The opening day stage greeting for the third chapter of the latest installment of the remake series of the popular anime "Space Battleship Yamato", "Be Forever Yamato: Rebel 3199", "Gunjo no Asteroid", was held on April 11th at Marunouchi Piccadilly (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), where general director Harutoshi Fukui appeared. The third chapter has developments that seem to be more linked to the present than ever before, and Fukui said, "It's a plot I wrote five or six years ago, but it's eerily relevant to the current times."
Director Naomichi Yamato and screenwriter Hideki Oka also appeared on stage to greet the audience, and Eriko Nakamura, who plays Mikage Kiryu, acted as the host. Oka hinted that "The catchphrase for Chapter 3 is 'Inviting you to the labyrinth of time,' but Chapter 3 is the beginning of Fukui's invitation to the labyrinth," to which Fukui replied, "You'll understand what I mean if you watch it two or three times."
Oka pointed out the relationship between Domon Ryusuke and Ageha Takeru as a highlight of the third chapter, saying, "In 1980's Space Battleship Yamato III, they were also set up as best friends, but there weren't many specific depictions of them being best friends. Fans had been filling in the gaps in their minds for a long time. Fukui dug deeper into that area. He returned it in the form of one of the long-awaited assignments. Instant noodles (a key item) weren't mentioned in Fukui's original notes. At the very last moment, Fukui squeezed them into the script. The moment I read it, I was hooked!" Fukui responded, "Food is important to the film. Instant noodles were the only choice."
It was also announced that the fourth chapter, "Sasha, the Light Blue Maiden," will be released on October 10. Fukui said, "I never thought that an elementary school classroom would appear (in the third chapter). Scenes never seen before will appear, and we will point the camera at places we've never pointed our camera at before and go into them. On the Earth side, we will delve into places you've never seen before." He continued, "In the first chapter, I said, 'This is my greatest work to date,' and as I work on the sound for the sixth chapter, I really feel that this will be the case. I think we can deliver it with confidence. I hope you will continue to support us."
"Be Forever Yamato: Rebel 3199" is a new interpretation of the original third movie, "Be Forever Yamato," released in 1980. Fukui will serve as general director, and will also be in charge of series composition and scriptwriting. Fukui was in charge of series composition and scriptwriting for the remake series "Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Warriors of Love" and "Space Battleship Yamato 2205: A New Voyage," and will also be general director for the latest film. Yamato will be the director. There will be seven chapters in total.
The first Space Battleship Yamato anime series was broadcast in 1974, and other films have since been produced, including Space Battleship Yamato 2, Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato , Warriors of Love, and Space Battleship Yamato Resurrection. A remake of the first film, Space Battleship Yamato 2199, was screened in theaters and broadcast on TV from 2012 to 2014, and a sequel to 2199, 2202, was screened in theaters and broadcast on TV from 2017 to 2019. A two-part series, 2205, was screened in theaters in 2021 and 2022.
