THE "FINAL" PUSH

Those of you who have been faithfully following our DVD releases know that we've arrived at a penultimate point. Be Forever Yamato and the third Star Blazers TV series are now freshly behind us. This is the breather just before the last story in the saga, Final Yamato. In Japan, Yamato fans entered this difficult waiting period in April, 1981 when Yamato III (known to us as "The Bolar Wars") concluded its initial broadcast with this farewell caption:

Though the story of Yamato III is over, Yamato's battle to protect the peace will continue.
Next year, it will have been almost 10 years since Yamato was born. To commemorate this anniversary, the Yamato saga will come to an end.
Please look forward with hopeful expectation to the summer of 1982.

Farewell until then, Producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki.

Nishizaki's message was only partly true. There would indeed be one more Yamato adventure, but it would be an agonizing two years, not one, before that adventure arrived on Earth. (Not to worry, we won't make you wait that long, our DVD release of Final Yamato is scheduled for January 2004. For that matter, you can get it on VHS right now if you're really desperate.)

But this waiting period was not exactly an empty void for the army of loyal Japanese fans. There were television broadcasts of the Yamato movies, a TV compilation film of Yamato III, and numerous pieces of Yamato merchandise released during this period, both in print and on vinyl. 1982, for example, was a very big year for Yamato music. No less than seven record albums were released, composed almost entirely of new cover tunes.

But the thing that really got the diehards through this downtime was a string of events called "Space Battleship Yamato: Fan Gathering" It brought Producer Nishizaki and other Yamato luminaries face to face with fans all over Japan. Final Yamato was in development, and Nishizaki explained his ideas to the many who turned out. A special film, made for this event, delivered the staff members, messages directly to the audience. This included the announcement of Captain Okita's revival, which created tremendous excitement and underscored that this would bring the series to a genuine finale.

Producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki in 1982

Here's what Nishizaki had to say during this time...

Last year, we had an opportunity to broadcast "Be Forever" for the first time on TV. I had received many requests from fans who wanted to watch the entirety of Yamato. Hoping to grant these requests, I had discussions with the TV station, and as a result, this program was carried out. The best way to watch "the entirety of Yamato" is to watch the films, excluding "Farewell" in which Kodai and Yuki died. By doing this, viewers can see the development of Yamato in an organized manner.

It has been said that the theme running through all the Yamato stories is "love."Yet there are many forms of love. The love for humanity was presented in the first series, in which young people, including Kodai, fight for the sake of human beings and the Earth. There was the personal love between Kodai and Yuki, and this small love was the basis for the big love.



" The New Voyage" presented personal loves. It was created like an episode. It presented Dessler's one-sided love for Stasha as well as the love between her and Mamoru Kodai. Through them, we also saw the love between parents and a child.

Continuing in "Be Forever," we again saw that love means to dedicate oneself to others. A human does not live alone; he or she can live only when there are many people around them. We asked to what extent one is able to dedicate oneself to the others. The result was to return Sasha to her mother, but we wanted the viewers to think about what was most important.

The message in each story is "love," and I will be happy if the viewers see how wonderful it is to live his or her life--which comes only once--for the future, while living and cooperating with many others. I also want the viewers to watch Yamato in an organized manner because of the final movie that will debut next year. Including Kodai and Yuki, this film will show what Yamato is all about.

The Fan Gatherings sparked more activity around the nation, leading to movie screenings and school festivals. The enthusiasm for Final Yamato's debut in March 1983 grew with each passing day. Among fans, controversy raged over the revival of Okita and the long-awaited marriage between Kodai and Yuki. Many lively letters were received at the Yamato production offices. This was unusual for the anime industry, but not unusual for Yamato, which had enjoyed many years of loyal support that created a great deal of intimacy between the staff and the audience. Very few anime programs have enjoyed this experience.

For more on this unique time in the history of the series, take a look at the special features on our upcoming Final Yamato DVD. The Yamato adventures in the 1980s were just as exciting as those in the 23rd century.

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