Space Battleship Yamato (2010 film)
Encyclopedia
is a live action
film adaptation
of the original Space Battleship Yamato
anime
TV series from 1974. The film was released in Japan
on December 1, 2010. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray in Japan on June 24, 2011.
On Earth, Mamoru's brother Susumu is scavenging on the irradiated surface when an object impacts near him, throwing off his helmet and knocking him unconscious. He awakens to find an alien message capsule. Susumu also notices that the radiation
has been reduced to safe levels around him. He is rescued by Okita's returning ship and it is discovered that the capsule contains engineering schematics for a new warp drive and coordinates for the planet from which it came (Iskandar). After learning what happened at Mars, Susumu accuses Okita of using his brother as a sacrificial lamb and tries to hit him, but crewmember Yuki Mori violently stops him.
Okita believes the hope for humanity lies within Iskandar. A request for volunteers for the mission is sent out, and Kodai - a former EDF pilot - decides to re-enlist. Their last battleship, the Yamato, is enhanced with alien technology. Before the Yamato can launch the Gamilas attack with a gigantic missile. Captain Okita gives the order to fire the yet-untested Wave Motion Cannon, the ship's primary and experimental weapon, which successfully destroys the incoming missile. Kodai is reunited with his old fighter squad. Yuki, who joined the EDF years ago due to her admiration for Kodai, is bitter towards him.
The Yamato crew performs their first warp test and encounters more Gamilas ships. Since the Wave Motion Cannon is powered by the same reactor as the warp drive, the crew has to wait until the engine recharges to warp again. The Yamato destroys the alien capital ships, but the battle damages Yuki's fighter. Kodai launches to rescue her and is later sent to the brig
for disobeying orders. Later, Shima (his former squad-mate) tells Yuki that Kodai left the service because he accidentally caused the death of his family and also Shima's wife during a mission.
After another warp, the Yamato crew finds a Gamilas fighter adrift and recovers it to study, but the alien pilot is alive and possesses Commando Team Leader Hajime Saitō, in order to communicate. The alien calls himself Dessler and explains that Gamilas is a race with a hive mind
. Kodai stuns the possessed Saito, but the alien is destroyed.
Later, an ill Captain Okita makes Kodai acting-captain. The crew discovers that the captured Gamilas fighter contains a homing beacon, giving away their position. The Yamato fires its Wave Motion Cannon to destroy a Gamilas ship, but it buys time for a stealth Gamilas spacecraft to latch onto the ship's third bridge located on the bottom of the hull. Kodai reluctantly orders Yuki, in her fighter, to blast the third bridge support away moments before it detonates, saving the Yamato. Later on Kodai apologizes to Yuki for ordering her to doom their crew-mates, and the two have an intimate moment as the ship warps again.
The Yamato arrives at Iskandar, but is met by a large Gamilas fleet that sends a spacecraft to obstruct the nozzle of the Wave Motion Cannon. With their main weapon disabled, Kodai makes the dangerous choice to randomly warp and end up at the opposite side of Iskandar but are surprised to see that it is lifeless. It is discovered that Gamilas and Iskandar are the same planet. The crew begins to think that it is a trap, but Kodai urges them to press on. He leads an attack down to the planet surface in the midst of heavy Gamilas opposition. As much of the assault force is killed, the remaining pilots stay behind to cover for Kodai, Sanada, Saito and Mori as they head off to the coordinates.
At the coordinates, an alien possesses Yuki's body and explains that Gamilas and Iskandar are two aspects of the same race. The alien explains that their planet is dying and saw Earth as the most suitable replacement by killing humanity in the process. However, Iskandar did not share this view, and has been imprisoned. Iskandar implants in Yuki the ability to clean the radiation from Earth, and as she and Kodai return to Yamato, Saito and Sanada sacrifice themselves by destroying the Gamilas power source. Afterwards, the Yamato returns to Earth and Okita dies. The crew rejoices at their return but a surviving Gamilas ship ambushes them and severely damages the warship. Dessler appears and says they no longer wish to invade Earth, but since the majority of the Gamilas are killed, he intends to destroy the planet with his vessel to avenge his race. Kodai has the surviving crew abandon ship before he helms Yamato on a kamikaze attack with the Gamilas ship and fires the blocked Wave Motion Cannon.
The ending shows Yuki and a child, which is implied to be Kodai's son, on the Earth's surface now restored to its natural state.
(TBS) television network has been planning the live action film since 2005. Noboru Ishiguro
, director and staff member of the original Space Battleship Yamato television series, confirmed at his Otakon
panel on July 17, 2009 that a live action
version of Space Battleship Yamato was in development.
Director Takashi Yamazaki
helmed the project for a planned December 2010 release with a budget of 2.2 billion yen (US$22 million). The film features extensive VFX produced by Yamazaki's visual effects house Shirogumi, amounting to 65 minutes of the film's running time in over 500 shots. The Daily Sports newspaper reported that 80% of the scenes incorporate the latest CGI
technology to recreate the space battles from the TV series. Having been moved by the 3D scenes of Avatar, Takuya Kimura, who plays Susumu Kodai, lobbied with Yamazaki to improve the quality of the movie's CGI scenes and reshoot them if possible. Because of the danger of getting overbudget, he also agreed to sacrifice part of his talent fee to keep the cost down.
Erika Sawajiri
was originally scheduled to also star in the film as the female lead character Yuki Mori, but was replaced by Meisa Kuroki
.
Principal photography began on October 12, 2009 and was completed by year's end. Computer graphics, editing, and other elements of post-production took over nine months before Toho opened the film on December 1, 2010 on 440 screens in Japan.
(1974) such as the re-designed EDF uniforms, and new EDF and Gamilas space battleships and starfighters. Elements from the second season
, such as the Yamato's "Space Commandos
" (Kuukan kiheitai), were included as well.
On September 16, Tokyograph reported that Aerosmith
's Steven Tyler
wrote a song, titled "Love Lives", for the film based on an English translated script and several clips of the film. The song is also performed by Tyler and was released on November 24, 2010 a week before the film is released. A preview of the song is heard in the official trailer. It was Tyler's first solo project.
The film has been licensed for international distribution by several companies: Wild Side Films (France
), Splendid Film (Germany
), Golden Harvest
(China
, Hong Kong
and Macau
), Catchplay (Taiwan
), Encore Films (Singapore
, Malaysia, Brunei
and Indonesia
) and Sahamongkol Film International Co. Ltd. (Thailand
). Mediatres Studio made a deal with TBS Company for home distribution of the film in Spain
. The film will be released on DVD in that country under the "Winds of Asia" quality seal and will be sold through Warner Home Video
of Spain.
Different DVD and Blu-ray editions were released in Japan on June 24, 2011.
Manabu Wakui also wrote the novelization of the film. The book further explains the story behind the 2194 planet bomb attacks and also includes a scene where Shima's mute son Jiro finally speaks for the first time upon seeing the Yamato survivors' arrival.
Zac Bertschy of the Anime News Network
rated the film a B, calling it "a thoroughly modernized adaptation, one that hits the gas pedal right out of the gate and doesn't stop for a moment, unashamed to just try and entertain the hell out of you."
The Japan Times
gave the film a positive review. The reviewer said the pressure of releasing a film with much corporate backing and expectations by die-hard fans put much stress on the production team, but they were able to have sufficient entertaining fare for kids and make serious drama work.
The Hollywood Reporter stated that the movie had a "sleek futurist look without losing sight of the ‘70s illustration style" of the original series in spite of a small budget (compared with other Western sci-fi movies).
On the other hand, Christoph Mark of The Daily Yomiuri said the film "lacked gravity" and criticized the production design as too reminiscent of the Battlestar Galactica remake
.
Live action
In filmmaking, video production, and other media, the term live action refers to cinematography, videography not produced using animation...
film adaptation
Film adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
of the original Space Battleship Yamato
Space Battleship Yamato
is a Japanese science fiction anime series featuring an eponymous spacecraft. It is also known to English-speaking audiences as Space Cruiser Yamato; an English-dubbed and heavily edited version of the series was broadcast on North American and Australian television as Star Blazers...
anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
TV series from 1974. The film was released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on December 1, 2010. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray in Japan on June 24, 2011.
Plot
In 2199, after five years of attacks by an alien race known as Gamilas, the Earth Defense Force launches a counter-offensive near Mars. The fleet's weapons are no match for the Gamilas, who easily decimate the fleet. During the battle, EDF captain Mamoru Kodai volunteers to use his damaged ship, the destroyer Yukikaze, as a shield to cover Captain Jyuzo Okita's ship, allowing his escape. Mamoru's ship is destroyed.On Earth, Mamoru's brother Susumu is scavenging on the irradiated surface when an object impacts near him, throwing off his helmet and knocking him unconscious. He awakens to find an alien message capsule. Susumu also notices that the radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
has been reduced to safe levels around him. He is rescued by Okita's returning ship and it is discovered that the capsule contains engineering schematics for a new warp drive and coordinates for the planet from which it came (Iskandar). After learning what happened at Mars, Susumu accuses Okita of using his brother as a sacrificial lamb and tries to hit him, but crewmember Yuki Mori violently stops him.
Okita believes the hope for humanity lies within Iskandar. A request for volunteers for the mission is sent out, and Kodai - a former EDF pilot - decides to re-enlist. Their last battleship, the Yamato, is enhanced with alien technology. Before the Yamato can launch the Gamilas attack with a gigantic missile. Captain Okita gives the order to fire the yet-untested Wave Motion Cannon, the ship's primary and experimental weapon, which successfully destroys the incoming missile. Kodai is reunited with his old fighter squad. Yuki, who joined the EDF years ago due to her admiration for Kodai, is bitter towards him.
The Yamato crew performs their first warp test and encounters more Gamilas ships. Since the Wave Motion Cannon is powered by the same reactor as the warp drive, the crew has to wait until the engine recharges to warp again. The Yamato destroys the alien capital ships, but the battle damages Yuki's fighter. Kodai launches to rescue her and is later sent to the brig
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
for disobeying orders. Later, Shima (his former squad-mate) tells Yuki that Kodai left the service because he accidentally caused the death of his family and also Shima's wife during a mission.
After another warp, the Yamato crew finds a Gamilas fighter adrift and recovers it to study, but the alien pilot is alive and possesses Commando Team Leader Hajime Saitō, in order to communicate. The alien calls himself Dessler and explains that Gamilas is a race with a hive mind
Group mind (science fiction)
A group mind, hive mind or group ego in science fiction is a single consciousness occupying many bodies. Its use in literature goes back at least as far as Olaf Stapledon's science fiction novel Last and First Men ....
. Kodai stuns the possessed Saito, but the alien is destroyed.
Later, an ill Captain Okita makes Kodai acting-captain. The crew discovers that the captured Gamilas fighter contains a homing beacon, giving away their position. The Yamato fires its Wave Motion Cannon to destroy a Gamilas ship, but it buys time for a stealth Gamilas spacecraft to latch onto the ship's third bridge located on the bottom of the hull. Kodai reluctantly orders Yuki, in her fighter, to blast the third bridge support away moments before it detonates, saving the Yamato. Later on Kodai apologizes to Yuki for ordering her to doom their crew-mates, and the two have an intimate moment as the ship warps again.
The Yamato arrives at Iskandar, but is met by a large Gamilas fleet that sends a spacecraft to obstruct the nozzle of the Wave Motion Cannon. With their main weapon disabled, Kodai makes the dangerous choice to randomly warp and end up at the opposite side of Iskandar but are surprised to see that it is lifeless. It is discovered that Gamilas and Iskandar are the same planet. The crew begins to think that it is a trap, but Kodai urges them to press on. He leads an attack down to the planet surface in the midst of heavy Gamilas opposition. As much of the assault force is killed, the remaining pilots stay behind to cover for Kodai, Sanada, Saito and Mori as they head off to the coordinates.
At the coordinates, an alien possesses Yuki's body and explains that Gamilas and Iskandar are two aspects of the same race. The alien explains that their planet is dying and saw Earth as the most suitable replacement by killing humanity in the process. However, Iskandar did not share this view, and has been imprisoned. Iskandar implants in Yuki the ability to clean the radiation from Earth, and as she and Kodai return to Yamato, Saito and Sanada sacrifice themselves by destroying the Gamilas power source. Afterwards, the Yamato returns to Earth and Okita dies. The crew rejoices at their return but a surviving Gamilas ship ambushes them and severely damages the warship. Dessler appears and says they no longer wish to invade Earth, but since the majority of the Gamilas are killed, he intends to destroy the planet with his vessel to avenge his race. Kodai has the surviving crew abandon ship before he helms Yamato on a kamikaze attack with the Gamilas ship and fires the blocked Wave Motion Cannon.
The ending shows Yuki and a child, which is implied to be Kodai's son, on the Earth's surface now restored to its natural state.
Cast
The main cast of characters has been changed from that of the original series. Yuki has a more active fighting role, and two of the series' main male characters – Aihara and Dr. Sado – have been recast as women.Yamato Crew
- Takuya KimuraTakuya Kimura, nicknamed , is a Japanese singer and actor. He is also a member of the Japanese idol group SMAP. Most of the TV dramas he starred in produced high ratings in Japan...
as Susumu Kodai - Meisa KurokiMeisa Kuroki, better known by her stage name , is a Japanese actress, model and singer born in Nago, Okinawa, Japan. She is represented by the agency Sweet Power and is signed to Sony Music Japan. She made her acting debut in 2004. She has modeled for the popular Japanese fashion magazine JJ, among others, and...
as Yuki Mori, Black Tiger Squadron ace pilot - Toshirō YanagibaToshiro Yanagibais a Japanese actor. He had major roles in several TV drama series such as Bayside Shakedown.- External links :*...
as Shirō Sanada, chief science/technology Officer - Naoto Ogata as Daisuke Shima, chief navigator
- Reiko TakashimaReiko TakashimaReiko Takashima is a Japanese actress.Active in television series, movies, and commercials, her roles have included ninja in jidaigeki such as Abarembō Shōgun and Abare Hasshū Goyō Tabi, the wife Oeyo of the shogun Tokugawa Hidetada, Lady Fujitsubo in a special with characters based on The Tale of...
as Dr. Sado, ship doctor - Toshiyuki NishidaToshiyuki Nishidais a Japanese actor. Outside of Japan, Nishida is best known for his portrayal of Pigsy in the TV series Monkey.Toshiyuki Nishida has received ten Japanese Academy Award nominations, winning twice, for Dun-Huang in 1988 and Gakko and Tsuribaka Nisshi 6 in 1993...
as Hikozaemon Tokugawa, chief engineer - Hiroyuki IkeuchiHiroyuki Ikeuchiis a Japanese actor. He is also a practitioner of judo.-Film:*2010 Space Battleship Yamato*2008 Ip Man*2008 Team Batista no Eikō*2008 Handsome Suit*2006 Love My Life*2004 Warau Iemon*1999 Charisma*1998 Blues Harp-TV dramas:...
as Hajime Saitō, Space Commandos leader - Maiko Skorick (マイコ) as Aihara, communications officer
- Toshihiro Yashiba as Yasuo Nanbu, tactical unit
- Kazuki NamiokaKazuki Namiokais a Japanese actor from Osaka Prefecture. Some of his more prominent roles have been as Shirō Jin'no/Demon Knight in Genseishin Justirisers and Shishimaru/Lion-Maru in Lion-Maru G. He has also appeared in the Densha Otoko series, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, and a guest appearance in...
as Saburō Katō, Black Tiger Squadron commander - Takumi SaitoTakumi Saitois a Japanese actor, model and singer.-Movies:* Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - The Movie as Miles Edgeworth* Saijo no Meii as Saijo Mikoto* Space Battleship Yamato as Yamamoto...
as Akira Yamamoto, Black Tiger Squadron member - Takahiro Miura as Furuya, Black Tiger Squadron member
- Tsutomu Yamazaki as Capt Jūzō Okita
- Kensuke Ōwada as Kenjirō Ōta, navigator
Others
- Shinichi TsutsumiShinichi Tsutsumiis a Japanese stage and screen actor. He won the Japanese Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2005 for Always Sanchōme no Yūhi.-Profile:*Place of Birth: Nishinomiya, Hyōgo, Japan*Talent Agency: Siscompany-Movies:* Suspect X...
as Mamoru Kodai, Susumu's older brother, and captain of the space destroyer Yukikaze - Isao Hashizume as Heikurō Tōdō, Earth Defense Force commander-in-chief
Voice cast
The following are actors who were involved with the original series in any capacity.- Kenichi Ogata as Analyzer, robot assistant of Susumu Kodai.
- Masatō IbuMasato Ibu' is a Japanese actor and voice actor.-Films:*Maison Ikkoku *Empire of the Sun as Sgt. Nagata*Sukeban Deka *Dr. Akagi *Taboo *Godzilla vs...
as Dessler, leader of the "evil" side of the Gamilas. - Miyuki UedaMiyuki Ueda, is a Japanese actress and voice actress. She is married to singer Isao Sasaki and is a childhood friend of fellow voice actor Katsuji Mori.-TV anime:*Weiß Kreuz *Space Battleship Yamato **Space Battleship Yamato: The New Journey...
as Iskandar, originally named Starsha and leader of the "good" side of the Gamilas. - Isao SasakiIsao Sasakiis a Japanese seiyū, actor, and vocalist. He has had voice roles in anime such as Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Space Battleship Yamato, and Gatchaman. He has also performed the opening themes for anime such as Yamato, Star of the Giants, Getter Robo, Casshan, Grendizer, Gaiking and tokusatsu...
as Narrator.
Production
TBS Films, the film production arm of the Tokyo Broadcasting SystemTokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
(TBS) television network has been planning the live action film since 2005. Noboru Ishiguro
Noboru Ishiguro
is a Japanese animator who is noteworthy for directing the anime series The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, The Super Dimension Century Orguss, Yōkai Ningen Bem, Megazone 23, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Noozles, and the 2008 completed series Tytania.He was in a hawaiian style music band in his...
, director and staff member of the original Space Battleship Yamato television series, confirmed at his Otakon
Otakon
Otakon is a fan convention in the United States focusing on East Asian popular culture and its fandom. The name is a portmanteau derived from convention and the Japanese word otaku...
panel on July 17, 2009 that a live action
Live action
In filmmaking, video production, and other media, the term live action refers to cinematography, videography not produced using animation...
version of Space Battleship Yamato was in development.
Director Takashi Yamazaki
Takashi Yamazaki (film director)
is a Japanese film director, screenwriter and visual effects director. He won the Best Director and Best Screenplay prizes at the Japanese Academy Awards in 2006 for Always Sanchōme no Yūhi...
helmed the project for a planned December 2010 release with a budget of 2.2 billion yen (US$22 million). The film features extensive VFX produced by Yamazaki's visual effects house Shirogumi, amounting to 65 minutes of the film's running time in over 500 shots. The Daily Sports newspaper reported that 80% of the scenes incorporate the latest CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
technology to recreate the space battles from the TV series. Having been moved by the 3D scenes of Avatar, Takuya Kimura, who plays Susumu Kodai, lobbied with Yamazaki to improve the quality of the movie's CGI scenes and reshoot them if possible. Because of the danger of getting overbudget, he also agreed to sacrifice part of his talent fee to keep the cost down.
Erika Sawajiri
Erika Sawajiri
is a Japan-based actress, model, and musician. Her alias in her music career was Kaoru Amane, but she has recently started her own project under the name Erika...
was originally scheduled to also star in the film as the female lead character Yuki Mori, but was replaced by Meisa Kuroki
Meisa Kuroki
, better known by her stage name , is a Japanese actress, model and singer born in Nago, Okinawa, Japan. She is represented by the agency Sweet Power and is signed to Sony Music Japan. She made her acting debut in 2004. She has modeled for the popular Japanese fashion magazine JJ, among others, and...
.
Principal photography began on October 12, 2009 and was completed by year's end. Computer graphics, editing, and other elements of post-production took over nine months before Toho opened the film on December 1, 2010 on 440 screens in Japan.
Promotion and distribution
A short teaser trailer was first shown at the 2009 "Johnny's Countdown" concert in Japan. The first official trailer for the live action film was released in Japanese TV on June 2010, with the trailer marking certain numbers of days prior to the film's release. The new trailer is longer and reveals several more features from the first seriesSpace Battleship Yamato
is a Japanese science fiction anime series featuring an eponymous spacecraft. It is also known to English-speaking audiences as Space Cruiser Yamato; an English-dubbed and heavily edited version of the series was broadcast on North American and Australian television as Star Blazers...
(1974) such as the re-designed EDF uniforms, and new EDF and Gamilas space battleships and starfighters. Elements from the second season
Space Battleship Yamato II
is a sequel to the original Space Battleship Yamato manga series. The story is set in the year 2201. The White Comet Empire, a new danger that is a even greater threat than the Gamilons, attacks Earth after the Yamato crew investigate an SOS signal from the mysterious Trelaina of planet Telezart...
, such as the Yamato's "Space Commandos
Space marine
The space marine, an archetype of science fiction, is a soldier that operates in outer space or on alien worlds. Historical marines fulfill amphibious roles: ship defence, landing parties, and general high-mobility deployments...
" (Kuukan kiheitai), were included as well.
On September 16, Tokyograph reported that Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
's Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams...
wrote a song, titled "Love Lives", for the film based on an English translated script and several clips of the film. The song is also performed by Tyler and was released on November 24, 2010 a week before the film is released. A preview of the song is heard in the official trailer. It was Tyler's first solo project.
The film has been licensed for international distribution by several companies: Wild Side Films (France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
), Splendid Film (Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
), Golden Harvest
Golden Harvest
Golden Harvest is a film production, distribution, and exhibition company based in Hong Kong. It played a major role in becoming the first Chinese film company to successfully enter the western market for an extended period of time, especially with the films of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan...
(China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
), Catchplay (Taiwan
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
), Encore Films (Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Malaysia, Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
) and Sahamongkol Film International Co. Ltd. (Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
). Mediatres Studio made a deal with TBS Company for home distribution of the film in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. The film will be released on DVD in that country under the "Winds of Asia" quality seal and will be sold through Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979...
of Spain.
Different DVD and Blu-ray editions were released in Japan on June 24, 2011.
Manabu Wakui also wrote the novelization of the film. The book further explains the story behind the 2194 planet bomb attacks and also includes a scene where Shima's mute son Jiro finally speaks for the first time upon seeing the Yamato survivors' arrival.
Box office and reception
Space Battleship Yamato debuted at number 1 on the Japanese box-office, ousting Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 1).Zac Bertschy of the Anime News Network
Anime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
rated the film a B, calling it "a thoroughly modernized adaptation, one that hits the gas pedal right out of the gate and doesn't stop for a moment, unashamed to just try and entertain the hell out of you."
The Japan Times
The Japan Times
The Japan Times is an English language newspaper published in Japan. Unlike its competitors, the Daily Yomiuri and the International Herald Tribune/Asahi Shimbun, it is not affiliated with a Japanese language media organization...
gave the film a positive review. The reviewer said the pressure of releasing a film with much corporate backing and expectations by die-hard fans put much stress on the production team, but they were able to have sufficient entertaining fare for kids and make serious drama work.
The Hollywood Reporter stated that the movie had a "sleek futurist look without losing sight of the ‘70s illustration style" of the original series in spite of a small budget (compared with other Western sci-fi movies).
On the other hand, Christoph Mark of The Daily Yomiuri said the film "lacked gravity" and criticized the production design as too reminiscent of the Battlestar Galactica remake
Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore as a re-imagining of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson...
.