Space Battleship Yamato
Japanese anime series that redefined science fiction storytelling.
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In 1973, the success of disaster films like The Poseidon Adventure influenced Eiichi Yamamoto's belief that stories about survival in extreme circumstances could resonate with audiences.[1] The initial concept was an outer-space variation on Lord of the Flies titled "Asteroid Ship Icarus," featuring a multinational crew traveling in a hollowed-out asteroid.[2] The enemy aliens were originally called Rajendora, revealed to be robots whose home planet had died over a hundred years ago.[2] Leiji Matsumoto, who had initially declined the offer, took over as supervisor in spring 1974 after insisting on complete creative control.[3][4]
A ten-minute pilot film was created in August 1974, with at least nine copies distributed to interested parties.[5][6] The series was originally planned for 52 episodes, then reduced to 39, and ultimately cut to 26 episodes due to low ratings and high production expenses.[7][8] Eiichi Yamamoto was in charge of the project during its conceptual phase, but in 1974 he departed to work on a documentary film.[3] Leiji Matsumoto took over and reworked the narrative, creating the design of the main ship based on the IJN Yamato and incorporating the Wave Motion Gun, a concept he had first used in his 1968 erotic comedy manga Sexaroid.[3][9]
The initial story outline was finished on May 21, 1974.[5][9]
What the cited sources add
The Cosmo DNA "Yamato Origins" series details that the 45-page plan book was completed in late summer 1973 during the second half of Wansa-Kun's broadcast.[4] The Tokyu Agency submitted the Yamato plan book to a "Society of Three" to begin the campaign, but Dai-Ichi Communications became the sole agent after opening negotiations with Yomiuri TV in May 1974.[4] The 39-episode outline included Gamilas territory divided into four defense zones controlled by different characters.[10] The cut content from the 39-episode outline was preserved in the first Yamato novelization by Arashi Ishizu and the first manga by Akira Hio, which became alternate-universe retellings.[10]
The pilot film's space backgrounds were experimented with in light and dark colors, leading to the decision that dark navy blue would be the basic outer space color for the series.[6] Yamato's red hull was later toned down to a reddish-brown color because the brightness was underestimated on the pilot.[6] The pilot film also resulted in the casting of Goro Naya as narrator and Michiko Harai as Starsha.[6]
References
- Wikipedia, "Space Battleship Yamato" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Yamato Origins, Part 5", Cosmo DNA, 3 July 2013 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Space Battleship Yamato" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "1973-1976 Timeline", StarBlazers.com; "Leiji Matsumoto 1976 Interview", StarBlazers.com; "Yamato Origins, Part 4: Asteroid Ship Icarus", Cosmo DNA, 3 July 2013 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Space Battleship Yamato" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Yamato Origins, Part 1: The Big Picture", Cosmo DNA, 3 July 2013; "Yamato Origins, Part 6 Story Outline by Leiji Matsumoto", Cosmo DNA, 3 July 2013 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Yamato Origins, Part 1: The Big Picture", Cosmo DNA, 3 July 2013. facts only, no text reused. ourstarblazers.com
- Wikipedia, "Space Battleship Yamato" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Yamato Origins, Part 9 The Pilot Film and the Homestretch", Cosmo DNA, 3 July 2013 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Yamato Origins, Part 9 The Pilot Film and the Homestretch", Cosmo DNA, 3 July 2013. facts only, no text reused. ourstarblazers.com
- Wikipedia, "Space Battleship Yamato" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Yamato Origins, Part 8: The 39-Episode Outline", Cosmo DNA, 3 July 2013 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Space Battleship Yamato" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Make way for StarBlazers", StarBlazers.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Yamato Origins, Part 6 Story Outline by Leiji Matsumoto", Cosmo DNA, 3 July 2013. facts only, no text reused. ourstarblazers.com
- "Yamato Origins, Part 8: The 39-Episode Outline", Cosmo DNA, 3 July 2013. facts only, no text reused. ourstarblazers.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Space Battleship Yamato (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Space Battleship Yamato (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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