Yamato 2199

[myk]

I will add my own subtitle to this.

"Captain, the Gamilon female is a verrrrrry fine specimen........"

Well, at the very least a pap-smear and a mammogram are in order...

[westfall]

Some new stuff from the official sites. First, 3 new character files, including 2 on the Earth side:

Iwata and Touyama, Enomoto's top men (so far)

Goru Hainy, Fraken's XO

Updated info on the Domelus III and UX-01 (spotted by Keith Holmes)

(this is one huge ship!!! 730m!!! Holy s***!!!)

Also, the cover of the storyboard booklet for episode 13, that will come as a bonus for the Special Edition Blu-Ray/DVDs

http://yamato2199.net/showinfo_04.html

and the release date for the Concert CD has been set for February, 27th

http://yamato2199.net/goods/cd_musicteam01.html

and finaly, at Yamato Crew site, volume 2 of the manga is on sale with some exclusive bonus

http://yamatocrew.jp/shop/html/products/detail.php?product_id=167

[Dobber]

When I was building my earth fleet kits it occurred to me....how did the fire their weapons at any ship that wasn't perfectly level with them...same goes for most of the Gamila's ships. There is no way to elevate their weapons, they can only rotate them. Kind of sucks that a space ship would have to roll to just fire at an enemy that is above or below their horizontal plane. Don't get me wrong, LOVE these designs, just something that hit me all at once.

As for the Gamilion fighter pilot....what's up with her lower legs? There's thin and then there's...well....freaky.

Chris

[peter]

4:46 Sanada-san said to Kodai, "What you say has a lack of logicality." lol "Logical" reminds me of Spock from NCC-1701 Enterprise. I heard a foreign fan said "Spock is boarding Yamato." He wanted to say Sanada-san resembles Spock. Indeed. And the staffs of this series may be aware of it, his words may be born. Just guessing. But not so illogical.

Haha, even his posture, the way he has his hands under his chin reminds me of Spock,

When I was building my earth fleet kits it occurred to me....how did the fire their weapons at any ship that wasn't perfectly level with them...same goes for most of the Gamila's ships. There is no way to elevate their weapons, they can only rotate them. Kind of sucks that a space ship would have to roll to just fire at an enemy that is above or below their horizontal plane. Don't get me wrong, LOVE these designs, just something that hit me all at once. As for the Gamilion fighter pilot....what's up with her lower legs? There's thin and then there's...well....freaky. Chris

I noticed that too. The rest of her looks fine, but when they did the first close-up pan, I didn't even clue it it was her until they got to the panties and bra,

[westfall]

As for shifting the level on those guns, i see 3 ways of how they might work:

1 - They don't, as you pointed, wich is not very functional.

2 - The "barrels" actualy move somewhat (highly improbable as we've never seen them do it and they seem to be pretty much fixed)

3 - Theres some mechanism inside the "barrel" that allows for some degree of elevation, something along the lines of those things used to squirt water into a cars windshield, a sphere of sorts (hints of this are visible in the detailed Kirishima bridge drawing in "Yamato Re:Mechanics) It would be highly limited but maybe that's why the Yamato uses actual barrels. What looks like a step backwards is actually a more eficient design.

[myk]

I just figured that they could direct the energy out of the barrel, not unlike the phaser banks/strips that Star Trek/Starfleet vessels use...

[Dobber]

The movie era ships actually had little turrets, Next Gen and beyond though you are correct. I was thinking along the same lines but they appear to be actual barrels of a sort so any directional lens/thing would be inside the barrel which would limit the direction it could be shot at, as Westfall pointed out. Maybe the whole "barrel" is just a reflector of sorts like the Trek Phaser strips are. No biggie, just something I noticed. Have we ever seen a Gamila ship firing at an elevated angle?

Chris

Edited December 29, 2012 by Dobber

[Doryu2025]

A ton of coverage of Tim Eldred's brand new site COSMO DNA.

http://www.ourstarbl....com/index.html

Speaking of which, what exactly is going on with the original Star Blazers website? First Tim Eldred leaves and starts up his own site since he says Voyager don't want to update their website anymore, and the Voyager site is put in stasis. But, just the other day Voyager suddenly pulled all the content from their site (yes, everything has gone bye-bye) and replaced it with a stern message about prosecuting all unofficial Star Blazers websites, in what appears to be a clear message to Tim Eldred.

Interestingly, the copyright on the official Star Blazers page now lists Voyager Entertainment and S. Nishizaki. This is obviously Shoji Nishizaki, Yoshinobu Nishizaki's son, and the guy in charge of the Director's Cut of Resurrection and, more importantly, 2199.

I know Funimation were supposed to have licensed Resurrection, but do all these website shenanigans mean Shoji Nishizaki has taken the reins of Voyager in preparation for 2199 to officially be brought over?

[Dobber]

Can anyone direct me or give me the rundown on Yamato Resurrection? Every time I see artwork for it I'm blown away....but I know nothing about it or what the actual production looked like. Was it a good series?

Chris

[westfall]

Speaking of which, what exactly is going on with the original Star Blazers website? First Tim Eldred leaves and starts up his own site since he says Voyager don't want to update their website anymore, and the Voyager site is put in stasis. But, just the other day Voyager suddenly pulled all the content from their site (yes, everything has gone bye-bye) and replaced it with a stern message about prosecuting all unofficial Star Blazers websites, in what appears to be a clear message to Tim Eldred.

Interestingly, the copyright on the official Star Blazers page now lists Voyager Entertainment and S. Nishizaki. This is obviously Shoji Nishizaki, Yoshinobu Nishizaki's son, and the guy in charge of the Director's Cut of Resurrection and, more importantly, 2199.

I know Funimation were supposed to have licensed Resurrection, but do all these website shenanigans mean Shoji Nishizaki has taken the reins of Voyager in preparation for 2199 to officially be brought over?

The less you know about it, the better. It's an ugly affair wich will come come out eventually. When Tim feels the time is right, if that time comes, he'll let everyone know what went down.

Meanwhile, another update as just come online.

Edited December 29, 2012 by westfall

[antibiotictab]

Can anyone direct me or give me the rundown on Yamato Resurrection? Every time I see artwork for it I'm blown away....but I know nothing about it or what the actual production looked like. Was it a good series?

Yamato Resurrection? You mean Yamato Hukkatsu-hen(ヤマト復活篇)?

Hmmmmmmmmm.

You are an American, so I don't highly recommend it. It was based on Shintaro Ishihara's (a novelist's and also a right-wing politician's) draft and the story implied something anti-American... The planet Yamato and its crews cooperate with looks like Persian. And the enemy is...

Edited December 29, 2012 by antibiotictab

[Beltane70]

I didn't see anything anti-American about Yamato Resurrection.

[Keith]

I didn't see anything anti-American about Yamato Resurrection.

Oh no, nothing anti-American at all...aside from the part where Space America bullies the Space U.N. and the subjigated Space Germanty to attack the poor Space Middle East if they dare to help the fleeing denizens of Space Japan. And that's all well before Space America turns out to be THE INTERDIMENSIONAL SPACE DEVIL!!!

So yeah, nothing insanely anti-American about Ressurection at all. Also, Nishizaki loves blonde women so much, that he takes every opportunity to show it by killing every single one of them that appears on screen...

[myk]

Oh no, nothing anti-American at all...aside from the part where Space America bullies the Space U.N. and the subjigated Space Germanty to attack the poor Space Middle East if they dare to help the fleeing denizens of Space Japan. And that's all well before Space America turns out to be THE INTERDIMENSIONAL SPACE DEVIL!!!

So yeah, nothing insanely anti-American about Ressurection at all. Also, Nishizaki loves blonde women so much, that he takes every opportunity to show it by killing every single one of them that appears on screen...

Looks like I'm gonna have to look into this!

[peter]

WTF???? Really? I guess I just looked at it as not particularly entertaining which a really crappy music score.

[antibiotictab]

Oh, controversial it becomes...

The draft was written by Ishihara, not Nishizaki.

The guy with wicked tongue... And he talks too much recently...

Space Middle East was attacked and Yamato helps them as a "heroic" attitude. That is the former Governor of Tokyo, Ishihara's typical taste, and he has sometimes said something hostile about America.

Well, it may be my prejudice toward him, but I know who he is like.

Everybody has his/ her own opinion, if you think its not anti-America, I don't reject.

[peter]

Oh, controversial it becomes...

The draft was written by Ishihara, not Nishizaki.

The guy with wicked tongue... And he talks too much recently...

Space Middle East was attacked and Yamato helps them as a "heroic" attitude. That is the former Governor of Tokyo, Ishihara's typical taste, and he has sometimes said something hostile about America.

Well, it may be my prejudice toward him, but I know who he is like.

Everybody has his/ her own opinion, if you think its not anti-America, I don't reject.

Ah, you're in Japan I see, that's why you're posting at 1 in the morning (for me), haha! I was there just a few weeks ago

Anyway, it sort of makes sense now that you say it. I didn't find Yamato Hukkatsu-hen very entertaining. It had some moments, but there were some really, really moring moments for me. The current series Yamato 2199 is far better and I'm enjoying it very, much.

Edited December 30, 2012 by peter

[westfall]

I didn't get that reading from Yamato Resurrection. I did get the Amarl/Midle East connection but never saw the SUS as a portrait of the USA, unless you focus on the extreme pundits from both sides of the bi-partisan game. The Gamilas were basically a portrait of Nazi Germani, going down to the names of many characters, like Domel, Hyss and Goer. Is Germany that beast today? Except for Merkl and her government minions, i don't see Germany itself as a foothold of evil. Nor should you read too much into that supposed portrait of "America" (wich i really don't see). IMHO Yamato Resurrection is a nice enough film, suffering from what most other Yamato films did, a focus in moments of drama and angst driven characters. The CG ships look like plastic models and don't mix with the hand drawn animation (Yamato 2199's ships are CG made but blend perfectly). The change in character design threw me off though you get used to it. And of course, the change in ending from normal to DC versions... WTH??? I think they should do the sequel just to see where that ending leads. Other than that, i feel it's totally unnecessary. Especially because there would be another problem, the aesthetics of it. For the sequel to be a true sequel, a certain level of visual aesthetics (character and ship designs, animation technics, etc.) would have to be maintained. In a world 2 years before Yamato 2199 and it's gorgeous animation, Yamato Resurrection already suffered from the points i made regarding those aspects. But now, 3 years latter and with a quality beast like Y2199 serving as the new barr to pass, would that sequel fly, by those standards? I think not, we would look at those plastiky ships and shiver in disgust! XD If they went the other way and update the animation to Y2199 standards, you might enjoy it as a stand alone movie but as a sequel it would look too different from part one for you to feel a connection.

[Doryu2025]

The less you know about it, the better. It's an ugly affair wich will come come out eventually. When Tim feels the time is right, if that time comes, he'll let everyone know what went down.

Meanwhile, another update as just come online.

Yeah, I figured this was all far from amicable given the suddenness of events earlier this year. I'd been reading the Bolar Wars Extended comic, but as soon as Tim switched sites I saved all the strips while they were still up, as I had a funny feeling they'd all soon be pulled.

Sad to see that this is exactly what's happened, and that Tim's been screwed over in such a way; he really put a lot of love into that website over the last decade. In particular, the thought of all those translated articles and interviews now simply gone is quite sickening, but since Japan doesn't operate Fair Use, I can see where the problems probably lie.

With Voyager Japan taking control, the timing strongly implies this is something to do with getting 2199 over to the U.S. at some point.

I wonder if the New Jersey Voyager office has closed yet? Does that mean all the DVDs are now OOP by default? Will we finally see non-hardsubbed copies of the original movies?

[Dynaman]

But now, 3 years latter and with a quality beast like Y2199 serving as the new barr to pass, would that sequel fly, by those standards? I think not, we would look at those plastiky ships and shiver in disgust! XD If they went the other way and update the animation to Y2199 standards, you might enjoy it as a stand alone movie but as a sequel it would look too different from part one for you to feel a connection.

I thought the visuals from Resurrection were just fine, hardly a dissapointment in any way. The story is a disjointed mess though. (Being from the US I don't see any anti-US vibe to it either, it might be there but since there is a VERY strong anti-UN lobby here to begin with it hardly makes an impression)

[Beltane70]

Oh no, nothing anti-American at all...aside from the part where Space America bullies the Space U.N. and the subjigated Space Germanty to attack the poor Space Middle East if they dare to help the fleeing denizens of Space Japan. And that's all well before Space America turns out to be THE INTERDIMENSIONAL SPACE DEVIL!!!

So yeah, nothing insanely anti-American about Ressurection at all. Also, Nishizaki loves blonde women so much, that he takes every opportunity to show it by killing every single one of them that appears on screen...

Guess it just shows how well I actually remember Resurrection!

Still, even if there is anti-American sentiment in the film, I'm really not bothered by it.

[westfall]

I thought the visuals from Resurrection were just fine, hardly a dissapointment in any way. The story is a disjointed mess though. (Being from the US I don't see any anti-US vibe to it either, it might be there but since there is a VERY strong anti-UN lobby here to begin with it hardly makes an impression)

Don't get me wrong, there's some fine work there but the texture of the ships just seems off, too plain, especially now in comparisson with 2199. But hardly a total flop. Perhaps what throws me off the most is the aesthetic of the new ships, too much Yamato 2520-like for me. As for the SB site situation, Tim's objective for the new site is to re-up as much of what was in the old one as possible, including his web-comics. The gears are turning and hopefully we'll have that mana of information back online soon. Let's wait and see.

[Dynaman]

Don't get me wrong, there's some fine work there but the texture of the ships just seems off, too plain, especially now in comparisson with 2199. But hardly a total flop.

The alien ship designs were wonky, but I rather like the Earth "Fragship" (I still loved that from the preview video. Bad ship designs have been a Yamato problem in every show after Comet Empire though.

As for the SB site situation, Tim's objective for the new site is to re-up as much of what was in the old one as possible, including his web-comics. The gears are turning and hopefully we'll have that mana of information back online soon. Let's wait and see.

I hope so, Tim deserves a couple of medals for the work he has done.

[antibiotictab]

Well, it's time to re-watch the Hukkatsu-hen again. I went to the DVD rental shop. I should judge if it was anti-American or not.

But this is the "director's cut" one and I heard something differs from the original one...

I will spend the New Year's Holiday with this.

Edited December 31, 2012 by antibiotictab

[Keith]

The alien ship designs were wonky, but I rather like the Earth "Fragship" (I still loved that from the preview video. Bad ship designs have been a Yamato problem in every show after Comet Empire though.

I hope so, Tim deserves a couple of medals for the work he has done.

What's his new site?

[Tochiro]

What's his new site?

http://www.ourstarblazers.com/

[westfall]

But this is the "director's cut" one and I heard something differs from the original one...

The differences are mostly in small scenes cut, added or slightly modified. The major changes are the ending sequence and the fact that the DC version has a new sound mix featuring music and sound effects from the original series. starblazers.com had an awesome guide describing all the small changes made in the DC but alas, they're gone along with the site.

Edited January 1, 2013 by westfall

[westfall]

Hope this isn't considered off topic but i have a question for those who may have already built the UNCN Fleet Set 1 models. I was never very good at applying water decals but the ships really need their markings so i would apreciate any advice on how to apply them.

Also, here's tiny look at Yamato Crew's Premium Fun Club Magazine (yes, Fun Club), unfortunately only available to those who can get a membership. Good stuff.

http://formulatimes.blog135.fc2.com/blog-entry-851.html#more

[antibiotictab]

I re-watched the Hukkatsu-hen.

The ending is totally different from the original one.

I found Kentaro Haneda's name together with Miyagawa-san's in the ending credit. RIP, Haneda-san. Thanks not only for Yamato's but also many SDF Macross's songs.

I wonder why this one is so non-Japanese-anime like. The facial expressions of the characters are

so poor.

CG is not so bad in comparison with Innocent (the sequel of Ghost in the Shell the movie). Innocent was so wack.

V'ger from Star Trek: The Motion Picture? Galactica (the first)? I found some influences from other sci-fi movies.

This is indeed an Ishihara's movie. A Kamikaze attack appears and it is shown as if It were a

virtue. I remember he also made a Kamikaze fighters' movie during his tenure as a politician. I don't know why he had a time to spare to make the movies in such a busy life.

This story is based on the Iranian Revolution, the Gulf War and the Iraq War.

The Interstellar National Union≒ the United Nations

The upstart country≒ definitely America

SUS= Space United States?

Etos≒ France, Russia, China or Germany which has its own history, chivalry and opposed to the Iraq War

Amal≒ Iraq and Iran

What Yamato did is what Ishihara wants Japan to do. This is what he wanted to say in this movie as a politician.

And this is the most important theme of this anime.

Edited January 1, 2013 by antibiotictab

[TehPW]

I thought Yamato was supposed to be used to sell comic books, models & toys, not political Bovine Scatology (to misquote the recently passed away General Swartzkoff)... I think the only person who can make a political statement (and get away with it) with his films is Miazaki...

[antibiotictab]

I thought Yamato was supposed to be used to sell comic books, models & toys, not political Bovine Scatology (to misquote the recently passed away General Swartzkoff)... I think the only person who can make a political statement (and get away with it) with his films is Miazaki...

A. A politician made a political anime. It's so natural. Besides, it was so outspoken at least for me. I didn't/ don't accept his Yamato favorably.

B. After "Code Geass" in 2006, the international issues have tended to be included in animes in Japan. For example, "Evangelion 2.22," "Symphogear," and "009: Re-Cyborg." I didn't watch 009, but Joe and Jet were talking about the doubt about America in the teaser trailer. At least those ones have such an element.

Well, people outside of Japan can't watch these ones in chronological order. So they can't know the trend what many anime fans (only) in Japan want to watch. I feel so sorry for that.

But, well, as long as they are depending on the piracy, it can't be helped.

[Dynaman]

Back to 2199, just saw 7-10 and I love every change they made from the original story. The difference of how the "Sargasso sea" was setup in particular was well thought out, the original was just impossible while the new one may be impossible but we have no way to know...

Somebody who has at least read naval fiction came up with the line crossing ceremony - a nice touch.

[Tochiro]

Tim Eldred and co. have just started a new podcast so if you need something to listen to in the car or while slacking off at work, check it out!

http://www.thenightcrew.org/podcast/yamatocast-episode-zero/

[Tochiro]

Theres going to be a postcard set of new Yuki illustrations at the opening of Chapter 4 on Jan 12. Am digging the sample one so far. Heres hoping they do one for Yamamoto next!

[Tochiro]

Also, the original Yamato theatrical features are getting BD treatment this year but, as is the norm for Bandais older anime, will not feature English subtitles from the looks of things.

http://www.amazon.co.jp/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?__mk_ja_JP=カタカナ&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=宇宙戦艦ヤマト+++%5BBlu-ray%5D