Showing posts with label Junichi Tamamori. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Junichi Tamamori. Show all posts
Thursday, June 21, 2012
SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199 (2012)
Stunning 9-Minute Preview for Episode 3!
AHOY, MAJOR SPOILER WARNING: If you don't like Spoilers, then this link is definitely not for you — here are the first 9 minutes of Episode 3 of SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199, "Escape From Jupiter", featuring the Yamato's first Warp test from Mars to Jupiter, as streamed on the Bandai Channel (Japan only), starting on June 20th. This episode is one of four (Episodes 3-6) which form the second theatrical release under the title SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199 CHAPTER 2: DESPERATE STRUGGLE IN THE HELIOSPHERE, opening in ten select theaters in Japan on June 30th.
Episode 3 synopsis: After completing the Warp Test from Mars to Jupiter, the Yamato suffers an engine malfunction and is forced to make an emergency landing on a continent floating in the atmosphere of the giant planet. While repairs are being made, the Gamilas attack the crippled ship, and Captain Okita decides to use their new weapon, the Wave Motion Gun!
The awesome first-half of Episode 3 of YAMATO: 2199, a beautifully executed remake of the groundbreaking 1974 series, is — and I hate to over use this hyperbole — mind-blowing. The almost unanimous acclaim for the first two episodes is sent even higher by this clip, and has this author jonesing like an junkie before payday. Supervising Director Yutaka Izubuchi takes the extremely familiar material, has has not only given it the technical execution it deserves, but also makes it completely new for life-long fans, such as I.
And, as I said in an earlier entry, without exaggeration, this is the best possible remake I could have ever hoped for. For those lucky enough to see the film during it's two-week run in ten select theaters in Japan, early-bird moviegoers will have a chance to purchase a limited-edition, theater-exclusive Blu-ray of Vol. 2 containing the episode versions that comprise this film (and boasts English Subtitles and a complete storyboard booklet for Episode 3). The previous version, Vol. 1 (containing Episodes 1 & 2) sold out in record numbers, and I'm sure that lightning is going to strike twice.
For those of us not able to go to one of the ten Japanese theaters, the mass-market Blu-ray and DVD (the later of the twow does not contain English Subtitles), will go on sale July 27th.
Until then, watch this preview clip until your eyes bleed (or Bandai takes it down)!
STOP THE PRESSES! ADDED BONUS! Here's the full version of the new ending song for Episodes 3-6, "For Those Who Know the Beautiful Earth" by Aki Misato, which was previewed in a recent webcast of RunLANRadio, run by Lantis (a subsidiary of Namco Bandai, and the official label of YAMATO: 2199), which you can download, here.
Special thanks to Luis Cotovio!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199 (2012)
Amazing 10 Minute Action Clip from Episode 1!
UPDATED WITH HIGHER QUALITY VIDEO! MAJOR SPOILER WARNING: If you don't like Spoilers, then this link is definitely not for you — here is the first 10 minutes of SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199 Episode 1 "The Messenger From Iscandar" featuring the Battle of Pluto, as streamed on the Bandai Channel (Japan only). This amazing opening section of the first episode of this highly anticipated remake is mind-blowing — this long time Yamato fan can't wait to see what Yutaka Izubuchi and his team have in store for us with the rest of the episode, let alone the following 25. Without exaggeration, this is the best possible remake I could have ever hoped for. Still, this teaser is the most we can see before the official Japanese theatrical release on April 7, 2012 (where the DVD and BDs will be sold, one per customer) or the public DVD/BD release on May 25, 2012. View at your own risk...
View on YouTube to select English Subtitles! Special thanks to Luis and Kyosyo!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199 (2012)
12 New Shots Not Seen In Previous Trailers!
『宇宙戦艦ヤマト2199』から12の新しいシーン！
Gamilas Planet Bombing creates poisonous mutant plants! An element hinted at, but ultimately dropped from the original 1974 series.
The United Nations Cosmo Navy's last fleet gathers for a decisive battle at Pluto against the Gamilas! Notice the incredible detail on the ships, established by conceptual designer Junichi Tamamori.
Admiral Okita and his crew stand ready for battle at Pluto! Gamilas ships can be faintly seen reflected in the windscreens.
The Gamilas Fleet prepares to engage the Earth's UNCN forces at Pluto! The classic designs have been mostly retained, proving that they still stand the test of time.
"Tell them they're 'nuts'!" Admiral Okita sends the same famous message that General McAuliffe made in reply to the German's surrender ultimatum at the Battle of the Bulge.
The Gamilas response is swift... and fatal!
Mamoru Kodai, Captain of the Missile Destroyer Yukikaze, makes a fateful maneuver...
Meanwhile, Susumu Kodai and Daisuke Shima find a strange message device clutched in the hand of a beautiful, but deceased, extraterrestrial woman whose ship crash lands on Mars.
The inscription reads: "Here Lies a Messenger from a Faraway Star."
Back on Earth, Section 9 Com Officer, Yuki Mori, meets Kodai for the first time — and chews him out for not following proper procedure! Meanwhile, Shima keeps his distance.
So, what does Kodai do the first chance he gets? Commandeers a Cosmo Zero, without authorization, to pursue a Gamilas spy plane!
Science Officer Shiro Sanada and Captain Hijikata wait as the mysterious message capsule brought back from Mars is being analyzed. Little do they realize that the very salvation of Mankind and the Earth is contained within...
Stay tuned to this blog and the official Star Blazers website for more news and information on SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199 as they develop — and soon, we'll be off to outer space, one more time!
Gamilas Planet Bombing creates poisonous mutant plants! An element hinted at, but ultimately dropped from the original 1974 series.
The United Nations Cosmo Navy's last fleet gathers for a decisive battle at Pluto against the Gamilas! Notice the incredible detail on the ships, established by conceptual designer Junichi Tamamori.
Admiral Okita and his crew stand ready for battle at Pluto! Gamilas ships can be faintly seen reflected in the windscreens.
The Gamilas Fleet prepares to engage the Earth's UNCN forces at Pluto! The classic designs have been mostly retained, proving that they still stand the test of time.
"Tell them they're 'nuts'!" Admiral Okita sends the same famous message that General McAuliffe made in reply to the German's surrender ultimatum at the Battle of the Bulge.
The Gamilas response is swift... and fatal!
Mamoru Kodai, Captain of the Missile Destroyer Yukikaze, makes a fateful maneuver...
Meanwhile, Susumu Kodai and Daisuke Shima find a strange message device clutched in the hand of a beautiful, but deceased, extraterrestrial woman whose ship crash lands on Mars.
The inscription reads: "Here Lies a Messenger from a Faraway Star."
Back on Earth, Section 9 Com Officer, Yuki Mori, meets Kodai for the first time — and chews him out for not following proper procedure! Meanwhile, Shima keeps his distance.
So, what does Kodai do the first chance he gets? Commandeers a Cosmo Zero, without authorization, to pursue a Gamilas spy plane!
Science Officer Shiro Sanada and Captain Hijikata wait as the mysterious message capsule brought back from Mars is being analyzed. Little do they realize that the very salvation of Mankind and the Earth is contained within...
Stay tuned to this blog and the official Star Blazers website for more news and information on SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199 as they develop — and soon, we'll be off to outer space, one more time!
Saturday, February 18, 2012
SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199 (2012)
Coming to Japanese BD & DVD on May 25th!
『宇宙戦艦ヤマト2199』DVD/BD 5月25日発売！
Vol. 1 DVD jacket ©Emotion/Yamato 2199 Production Committee
As I first wrote back in November, the long-anticipated return to the hugely popular SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO series, known in the US as STAR BLAZERS, was building steam with an animated feature follow-up to 1983’s FINAL YAMATO, entitled SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: RESURRECTION (2009), and the big-budget live action film by Takeshi Yamazaki, SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO (2010), and then came the exciting, official word of a new, 26-episode half-hour series, SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199, a remake of the groundbreaking 1974 production. It was also announced that YAMATO: 2199, which had been in various stages of development for several years, would be helmed by Yutaka Izubuchi (RahXephon). A fellow, unabashed Yamato fan, Hideaki Anno (Evangelion) had originally been attached as chief director, but would still end up contributing to the series by designing the storyboards for the opening credits sequence, which were then finalized by Izubuchi.
Admiral Okita's Battleship, Kirishima, at the Battle of Pluto!
Word got even better when it was announced that Izubuchi and the producers, including the adopted son of the late Yamato creator, Yoshinobu Nishizaki, were sticking close, if not exactly, to the design parameters of the original YAMATO, by hiring Junichiro Tamamori (Scarecrowman) as lead Mechanical Designer, who came to their attention through his website, "Yamato Mechanics" (and several notable Yamato fanzines). While the look of YAMATO: 2199 was rooted firmly in the past, the character designs would be completely updated for modern sensibilities, while still remaining familiar to longtime fans, under the pen of Nobuteru Yuuki (Space Pirate Captain Herlock: The Endless Odyssey). Likewise, YAMATO: 2199 would benefit from the latest animation techniques and 3DCG rendering under the auspices of Xebec (Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne) and A.I.C. (Mankind Has Declined). I feel that if these techniques were available in 1974, that they would have been fully implemented at the time, in making the original series.
The Kirishima's captain holds fast, as Okita makes a difficult decision!
Then came the announcement of music composer, and since the late Hiroshi Miyagawa's indelible scores would be a hard act to follow, they simply hired his son, Akira Miyagawa (Shin Mazinger), to rearrange his father's compositions, and pen his own. And when you didn't think it could get any better, legendary vocalist, Isao Sasaki, was also tapped to record a new version of the theme song he made famous 38 years ago, while Aira Yuki (True Tears) is performing the ending theme song, "In the Eternal Light of the Stars". But, despite the veritable all-star line-up of talent, promising that YAMATO: 2199 would be a sure-fire hit, the networks weren't biting when it was originally pitched (according to some industry sources). Whether this is rumor or fact, in this new digital age, television is not the end-all-be-all, and it was decided to cut together the episodes into a series of seven feature films, screened in select theaters through Shochiku (Japan's oldest motion picture company), beginning on April 7th with "The Long Journey" (Episodes 1 & 2) and followed by "Desperate Battle in the Heliosphere" (3 through 6) on June 30th.
Kodai & Shima are about to set out on a pivotal mission!
In addition to the theatrical screenings, the uncut episodic versions of YAMATO: 2199 are to be issued on DVD & Blu-ray (BD), starting with Volume 1 on May 25th. This initial volume will contain the first two episodes of the series, "The Messenger of Iscandar" and "We're Off Into the Sea of Stars", both written by Izubuchi and directed by Akira Enomoto (Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files). Special features will include a special outer slipcase featuring stunning art by famed illustrator Naoyuki Kato (with the case sleeve featuring Yuki's art, seen above), a facsimile of Anno and Izubuchi's Storyboards for the Opening Title sequence, an insert booklet, the Clean Opening sequence (Acapella Version), and an Audio Commentary for Episode 1, featuring writer-director Izubuchi and voice actors Daisuke Ono (Susumu Kodai) and Houko Kuwashima (Yuki Mori). Subsequent volumes in the series, from Bandai Visual, will feature four episodes per disc. Now available for pre-order on Amazon Japan (with an April 15th cut-off), the BD for Volume 1 has already placed #15 on their Best Seller's list.
Kodai & Shima discover the wreck of the Battleship Yamato!
Meanwhile, for those who can't wait that long, advance copies of the BD for Volume 1, sold exclusively at theaters screening "The Long Journey", will contain a special bonus booklet of Izubuchi's complete storyboards for the "The Messenger of Iscandar" (sporting a cover featuring Sasha of Iscandar, illustrated by Yuuki). The movies will also be streamed simultaneously, as Video On Demand, on Hikari TV, part of the NTT Plala network, which will also preview "The Long Journey" for six days, starting on March 23rd. Yes, "Yamato Fever" is rising in Japan, and not just among the older fans who were raised on the franchise; this may be the first recent Yamato project to break through to those under 30, the hardest demographic to crack. While the synopses of first two episodes read very close to the original, the addition of new supporting characters to the story, especially the female crew members, should draw a much younger audience to YAMATO: 2199. And don't worry, Dessler is still an imperious, blue-skinned, Gamilas Dandy in this version!
As for me, personally, I can hardly wait for curtain call at the 'ol Shinjuku Piccadilly theater this April!
Stay tuned to this blog and the official Star Blazers website for more news and information on SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199 as they develop — and soon, we'll be off to outer space, one more time!
Vol. 1 DVD jacket ©Emotion/Yamato 2199 Production Committee
As I first wrote back in November, the long-anticipated return to the hugely popular SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO series, known in the US as STAR BLAZERS, was building steam with an animated feature follow-up to 1983’s FINAL YAMATO, entitled SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: RESURRECTION (2009), and the big-budget live action film by Takeshi Yamazaki, SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO (2010), and then came the exciting, official word of a new, 26-episode half-hour series, SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199, a remake of the groundbreaking 1974 production. It was also announced that YAMATO: 2199, which had been in various stages of development for several years, would be helmed by Yutaka Izubuchi (RahXephon). A fellow, unabashed Yamato fan, Hideaki Anno (Evangelion) had originally been attached as chief director, but would still end up contributing to the series by designing the storyboards for the opening credits sequence, which were then finalized by Izubuchi.
Admiral Okita's Battleship, Kirishima, at the Battle of Pluto!
Word got even better when it was announced that Izubuchi and the producers, including the adopted son of the late Yamato creator, Yoshinobu Nishizaki, were sticking close, if not exactly, to the design parameters of the original YAMATO, by hiring Junichiro Tamamori (Scarecrowman) as lead Mechanical Designer, who came to their attention through his website, "Yamato Mechanics" (and several notable Yamato fanzines). While the look of YAMATO: 2199 was rooted firmly in the past, the character designs would be completely updated for modern sensibilities, while still remaining familiar to longtime fans, under the pen of Nobuteru Yuuki (Space Pirate Captain Herlock: The Endless Odyssey). Likewise, YAMATO: 2199 would benefit from the latest animation techniques and 3DCG rendering under the auspices of Xebec (Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne) and A.I.C. (Mankind Has Declined). I feel that if these techniques were available in 1974, that they would have been fully implemented at the time, in making the original series.
The Kirishima's captain holds fast, as Okita makes a difficult decision!
Then came the announcement of music composer, and since the late Hiroshi Miyagawa's indelible scores would be a hard act to follow, they simply hired his son, Akira Miyagawa (Shin Mazinger), to rearrange his father's compositions, and pen his own. And when you didn't think it could get any better, legendary vocalist, Isao Sasaki, was also tapped to record a new version of the theme song he made famous 38 years ago, while Aira Yuki (True Tears) is performing the ending theme song, "In the Eternal Light of the Stars". But, despite the veritable all-star line-up of talent, promising that YAMATO: 2199 would be a sure-fire hit, the networks weren't biting when it was originally pitched (according to some industry sources). Whether this is rumor or fact, in this new digital age, television is not the end-all-be-all, and it was decided to cut together the episodes into a series of seven feature films, screened in select theaters through Shochiku (Japan's oldest motion picture company), beginning on April 7th with "The Long Journey" (Episodes 1 & 2) and followed by "Desperate Battle in the Heliosphere" (3 through 6) on June 30th.
Kodai & Shima are about to set out on a pivotal mission!
In addition to the theatrical screenings, the uncut episodic versions of YAMATO: 2199 are to be issued on DVD & Blu-ray (BD), starting with Volume 1 on May 25th. This initial volume will contain the first two episodes of the series, "The Messenger of Iscandar" and "We're Off Into the Sea of Stars", both written by Izubuchi and directed by Akira Enomoto (Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files). Special features will include a special outer slipcase featuring stunning art by famed illustrator Naoyuki Kato (with the case sleeve featuring Yuki's art, seen above), a facsimile of Anno and Izubuchi's Storyboards for the Opening Title sequence, an insert booklet, the Clean Opening sequence (Acapella Version), and an Audio Commentary for Episode 1, featuring writer-director Izubuchi and voice actors Daisuke Ono (Susumu Kodai) and Houko Kuwashima (Yuki Mori). Subsequent volumes in the series, from Bandai Visual, will feature four episodes per disc. Now available for pre-order on Amazon Japan (with an April 15th cut-off), the BD for Volume 1 has already placed #15 on their Best Seller's list.
Kodai & Shima discover the wreck of the Battleship Yamato!
Meanwhile, for those who can't wait that long, advance copies of the BD for Volume 1, sold exclusively at theaters screening "The Long Journey", will contain a special bonus booklet of Izubuchi's complete storyboards for the "The Messenger of Iscandar" (sporting a cover featuring Sasha of Iscandar, illustrated by Yuuki). The movies will also be streamed simultaneously, as Video On Demand, on Hikari TV, part of the NTT Plala network, which will also preview "The Long Journey" for six days, starting on March 23rd. Yes, "Yamato Fever" is rising in Japan, and not just among the older fans who were raised on the franchise; this may be the first recent Yamato project to break through to those under 30, the hardest demographic to crack. While the synopses of first two episodes read very close to the original, the addition of new supporting characters to the story, especially the female crew members, should draw a much younger audience to YAMATO: 2199. And don't worry, Dessler is still an imperious, blue-skinned, Gamilas Dandy in this version!
As for me, personally, I can hardly wait for curtain call at the 'ol Shinjuku Piccadilly theater this April!
Stay tuned to this blog and the official Star Blazers website for more news and information on SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199 as they develop — and soon, we'll be off to outer space, one more time!
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