"Space Battleship Yamato" gears up for new mission

[Tokyograph News]

The classic anime "Space Battleship Yamato" (also known as "Star Blazers") is headed for a comeback, 25 years after the last movie was screened in theaters. 73-year-old producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki, who worked on that film and the original anime series, declared that he wants his last work to be a new "Yamato" film. He said he hopes to surpass Hayao Miyazaki's latest effort, "Gake no Ue no Ponyo."

To achieve that, Nishizaki has founded Yamato Studio, based in Nerima, Tokyo. Around 40 staff members have been assembled for the project, including general director Toshio Masuda and general animation director Tomonori Kogawa. Nishizaki had first declared his intent to make a "Yamato" film in 2004, but copyright disputes forced him to abandon the plan. This time, though, he says that he has been given the go-ahead.

The new movie is set in 2220, when the Earth is threatened by the expansion of a black hole. A plan is formed to transport 300 million people off the planet, but the fleet is attacked and the Yamato is forced to retaliate. Susumu Kodai (then 38) takes up the role of captain. In this story, he and his wife Yuki have their daughter Miyuki.

Nishizaki reportedly plans to release the movie next year.

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