{"id":40931,"date":"2025-06-10T22:27:42","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T05:27:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/?p=40931"},"modified":"2025-07-14T22:25:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T05:25:10","slug":"058b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/058b\/","title":{"rendered":"Be Forever Yamato REBEL 3199<\/em> Report 18"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"2506icon\"<\/p>\n

Chapter 3 closed in theaters after a successful run as the first month of the 6-month wait for Chapter 4 continued the rolling wave of news flashes and online coverage. Drop in a major hobby show and the Radio Suite for 2025 and you’ve got yourself a Yamato<\/em> party.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Chapter 3 closed in theaters after a successful run as the first month of the 6-month wait for Chapter 4 continued the rolling wave of news flashes and online coverage. Drop in a major hobby show and the Radio Suite for 2025 and you’ve got yourself a Yamato<\/em> party.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 1: Book news<\/h3>\n

Scheduled for release on July 12, the Space Battleship Yamato Voyage Record Collection<\/em> will be a 2-volume set with the content of all 19 theatrical program books from the start of 2199<\/em> through the end of 2205.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Shortly before the preorder deadline of May 6, the online A-on Store announced a nice bonus gift; a pack of postcards featuring the gorgeous painted centerpieces by the great Naoyuki Katoh.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 1: ArtValt update<\/h3>\n

Tim Eldred is the guy writing these words (hello), and this entry may be of interest. I’ve got an archival website called ArtValt<\/em>, where I post articles on my animation and comic projects, plus a lot more. Back in 1995, I had the honor of writing and drawing Star Blazers<\/em> comic books for Voyager Entertainment. On the first of May, I took a deep dive into my 4-issue adaptation of The New Voyage<\/em>, with all four issues and the story behind them.<\/p>\n

Read that article here<\/a>, and find its predecessor here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And now, back to Yamato<\/em>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 2-7: Official tweets<\/h3>\n

Throughout the last week of April, the Yamato<\/em> Production Committee’s Twitter page<\/a> gave us a daily look at concept art for Chapter 3 by Kia Asamiya. For the first week of May, they shifted over to background art and kept going.<\/p>\n

See a collected gallery here<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 2: Movie news<\/h3>\n

The historic Marunouchi Toei movie theater in Tokyo was mentioned in the last report, celebrating 100 years since the start of the Showa era with a program of 100 classic films, which included Farewell to Yamato<\/em>. A week before that program ended, they announced that the first Yamato<\/em> movie will be given another run on the big screen (June 13-19) before the theater closes permanently in July.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 3: Voice actor interview<\/h3>\n

Tasuku Hatanaka (Domon) and Yuto Uemura (Ageha) turned up in another interview today at the Stream<\/em> website. This one went deeper than most, talking about their early experiences, their long association with each other, and their latest work on REBEL 3199<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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

<\/p>\n

May 2: Week 4 handout<\/h3>\n

Chapter 3’s fourth week in theaters began with a new gift for ticket holders, an exclusive clear file sporting artwork of the Garmillas dimension submarine Zerandal.<\/em><\/p>\n


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

May 3 & 4: Farewell to Yamato<\/em> screenings<\/h3>\n

Farewell<\/em> got two more slots in the 100 Showa Films program at the Marunouchi Toei theater. Both were afternoon shows on the weekend, and fans were overjoyed to have another opportunity to see it the way it was made to be seen.<\/p>\n

Superfan Amachi Papa posted this testimonial on Twitter: Until two years ago, I never thought I would be able to see it in a theater. I have been persistently requesting this from official sources, but from the 4K remaster to the Tokyo International Film Festival and now the screening at Marunouchi Toei, this is something that was unimaginable since the ice age of the 1990s and 2000s. Thank you!<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 4: Cast comment video<\/h3>\n

As Chapter 3’s fourth week was underway, the Yamato<\/em> Production Committee’s Twitter page posted another invitation from voice actors to see the film while there was still time. Today’s comment video featured Megumi Han (Sasha) with Aya Hisakawa (Niimi).<\/p>\n

Watch it here<\/a><\/p>\n


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

May 4: Nobuyoshi Habara in Saudi Arabia<\/h3>\n

Thanks to a member of the Yamato<\/em> brotherhood named Thamer Ahassan (who nevertheless goes by the Twitter handle “Gundam_Saudi”), we learned that the globetrotting Nobuyoshi Habara made a presentation at the Sharjah Animation Conference in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

His task was to discuss the production process for making anime, and Space Battleship Yamato<\/em> was his subject.<\/p>\n

See a pair of video clips here<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 4: Artisan news<\/h3>\n

Artisan is a toy company specializing in hand-crafted soft vinyl products. Their first Yamato<\/em> figures went on sale in March, which included Kodai, Dessler, and a Yamato<\/em> designed in the mode of Hideaki Anno (he likes to extend the bow). Today, a member of the Artisan staff shared photos of this little fella on Facebook.<\/p>\n

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

Visit the photographer’s Facebook page here<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 4: Haruki Takachiho on Twitter<\/h3>\n

Best known as the author of Crusher Joe<\/em> and Dirty Pair<\/em>, writer Haruki Takachiho is a charter member of Studio Nue, the design house that powered the first Yamato<\/em> series. Today, he caught the eyes of Yamato<\/em> fans everywhere with this post:<\/p>\n

This Yamato<\/em> drawing by Kazutaka Miyatake was published in the 10th issue of SF Central Art<\/em> (the predecessor of Nue), which was run by Kenichi Matsuzaki. Has this been reprinted in any of the commercially available Yamato<\/em> books? If anyone knows, please let me know.<\/span><\/p>\n

The answer to this question is no. Unbelievably, an exquisite Yamato<\/em> drawing by one of its original designers can only be found in one [presumably] very rare magazine from the 1970s.<\/p>\n

See it for yourself here<\/a><\/p>\n

Read about Takachiho’s brief (but intense) encounter with Yamato<\/em> in 1978 here<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 5: Cast comment video<\/h3>\n

The boys were back for one more round; Tasuku Hatanaka (Domon) and Yuto Uemura (Ageha) delivered the last of the video promos for Chapter 3.<\/p>\n

Watch it here<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 5 & 6: Harutoshi Fukui interview<\/h3>\n

The general director of Yamato<\/em> gave his last interview for Chapter 3 to the news and entertainment website Iza<\/em>, which was split up over two days. It went deeper than all the other interviews we’ve seen so far in terms of character motivation and what Fukui hopes will resonate with viewers.<\/p>\n

Read it here<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 8: Yamatalk event<\/h3>\n

The second and last Yamatalk for Chapter 3 was another juicy one. For the first time, Mecha Designer Junichiro Tamamori took the stage with the core staff members to talk about his craft and present images never seen outside the production studio. It was a rare opportunity to glimpse his thought process behind such things as Yamato<\/em>‘s new radar room and the beloved Space Battleship Arizona.<\/em><\/p>\n

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

<\/p>\n

May 9: Sayonara Marunouchi Toei<\/em> pamphlet<\/h3>\n

Toei movie studio has been around for a very long time, but when movie theaters went into decline its many cinemas shut down one by one. As of this writing, the last Toei theater standing was in Tokyo’s Marunouchi district, scheduled to close in late July. Its final weeks were marked by event screenings and even earned a high-end program book (“pamphlet” in the local lingo) of its own.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

This hefty time capsule covered the entire history of this particular theater with several pages devoted to the standout screenings of each decade. Every Yamato<\/em> movie played in this theater, with Farewell<\/em> earning top box office in 1978. The page devoted to the 70s offered an artifact that was easy to miss if you didn’t know what to look for…<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

This isn’t a photo of the Farewell<\/em> premiere, but something much rarer: the Space Battleship Yamato Festival<\/em> double feature from mid-July 1979. Timed to boost viewership for The New Voyage<\/em>, it offered a double feature (Yamato<\/em> and Farewell<\/em> together for the first time), and this is an extremely rare snapshot from its run.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 9: Amazon Prime campaign<\/h3>\n

This was 3199<\/em> Chapter 3’s first day of digital sale at Amazon Prime, which kicked off a month-long giveaway campaign. From May 9 through June 9, anyone who purchased Chapter 3 would be entered in a prize lottery to win one of three original signed sketches by Mecha Designer Junichiro Tamamori.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 10: Radio Suite Final Chapter<\/em> 2025<\/h3>\n

An annual tradition since 2018 was revived for the 8th year in a row on an FM station broadcasting from Saitama Prefecture. The hosts were radio DJ “Androw Umeda,” manga\/anime artist Michio Murakawa, and Yamato<\/em> music expert Fumi Fukukako. It commanded the attention of Yamato<\/em> fans for four hours on a Saturday afternoon under the title “Final Chapter,” but it was probably no more “final” than Final Yamato<\/em> turned out to be.<\/p>\n


\nParody album cover, autograph card by all the participants (posted on Twitter by Androw Umeda<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n

Hour 1 explored various aspects of Yamato<\/em> music with a focus on Final Yamato<\/em>. Hour 2 investigated the work of composer Kentaro Haneda, including the highlights of his non-Yamato<\/em> work on such series as Macross, Technovoyager<\/em> and Odin<\/em>. Hour 3 brought in a special guest, Mecha Designer Junichiro Tamamori, for conversation about his work and his own appreciation of the music. Hour 4 was devoted to listener requests and rarities, always the most interesting part of the show for collectors.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The revelation this time was a breathtaking live performance of Love Supreme<\/em> (the last song heard in the Final Yamato<\/em> epilogue) by original vocalist Junko Yagami with a full orchestra. Some detective work revealed that it was recorded at a 2015 concert and released on an album titled Premium Symphonic Concert<\/em> (Sony, DQCL-3330~1) in February 2017. It’s a double-disc collection, and is becoming rarer by the second.<\/p>\n

Further digging unearthed a second live recording with a smaller band, this time on a 2016 album titled The Night Flight 2<\/em>. This one can be found on Apple Music, so you can get it with no waiting. Both renditions are worthy of your attention.<\/p>\n

Incidentally, Love Supreme<\/em> was a personal favorite for Junko Yagami, appearing on no less than 11 “best of” albums from 1984 through 2014. Visit her official website here<\/a> and find an extensive discography here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 11: Yamato Kouza<\/em> [Lecture] 23<\/h3>\n

Yamato Kouza<\/em> is an unofficial fan event that happens sporadically from year to year, bringing fans and pros together to talk about all things Yamato<\/em>. Kouza<\/em> 23 took place in Shibuya, Tokyo and the subject was Michio Murakawa’s new art book, Yamato Iconics<\/em>. He and fellow artist Shinji Nishikawa walked through as much of the book as they could in the given time, discussing highlights and backstories for selected images.<\/p>\n

The poster art for the event was by Hoshi Yoshimiru; get a better look at it on Bluesky here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 12: Commemorative Glasses announced<\/h3>\n

“Edo Kiriko” is a traditional style of brilliantly-colored and styled glassware in Japan (find more info here<\/a>), and to mark Yamato<\/em>‘s 50th anniversary the Premico company is offering a limited-edition pair of handmade glasses. Supplies are limited to 500 each, released in late May.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

One features Yamato<\/em> and its iconography…<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

while the other gives Yuki Mori the spotlight with snowflakes to tie in with her name “Snow Forest” and Analyzer peering up at you from the bottom.<\/p>\n

See more photos here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

See other anime-related products from Premico here<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 13: Event news<\/h3>\n

Super Comic City<\/em> is a Comiket-type event held at the same location (Tokyo Big Sight) a few times a year. “Super 32” took place May 3 and 4. Both days were filled up with mini-events devoted to anime, manga, games, etc. with subjects chosen in advance by popular vote. <\/p>\n

Another Super Comic City<\/em> is scheduled for September 21, and Yamato<\/em> qualified as one of the mini-events. Twitter user zenkoku_star<\/a> posted the above image on Twitter with a request for all participants: “Let’s liven it up with recommended characters and pairings!” This probably refers to cosplay, but it will become clear to the rest of us in September.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 14: CG fan film<\/h3>\n

CG artist Sabamiso EX<\/a> is one of those generous souls who wants to lift all boats. On this day, Sabamiso announced the sharing of a homemade “Kurotoga<\/em>-class standard battleship” from the Bolar space fleet, and offered a short sample movie as a demo.<\/p>\n

See the movie here<\/a>, where you will find a link to download the model.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 14: Magmix<\/em> article<\/h3>\n

In of those perennial “who’s stronger” debates, the question is raised: who would win in a battle between the Space Battleship Yamato<\/em> and Mobile Suit Gundam’s White Base?<\/em> The entertainment website Magmix<\/em> elevated the question from social media debate to full-on examination.<\/p>\n

Read their findings here<\/a><\/p>\n


\nPhoto posted on Twitter by 8pmokei<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

May 14-18: Shizuoka Hobby Show 2025<\/h3>\n

As one of the biggest hobby shows of the year, Shizuoka is often a platform for Bandai to announce the next Yamato<\/em> models to come. They didn’t have any new ones to announce this time, but they still recycled their most recent 3199<\/em> display, and the satellite exhibition of fan-made kits brought some thunder of its own.<\/p>\n

See a photo gallery here<\/a><\/p>\n

PS: The Shizuoka high school band kept its yearly tradition of performing an anime theme concert during the show; find it in the Yamatunes section at the end of this page.<\/p>\n


\nPhoto taken at the Shinjuku Piccadilly theater, posted on Twitter by aoi2199<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

May 15: Chapter 3 closes<\/h3>\n

For most of Japan, Yamato<\/em> Chapter 3 closed on May 8 (after which it could be purchased on Amazon Prime), but three theaters held it over for a fifth week; one each in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya. The usual superfans showed up for the last screening on the last day and reported a full house.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 16: Chapter 4 news<\/h3>\n

It’s never too soon for a sneak peek. Today we got a look at the slipcase art for Yamato<\/em> Chapter 4, Pale Blue Maiden\/Sasha<\/em>, painted by Kia Asamiya. The film is scheduled to open October 10 with the standard-edition Blu-ray to follow on December 24. The reveal of this art was the signal for preorders to begin in Japan.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 16: Model news<\/h3>\n

Official sources took a moment to remind everyone that the reissue of the 1\/700 Yamato<\/em> model commissioned by Hideaki Anno (in 2008) would close its reorder window at the end of the month. The upper image displays the new box art. The kit is scheduled to release in January 2026. Keep reading for more info…<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 18: Modeler’s blog<\/h3>\n

“My EDF” is the online handle for one of the most respected Yamato<\/em> modeling connoisseurs in Japan, and a member of the “Asteroid 6” writing consortium. He returned to his blog with some new speculations inspired by Yamato<\/em> Chapter 3, this time focusing on the Cosmo Hound.<\/p>\n

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

<\/p>\n

May 19: Michio Murakawa on Bluesky<\/h3>\n

This was the only new image posted by Murakawa in May, and it came with the following explanation:<\/p>\n

This will be a bonus with Volume 3 of the 3199 Blu-ray, sold on the Yamato Crew website. I had planned to neatly trim the edges of Kodai, but I wanted a rougher look for the illustration, so I left the parts that extended from the temporary paint job as they were. I’ve always disliked the macho feel of the ever-victorious Yamato<\/em>, like the battle insignia and anchor mark on the turret (similar to the cheapness of getting tattoos to put up a false bravado), so this is the first time I’ve drawn it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Follow Michio Murakawa on Bluesky here<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 19: Hobby Japan Web<\/em> article<\/h3>\n

You know that 1\/700 model mentioned above? It was the subject of a builder’s article in Hobby Japan<\/em> no. 672 (published last month). On May 19, the online version of the article went live at Hobby Japan Web<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Read it here<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 19: Concert clip<\/h3>\n

Posted on Twitter by the Elysion Philharmonic Orchestra:<\/p>\n

Today, the NHK Nodo Jiman Taikai was broadcast live from Kashima City, Saga Prefecture. Our guest is the king of anime songs, Isao Sasaki! When you think of Isao Sasaki, you think of Space Battleship Yamato<\/em>. Here’s a little video of us performing in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture in January of this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> to watch<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 20: Hobby Japan Web<\/em> article<\/h3>\n

The 7th installment of the Yamato Mechanics<\/em> series appeared in Hobby Japan<\/em> no. 672, and the online version went up on May 20. The subject was Combat Carrier Hyuga.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read it here<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 23: Toy news<\/h3>\n

Artisan, the source company of the soft vinyl Yamato<\/em> we saw earlier in May, announced that their Yuki Mori figure was now ready to join the lineup with preorders opening on May 25. <\/p>\n

Visit the Artisan website here<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 23: Hobby Japan<\/em> No. 673<\/h3>\n

The 8th installment of Yamato Mechanics<\/em> focused on the first non-Earth ship in the series, the Deusula III<\/em> battle carrier. Read the article here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Right after that came a 2-page article on how to improve your Cosmo Python model kit. Because straight out of the box is never good enough, it seems.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 23: Hideki Oka on Twitter<\/h3>\n

Take a good look at the inner sanctum of Yamato<\/em> scriptwriter Hideki Oka. He posted this photo with the following caption:<\/p>\n

“My Yamato<\/em> shelves are at their limit and something falls off every day.”<\/p>\n

We feel your pain, Oka-san.<\/p>\n

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

<\/p>\n

May 24: Radio Suite 2025<\/em> rebroadcast<\/h3>\n

The latest Radio Suite got a rerun two weeks after its premiere, announced by Michio Murakawa on social media with his own custom promo art.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

May 25: Blog review<\/h3>\n

A blogger writing under the name “Twawawa” got in the final word for May, recounting a recent viewing of Farewell to Yamato<\/em> and analyzing the message of the original story in a way few have done before.<\/p>\n

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

\n
\n

Also spotted in May<\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

Fan art<\/em><\/p>\n

The latest round of masterpieces came rolling out with inspiration from Chapter 3 as the driving force.<\/p>\n

See the character gallery here<\/a> and the mecha gallery here<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Fan models<\/em><\/p>\n

Oh, you want quantity AND quality? ‘Cause we got both! And they fly off to some very obscure corners of the universe.<\/p>\n

Tour the May model factory here: Gallery A<\/a> | Gallery B<\/a> | Gallery C<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Hoshi Suzu blogs<\/em><\/p>\n

“Hoshi Suzu” penned four new weekly blogs in May to share thoughts about Yamato<\/em> Chapter 3 and speculate about where the road will take us.<\/p>\n

Read them all here<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Series 1 reaction videos<\/em><\/p>\n

The “Stone Faced Reactions” video channel on Youtube got through two more episodes of the original TV series in May.
\nSee them covered here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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

Yamatunes for May<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

\n
Yamato<\/em> themes, street piano performance
\nClick here<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Yamato<\/em> theme, airport piano performance
\nClick here<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

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

<\/p>\n

\n
Star Blazers<\/em> OP\/ED remastered (by Andy Raab)
\nClick here<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
The Scarlet Scarf<\/em> played on viola
\nClick here<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

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

<\/p>\n

\n
Yamato<\/em> theme, Japan Maritime SDF Tokyo Band (2024)
\nClick here<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Yamato<\/em> medley at 2023 festival concert, Hamamatsu
\nClick here<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

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

<\/p>\n

\n
Concert, Shizuoka Hobby Show 2024 (Yamato<\/em> themes at 34:00)
\nClick here<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Concert, Shizuoka Hobby Show 2025 (Yamato<\/em> themes at 13:00)
\nClick here<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

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

Continue to Report 19<\/a><\/p>\n

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