![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a25.JPG\")
<\/p>\n
October: merchandising begins<\/h3>\n
We’ve seen so much merch from later years, it’s easy to forget how extensive the first generation of Yamato<\/em> products was. Much of it was dismissed for a simple and rather disastrous decision; since “TV Manga” was assumed to be strictly for kids, all the Yamato<\/em> merch was tailored to them. The actual audience for the show, preteens and teenagers, had mostly outgrown it before it even landed on store shelves.<\/p>\n Compounding this problem, the first wave of products took its art cues from preproduction materials that no longer looked like the TV series, placing it in a strange, ambiguous nether-world (especially the goods that featured Captain Harlock). There were a few standouts, but for the most part the entire product line went unappreciated.<\/p>\n You can probably guess where things stand today; this body of merchandising is now prized by collectors for what it represents historically: a time capsule filled with one misguided curio after another. See an extensive photo gallery here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Of all the strange merchandising choices mentioned above, this was one of the strangest. It was Volume 102 of a long-running series that paired image cards with a 10-minute flexidisc record that told a story with actors and sound effects. The problem was that (again) none of the images looked like anything on TV, and nothing heard on the record sounded like it. It is quite possibly the single most inauthentic product from this time period. So, of course, you just HAVE to experience it for yourself.<\/p>\n See and hear it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n In Yuki Hijiri’s manga, the ship launched in chapter 1. This time, it went into battle against a Gamilas fleet and started its first space warp.<\/p>\n Another significant artifact from this issue was three spectacular pages of original art by Hitoshi Ikematsu (shown here) that were tragically never seen again in print again.<\/p>\n The second chapter of Leiji Matsumoto’s manga appeared in this issue, along with three bonus pages. The story content encompassed TV Episode 2 and most of 3, ending with the giant Gamilas missile about to strike the launching Yamato<\/em>.<\/p>\n Bonus content included a single-page piece on the Wave-Motion Gun and the color spread shown above.<\/p>\n <\/br><\/p>\n And here we have manga adaptation number three! Akira Hio\u2019s version varied from its source material as much as all the other contemporary retellings. Unlike Leiji Matsumoto, Hio wasn\u2019t working to meet a monthly deadline for a periodical. Instead, Asahi Sonorama would debut it in paperback form. This dictated a much earlier start time, since all 206 pages of the first book were to be published only a month after the TV series began. <\/p>\n Thus, Hio had to begin work in spring 1974, when the series was still in preproduction and there wasn’t even a pilot film yet. At best, he could only use the rough designs and early scripts (by Keisuke Fujikawa) that existed when his pencil first hit paper. From then on, he had no choice but to fill in the blanks with his own vivid imagination.<\/p>\n Read all about this manga here<\/a><\/p>\n Read an extensive 2014 interview with Akira Hio here<\/a><\/p>\n A bit of trivia: Leiji Matsumoto is credited on the cover for character design. This was essentially true. When Hio started drawing, Matsumoto had done an initial round, and that’s likely what Hio based his work on. But those designs were not final; they went on to be modified by other artists, so no single person could be accurately credited as Character Designer on the anime.<\/p>\n Escape the floating continent! Crisis calls the Wave-Motion Gun!<\/em> Read our commentary here<\/a><\/p>\n Part 3 of the picture story serial, still ahead of the TV series, got all the way through the content for Episode 5 and the first firing of the Wave-Motion Gun.<\/p>\n Read it here<\/a><\/p>\n Space Destroyer Yukikaze sleeps in the icefield<\/em> Read our commentary here<\/a><\/p>\n Within two weeks of the Sonorama single, the songs were released again from the master label for Yamato<\/em> music. The dual licensing was made possible by the different formats. Whereas Sonorama had the rights for phonosheets, Nippon Columbia had the lock on vinyl. This was somewhat risky since it was meant for older collectors, and Yamato<\/em>‘s appeal to an older audience was an unknown factor. Fortunately for all involved, the bet paid off handsomely in the long run and the opening theme eventually became the unofficial national anthem of Japan.<\/p>\n The Columbia single included a two-sided color foldout that slightly enlarged the catalog of images in print. Remember, there was considered to be no market at all for anime books in 1974, so fans had to make do with these scattered tidbits. Some made up for this by planting cameras in front of their TV screens.<\/p>\n Six weeks into the broadcast, both Kodai and Yamato<\/em> had earned their spot on the monthly anime promo spread.<\/p>\n Yamato sinks! Fateful battle to destroy the enemy stronghold!<\/em> Read our commentary here<\/a><\/p>\n Yamato braves death! Destroy the Reflex Gun!<\/em> Read our commentary here<\/a><\/p>\n It was right around this time (late November) that things on the production side went from bad to worse. As if all the other problems weren’t enough, Yamato<\/em> had been on the losing side of a ratings battle from its very first episode. Rather than an enemy armada from outer space, its greatest enemy turned out to be a cute little girl from Switzerland. Heidi, Girl of the Alps<\/em>, was on a rival network in the same timeslot, and it was already a ratings juggernaut thanks to family viewing (not to mention the directorial efforts of a young Hayao Miyazaki).<\/p>\n Yamato<\/em> got clobbered in the ratings every week, and the Yomiuri network’s answer was to chicken out; its commitment to 39 episodes dropped to 26, requiring the entire story to be restructured on the fly. Gone was an entire arc in the Lesser Magellanic Cloud, gone was a longer return trip to Earth, and gone was any involvement with Captain Harlock. Fortunately, he had his own path to follow. (See a complete record of the Yamato<\/em>\/Harlock relationship here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Going forward, the production crew vowed to put everything they had into the only mature SF anime they would probably ever get to make, and fans only got echoes the missing content from the various adaptations. On the other hand, when they learned what had happened, it lit a fire like none seen before. Ultimately, that fire would burn brighter than anyone could imagine in those dark days.<\/p>\n Revolving defense! Asteroid belt! Read our commentary here<\/a><\/p>\n In the third chapter of Yuki Hijiri’s manga, Yamato<\/em> unleashed the Wave-Motion Gun on an experimental Gamilas ship that was capable of fragmenting itself and then reforming, a feature that may have influenced the forthcoming Balanadon episode of the TV series.<\/p>\n Elsewhere in the issue, three more original color pages appeared with painted art by Tatsuji Kajita…<\/p>\n …along with a cutaway diagram of the Cosmo Zero that was never seen again. This, unfortunately, was the last of the bonus art to be seen in Terebi Land<\/em>. <\/p>\n In the third chapter of Leiji Matsumoto’s manga, Yamato<\/em> escaped the giant Gamilas missile, warped past Mars, and blew away Jupiter’s floating continent in just 31 pages. But, of course, the TV series had traversed all of that material a month earlier.<\/p>\n Despite starting a month ahead of the broadcast, the picture story serial in Fifth Grader<\/em> had now fallen behind, covering the first Pluto episode three weeks after it aired.<\/p>\n Read it here<\/a><\/p>\n Farewell, solar system! From the Galaxy, with love<\/em> Read our commentary here<\/a><\/p>\n Nippon Columbia was no slouch when it came to music marketing, finding every opportunity to cross-pollenate the hits. This crossover paired the opening and end themes with those of the live-action Kamen Rider Amazon<\/em>, adding voices and sound effects to the music. (Listen to the Yamato<\/em> tracks here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Many more of these “combo singles” would follow, especially when Yamato<\/em> started climbing the charts. (See a bunch of them here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Resolution! Break through the Gamilas absolute defense line!<\/em> Read our commentary here<\/a><\/p>\n This one-of-a-kind volume from Asahi Sonorama was the first true Yamato<\/em> art book, a combination of stills from the series and original illustrations by mecha design house Studio Nue. The high quality of the artwork represented a turning point away from second-hand interpretations. Thus, this book is now coveted by collectors and extremely rare.<\/p>\n See it from cover to cover here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The first pure novelization appeared about three months after the TV series began, and it couldn\u2019t have been more different. It was a hardcover from Asahi Sonorama, followed a few weeks later by a second volume called The Revival of Earth<\/em>. Together, they told a Yamato<\/em> story that was almost unrecognizable.<\/p>\n The author, Arashi Isuzu, was a member of the Mystery Writers of Japan, and brought a very dark sensibility to the adaptation. The effects of the war with Gamilas were much more pronounced, and the characters were all nursing wounds, both physical and emotional. There was far less warmth and heroism in this version, not to mention a third galactic power called the Bolzon that attempted to broker peace between Earth and Gamilas.<\/p>\n Read the entire thing in English here<\/a><\/p>\n Absolute death! The wishing star of Orion, Hell-star!<\/em> Read our commentary here<\/a><\/p>\n <\/br><\/p>\n The second volume of Hio’s manga ran for 201 pages despite the fact that it came out only two months after the first (and the third volume would appear about two months later), a sure sign that it must have been in production well before Volume 1 was published. Its content started from the asteroid defense episode and brought Domel into the fray (named Romel here), ultimately leading to a land battle on Balan that involved Captain Harlock.<\/p>\n Most of this content hadn’t been seen on TV yet, and thanks to the episode reduction, some of it never would. On the other hand, the battle on Balan in this manga was fought to liberate prisoners from Gamilas and would later serve as inspiration for the “prison planet Leptapoda” storyline in Yamato 2199<\/em>. (Talk about a deep cut!)<\/p>\n Find more details here<\/a><\/p>\n Hurry, Yamato! Earth is suffering!<\/em> Read our commentary here<\/a><\/p>\n This issue contained the fourth chapter of Yuki Hijiri’s manga, which by this time had almost completely departed from the anime version. For one thing, it included Captain Harlock.<\/p>\n Read all of the Hijiri manga here<\/a><\/p>\n Bandai Mascomi Series 113, approx. 1\/1000<\/em><\/p>\n The first Yamato<\/em> model must have created mixed feelings in every fan of the TV series. Here, at last, was a real-life version of that beautiful ship that you could hold in your own hands. But flip it over, and there was a huge, blocky windup motor with wheels instead of a third bridge. To some, it would have felt like an insult, yet more fallout of the “cartoons are for kids” mentality.<\/p>\n On the other hand, it gave ambitious modelers some motivation to attempt their own modification. There’s some evidence that this model played an important role in the growth of Japan’s huge DIY modeling culture. We see the results every time a photo gallery gets added to a Cosmo DNA report.<\/p>\n Also included was a small Analyzer and a pair of mini-fightercraft that sort of resembled a Cosmo Tiger and a Type 100 Recon Plane.<\/p>\n See video clips of the model in action here<\/a> and here<\/a><\/p>\n Bandai Mascomi Series 112<\/em><\/p>\n Bandai Mascomi Series 116<\/em><\/p>\n The Cosmo Zero and Black Tiger models were both about the same length as Yamato<\/em>, and both came equipped with their own windup motors. But in these cases, it interfered far less with the overall structure and could be left out. The finished models bore a much better resemblance to their animated counterparts, whereas Yamato<\/em> was based on preproduction art. It would take many years of experimentation to come up with a satisfying representation of the title ship.<\/p>\n See a photo gallery of all three models here<\/a><\/p>\n The Yamato<\/em> themes landed on an LP for the first time as the origin year drew to a close. Columbia was already accustomed to collecting OP and ED themes onto records for kids, and this was the first (of many) to include Space Battleship Yamato<\/em> and The Scarlet Scarf.<\/em> It was in odd company, as can be seen by the array of characters on the jacket, but it was compilations like this one that would bring more eyes to the show.<\/p>\n It was still too early for actual soundtrack music to reach the marketplace, but its day was coming, and Yamato<\/em> would deliver the wakeup call. (So to speak.)<\/p>\n Collectors have multiple categories to investigate when hunting down Yamato<\/em> music releases. The most rarified is represented here: independent recordings with very limited pressings. This LP contains the 8th annual recital of the Otsu Children’s Choir, which is still in existence today thanks to continued patronage from NHK broadcasting. It was almost certainly the first time the Yamato<\/em> theme was included in such a recording. It would certainly not be the last.<\/p>\n 1975 brings us the end of Series 1 and the initial wave of merchandising. But it also activates the fan base. The first fan clubs and doujinshis appear, igniting the fuse that will turn a cult favorite into a mainstream colossus.<\/p>\n Click here to read it<\/a><\/p>\n The articles here on Cosmo DNA cover all aspects of Series 1, but here are a few that specifically expand on the production process itself…<\/p>\n A who’s who of the men who made Series 1<\/a><\/p>\n History of the opening theme<\/a><\/p>\n Fans talk about watching Series 1 in real time<\/a><\/p>\n In-depth examination of animation techniques<\/a><\/p>\n 1976 Leiji Matsumoto interview on Series 1<\/a><\/p>\n Leiji Matsumoto’s memories of Series 1<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n 1996 interview with the sound production team<\/a><\/p>\n 2013 interview: Sound Designer Mitsuru Kashiwabara<\/a><\/p>\n Eiichi Yamamoto talks about creating of Series 1<\/a><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a26.JPG\")
<\/p>\nOctober: Space Battleship Yamato Family Picture Story Show<\/em><\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a27.JPG\")
<\/p>\nNovember 1: Terebi Land<\/em> (December issue)<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a28.JPG\")
<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a29.JPG\")
<\/p>\nNovember 2: Bouken Oh<\/em> (December issue)<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a30.JPG\")
<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a31.JPG\")
<\/span><\/p>\nNovember 2: Akira Hio manga, Vol. 1<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a32.JPG\")
<\/p>\nNovember 3: Episode 5<\/h3>\n
\nHidden in the clouds of Planet Jupiter is a giant floating island \u2013 and a secret Gamilas base. Jupiter\u2019s mighty gravity will trap Yamato<\/em> here forever\u2026unless the mighty wave motion gun can set them free!<\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may26\/131b05.JPG\")
<\/p>\nNovember 6: Fifth Grader<\/em>, December issue<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a33.JPG\")
<\/p>\nNovember 10: Episode 6<\/h3>\n
\nWith Yamato<\/em> running low on energy, the crew stops at Saturn\u2019s moon Titan to mine the ore they need to continue the voyage to Iscandar. But they are unprepared for what else they will find!<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a34.JPG\")
<\/p>\nNovember 10: OP\/ED single (Nippon Columbia)<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a35.JPG\")
<\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may26\/131b06.JPG\")
<\/p>\nNovember 16: TV Guide<\/em><\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a36.JPG\")
<\/p>\nNovember 17: Episode 7<\/h3>\n
\nAs Yamato<\/em> approaches Pluto, the ship is attacked by Gamilas\u2019 deadly Reflex Gun, a cannon with unlimited range. Hit and damaged, Yamato<\/em> plummets into the frigid sea of Pluto. Will this become its final resting place?<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a37.JPG\")
<\/p>\nNovember 24: Episode 8<\/h3>\n
\nKodai leads a task force into the Gamilas base on Pluto to find and destroy the Reflex Gun. But Yamato<\/em> is under constant attack, and time is running out!<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/oct11\/61803.JPG\")
<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/oct11\/61807.JPG\")
\nThis 1982 cartoon by animator Toyoo Ashida depicts a family in turmoil over whether to watch<\/em> Yamato<\/em> or<\/em> Heidi.
The father and son are firmly in the <\/em>Yamato<\/em> camp.<\/em><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/jun11\/57601.JPG\")
<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a38.JPG\")
<\/p>\nDecember 1: Episode 9<\/h3>\n
\nYamato<\/em> reaches the edge of the solar system, farther than any humans have travelled. But before they can continue, they have to break a Gamilas blockade \u2013 something no Earth ship has done before!<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a39.JPG\")
<\/p>\nDecember 1: Terebi Land<\/em> (January issue)<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a40.JPG\")
<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a41.JPG\")
<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a42.JPG\")
<\/p>\nDecember 3: Bouken Oh<\/em> (January issue)<\/h3>\n
![](\"http:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may26\/131b07.JPG\")
<\/p>\nDecember 6: Fifth Grader<\/em>, January 1975 issue<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a43.JPG\")
<\/p>\nDecember 8: Episode 10<\/h3>\n
\nAs Yamato<\/em> prepares to leave the solar system and continue on to Iscandar, the crew pauses to say goodbye to their families. They have been tested in battle, but no one has faced a trial like this! <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
December 10: Terebi Manga Action Series<\/em> Crossover single<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/amzsingle2.JPG\")
<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a44.JPG\")
<\/p>\nDecember 15: Episode 11<\/h3>\n
\nDessler, leader of Gamilas, turns blue live on screen, then amuses himself by placing a minefield in Yamato<\/em>‘s path as it plunges into deep space\u2026and his amusement could be the end of the line for the crew!<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a45.JPG\")
<\/p>\nDecember 20: Space Battleship Yamato Big Picture Book<\/em><\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a46.JPG\")
<\/p>\nDecember 20: Novelization Volume 1, The Fall of Earth<\/em><\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a47.JPG\")
<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a49.JPG\")
<\/span><\/p>\nDecember 22: Episode 12<\/h3>\n
\nYamato<\/em> faces two deadly Gamilas traps: an energy net that blocks the way to Iscandar, and a sea of fire that threatens to engulf the ship. Which way do you turn when there is no way out?<\/p>\nDecember 25: Akira Hio manga vol. 2<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a48.JPG\")
<\/p>\nDecember 29: Episode 13<\/h3>\n
\nThe crew captures a Gamilas pilot and gets their first look at the enemy that has nearly destroyed Planet Earth. But to their disbelief, he appears to be as human as they are!<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a56.JPG\")
<\/p>\nDecember 30: Terebi Land<\/em> (February issue)<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a50.JPG\")
\nBox art by Shigeru Komatsuzaki<\/em><\/p>\nDecember: Yamato<\/em> model kit<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a51.JPG\")
<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a52.JPG\")
\nBox art by Shigeru Komatsuzaki<\/em><\/p>\nDecember: Cosmo Zero model kit<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a53.JPG\")
\nBox art by Shigeru Komatsuzaki<\/em><\/p>\nDecember: Black Tiger model kit<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a54.JPG\")
<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/jun22\/LP17a.JPG\")
<\/p>\nDecember: Golden Terebi Manga Big Hit Song 17 LP<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/jun22\/LP17b.JPG\")
<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/apr24\/666achorusLP.JPG\")
<\/p>\nOmi Children’s Song<\/em> LP, date unknown<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/may22\/665a58.JPG\")
<\/p>\nWhat’s Next<\/h3>\n
Related reading<\/h3>\n