{"id":40351,"date":"2025-04-10T16:59:36","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T23:59:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/?p=40351"},"modified":"2025-05-05T11:10:38","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T18:10:38","slug":"043b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/043b\/","title":{"rendered":"Be Forever Yamato REBEL 3199<\/em> Report 16"},"content":{"rendered":"

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March 2025 did not deliver a movie premiere, but was still the biggest month we’ve seen since 3199<\/em>‘s debut. Centered around the 50th Anniversary Exhibition in Tokyo, there was Yamato<\/em> action to be found every day for the entire month, making for a big report. [2 pages]\n

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March 2025 did not deliver a movie premiere, but was still the biggest month we’ve seen since 3199<\/em>‘s debut. Centered around the 50th Anniversary Exhibition in Tokyo, there was Yamato<\/em> action to be found every single day for the entire month. That makes for a big report, so get comfortable…<\/p>\n


\nPhoto at right posted on Twitter by Yamato_MUSIC_FE<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

March 1: Gunma Symphony Orchestra concert<\/h3>\n

The month began with a musical reunion. Naoto Otomo, who conducted the original Grand Symphony concert in 1984, returned to conduct it again at GT Symphonic Concert Vol 6, The Orchestra Sound.<\/p>\n


\nPhoto posted on Twitter by the Gunma Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The program opened with warmups from some unknowns named Suppe and Tchaikovsky, then the 4-part tour de force written by Kentaro Haneda sent them limping home. The venue for this performance was the Takasaki Arts Theatre, Takasaki City in Gunma prefecture.<\/p>\n

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March 1: Hobby Japan<\/em> video talkshow<\/h3>\n

A trend of silence was broken when Hobby Japan<\/em> magazine posted a video talkshow on Twitter in which Editor-in-chief Kimura talked with professional modelers Daitaicho Kojima and Nobuyuki Sakurai. The complete program ran almost two hours, during which they paged through the recent 22nd issue of HJ Mechanics<\/em> (published in late January) and talked in detail about building Yamato<\/em> model kits.<\/p>\n

Click here to watch (closed captions and autotranslate ON): Part 1<\/a> | Part 2<\/a><\/p>\n

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March 2: Sky Winds performance<\/h3>\n

What’s a great way to kill some time in an airport? If you answered “live Yamato<\/em> concert for free” you described what went on at Tokyo’s Haneda airport on March 2. The Sky Winds Orchestra (formed of students from the Tokyo College of Music) played two sessions on the observation level that included selections from Yamato<\/em>. <\/p>\n

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According to the blog of trumpet player Akira Ogiwara (see it here<\/a>), it was the second annual performance in this space.<\/p>\n

FLIGHT DECK TOKYO at Haneda Airport’s Terminal 2 has an attractive panoramic view of the runway. Of course, it is not a place for playing music, so it is quite difficult to have a large number of people playing in the wind orchestra. A very large number of customers came to the performance this time as well, far exceeding the number of chairs we had prepared, and there were so many customers standing that they could not move from the spot. I’m sorry that we had to stand for almost an hour, but I’m truly grateful that so many people were able to listen to the performance of the wind orchestra academy major.<\/span><\/p>\n


\nPhoto posted on Twitter by tori_san_2013<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

March 3: Outdoor promo<\/h3>\n

The lights went on today at the Seibu department store in Shibuya, where the 50th Anniversary Complete Records Exhibition would open in just under two weeks. At street level, these LED kiosks began cycling animated scenes culled from Series 1. <\/p>\n

See a video clip here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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March 4: CFSP reissue announced<\/h3>\n

CFSP Stands for Cosmo Fleet Special, a line of spaceship miniatures by Megahouse. This 6.5″ Yamato<\/em> with asteroid ring was originally released in September 2017 and will be making a comeback in July 2025 with a new weathered paint job.<\/p>\n

See more photos at Dengeki Hobbyweb here<\/a><\/p>\n

Pre-order it from Amazon.co.jp here<\/a><\/p>\n


\nPhotos posted on Twitter by elfriede<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

March 5: 1\/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 297<\/h3>\n

Now in its final month, Hachette’s Patrol Ship model reached another milestone when the last hull plates went into place in the area below the command tower.<\/p>\n

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

See a modeler’s blog here<\/a><\/p>\n

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March 6: Historical Road<\/em> #444<\/h3>\n

To mark the 80th anniversary of the sinking of Battleship Yamato<\/em>, this magazine published by PHP Institute ran a cover feature titled Battleship Yamato and Okinawa Special Attack, the Japanese Navy’s “Last Sortie.”<\/em> 48 pages of articles examine this singular point in history. Of special interest is a 4-page article by Yoshitaka Mizushima titled Novels, movies, anime… How has Yamato been portrayed after the war?<\/em><\/p>\n

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

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March 7: Bandai blog<\/h3>\n

With new model kits finally on the way, Bandai published a photo blog to give everyone an advance look. See it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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March 8: 50th Anniversary Exhibition flyer<\/h3>\n

A new flyer started popping up all over Tokyo on this day to promote the exhibition one week before it opened. Pretty soon, it would be hard to miss it.<\/p>\n

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March 8: Kia Asamiya art exhibition<\/h3>\n

Kurogane [Black Metal]<\/em> was the name of an 8-day gallery exhibition for artist\/animator Kia Asamiya, whose Yamato<\/em> pedigree goes back to the 90s. A large collection of Yamato<\/em> paintings for posters, model boxes, and more went on display at Gallery Zenon, located in Tokyo’s Kichijoji district. Also on hand were his many works for Steam Detectives, Gunhed, Silent Mobius<\/em>, and other titles.<\/p>\n

Cameras were allowed inside, so we can get a good look at what was on display. See a photo gallery here<\/a>. <\/p>\n

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March 8: Mecha Collection DX models<\/h3>\n

Welcome back, models! After too long an absence, Bandai rolled out two kits in the “Mecha Colle DX” line. The first was a pair of Cosmo Tiger IIs, which could be built in either the standard config, or the slightly elongated “image version” designed after the sleek look developed by animator Yoshinori Kanada. These had been released individually before, but…<\/p>\n

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…right next to them on store shelves was the all new Cosmo Python, which debuted in Yamato 2205<\/em>. This also came in a pair, which allowed you to build one in the normal combat mode and the other in high-mobility mode.<\/p>\n


\nPhoto at right posted on Twitter by Alsace_class<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

In high-mobility mode, the fuselage flares out and the cockpit section can pivot.<\/p>\n

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March 10: Anime Eiga<\/em> article<\/h3>\n

O.G. Yamato<\/em> fan Ryusuke Hikawa had a busy month, both as a director of the 50th Anniversary Exhibition and a constant cheerleader for Yamato<\/em> in general. On this day, his regular column for the Anime Eiga<\/em> website gave some background to the upcoming exhibition by describing his early visits to Office Academy and the revelations he gained from the experience.<\/p>\n

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

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March 10: Gold Yamato<\/em> announced<\/h3>\n

What to get that Yamato<\/em> fan who has everything? Nippon Broadcasting Project has the answer: a made-to-order limited edition solid gold Yamato<\/em> miniature with its own display case. With a length of 1.75 inches, the asking price is 550,000 yen, and reservations are being taken for just 100 pieces.<\/p>\n

Visit the manufacturer’s website here<\/a><\/p>\n

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March 11: 1\/700 Yamato<\/em> reissue announced<\/h3>\n

Back in 2008, something kind of amazing happened. Bandai Emotion released a remastered version of Series 1 in HD with one heckuva bonus feature: a completely new 1\/700 Yamato<\/em> model kit. Supervised by Hideaki Anno and sculpted by Shoichi Manabe, it was an idealized, refined version of the ship for the 21st century. (Read all about it here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

In January 2026, as an extension of the 50th anniversary commemoration, this beautiful kit will finally be released as an independent product from Bandai Namco Filmworks. The preorder window for reservations through online sources runs until May 30. <\/p>\n


\nPhotos posted on Twitter by elfriede<\/em><\/p>\n

March 12: 1\/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 298<\/h3>\n

This week, builders could complete the Patrol Ship’s internal electronics and finally settle the upper deck into place.<\/p>\n

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The next step was to attach some more external components, including guy wires on the major antenna fins.<\/p>\n

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

See a modeler’s blog here<\/a><\/p>\n

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March 12: Visual Fantasy Culture Theory: From the Kaiju Boom to Space Battleship Yamato<\/em><\/h3>\n

Ryusuke Hikawa emerged again in March with the publication of his latest book from Kadokawa. As the title indicates, this one is an analysis of pop culture history. The official description reads:<\/p>\n

The uniqueness of Japanese anime cannot be understood without tokusatsu! Ultraman, Kamen Rider, Space Battleship Yamato, Mobile Suit Gundam<\/em> — a groundbreaking media culture theory that considers the 1960s and 70s “TV manga” when animation and tokusatsu were in lockstep.<\/span><\/p>\n

The book is mainly text, but if that’s not an obstacle you can order it from Amazon.co.jp here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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In purely visual terms, something that jumps right out at you is the cover art by Yasuhiko Yoshikazu. It’s his first Yamato<\/em> image since 1979, a milestone that Kadokawa was quick to seize on by offering tote bags and framed prints. These are due to be released in June.<\/p>\n

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March 13: In memoriam<\/h3>\n

On this day, the Twitter account for ATAC [Anime Tokusatsu Archive Centre] posted the following:<\/p>\n

A memorial service was held for sound effects specialist Mitsuru Kashiwabara. On display were 6mm tapes containing sound effects created by him, which are stored at ATAC, as well as some of his favorite equipment.<\/span><\/p>\n

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In addition, the Kashiwabara Sound Gallery, where 20 different sound effects could be heard, featured the sounds of his famous works such as Yamato<\/em>‘s Wave-Motion Gun ringing out throughout the venue. Thank you, Kashiwabara-san, for the wonderful sound.<\/span><\/p>\n

See the original post here<\/a><\/p>\n

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March 13: Exhibition news<\/h3>\n

Two days before the Anniversary Exhibition opened, a mountain of products was announced for on-site sale. They came from three different sources: the exhibition itself, the Tristar company, and Bandai Namco.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> to see the complete rundown of what fans would have to choose from.<\/p>\n


\nPhoto posted on Twitter by aoi2199<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

On the same day, advertising began to appear in subway stations all over Tokyo. Fans zipped around as if it was a scavenger hunt, determined to find all 15 and post them on Twitter.<\/p>\n

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March 14: TV news<\/h3>\n

Watching the classics got easier when all three of the original TV series were released for unlimited streaming on the Japanese platforms Prime, FOD, and U-Next. The movies would follow on April 4.<\/p>\n

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Meanwhile, it was made known that the two Yamato 2199<\/em> movies would soon be viewable over on the satellite network BS12. A Voyage to Remember<\/em> would air on March 16 and Ark of the Stars<\/em> would follow a week later on the 23rd.<\/p>\n

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March 14: Book news<\/h3>\n

The day before the exhibition, Kinokuniya bookstore announced two tie-in books not to be missed. The store branch in Seibu Shibuya would start selling advance copies of Michio Murakawa’s Yamato Iconics<\/em> art collection (with a signing to take place on the 29th) and advance orders would open for Junichiro Tamamori’s Yamato Mechanics<\/em> art collection, to be published in July.<\/p>\n

Those who placed preorders would walk away with a shiny new Tamamori clear file for bragging rights.<\/p>\n

Order your copy from Amazon.co.jp here<\/a><\/p>\n

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March 14: Canned bread<\/h3>\n

This is a product unique to Japan, baked bread in a can, easy to rebrand for any tie-in you like. A store called Anime World Star produced a Yamato<\/em> version back in 2009, and revived it for today’s canned bread needs.<\/p>\n

See all the Yamato<\/em> items for sale at Anime World Star here<\/a><\/p>\n

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March 14: Radio Suite announced<\/h3>\n

The annual Radio Suite Yamato<\/em> will return in a 4-hour program called The Final Chapter<\/em> on May 10. Despite the information above, it will probably NOT be accessible worldwide (as has been the case for the last few years). Nevertheless, hosts Androw Umeda, Yamato<\/em> Music expert “FE” and special guest Junichiro Tamamori will be on hand to spin both the favorites and the obscurities.<\/p>\n

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March 14: Opening ceremony<\/h3>\n

The night before the exhibition’s grand opening, Hideaki Anno appeared in person to lead the ribbon-cutting ceremony along with Tohokushinsha President Keiichi Kosaka and Yuki’s voice actor Yoko Asagami. The ceremony led to a press conference in which Anno and Ryusuke Hikawa laid down some science for the noobs.<\/p>\n


\nPhotos posted on Twitter by seijikanoh<\/a> and kissyouji_kaito<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

A few other guests were on hand to sign the visitor board at the entrance. This included Series 1 animator Kazuhide Tomonaga (left) and remake animator Kia Asamiya (right) Studio Nue’s star mecha designer Kazutaka Miyatake was also spotted making his way through the exhibit space.<\/p>\n

Over half a dozen media sources were there to cover the event and publish articles over the next few days. Read the two most comprehensive articles here:<\/p>\n

AV Watch<\/em> article<\/a> | Anime Anime<\/em> article<\/a><\/p>\n

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March 15: 50th Anniversary Exhibition opens<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s hard to imagine a more comprehensive, more inspired, more lovingly curated presentation than what fans in Tokyo got to see from March 15 to 31. It offered the largest collection of original Series 1 production materials ever seen outside the pages of a book (in fact, the exhibition was named after the best Yamato<\/em> books ever published). And even better, it was entirely camera-friendly. This means those of us who couldn\u2019t be there in person can still see what the visitors saw.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> for a photographic walkthrough of the entire exhibition, made possible by the many fans who shared their pics on social media. <\/p>\n

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March 15: Book news<\/h3>\n

Movie program books (pamphlets) have been part of the remake experience since the beginning, the first print media to be published for each chapter. But after a theatrical run is over, they get harder to find. Bandai Namco is addressing that with a deluxe reprint edition called Space Battleship Yamato Voyage Records<\/em> that goes all the way from 2199<\/em> through 2205.<\/em><\/p>\n

The A-on store (online shop) is taking preorders through May 6 for the set, which consists of two books in a slipcase and postcards featuring all the Naoyuki Katoh centerspread paintings. The set will ship out July 12. There is no news yet about other access points, but if you have someone in Japan who can order it for you, click here<\/a> for info.<\/p>\n

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March 15: Art print announced<\/h3>\n

Also offered by the A-on store was this brand new art print by Kia Asamiya with the same preorder window and July 12 release date. It quickly sold out, but you can still see the listing here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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March 16: Concert in Osaka<\/h3>\n

Live Yamato<\/em> music was heard again on this day at Osaka’s Sayaka Hall when the Municipal University Wind Band performed a marching version of the theme at an Alumni Association Joint Concert. Also on the bill was the theme from Spirited Away.<\/em><\/p>\n

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March 19: REBEL 3199<\/em> Chapter 3 preview screening<\/h3>\n

The customary advance screening of the new chapter took place, and this one would have been a real crowd-pleaser with the voice actors for Kodai, Yuki, Shima, and Nanbu all on stage together.<\/p>\n

Read the official report here<\/a><\/p>\n

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March 19: 1\/350 Diecast Gimmick Model Vol. 299<\/h3>\n

Two more fins arrived in this week’s volume, both of which attached to the underside and connected by wire to a central antenna. Also included was a Cosmo Seagull for the internal hangar bay. This left just one more volume to go.<\/p>\n

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

See a modeler’s blog here<\/a><\/p>\n

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March 19: Isao Sasaki news<\/h3>\n

We’ve seen a lot of Isao Sasaki over the last year, despite his continuous talk of retirement. Now 82, all the activity finally caught up with him and landed him in a hospital with a severe case of pneumonia. The Smart Flash<\/em> website published an update on his condition, which you can read here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As of early April, he was still recuperating at home instead of continuing to perform. He was scheduled to perform the Yamato<\/em> theme again at the 22nd Cherry Blossom Enka Festival on April 5, so others had to sing it without him. Instead of contributing his voice, he sent a message saying “I’m doing me best to be able to meet you all again in good health.”<\/p>\n

Visit Sasaki’s official site here<\/a><\/p>\n

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

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That’s the first half of this report. Click here<\/a> to continue.<\/p>\n

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