{"id":35259,"date":"2023-10-05T12:11:18","date_gmt":"2023-10-05T19:11:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/?p=35259"},"modified":"2024-10-11T15:41:42","modified_gmt":"2024-10-11T22:41:42","slug":"846a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/846a\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Academy Studio, 1978"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"2310icon\"<\/p>\n

The announcement of Farewell to Yamato<\/em> for the summer of 1978 galvanized a whole new media culture into existence. When Academy opened its new production studio in September to make Yamato 2<\/em>, reporters were there, ready to give everyone a chance to see where the magic happened.<\/p>\n

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One of the most significant differences between the making of Yamato<\/em> Series 1 and Series 2 was public perception. In 1974\/75, there was no anime journalism to speak of, so the only visitors to Academy Studio were the few fans who figured out where it was while Series 1 was still on TV.<\/p>\n

All that had changed four years later, largely because of Yamato<\/em> itself. The 1977 feature film struck like lightning, and the announcement of Farewell to Yamato<\/em> for the summer of 1978 galvanized a whole new media culture into existence. By the time Academy opened its new production studio in September to make Yamato 2<\/em>, reporters were ready to rush in.<\/p>\n

On one hand, this created new security concerns that weren’t even an afterthought the first time around. On the other, it gave everyone – including us decades later – a chance to see the actual place where the magic happened.<\/p>\n

Presented here is a compendium of coverage by those privileged few who got an inside look and shared it in print. We start with a special feature from the Farewell to Yamato Encyclopedia<\/em> (Keibunsha Vol. 32, published by Kodansha in January 1979)…<\/p>\n

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Space Battleship Yamato 2<\/em> TV Production Room Close-up coverage!!!<\/h3>\n

The Yamato 2<\/em> production studio is located about 5 minutes from Nerima Station on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line. It is produced by Academy. Today, we visited the studio, which is closed to visitors.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Directors Room<\/h3>\n

CAPTIONS:<\/p>\n

1. Director’s room, the core of the anime production
\n2. Director Ishiguro’s desk
\n3. Mr. Noboru Ishiguro
\n4. Lead Animator Takeshi Shirato’s desk
\n5. Assistant Director Kazanori Tanahashi’s desk<\/p>\n

The production office is on the 2nd floor and the production studio is on the 3rd floor.<\/p>\n

The third floor is the workshop said to be the heart of anime, and off-limits to all but those involved. Right inside to the door are Assistant Director Kazunori Tanahashi, Director Noboru Ishiguro, Chief Animation Director Kenzo Koizumi, Setting Designer Yoshito Hata, and Lead Animator Takeshi Shirato, and Director’s Assistant Michihiro Matano. A staff meeting is held every time they sit down together at their desks.<\/p>\n

The storyboards are drawn from the script, and the characters and mecha that appear are designed. The original drawings are then checked by the director for any deviations in character, movement, etc. Then it is finally handed over to the animators.<\/p>\n

Animation Director<\/span><\/p>\n

Noboru Ishiguro<\/span><\/h3>\n

On Farewell to Yamato<\/em>, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to work on it with the same enthusiasm as before, and I was not confident about taking on the project as an animation director in general, so I joined the film to assist Mr. Katsumada and also because I knew how the previous work was done. I thought that there would be no chance of getting behind schedule and having to stay up all night, but I was very wrong, and ended up living there for two months.<\/span><\/p>\n

(Continued on next page)<\/p>\n

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CAPTIONS:<\/p>\n

1. Storyboard of Yamato 2<\/em> Episode 2
\n2. Chief Animation Director Kenzo Koizumi’s desk
\n3. Assistant director Michihiro Matano<\/p>\n

The finished animation is checked again and passed on to the final stage. This is why the Directors Room is the central workspace of anime.<\/p>\n

Animation Room<\/h3>\n

CAPTIONS:<\/p>\n

4. Tiger Pro Yamato<\/em> team
\n5. Mecha specialist man corner<\/p>\n

In the animation room of the studio, animation artists from Tiger Pro are working in two groups. In addition, there is a mecha animation team next to the production room, which takes care of the very difficult mecha animation.<\/p>\n

Noboru Ishiguro, continued:<\/em><\/p>\n

To be honest, I was worn out from that and wanted to take a rest, but I was very nervous about Yamato 2<\/em> because it has become such a well-known work and it couldn’t be done carelessly. The main staff was almost the same as in the previous TV series, and I was courted by them.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the other hand, the significance of Yamato<\/em> to my career as an animator is very important to me. I wanted to be thoroughly involved in it, regardless of my own limitations. Anyway, one of the things that saved me was the fact that I could work with the same staff. It would have been a shame if I was the only one left.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was not unreasonable on a two-and-a-half-hour film to occasionally miss things or be unable to finish drawing something. But for the TV version, I thought I could give it another try. So I’d like to do the TV series in my own way, and I think it would be good to have a story that is different from that of the theater.<\/span><\/p>\n

The main plot is based on the movie, but it has been changed in many different directions. Mr. Matsumoto is also very enthusiastic about it, so please look forward to it.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Art Room<\/h3>\n

CAPTIONS:<\/p>\n

1. Art director Geki Katsumata’s desk
\n2. Illustrated books are used for background reference
\n3. The antagonists were designed to have a strong sense of sharpness
\n4. Ms. Yamaguchi, cel inspector<\/p>\n

In the art room, there is a desk for Geki Katsumata, the art director. The original background layouts are checked and sent to a studio that specializes in drawing backgrounds. The finished backgrounds are then checked and organized.<\/p>\n

The painted cels are checked for color differences, and then put together with the backgrounds. Then enhancements are added, such as special effects applied with brushes. The cels are placed on the wall so that the color of the character can be seen at a glance.<\/p>\n

Lead Animator<\/span><\/p>\n

Takeshi Shirato<\/span><\/h3>\n

At first, I couldn’t believe that something like Yamato<\/em> could actually move. I didn’t think so until I saw it on film. After I tried it, I was surprised to see that it moved quite well. There have been a lot of robot things, but the degree of precision is different from that.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now I don’t have any problem. I just draw it as usual. The effort is the same, but the attitude is different. And this is not limited to Yamato<\/em>, but is also true with new works. I always have the enthusiasm to do something different, even if I can’t do it at first.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Special Effects – Special Features and Editing<\/h3>\n

CAPTIONS:<\/p>\n

1. Special effects room brush area
\n2. Mr. Itayoshi creating special effects
\n3. Mr. Tanahashi during film editing
\n4. The archive room, which is strictly off-limits to all but those directly involved, is where the film cels are stored<\/p>\n

After special effects are added, the completed cels are checked again so that they are ready for shooting. This is called “special development” and takes place in a dedicated room on the fourth floor.<\/p>\n

The scenes are shot and then edited to create a complete film. This process is also carried out in the presence of the director.<\/p>\n

Assistant Director<\/span><\/p>\n

Kazunori Tanahashi<\/span><\/h3>\n

I love working on this and I’m really into it, but I think there was a little more enthusiasm in Part 1. That’s not to say there isn’t any now, but there were some people who were really enthusiastic.<\/span><\/p>\n

Technically speaking, Part 1 was made five years ago. There are a few things I’d like to do more than we used to. I don’t know how far I can go, because it’s a very tight schedule at the moment. There are many cases where we don’t have time to do something I wish we could do.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Afreco<\/h3>\n

CAPTIONS:<\/p>\n

1. Mr. Ogata (Analyzer) holding a script
\n2. Kei Tomiyama (Kodai) in afreco
\n3. It is difficult to look at the script and the screen at the same time
\n4. Mr. Ibu (Dessler) with his hair all back<\/p>\n

The process of adding sound to a film is called afreco [after recording]. Work on Yamato<\/em> is done at Tohokushinsha’s A Studio near Akasaka-mitsuke, Tokyo. After visiting the production studio, we went all the way to the afreco studio.<\/p>\n

Yomiuri TV Producer<\/span><\/p>\n

Moto Fukuo<\/span><\/h3>\n

Up until now, science fiction animation has been all about monsters and robots. In the case of the previous Yamato<\/em> work, the battleship Yamato<\/em> of the former Imperial Japanese Navy took off into the sky. It was an interesting and outlandish idea, but the theatrical version was a hit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Part 2 isn’t appealing just because of that. It’s still a transforming, monstrous, coalescing thing on its own. Yamato 2<\/em> is a human drama, not a ready-made sci-fi anime. The romance between Kodai and Yuki Mori on the Earth side is also a part of it. I would like to make Yamato 2<\/em> a human drama by contrasting that with the appeal of the enemy or the appeal of evil.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Afreco<\/h3>\n

CAPTIONS:<\/p>\n

1. Mr. Tomiyama
\n2. Ms. Asagami
\n3. Mr. Ibu<\/p>\n

4. Yamato 2<\/em> is slightly different from Farewell to Yamato<\/em>. In terms of voices, Sabera of the White Comet Empire and Teresa the antimatter goddess have been replaced. Let’s introduce the two of them.<\/p>\n

5. Mari Okamoto (Sabera)
\nFreelancer
\nOther works: Time Bokan, Yatterman<\/em>, etc.<\/p>\n

6. Noriko Ohara (Teresa)
\nSeiji Productions
\nPerformed in Heidi, Future Boy Conan<\/em>, etc.<\/p>\n

7. Keisuke Yamashita was replaced by Kazuo Hayashi as the voice of Nanbu.<\/p>\n

8. Narrator Akira Kimura looks like a different person with a thick mustache and a white beard.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Join the Yamato<\/em> fan club!<\/h3>\n

CAPTIONS:<\/p>\n

1. Five women are very busy!
\n2. Taking a short break
\n3. Sorting out shipping arrangements<\/p>\n

Have you ever heard of the Space Battleship Yamato<\/em> Fan Club Headquarters? There are countless Yamato<\/em> fan clubs throughout Japan, but there is only one place that can be called the headquarters.<\/p>\n

What we do is publish a Yamato<\/em> magazine every two months. It contains information and materials about Yamato<\/em>, fan pages, introduction of fan clubs, etc. The color pages are also beautiful.<\/p>\n

You can get copies of the setting materials and discounted prices on Yamato<\/em> products. You can also borrow cels, storyboards, scripts of theatrical and international versions, scripts of TV episodes, etc. You can even rent them, just by paying the shipping costs.<\/p>\n

Anyway, as far as Yamato<\/em> is concerned, it is a fan club in the same place where the series is actually made. Needless to say, that makes it official. We are very busy with correspondence to each fan club.<\/p>\n

<\/br><\/p>\n

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RELATED ARTICLES<\/p>\n

Yamato 2<\/em> Pre-production<\/a><\/p>\n

Staff interviews, 1978 & 1979<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/br><\/p>\n

The following magazines were published in November 1978…<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Manific<\/em> #1, December 1978 issue<\/h3>\n

At this point in time, there were just two magazines in existence devoted to anime: OUT<\/em> and Animage<\/em>. In November 1978, a third magazine joined their ranks: Manific<\/em>, from Rapport publishing. It got off to a rocky start, only available directly from the publisher rather than in bookstores. It lacked the flash of Animage<\/em> and the mileage of OUT<\/em>, so the editors tried to set it apart by focusing on older anime (along with some live-action titles) that wasn’t getting attention elsewhere; a respectable goal, but not conducive to high sales.<\/p>\n

Despite this, they also knew what fans wanted to read, so the very first article in their very first issue was a 4-page “studio report” in which they visited Academy Productions in the early days of Yamato 2<\/em>, at a time when the staff didn’t actually know how the series would end. Read that article here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Videoimage<\/em> No. 3, January 1979 issue<\/h3>\n

Published by the ambitiously-named Video Life Company, the mission of Videoimage<\/em> was to aggressively advance video technology into the consumer sphere. The magazine was loaded with product reviews and dialogue with professionals at every level, including (at least in this issue) anime production.<\/p>\n

That mission led them to a tour of Academy Studio for a look at the production of Yamato 2<\/em> from the ground up, ending with (of course) a question about the involvement of video tape recorders (VTR).<\/p>\n

What was the answer? Find out here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Asahi Shimbun<\/em> article<\/h3>\n

On January 11, 1979, the evening edition of the Asahi Shimun [Newspaper]<\/em> offered fans a nice surprise; a brief “behind the scenes” article on Yamato 2<\/em> in which a reporter visited both the voice recording studio and Office Academy for an inside look at the production.<\/p>\n

Read the article here<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/br><\/p>\n

Continue to part 2: Inside the studio with Mimi<\/em> magazine (December 1978)<\/a><\/p>\n

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