Eriko Nakamura arrived at the event after staying up all night to watch the full-length series!　Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Ark of the Stars" BD/DVD release commemorative event report

The official report from the BD/DVD release commemorative event of the animated film "Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Ark of the Stars" has arrived.

Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Ark of the Stars" was released in 89 theaters nationwide on December 6, 2014 as a completely new version of "Space Battleship Yamato 2199," which was produced by a new staff based on the first TV series in 2012 and became a huge hit. Set on the return journey from Iskandar, the film depicts the battle between Yamato and a new enemy, Gatlantis.

On May 26, the eve of the BD/DVD release, a screening and talk event titled "Blu-ray & DVD Release Eve Matouk" was held. General director Yutaka Izubuchi, chief mechanical director Masanori Nishii, and Eriko Nakamura, who plays Mikage Kiryu, took the stage for the talk, looking back on the past. The following is the report.

Incidentally, the BD limited first edition became the series' first Oricon overall top seller, while the simultaneously released BD regular edition and DVD editions reached No. 7 and No. 3, respectively, the highest sales ever.

On May 26, the eve of the Blu-ray & DVD release of "Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Ark of the Stars," which went on sale on May 27, a screening and talk event titled "Blu-ray & DVD Release Eve Matouk" was held. The speakers were Hiroshi Izubuchi, general director, Masanori Nishii, chief mechanical director, and Eriko Nakamura, who plays Mikage Kiryu.

As this talk event was a major conclusion to the "Yamato 2199" series, the event began with a look back at the events that began in 2013. After explaining that the three guests had appeared at the top three official events, a list of events from "Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Launching Ceremony - Our Yamato SP" held on February 18, 2012, to the current event was projected on the screen. Nods and voices could be heard leaking from the audience as they recalled each event.

The conversation then moved on to Mikage Kiryu, the main heroine of "Hoshiguru Ark. Ms. Nakamura, who had to attend the event without knowing the story of "Hoshiguru Ark" because her role appeared in the middle of the series, shared an episode in which she "stayed up all night to rewatch the main series and entered the venue with the same tension" and "I was more like a fan than a cast member. He shared an episode. Mr. Izubuchi expressed his gratitude for his contribution to the promotion and popularization of "Hoshiguratoru Ark," saying, "It was probably good that the fans felt a sense of familiarity with that tension," and "Thank you very much for the radio show ("YRA Radio Yamato").

The next topic of the talk was Mikage Kiryu. Nakamura said, "She was portrayed in contrast to the bright, vivacious, and a little bit ditzy Yuria Misaki, so she was a little bit cool, but her cute side started to come out," to which Izubuchi Izubuchi added, "There was a part of her that was a bit of a goofball, and she's a tardy girl. When the story of "Hoshi wo Meguru Ark" was being written, Mr. Izubuchi said, "The image that Kiryu has will appear in Chambreau. Then, it would be more interesting to give it some kind of attribute." As he thought about this, "Mr. Nishii came up with the idea of creating the battleship Yamato. There are other things like paintings, books, and so on. These attributes and hobbies eventually led to the characterization of Kiryu," he explained. He then moved on to the Blu-ray version of "Hoshi wo Meguru Ark," which was also screened at the event, and introduced some points that had been upgraded from the screened version.

As an example, Mr. Nishii revealed, "In the scene where Mr. Izubuchi couldn't save Melia, who is played by Ms. Nakamura, in the burger reminiscence scene, Mr. Izubuchi redrew the scene by himself. Another example is "the cut where the Jirelles are lined up behind Lelei when the Ark takes off," for which Mr. Izubuchi drew the original. On the other hand, Mr. Izubuchi introduced an addition in terms of acting. In the scene where Ancient, Snow, Shima, and Lelei take a commemorative photo in the rear observation room, Lelei's expression is miffed behind Snow and Ancient as they greet each other. We also changed the play around where Mikage and Sawamura are behind the appearance of Lelei," he said, "but when we talk about these things, the eyes are on that side, not on Ancient and Burger in the foreground, so they don't have to notice. Regardless of whether or not it gets attention, "the part that the creator should stick to" in creating the world of the work was added, he said.

Of course, the same modifications were made in the mechanical scenes as well. As an easy example, Mr. Nishii introduced several cuts that had been set up but were not completed in time for the screening, such as "the cut where the direct fire cannon destroyed the Yamato's port observation deck" and "the tattered Mirangal near the end of the battle," which were completely revised. In addition to the drawing, the most common modification this time was the addition of texture and atmosphere in the filming area. The total number of correction points is approximately 600, which is 1/3 to 2/5 of the total number of corrections.

The "Space Battleship Yamato 2199" related events currently scheduled will come to an end with the "Yama Talk" event. In his closing remarks, general director Mr. Izubuchi looked back on the eight years since he became involved in the production and said, "For the first four years, we were going along not knowing what would happen. However, during those four years of actual work, it wasn't just us staff members who were on a journey, but we were on a journey together with you, the viewers, and that is the true feeling. Thank you so much for staying with us," he said, expressing his gratitude. Ms. Nishii said, "Eight years is a long time (laughs). However, as a result of continuing to work on it, we are here now. I am truly grateful. I would be happy if everyone could gather like this again when there is another opportunity like this". Mr. Nakamura also commented, "It has been a little over a year since I was able to perform at the first "Yamato 2199" event at Anime Japan in 2014. I am reminded once again of how much fun I had at the "Yamato 2199" event. I will leave my wish to meet you all again to you," he said, reminding us that the loneliness of the end of the work and related events is not only felt by the fans, but also by the staff and cast members, who feel that the work will never end. At the very end of the session, Mr. Izubuchi asked the moderator to make a comment, and once again, the scheduled time ran over. The talk ended in the middle of what has become a "YamaTalk" event.