{"id":37697,"date":"2022-08-10T12:27:35","date_gmt":"2022-08-10T19:27:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/?p=37697"},"modified":"2024-11-10T10:43:59","modified_gmt":"2024-11-10T18:43:59","slug":"974a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/974a\/","title":{"rendered":"Vintage Report 27, Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Back up to Part 1<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

July 19: Mainichi Shimbun<\/em> article<\/h3>\n

Did you know that creating animation is a LOT of work? That’s what a reporter from the Mainichi Shimbun<\/em> [newspaper] found out when he visited the Be Forever<\/em> production site and spoke to various hardworking people there, including Yoshinobu Nishizaki.<\/p>\n

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

<\/p>\n

July 20-22: The Voyage of Adventure Roman<\/em> cruise<\/h3>\n

This event right here was as big and loud and grandiose as it could get. On July 20, Kawasaki Pier was filled with \u201cYamato<\/em> crew members,” the 500 insanely lucky souls who won seats in the ticket lottery on June 29. A passenger ferry, redecorated to look like Yamato<\/em>, launched on a three-day round trip between Kawasaki (Earth) and Hyuga (the New Galaxy). There were greetings from \u201cCaptain\u201d Nishizaki and \u201cChief Navigator\u201d Matsumoto, both of whom went on the voyage along with prominent members of the voice cast.<\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

To the accompaniment of the Yamato<\/em> theme and a bon voyage from 3,000 spectators, the ship sailed at 6:30 PM. The fan “crew” enjoyed a variety of events such as Yamato<\/em> film screenings, photo and autograph sessions, treasure-hunting, and fireworks. There were also chances to participate in sea rescue training. Everyone safely returned to the Earth (Kawasaki) on July 22. The lucky winners even got to see Be Forever<\/em> before most others at a special advance screening on July 30.<\/p>\n

The event was well-documented, as this day-by-day photostory<\/a> will attest.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Title screen<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Space Battleship Yamato<\/em> theme
\nSung by Isao Sasaki. Chorus: Sundaes<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The Scarlet Scarf<\/em>
\nSung by Teppei Shibuya, Mayo Kawasaki<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n

July 20: Let’s Go Young<\/em> TV special<\/h3>\n

More than 40 years later, it’s easy to feel envious of those who got to go on the Yamato<\/em> cruise, but even they missed part of the ongoing promo campaign. For example, this music and variety show that was broadcast the evening of launch. (Stills by Toshinori Watanabe from his book Hero’s Trajectory<\/em>).<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Teresa Forever<\/em> Sung by Eri Sato,
\nSeiko Matsuda, Akari Hamada<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
From Yamato With Love<\/em>
\nSung by Yosuke Fukawa<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Pendant of Stars<\/em>
\nSung by Isao Sasaki. Chorus: Sundaes<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Video clips were projected on the backdrop of the NHK Hall as a screen, and a huge Yamato<\/em> flat came down from above. The dancers backed up the singers, and the performance ended with everyone singing Until the Day of Love<\/em>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Galaxy Legend<\/em>
\nSung by Mako Ishino, Mariko Kurata<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Until the Day of Love<\/em>
\nSung by Akira Fuse Akira<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n

<\/p>\n

July 20: Yamato Tournament<\/em> begins<\/h3>\n

Starting today, Tokyo Tower played host to a “Yamato<\/em> tournament” that stretched through the end of August. Little information exists about this event today, but real-time fans remember a short TV commercial for it that contained some unique animation. Others remember seeing the uniformed mannequins and other artifacts of the 1978 traveling exhibition, along with some discarded production cels.<\/p>\n


\nHochi Shimbun (L) and Daily Sports (R)<\/em><\/p>\n

July 21: Cruise news<\/h3>\n

The day after the ship left port, newspapers were reporting on the launch. Here’s what the Hochi Shimbun<\/em> had to say:<\/p>\n

Departing for the “New Galaxy”<\/span><\/h2>\n

Carrying the dreams of 500 children<\/span><\/h3>\n

Mr. Matsumoto and others also joined the tour to Hyuga, Miyazaki for 3 days and 2 nights<\/span><\/h3>\n

On the 20th, under the blazing summer sun, Space Battleship Yamato<\/em> departed for the “New Galaxy” from the Japan Car Ferry Terminal in Ukishima-cho, Kawasaki City.<\/p>\n

This was a campaign event for Be Forever Yamato<\/em>, which will be released on August 2nd and was called “Adventure Roman Journey.” The crew consisted of original author Leiji Matsumoto, producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki, theme song singer Isao Sasaki, popular voice actors Kei Toyama and Yoko Asagami, and 500 children selected from 15,000 applicants.<\/p>\n

The Japan Car Ferry’s vessel Mimitsu Maru<\/em> (10,000 tons), was converted into Yamato<\/em> at a cost of 26 million yen. It was the start of a three-day, two-night tour that traveled to Hyuga in Miyazaki Prefecture, known as the “New Galaxy.”<\/p>\n

The first Yamato<\/em> film was an anime monster that recorded a box office gross of 9.5 million yen, and the second a gross of 22 million. The third film has a goal of 1.5 billion, and the total event cost was 47 million yen, surpassing the totals of Galaxy Express 999: Mystery Train<\/em> (26 million yen) and Toward the Terra: Airborne Preview<\/em> (15 million yen).<\/p>\n

During the voyage, a “mysterious sailing ship” appeared off the coast of Cape Miura, a message was delivered from a helicopter flying over Cape Ushio, and there were many other interesting features.<\/p>\n

The terminal was packed with about 3,000 family members and fans who came to see them off, and the Nishizaki-Matsumoto duo seemed to be grinning from ear to ear.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

July 21: Roadshow<\/em>, September issue<\/h3>\n

Sci-fi’s cutest couple were the cover story this month, but when you could peel your eyes off the antics of Mark and Carrie in Tokyo for the June premiere of The Empire Strikes Back<\/em>, a 4-page Be Forever<\/em> article was waiting for your attention.<\/p>\n

Incidentally, the page at upper right was just as exciting to fans, announcing a 140-page Be Forever Yamato<\/em> special to be published by Roadshow<\/em> in August. The headline (in yellow) reads:<\/p>\n

The voices of 5 million fans nationwide brought <\/em>Yamato back to life in <\/em>Be Forever Yamato (released August 2nd)!<\/em><\/p>\n

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

<\/p>\n

July 21: Screen<\/em>, September issue<\/h3>\n

Deftly keeping pace with Roadshow, Screen<\/em> also devoted four pages to the movie and also promoted its own jumbo-size Be Forever<\/em> special to be published in August. (Ad shown at right)<\/p>\n

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

\n

<\/p>\n

July 22-27: Space Battleship Yamato<\/em> Fair<\/h3>\n

Be Forever<\/em>‘s first retail tie-in launched at Moriya Department Store, a Space Battleship Yamato<\/em> fair with several attractions (including the 1\/1 Analyzer model) and merchandise for sale. It was a continuation of similar events held in 1978 for Farewell<\/em> and would carry on into the 21st century when the revival\/remake era began.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

July 23-August 31: Anime Fair<\/h3>\n

Held at the Sky Promenade of the Keio Plaza hotel in Tokyo, this event was “headlined” by Yamato, Kamen Rider, Toward the Terra<\/em>, and Magic Girl Lalabel<\/em>. It sounds like a mismatch, but it was a sign of anime’s broad appeal with something for everyone. The month-long event lasted through the end of August with numerous live appearances by artists, actors and performers, contests, and a “Sony Corner” (sponsorship, ahoy!) filled with various personal electronics.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

July 24: The Best One<\/em>, September issue<\/h3>\n

The 4-page article in Gakken’s entertainment magazine was very similar to all the others, used many of the same images, and story synopsis. But it did stand out for having a character guide that dug a little deeper, though they evidently didn’t get the memo about Kiman being renamed Alphon.<\/p>\n

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

<\/p>\n

July 24: ’80 Yamato<\/em> Festival at Budokan<\/h3>\n

Those who went on the cruise had just two days to catch their breath before participating in the most famous Yamato<\/em> concert of them all: the Festival at Budokan. It was highly-anticipated; when Animage<\/em> magazine published the first announcement of it in the spring, over 1,000 ticket requests were received in only three days. Amazingly, the tickets were free; revenue would come from souvenir sales and the subsequent release of an LP.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The event was both comprehensive and breathtaking. Scenes from Be Forever<\/em> were previewed, the cast and crew appeared on stage, and maestro Hiroshi Miyagawa conducted the orchestra, which performed many pieces in public for the first time. Isao Sasaki and other singers also participated. Altogether 15,000 fans attended the festival, which was split into morning and afternoon concerts.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> for a more detailed report and a photo gallery.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

July 25: ’80 TV Animation Fair<\/h3>\n

It was a busy summer for anime events, but not all of them took place in Tokyo. Shown above are a flyer and a ticket for one that took place over ten days at “Yokohama Station Building.” It was a smaller-scale display that featured large cels from Be Forever<\/em> and previous productions, various display panels, and a 40-minute cutdown of Farewell to Yamato<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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

July 25: \u201980 Summer Vacation Children\u2019s Expo<\/h3>\n

Another event kicked off on this day at Matsuya department store locations in Ginza and Asakusa, Tokyo. It was an almost month-long combination of anime film screenings along with a robotics expo, a wildlife exhibit, and a game center.<\/p>\n

The film program, a non-stop parade of classics, was broken up to two tracks that ran in parallel. Each film played for two days and was then replaced by the next one. The “A” track featured Gatchaman, Triton of the Sea, Star of the Giants, Aim for the Ace, Galaxy Express 999<\/em> and Danguard Ace<\/em>. Meanwhile, the “B” track gave you Space Battleship Yamato, Tomorrow’s Joe, Jungle Emperor (Kimba), Yamato 2, Lupin III<\/em>, and Cyborg 009.<\/em> The entire program ran from July 25 to August 6, then repeated from August 8 to August 20.<\/p>\n

Since the time slots for each showing were only one hour, it’s almost certain that these were TV episodes or compilations rather than feature films. Either way, it was a golden opportunity to rewatch your favorites in an era before home video.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

July 25: Hobby Japan<\/em> #132, August issue<\/h3>\n

Yamato<\/em> coverage in Hobby Japan<\/em> was sparse in the early years, but helpful from an archival point of view. This issue offered a 3-page article, the purpose of which was to catalog all the model kits available at the time.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Here too, a little Easter egg popped out. The kit shown above right is another one that was prototyped but never released (Dark Nebula Fighter Bomber).<\/p>\n

See the article pages here<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

July 25: Fan Club magazine #17<\/h3>\n

This \u201cextra\u201d issue of the fan club magazine broke with the usual bi-monthly schedule to deliver an extra dose of Be Forever<\/em> news. (Usually July was a skip month.) The entire issue was devoted to inside scoops on the film, with special attention given to the voice actor recording sessions and the non-stop events held throughout the summer.<\/p>\n

See the magazine from cover to cover here<\/a><\/p>\n

Read two of the articles here:
\nMessage from Yoshinobu Nishizaki<\/a>
\nVoice actor recording report<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

July 25: TV Guide<\/em>, Tohoku edition<\/h3>\n

Coverage doesn’t get much more mainstream! This issue of TV Guide<\/em> covered the week of July 26 through August 1 (which would incorporate the first-ever rerun of The New Voyage<\/em>). Coming out one week before the premiere, it devoted 15 pages to Yamato<\/em> and included an exclusive interview with Leiji Matsumoto.<\/p>\n

See the pages and read the interview here<\/a><\/p>\n


\nYamato Staff Room: Picture of a Typical Afternoon (from the <\/em>Be Forever Roman Album)
\nIllustration by Kazuhiko Udagawa, Composition by Kazunori Tanahashi<\/em><\/p>\n

July 26-28: Production wraps<\/h3>\n

The final weekend of July was almost certainly the most demanding on the post-production staff. Sound editing was finished on Saturday, the last of the camera work took place on Sunday, and the final edit took place on Monday, a mere five days before the premiere the following Saturday. Which meant it was now time for the SERIOUS promotion to start.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

July 28: Yamato Fever ’80<\/em><\/h3>\n

On the 26th, a lottery was held at the Shibuya Pantheon theater complex for tickets to an upcoming presentation called Yamato Fever \u201980<\/em> (one such ticket is shown above left). Once again, fans started lining up from the early morning. The event itself was held just two days later, on the 28th. It was hosted by Leiji Matsumoto and Isao Sasaki, who showed advance footage from Be Forever<\/em> and kept the crowd entertained for a memorable Monday afternoon.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

July 29: Space Battleship Yamato and Animation Festival<\/em> begins<\/h3>\n

An ambitious nine-day event launched at the Mitsukoshi Department store in Sapporo, Tokyo. It started with four days of variety shows by singers and voice actors, then moved to the local Toei Palace Theatre on August 2 for even bigger events such as contests, concerts, and programs based around other anime films such as Gundam<\/em> and Ideon<\/em>. Since this event encompassed the premiere of Be Forever<\/em>, there was a lot of Yamato<\/em> energy in the house; enough even for the Sapporo Central Post Office to get involved.<\/p>\n

See more details here<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

July 29-31: Mystery Tour<\/h3>\n

If anything could tear a Yamato<\/em> fan away from Mitsukoshi, it was a ticket to ride on \u201cThree Days of Adventure and Exploration: Where is Secret Training Base Icarus!\u201d It was a three-day train voyage with a Be Forever<\/em> theme hosted by Leiji Matsumoto and a group of voice actors. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The stated destination was Icarus, the secret asteroid training base. The real location was only disclosed to the parents of prizewinners; the actual destination was Lake Nojiri in Nagano Prefecture. The trip included a variety of events, including a quiz to guess the destination, Yamato<\/em> video screenings, mountain and lakeside hiking, field athletics and cycling. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

July 30: “Red Balloon” tour packages: “Let’s ride the Space Battleship Yamato!”<\/em><\/h3>\n

Hypothetical situation: you’re a kid in Japan in the summer of 1980 and you’re burning white hot to see Be Forever<\/em> on opening day (Aug 2), but your stupid family wants to go on a summer vacation that weekend instead. What do you do? Answer: get them to book a Yamato<\/em> tour!<\/p>\n

That became possible starting on this day, when travel agencies teamed up with rail, air, and cruise companies to offer package deals that included Yamato<\/em>-related attractions and (presumably) a chance to see the movie. Four different combo packages were offered: the Teresa course, Sasha course, Starsha course, and Iscandar course (the last being the most expensive) to get you where you wanted to go.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Also spotted in July<\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

Dessler’s Battle Carrier model kit<\/em><\/p>\n

This was Bandai’s third go at the battle carrier seen in The New Voyage<\/em>, preceded by a Mecha Collection mini-kit and a large version released in November 1979.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

At about 8 inches long, this one fit between the two and came with three fightercraft.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Cosmo Zero & Black Tiger reissues<\/em><\/p>\n

1977 editions with new box art (and no windup motors)<\/p>\n


\nContemporary Bandai ads promoting the premiere of<\/em> Be Forever<\/p>\n

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

<\/p>\n

Pencil board<\/em><\/p>\n

Made of cardboard or plastic, pencil boards were common school supplies that could be slipped under or between sheets of paper if you needed a sturdy surface to write on. Naturally, they became a perfect vehicle for images like these, and Yamato<\/em> pencil boards go back to the 1977 movie. This one included a “Mini Dictionary” on the back with a capsule history of the series and glossary of mechanical terms to keep you in the know.<\/p>\n

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\n

Anime magazines published in July<\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

Animec<\/em> #12 (Rapport), Animage<\/em> Vol. 26 (Tokuma Shoten), The Anime<\/em> Vol. 9 (Kindaieigasha)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Monthly Animation<\/em> No. 7 (Bronze Co.), Fanroad<\/em> premiere issue (Rapport), OUT<\/em> Sept. issue (Minori Shobo)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What’s Next<\/h3>\n

Opening day for Be Forever<\/em> brings long lines, personal appearances, a flood of merch, and a whole new chapter in Yamato<\/em> history. Click here<\/a> for Vintage Report 28 and see the future arrive in August 1980!<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Bonus<\/h3>\n

Stills from a Be Forever<\/em> TV special starring Nishizaki, some special guests, and some very special props…<\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

The segment opened with a 3.5 minute choral presentation by the Tokyo Academy Boys & Girls Choir that included the Yamato<\/em> theme and the Kodai & Yuki love theme from Farewell<\/em> with lyrics that were not used in the movie. (Commercially released only once, now long out of print. Sorry, collectors.)<\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

Nishizaki proudly introduced the 6.5 foot long Yamato<\/em> “Precision Cut Model,” which was open on one side to mesmerize 10-year old boys (and men) the world over. Find out more about this model here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

Another meticulously-designed prop was this highly-detailed model of the first bridge…<\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

…which, along with the other props shown here, was part of the traveling Yamato<\/em> exhibit that went far and wide starting in 1978.<\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

Finally, voice actor Akira Kamiya (Kato) clowned around with Analyzer, who cracked up the studio with his response…and voice actor Kenichi Ogata stepped out to take a bow.<\/p>\n

Video courtesy superfan Steve Harrison<\/em><\/p>\n

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