{"id":36198,"date":"2024-01-22T21:55:22","date_gmt":"2024-01-23T05:55:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/?p=36198"},"modified":"2026-04-03T12:41:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T19:41:24","slug":"904a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/904a\/","title":{"rendered":"Vintage Report 21: July\/August 1979"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-880 alt=\"2402icon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-content\/uploads\/2402icon.JPG\" width=\"216\" height=\"90\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"cosmo-teaser\">July 1979 delivered a big one-two punch with both of the feature films returning to theaters and <em>The New Voyage<\/em> premiering on TV. It was no accident that these things reinforced each other, making this the third straight summer of <em>Yamato<\/em> fever.<\/p>\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<p><!--more--><!--noteaser--><\/p>\n<p>For a two-month period that didn&#8217;t actually see a large amount of activity, this was a huge moment for <em>Yamato<\/em> fans. July in particular delivered a big one-two punch with both of the feature films returning to theaters and <em>The New Voyage<\/em> premiering on TV. It was no accident that these things reinforced each other, making this the third straight summer of <em>Yamato<\/em> fever.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/apr26\/Julie779.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>July 1: <em>Julie Best Hits<\/em> album<\/h3>\n<p><em>Royal Straight Flush<\/em> was the title of Kenji [Julie] Sawada&#8217;s first best-of album from Polydor; two more would follow with the same name, plus &#8220;II&#8221; and &#8220;III.&#8221; It&#8217;s part of the <em>Yamato<\/em> timeline because it reprinted his studio version of <em>From Yamato With Love<\/em>, giving everyone another chance to scoop it up. This album was later reissued on the Watanabe label in 2005 (for collectors, the serial number is UPCY-9093.)<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a05.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>July 3: <em>Bouken Oh [Adventure King]<\/em>, August issue<\/h3>\n<p>The August 1978 <em>Bouken Oh<\/em> was memorable for a counter-intuitive reason: it was the first month Leiji Matsumoto had to SKIP a chapter of the <em>Yamato 2<\/em> manga serial. The same would be true of the September issue. Why? Because he was busy making his first <em>Galaxy Express<\/em> feature film.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, this was the second issue of <em>Bouken Oh<\/em> to promote <em>The New Voyage<\/em> with an interior foldout. The text reads as follows:<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"color: red;\">Broadcast scheduled for July 31st!!<\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"textBlue\">What about <em>Yamato<\/em>? Where&#8217;s Kodai? Where is Yuki? And Dessler? <em>Yamato<\/em> is coming back in response to the longing of 4 million fans across the country! On July 31, Fuji TV will air the program on 24 stations nationwide!<\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a06.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>July 9: <em>Middle 1st Age<\/em>, August issue<\/h3>\n<p>Since July was the last month for magazines to promote <em>The New Voyage<\/em>, Office Academy did its best to plant a story in as many as possible. This is why they almost all presented the same images, since the content came from a single source. Obunsha&#8217;s student digest for 7th graders was the first of many with a 6-page color feature. It also included the final names of the Dark Nebula officers, which had been in flux until now.<\/p>\n<p>See all the pages <a href='https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/middle1aug79'>here<\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/mar25\/041b14.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>July 9: <em>Middle 2nd Age<\/em>, August issue<\/h3>\n<p>Obunsha&#8217;s student digest for 8th graders took on quite a challenge in this issue, handing over a questionnaire to no less than 75 anime voice actors. Several <em>Yamato<\/em> actors were caught up in the net to contribute their two yen.<\/p>\n<p>Read their answers <a href='https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/m2aaug79'>here<\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a07.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>July 10: <em>Animage<\/em> #14, August issue<\/h3>\n<p><em>Animage<\/em>&#8216;s last <em>New Voyage<\/em> article ran three pages with a fresh story synopsis and an interview with Animation Director Kenzo Koizumi, who talked mainly about how the character depictions had evolved for the film.<\/p>\n<p>Read it <a href='https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/562\/'>here<\/a><\/p>\n<p>It should not escape notice that the cover feature for this issue was closely related to <em>Yamato<\/em>; in just four more days, the <em>Yamato<\/em> Festival would open in theaters, accompanied by an hour-long compilation of Yoshinobu Nishizaki&#8217;s beloved 1972 TV series <a href='https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/95'><em>Triton of the Sea<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a08.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>July 11: <em>Middle 3rd Age<\/em>, August issue<\/h3>\n<p>Obunsha&#8217;s student digest for 9th graders didn&#8217;t publish a <em>New Voyage<\/em> article, but it did include an odd blurb on the &#8220;Hot Line&#8221; page. Time has set this rumor to rights, but make of it what you will&#8230;<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"textBlue\"><em>Space Battleship Yamato<\/em> could possibly make it to a 6th work!<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"textBlue\">On July 31, <em>The New Voyage<\/em> will air as a two-hour feature. There is one more tidbit of information saying that <em>Yamato<\/em> will be aired on TV up to part 6. When we contacted Office Academy, they neither confirmed nor denied it. They said, &#8220;Who said that&#8230;?&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"textBlue\">At any rate, Producer Nishizaki has mentioned that Part 3 will be made next year, and there seems to be a possibility that Part 6 will be made as well. Looks like the <em>Yamato<\/em> whirlwind is still going strong!<\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/dec22\/715a28.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>July 13: <em>Yamato<\/em> special on <em>All Night Nippon<\/em><\/h3>\n<p><em>All Night Nippon<\/em> became the radio home of <em>Yamato<\/em> in December 1977 when the first 4-hour dramatization was broadcast live. It was an adaptation of the Iscandar story with Kodai recording the voyage in his personal logbook, and it also gave fans their first exposure to <em>Symphonic Suite Yamato<\/em>, which was heard in the soundtrack.<\/p>\n<p>Another <em>Yamato<\/em> special on this day gave them the rare chance to hear it again. Read all about it (and listen to it for yourself!) <a href='https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/715a'>here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a09.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>July 14: <em>Yamato<\/em> Festival premieres<\/h3>\n<p>If you were one of the few who still hadn&#8217;t jumped onto the bandwagon, the &#8220;1979 Big Summer Roadshow&#8221; gave you a new opportunity. Starting today, participating theaters offered both <em>Space Battleship Yamato<\/em> and <em>Farewell to Yamato<\/em> in their first-ever double feature for three weeks. Depending on where you saw them, you could also watch the <em>Triton of the Sea<\/em> compilation.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/dec24\/904asummerflyer.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><br \/>\n<em>2-sided flyer<\/em><\/p>\n<p>It marked the first time the TV edition of the <em>Space Battleship Yamato<\/em> movie would be seen on the big screen. As you may recall, the &#8217;77 version had alternate footage of a hologram Starsha on Iscandar. When it was re-edited for its first TV broadcast in August &#8217;78, the &#8220;live Starsha&#8221; storyline was re-established. It then became the standard edition for all subsequent releases.<\/p>\n<p>See a collection of <em>Yamato<\/em> Festival promo materials <a href='https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/79roadshow\/'>here<\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/79program01.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>July 14: <em>Yamato<\/em> Festival program book<\/h3>\n<p>Office Academy created a new 36-page program book for the double feature, this time in landscape format. It featured stills and art from both films, messages from staff and cast, and a new essay by Yoshinobu Nishizaki.<\/p>\n<p>See this program book from cover to cover (and read the essay) <a href='https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/79P'>here<\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a10.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>July 14: <em>Weekly TV Programs<\/em> magazine<\/h3>\n<p>With just over two weeks to go, the weekly <em>TV Guide<\/em>-style magazines that covered the week of <em>New Voyage<\/em>&#8216;s premiere appeared on newsstands everywhere.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a11.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>July 15: <em>Leiji Matsumoto World of SF<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>The day after the <em>Yamato<\/em> Festival began, an extended exhibition opened at the Holiday Square Sports Center in Tokyo. Centered on Leiji Matsumoto&#8217;s works, it was timed to promote both <em>Yamato<\/em> and the forthcoming <em>Galaxy Express 999<\/em> movie. Displays from previous attractions were bolstered with film screenings and materials from other shows including <em>Captain Harlock, Starzinger<\/em>, and <em>Danguard Ace<\/em>. All that remains of it now are leftover flyers.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/KoroJuly7901.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>July 15: <em>Koro Koro Comic<\/em>, August issue<\/h3>\n<p>This marked <em>Yamato<\/em>&#8216;s first known crossover with <em>Koro Koro<\/em>, the monthly manga magazine that was the launching pad for the inescapable <em>Doraemon<\/em>. The first thing readers saw when they opened the cover was an 8-page <em>Yamato<\/em> article that covered <em>The New Voyage<\/em> and took a brief look back at the stories that came before.<\/p>\n<p>See the article <a href='https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/korojuly79\/'>here<\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/907a02.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>July 21: <em>Roadshow<\/em>, September issue<\/h3>\n<p>Fans got an eyeful when <em>Roadshow<\/em> kicked off the month with a 14-page &#8220;Big Anime Special Feature&#8221; that put the spotlight on the <em>Yamato<\/em> movies, <em>The New Voyage<\/em>, and the <em>Galaxy Express 999<\/em> movie that would premiere in early August. Also on hand was an interview with Leiji Matsumoto that had been conducted on July 3.<\/p>\n<p>See the pages and read the interview <a href='https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/907a'>here<\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a12.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>July 21: <em>The Best One<\/em>, September issue<\/h3>\n<p>The third issue of this bimonthly entertainment magazine from Gakken included <em>Yamato<\/em> content in its <em>Anime Channel<\/em> section. As the name implies, this feature devoted its attention to anime on TV and in theaters. Three pages were devoted to <em>The New Voyage<\/em> with one more looking back at the finale of <em>Yamato 2<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>See them all <a href='https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/bestonesept79\/'>here<\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a13.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>July 25: <em>Voice Actor &#038; Animation Encyclopedia<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>By 1979, voice actors were becoming as popular as the characters they played, and this 274-page book from Tokyo Sansei Co. spent most of its pages profiling 106 of them with questionnaires and dossiers. About a quarter of the book was devoted to a study of anime production, including discussions with prominent industry personnel such as Yoshinobu Nishizaki. <em>The New Voyage<\/em> received a 4-page preview, and a Nishizaki discussion on the role of an anime producer occupied another four.<\/p>\n<p>See all the pages and read the discussion <a href='https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/905a'>here<\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a14.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>July 27: <em>OUT<\/em>, September issue<\/h3>\n<p><em>New Voyage<\/em> coverage this month was similar to the previous issue with two color pages up front (shown below) and a single black and white page (above right) in the back. This single page included a short interview with Director Takeshi Shirato.<\/p>\n<p>Read it <a href='https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/562\/'>here<\/a> (bottom of the page)<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a15.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>TEXT ON RIGHT SIDE:<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"textBlue\">The second color introduction of the telefeature version of <em>Yamato<\/em> is the mecha of the enemy Dark Nebula Empire. The super battleship <em>Goruba<\/em> is especially a must-see! Its bizarre form is ominous. Uh&#8230;is it the curse of Zordar?<\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a16.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>July 30: <em>Farewell to Yamato<\/em> manga reissued<\/h3>\n<p>Akira Hio&#8217;s 3-volume adaptation came back into print all at once on this day with slightly revised cover art, but the insides were just as impressive. Read more about this manga <a href='https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/175'>here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a17.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>July 30: <em>The New Voyage<\/em> radio special on ANN<\/h3>\n<p>The night before the TV debut of <em>The New Voyage<\/em>, Exec Producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki repeated a tried-and-true method of film promotion when he hosted a 4-hour radio special on <em>All Night Nippon<\/em> to talk all about the film. It differed from the previous shows in that it was not, strictly speaking, a radio drama. Instead, Nishizaki played the finished audio mix with breaks for talk show content. He did NOT give away the entire story, ending it with the dramatic scene of Dessler demanding that Kodai fire the Wave-Motion Gun through him to destroy the enemy. Talk about a cliffhanger! Fortunately, fans had to wait less than 24 hours for the resolution.<\/p>\n<p>Want to hear it for yourself? Settle in and enjoy it RIGHT NOW!<\/p>\n<div style=\"width:390px; margin-right: 0px; float: left;\">\n<h3>Hour 1<\/h3>\n<p>Opens with prologue from the film<br \/>\n3:50 Introduction, listener calls<br \/>\n14:45 story segment 1<br \/>\n25:00 Nishizaki talks about the film<br \/>\n29:10 story segment 2<br \/>\n35:25 Nishizaki joined in studio by a very giggly Isao Sasaki<br \/>\n49:25 <em>Yamato!! The New Voyage<\/em> song played<\/p>\n<p><audio controls style=\"width:360px; background-color:black;\"><source src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/audio-files\/NVradio1.mp3\" type=\"audio\/mpeg\"><\/audio>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"width:390px; margin-right: 0px; float: right;\">\n<h3>Hour 2<\/h3>\n<p>Opens with story segment 3<br \/>\n10:00 Nishizaki &#038; Sasaki joined by voice actors for Tokugawa and Sakamoto<br \/>\n22:35 listener calls<br \/>\n30:35 story segment 4<br \/>\n42:11 music talk<br \/>\n<\/br><br \/>\n<audio controls style=\"width:360px; background-color:black;\"><source src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/audio-files\/NVradio2.mp3\" type=\"audio\/mpeg\"><\/audio>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width:390px; margin-right: 0px; float: left;\">\n<h3>Hour 3<\/h3>\n<p>Opens with listener calls<br \/>\n7:30 production talk &#038; Dessler theme<br \/>\n17:30 story segment 5<br \/>\n31:05 listener calls &#038; Starsha theme<br \/>\n43:15 story segment 6<\/p>\n<p><audio controls style=\"width:360px; background-color:black;\"><source src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/audio-files\/NVradio3.mp3\" type=\"audio\/mpeg\"><\/audio>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"width:390px; margin-right: 0px; float: right;\">\n<h3>Hour 4<\/h3>\n<p>Opens with story segment 7<br \/>\n8:45 story background and music talk<br \/>\n28:20 story segment 8<br \/>\n40:00 listener calls<br \/>\n47:50 signoff<\/p>\n<p><audio controls style=\"width:360px; background-color:black;\"><source src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/audio-files\/NVradio4.mp3\" type=\"audio\/mpeg\"><\/audio>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/br><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a18.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>July 31: <em>The New Voyage<\/em> premiere<\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"image-right\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/apr11\/56108.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Typical of <em>Yamato<\/em>&#8216;s track record, <em>The New Voyage<\/em> blazed a new path for anime with the tele-feature format (which would also be used to launch <em>Blue Noah<\/em>) and was aired on the Fuji TV network, which created a stir all by itself. Fuji was a much bigger entity than Yomiuri, the network that had run both of the TV series. This was proven in 1978 when Fuji won the bid for broadcast rights to the first <em>Yamato<\/em> movie, a victory that put them first in line for this new offering. (Read the eye-popping story of Fuji&#8217;s bid <a href='https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/788a'>here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<p>This brought a major ratings battle to Japanese television, which <em>Yamato<\/em> handily won over professional baseball and even the Moscow Olympics. Indeed, <em>The New Voyage<\/em> achieved a commanding share of 31% in its premiere, which beat even <em>Yamato 2<\/em>&#8216;s highest rating on Yomiuri (27.7% for the final episode) and opened up other networks for anime programming.<\/p>\n<p>The movie was advertised in mainstream newspapers published on or just before July 31, which also announced a quiz competition. The first to write in and correctly identify the name of the enemy commander that <em>Yamato<\/em> fought would win an original cel. Thus, participants had to watch the show to get the answer.<\/p>\n<p>Years later, <em>The New Voyage<\/em> would become a pivotal entry point for fans outside Japan who had seen <em>Star Blazers<\/em> and were ready to transition into the world of <em>Yamato<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Read a full account of the making of the film <a href='https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/561'>here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div class='clear'>\n<h3>Also spotted in July<\/h3>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a19.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>EDF Battleship model<\/em><\/p>\n<p>This was the first model from Bandai to include bonus kits, the Comet Empire &#8220;Deathvatator&#8221; and &#8220;Eater II&#8221; fighters.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a20.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>EDF Patrol cruiser model<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Included a medical shuttle bonus kit.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a21.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>Mecha Collection model 13: EDF Patrol Cruiser with mini Cosmo Tiger II<\/em><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a22.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>Mecha Collection model 14: Comet Empire Battleship<\/em><\/p>\n<p>This one earned a notorious reputation for being very difficult to build; so much so that when Writer Harutoshi Fukui started work on <em>Yamato 2202<\/em>, he made sure to put it in the first episode hoping it would motivate Bandai to make an easier one. (They did.)<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a23.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>Mecha Collection model 15: Gamilas destroyer with Comet Empire space submarine<\/em><\/p>\n<p>This was the first kit in the Mecha Collection series to jump backward to Series 1. It would not be the last.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a24.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>Parody Version Space Battleship Yamato 2 doujinshi<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Published by a fan named Shima Asuka (probably a pen name), this &#8216;zine was a was a parody manga of <em>Farewell to Yamato<\/em>. It clocked in at 34 pages under the heading Sigma Section Comics No. 1. <\/p>\n<p>See it from cover to cover <a href='https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/paro\/'>here<\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a25.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Anime magazines published in July: <em>Animage<\/em> (August issue, Tokuma Shoten), <em>OUT<\/em> (September issue, Minori Shobo).<\/p>\n<p><\/br><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div class='clear'>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a26.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>August 1: <em>The New Voyage<\/em> singles<\/h3>\n<p>In a feat of exquisite timing, two new 45rpm singles from <em>The New Voyage<\/em> arrived in stores just one day after the film&#8217;s debut. The first (at left) combined <em>Yamato!! The New Voyage<\/em> with <em>Starsha, Thoughts Among the Stars<\/em>, an &#8220;image song&#8221; originally released in  June 1978. The second (at right) combined the emotional <em>Sasha My Love<\/em> with <em>Starsha&#8230;Be Forever<\/em>, a track lifted from the <em>Symphonic Suite.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Read more in the <em>The New Voyage<\/em> discography <a href='https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/244'>here<\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/aug25\/064b39.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>August 1: <em>1st Grader<\/em>, September issue<\/h3>\n<p>You might think 6-year-olds were a little outside of the appropriate age range for <em>Farewell to Yamato<\/em>, but Shogakukan was willing to put that to the test with a 4-page article comparing the mecha of Earth and Gatlantis.<\/p>\n<p>See the pages <a href='https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/1stgrader979'>here<\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a27.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>August 3: <em>Asahi Shimbun<\/em> article<\/h3>\n<p>Speaking of music, the next thing to pop up was a short essay in the <em>Sound Anatomy<\/em> column of the <em>Asahi Shimbun<\/em> (newspaper), written by none other than Composer Hiroshi Miyagawa. Always known for speaking his mind, he titled the column &#8220;Days of fighting against Nishizaki the <em>Yamato<\/em> producer,&#8221; and made sure everyone knew what that experience was like.<\/p>\n<p>Read the essay <a href='https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/908a'>here<\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a35.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>August 4: <em>Galaxy Express 999<\/em> movie premiere<\/h3>\n<p>Leiji Matsumoto&#8217;s fortunes were so closely intertwined with <em>Yamato<\/em> that it&#8217;s difficult to talk about one without including the other. It&#8217;s only proper then to enter Matsumoto&#8217;s first &#8220;solo film&#8221; into the record. He&#8217;d been involved with his own TV productions since <em>Danguard Ace<\/em> debuted in March 1977, but this was his first big budget, big screen project, and to no one&#8217;s surprise it became a major hit that would lead to many more. Naturally, it reduced Matsumoto&#8217;s availability for future <em>Yamato<\/em> productions, but he was always in the mix somewhere.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a28.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>August 5: <em>The Anime<\/em> pictorial magazine<\/h3>\n<p>Scholars of anime journalism know that a publisher named Kindaieigasha (Modern Movie Company) entered the arena of monthly magazines with a publication titled <em>The Anime<\/em>. This, however, wasn&#8217;t it. Instead, it was a one-shot pictorial magazine showcasing the rise of theatrical and TV anime such as <em>Yamato, Galaxy Express, Lupin III, Future Boy Conan<\/em>, and many others. It appeared in bookstores just one day after the premiere of the <em>Galaxy Express<\/em> movie, which probably explains the timing.<\/p>\n<p>The monthly version of <em>The Anime<\/em> would launch in December with the same format and cover logo. If this one-shot was intended as a trial balloon, we can all assume it was a successful one. <em>Yamato<\/em> got five pages of color coverage near the front of the book, right after the <em>Galaxy Express<\/em> feature. <\/p>\n<p>See the pages <a href='https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/theanimeaug79\/'>here<\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/mar24\/919a01.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>August 21: <em>Roadshow<\/em>, October issue<\/h3>\n<p>Fans who kept an eye on Shueisha&#8217;s large-format movie magazine would have been delighted to find promotion for the first <em>New Voyage<\/em> book inside; Shueisha was hard at work putting together a <em>New Voyage<\/em> special under the <em>Roadshow<\/em> imprint for publishing in October. (The ad said September 10, but the book itself says October 10, so we&#8217;ll take the book&#8217;s word for it.)<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/mar24\/919a02.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Also found in these pages was a 2-page spread looking back at <em>The New Voyage<\/em> and trumpeting its incredible reception in July. The text read as follows:<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"textBlue\">Explosive ratings for the July 31st telecast<\/span><\/h3>\n<h2 style=\"color: red;\">Farewell, Starsha! Be Forever, Iscandar!<\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"textBlue\">\u201cMamoru, I love you. I&#8217;ll be by your side forever&#8230; As long as our daughter Sasha is here, we will always be together&#8230;&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"textBlue\">&#8212; Leaving a great impression, Starsha went somewhere in the universe. Mamoru, Dessler, and Kodai continued to gaze after her with all their senses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"textBlue\">The telefeature <em>The New Voyage<\/em> aired on Fuji TV on the evening of July 31 (Tuesday) from 7:30 p.m., and was welcomed by fans nationwide with a high 30.5% viewer rating. However, although the super giant mother ship Goruba was destroyed, the Dark Nebula Uralia, a formidable foe, still lurks in one corner of the universe, its evil eye glaring.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"textBlue\">And what will be the fate of Starsha&#8217;s child, Sasha&#8230;? We await the next work for <em>Space Battleship Yamato<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a29.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>August 25: <em>Yamato<\/em> Fan Club Magazine #11<\/h3>\n<p>As expected, <em>The New Voyage<\/em> was this issue&#8217;s cover story (a photo feature and fan comments), followed by a report on the <em>Yamato<\/em> Festival. The back cover (above right) offered lyrics for the two new songs that were released at the start of the month.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a30.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Most surprising, however, was the first announcement anywhere for the next Yoshinobu Nishizaki production, scheduled to hit the airwaves as a telefeature on October 31. Where would it take us? Find out <a href='https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/100'>here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div class='clear'>\n<h3>Also spotted in August<\/h3>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/158\/Kit26.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>1\/700 EDF Flagship Andromeda<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Debuting a full year after <em>Farewell<\/em> opened, this was actually the fourth <em>Andromeda<\/em> model you could buy (after the first two from Nomura and the Mecha Collection version from Bandai), but it completely reset the standard. Over 15 inches long, it required almost no painting and came with lights for the engine that could be activated by the sliding Kodai-and-Yuki-shaped switch on the stand. It also touched off a new wave of advertising from Bandai, which can be seen at the end of this page.<\/p>\n<p>If the sight of it makes you hungry for more info, <a href='https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/214a'>click here<\/a> to explore All Things <em>Andromeda<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a31.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>Bandai Space Panorama set 3: The Rival<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In the month of April, Bandai discovered a way to repackage their first ten Mecha Collection models. Two &#8220;Space Panorama&#8221; sets released them in bundles of five with space backdrops to create dioramas. After adding five more models to the Mecha Collection, three more sets followed.<\/p>\n<p>This one pitted <em>Yamato<\/em> and a Cosmo Tiger against Dessler&#8217;s Battleship, a Gamilas Destroyer, and a Comet Empire Destroyer.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a32.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>Bandai Space Panorama set 4: Decisive Battle at Saturn<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Andromeda<\/em> and EDF Destroyers vs. Comet Empire Battleship, Missile Ship, and Naska&#8217;s Carrier.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a33.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>Bandai Space Panorama set 5: Fierce Battle of the City Empire<\/em><\/p>\n<p>EDF Battleship, Patrol Cruiser, and Frigate vs. Baruze&#8217;s Carrier and Zordar&#8217;s Super Giant Battleship.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/nov24\/immortalhero79.JPG\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<p><em>Immortal Hero Series, Vol. 7<\/em><\/p>\n<p>From Victor Music came a series of ten EPs, each containing six themes from anime and tokusatsu programs. Each song was a cover version, which cleared the rights for inclusion. <em>Yamato<\/em> could be found on volume 7.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a34.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Anime magazines for August: <em>Animage<\/em> (September issue, Tokuma Shoten), <em>OUT<\/em> (October issue, Minori Shobo). Interestingly, they put the primary opponents from <em>Mobile Suit Gundam<\/em> right next to each other. Coincidence&#8230;?<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a36.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>What&#8217;s next<\/h3>\n<p>A new wave of merch and media followed in the wake of <em>The New Voyage<\/em>, but we all knew where the REAL news was: right there on our own TV sets in America where <em>Star Blazers<\/em> ignited a whole new army of fans. Of course, we had no idea how late to the party we were, seeing as <em>Blue Noah<\/em> would debut on Japanese TV just over a month after our intro to <em>Yamato<\/em>. It has all been put into proper context in Vintage Report 22 <a href='https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/919a'>here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div class='clear'>\n<p>Bandai promotion, late summer and early fall<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a37.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a38.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a39.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a40.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault-images\/feb24\/904a41.JPG\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><\/br><\/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":[19,155],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles-new-voyage","category-vintage-reports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36198","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=36198"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43649,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36198\/revisions\/43649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}