like more than half the ship is still undelivered. With 30 volumes left, it will be fun to watch.<\/p>\n

See Hachette’s instruction video here<\/a><\/p>\n

See an unboxing video here<\/a><\/p>\n

See a modeler’s blog here<\/a><\/p>\n

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September 30: Concert video<\/h3>\n

In past reports for June and July, we heard all about the Yamato & Villains<\/em> concerts performed in Osaka and Tokyo. Now we can all witness the concert itself, or at least part of it; Siena Wind Orchestra posted the first half of their July 4 performance in Tokyo on Youtube. (One guess what was played on the massive pipe organ!) To sweeten it even more, they added English subtitles to Akira Miyagawa’s onstage monologue for the first time ever.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> for 42 minutes of bliss and cross your fingers for the second half to follow.<\/p>\n

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And\u2026that’s it? Yes. And no.<\/p>\n

NO, because there was also plenty of Yamato 2205<\/em> news in September. YES, because this is the FINAL Yamato 2202<\/em> Report! The handoff from Yamato 2199<\/em> to 2202<\/em> took place back in May 2017, and now it’s time for another. Let’s hope it becomes a tradition.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> for the rest of the September news as Yamato 2205<\/em> takes the helm and steers us into the future!<\/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":[132],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-yamato-2202-reports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30907","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=30907"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30907\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31008,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30907\/revisions\/31008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}